Waltham in the Time of Slavery & Reading Frederick Douglass

The Waltham Museum presents a special event pairing the story of Waltham Slave Felix Cuff’s fight for freedom (1780), with Statesman, Author, Abolitionist, Frederick Douglass’ impassioned 1872 speech to America.

Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author and public speaker, and abolitionist leader. He gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration, leading to a nationwide speaking tour (including Waltham) delivering a powerful address: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” to the nation. The Waltham Museum is privileged to present a professional recreator,  portraying Douglass giving his speech to the good citizens of Waltham. Bruce Chester – Growing up in north central Massachusetts, Bruce decided he wanted to be an actor after seeing the movie Superman. At 13, he trained at the Guild Players Touring Company, he appeared in his first professional production, “Of Mice and Men”. At 17 before finishing high school, Bruce enlisted in the Massachusetts Army National Guard in order to help pay for college. Bruce in appeared in the third production of “Man in a Raincoat”. In 1995 he was cast as an extra and hired as the Military Advisor for the prestigious American Repertory Theater’s production of “Henry V”. In 1997, he appeared at the African Meeting House, in Boston as Frederick Douglass in an original production written by Paul Bogan. Bruce has worked on several films including Knight and Day with Tom Cruise, The Town, American Hustle and The Equalizer 2.  Bruce is the author of four novels, and he wrote and directed the King Serpent original production, “A Groovy Day in the Park”. He is currently performing his one-man show, “Hold High the Flag, SGT Carney” around New England.

Felix Cuff was a slave in 1780’s Waltham who joined the Continental Army as a path to freedom against the will of his Owner which led to kidnapping, Lawsuits, chases, a mob brawl, and refuge in “The Devil’s Den”. Felix pled a foundational case for his freedom, and right to self-determination. Character portrayals performed by King Serpent Variety Troupe.

Performances November 16th, 1pm & 4pm (RSVP by calling 781-893-9020 or emailing info@walthammuseum.org

This event is funded by the generous support of our patrons and members, and a grant from the good folks at Mass Humanities, funded by the Mass Cultural Council