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SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS:
THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE
A ONE-ACT PLAY
Written and Performed by
LuLu LoLo |
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SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST
FACTORY FIRE is a three character drama in which LuLu LoLo
portrays the young seamstress Sara Saracino who shares drudgery and
dreams with her little sister Tessie, unaware they are about to perish
in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; their Italian immigrant mother;
and a young reporter William Gunn Shepherd who witnessed the fire and
speaks of the infamous trail that acquitted the factory owners of any
blame for the tragedy.
Upcoming Performance: March 19, 2011
LuLu LoLo will mark the centennial (March 25, 2011) of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and honor the 146 victims of the fire by performing SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE in a continuous one day street performance on site at three historic locations:
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Time of performances:
Site 1. 11:30 am East Harlem/El Barrio
Site 2. 1:00pm NYU Brown Building
Site 3. 2:30pm Collect Pond Park
Raindate: Sunday, March 20, 2011
Admission: Free
Performance may be joined in progress at all venues:
Site 1. 11:30 am East Harlem/El Barrio (site of the Saracino home) 118 East 119 Street now the 25th Police Precinct:
Scene 1: Italian immigrant Mama Saracino bids farewell to her daughters, Sarafina and Teresina, as they leave for work in the Triangle factory.
Site 2. 1:00pm NYU Brown Building (site of the Triangle Factory) Washington Place and Greene Street:
Scene 2: Sarafina Saracino shares drudgery and dreams with her little sister Tessie, unaware they are about to perish in the Triangle Factory fire
Scene 3: Eye witness reporter William Gunn Shepherd describes the tragic fire
Scene 4: Reporter William Gunn Shepherd relates the next day’s devastating grief.
Site 3. 2:30pm Collect Pond Park (site of the Criminal Court Building) at Lafayette & Franklin Streets
Scenes 5 & 6: Reporter William Gunn Shepherd reports on the infamous trial and the verdict that acquitted the factory owners of any blame for the tragedy.
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LuLu LoLo as William Gunn Shepherd,
reporter for "The World", reporting by phone
at the site of the fire. Photo: Melissa Miracolo
© 2010, Triangle
Project LLC |
July 17, 2010 SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was performed at Teaching the Triangle Factory Fire Forum at Adelphi University's Manhattan Center, NY.
March 25, 2010, LuLu LoLo performed a short excerpt from her one-person play SOLILOQUY
FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE at Judson Church, NY for the Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition, marking the 99th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
March 25, 2007, a short excerpt from SOLILOQUY
FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was
performed for Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito’s State of
the District Address at Low Library, Columbia University.
March 21, 2007, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS:
THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was performed as part
of the “Day of Dialogue” at Hofstra University, NY.
March 5, 2007, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS:
THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was presented by the Center
of Italian Studies in collaboration with Women’s Studies Program,
Center for Study of Working Class Life, and Department of History at
Stony Brook University, NY.
October 19, 2005, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS:
THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE was performed at Casa
Italiana Zerrilli-Marimò at NYU in celebration of Italian Heritage
and Culture Month for The National Organization of Italian American
Women in collaboration with Casa Italiana Zerrilli-Marimò.
March 19 & 20, 2005, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS: THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE (The One-Act Play) was first performed at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum to commemorate the 94th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and in Honor of Women's History Month. The performance was sponsored by a grant made possible by New York State Senator Serphin Maltese, a descendant of Triangle Factory victims.
March 21-25, 2002, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS (Sarafina Saracino monologue) Due to popular demand and to mark the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, The Immigrants Theatre Project & Lower East Side Tenement Museum presented LuLu LoLo Takes Her Hat Off To The Fair Sex—Unfair Victims, at the Tenement Theater, NY.
June 21, 2001, SOLILOQUY FOR A SEAMSTRESS (Sarafina Saracino monologue)
This scene was first performed as part of LuLu LoLo Takes Her Hat
Off To The Fair Sex—Unfair Victims at the
Tenement Theater, NY as part of the Immigrants’ Theatre Project
Series: “American Dreams, New Plays about New York City and The
Immigrant Experience”, Marcy Arlin Artistic Director, in conjunction
with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.
REVIEWS
"Collaboration Power: How Are Unions and Educators Joining Forces?," Richard Greenwald, In These Times, June 20, 2010
"LuLu LoLo at Tenement Museum" - hailed by critic Arlene McKanic as “Funny…Heartbreaking…Poignant…Thought Provoking Theater…” - Greenwich Village Gazette, NY, July 9, 2001
EAST HARLEM VICTIMS OF THE TRIANGLE FIRE
LuLu LoLo was born, raised, and still lives in East Harlem,
just three city blocks away from where the Saracino sisters lived. When
LuLu first wrote the factory scene she selected the Saracino sisters
to portray without knowing that they had lived in East Harlem. It wasn't
until years later when LuLu read the list of victim’s addresses
in David Von Drehle’s book, “Triangle The Fire That Changed
America” did she learn that the Saracino sisters had grown up
in her neighborhood.
In 2005 upon learning about CHALK, a public art project commemorating the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, LuLu LoLo went to 118 East 119th Street, the site of the Saracino sister's home and wrote on the sidewalk in chalk their names, ages, and that they died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.
Since 2006 every March 25th (the anniversary of the fire) LuLu has honored all 10 of the East Harlem victims by chalking their names and ages at the site of their homes as part of CHALK.
LuLu LoLo's memories of the Third Avenue El and her realization that the Saracino sisters rode the Third Avenue El
to go to work at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory are posted online by City Lore as part of their City of Memory Series
(Curated Stories “The El in East Harlem”).
LuLu LoLo’s “Mapping the Victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory” via the Third Ave EL from Upper Manhattan and the Bronx to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory appears in the digital version of the Reliquarian Quarterly Zine, for the City Reliquary Museum BK created by Allegra Murphy Denton.
