Synopsis
Having Our Say - The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
Emily Mann from Sarah L. & A. Elizabeth Delany
Published by Dramatists Play Service
0 Male 2 Female
Having Our Say opens as 103-year-old Sadie Delany and 101-year-old Bessie Delany welcome us into their Mount Vernon, New York, home
As they prepare a celebratory dinner in remembrance of their father's birthday, they take us on a remarkable journey through the last hundred years of our nation's history
They recount a fascinating series of events and anecdotes drawn from their rich family history and careers as pioneering African-American professionals
Their story is not simply African-American history or women's history. It is U.S history, told through the eyes of two unforgettable women as they look not only into the past, but also ahead into the twenty-first century
"The daughters of a minister born in slavery and a brilliant woman of mixed ancestry, the story of the Delany sisters begins in Reconstruction and progresses through the rise of Jim Crow, two world wars, the triumphs of black culture during the Harlem Renaissance
And through the civil war and women's rights movements, up to the present Mann has staged the three relatively brief acts with a keen eye for the jigsaw fit that a hundred years of living together would bring" ~ Variety
"The most provocative and entertaining family play to reach Broadway in a long time " ~ NY Times
"when the show is over, you want it to go on and on Having our Say is a must for audiences of all races" ~ BackStage
"In fact, this must be the nicest show and inspirational pep rally in town what a life these women have led, and how lovely to hear about America's real history from witnesses who are such good company. The Delany sisters may seem too good to be true, but here they are" ~ NY Newsday