The Agitators
by Mat Smart

Name: The Agitators
Brand: Mat Smart
SKU: 9780573708305
Rating: 4.23 (13 reviews)

The Agitators Book Cover — The Agitators Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

105 mins American Civil War Era Role(s) for Black Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes

Synopsis

The Agitators tells of the enduring but tempestuous friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.

Great allies?

Yes.

And at times, great adversaries.

Young abolitionists when they met in Rochester in the 1840s, they were full of hopes, dreams, and a common purpose.

As they grew to become the cultural icons we know today, their movements collided and their friendship was severely tested.

This is the story of that forty-five-year friendship – from its beginning in Rochester, through a civil war, and to the highest halls of government.

They agitated the nation, they agitated each other, and, in doing so, they helped shape the Constitution and the course of American history.

Press Reviews

"A brilliant success in illuminating the rights of American citizenship – a powerful history lesson that needs to have a voice. In short, it is not to be missed."
— Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

"In Mat Smart's powerful telling, what goes down between Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass goes way beyond bio-rama. Here we see two noble seekers of equality and hear heartstrings of the history they left unfinished."
— DC Metro Theater Arts

"Smart's compelling script weaves through historical periods and sprinkles touchstone events that reinforce their humanity."
— DC Theatre Scene

"The Agitators unfolds like a scrapbook, with snippets of conversation between Douglass and Anthony during their decades-long struggles for abolition and voting rights."
— Seattle Times

"Mat Smart's brilliant play, The Agitators, stirs up the past flinging it squarely into the present."
— Cedars Rapid Gazette

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Frederick Douglass (thirties or forties) a black man	—	—	(thirties or forties) a black man
Susan B. Anthony (thirties or forties) a white woman	female	—	(thirties or forties) a white woman