The OLLI Players Present: The Loyalist and Mum Bett's Minute

The OLLI Players Present:

Mum Bett's Minute and The Loyalist

Two One-Act Readings

Written by Jesse Waldinger,
Directed by Barbara Waldinger

Image left: Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett), Sculpture, Sheffield, MA. Credit: Dugan Murphy

Image right:  Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Farewell to Flora MacDonald

Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2 p.m.
In-person at Berkshire Community College
Free and open to the public.

A Staged Reading, followed by a Panel Discussion.

This event is part of OLLI’s commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. The Loyalist explores the split between colonists who were committed to the cause of independence and those who remained loyal to the British crown. Recently freed from slavery, Mum Bett in Mum Bett's Minute wonders if the words of the Declaration of Independence (“all men are created equal”) apply to her. With humor and nuance, the plays thrust us into the shoes of these 18th century characters as they struggle to create our democratic experiment.

Performance is in-person only and will not be recorded.

Mum Bett's Minute:
After winning her 1781 freedom suit, Mum Bett takes charge of her life.

The Loyalist:
Flora MacDonald, the Scottish heroine who helped save Bonnie Prince Charlie from the British, has migrated to North Carolina. Will she join the Revolutionary cause?

Cast: Kim Wafer, Robin Nardi, Mike Pepino, Peter Podol, Alice Roth, Amanda Schenker, Lisken Van Pelt Dus, Neil Berman.

Stage Manager: Alice Roth

Music: Brian Hailes.

Panelists: Katherine Kidd, Leyn Burrows, Michael Forbes Wilcox

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This event is supported through the generous philanthropy of Nancy and Michael Vale, whose bequest established the Michael and Nancy Vale Performing Arts Fund at OLLI at Berkshire Community College. This endowed fund supports theater-based OLLI programming.