Lillian Smith: Being Heard

“I believe future generations will think of our times as the age of wholeness: when the walls began to fall; when the fragments began to be related to each other…”
– Lillian Smith, The Journey

About Lillian Smith: Being Heard

Lillian Smith (1897-1966) was a white, queer Southern liberal, unafraid to criticize segregation at a time when such actions almost guaranteed ostracism. In Lillian Smith: Being Heard, Lulu Fogarty explores the intersection of her life growing up in America today with that of Lillian Smith’s. Lillian Smith devoted her writing career to fighting against racism, segregation, and sexism in America. Lulu Fogarty tells of this brave woman’s life-long struggle to be heard, in her own words and on her own terms.

Lillian Smith Being Heard asks the audience to consider who they choose to segregate themselves from. And why. It concludes that while we have come a long way toward creating a world of acceptance, there is still a long way to go.

Lulu Fogarty has indeed “heard” Lillian Smith, and she has heard her in sensitive and significant ways.

She has not tried to imitate, replicate, or literally translate Lillian Smith. Instead she has let the vision, beliefs, humanity of the person move through her own sensibility and intelligence. In short, Fogarty’s work is not a strict biographical report, it is her response to a life that continues to leave message and meaning for us all.
— Nancy Smith Fichter

Watch the trailers below to see what all the buzz is about

Extended Trailer

Short Trailer

Past Productions

April 29, 2010 – World Premiere in New York City at Dixon Place. Directed by Thom Fogarty / Music by Blue “Gene” Tyranny / Video by Anja Hitzenberger / Special appearance by Lorna Hampson.
October 5, 2011 – Featured performance for Syracuse University Drama Department at Syracuse Stage. Directed by Thom Fogarty / Music by Blue “Gene” Tyranny / Video by Anja Hitzenberger / Special appearance by Lorna Hampson.
October 30, 2011 – United Solo Festival at Theatre Row, NYC. Directed by Thom Fogarty / Music by Blue “Gene” Tyranny / Video by Anja Hitzenberger / Special appearance by Lorna Hampson.
November 7-16, 2013 – The Loft at Judson Memorial Church, NYC. Directed by Thom Fogarty / Set and Lighting by Bill Stabile / Music by Blue “Gene” Tyranny / Video by Anja Hitzenberger / Special appearance by Lorna Hampson.
August 30, 2017 – Featured performance for Piedmont College in Georgia. Directed by Thom Fogarty / Music by Blue “Gene” Tyranny / Video by Anja Hitzenberger / Special appearance by Lorna Hampson.