About 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
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
More information available at Lillian Smith: Being Heard Play.
Contact Lulu about performing Lillian Smith: Being Heard at your school or theatre!
About As the Water Subsides
From December 2012 through September 2013, Lulu lived in Taiwan. She studied Chinese at the National Taiwan University’s International Chinese Language Program and toured the island performing educational musicals for children. She also had incredible conversations with people about how politics shapes identity and ethnicity in Taiwan. She is weaving these insights into an ethnographic play called As the Water Subsides.
As the Water Subsides is an in-your-face educational romp that explores the relationship between politics and identity in Taiwan and the United States.
Apples + Azaleas Blog
In 2012, Lulu started Apples + Azaleas — a blog to document her travels in Taiwan. Her posts are still available for perusal, including organizing tips, DIY projects and social justice work highlights.
Lulu Fogarty 