Did you know that it’s Hispanic Heritage Month?
September 15 – October 15 is annually set aside to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. In Salem, the Latino Leadership Coalition will be hosting their fifth annual celebration right here at The Gables. Check out the digital flyer for all of the details and an email to register for the event.
Space is still available on the October 5 member-exclusive field trip to Concord! This is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of Salem and learn about our favorite author in a great New England town. Full details about the event and a link to register are HERE.
We also wanted to reshare a little bit of the history of our October Performances with you:
Close to 20 years ago, Anne Lucas, a local writer, was asked to create theatrical performances to enhance the visitor experience in October. Ms. Lucas was inspired to write The Legacy of the Hanging Judge after a trip to the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum. “I saw the dangers that prejudice taken to extremes in any community can produce.” This performance, which takes place in the Hawthorne Birthplace, gives the visitor an opportunity to meet Nathaniel Hawthorne as he agonizes over his writing. He hopes to expiate his guilt over his ancestor and witch trials judge, John Hathorne.
As the performance moves through the historic house, it goes back in time introducing us to the — meeting perpetrators and victims of the infamous Salem Witch Trials. They warn us not to turn a blind eye to injustice “or it could be you in the cell here beside me.”
Ms. Lucas was also given the task to enhance an existing performance when she developed Spirits of The Gables. This tour and performance allow the visitor to meet the characters from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel, The House of the Seven Gables. Lucas loves that, “we meet these ‘shades of the great Nathaniel Hawthorne’s mind’ in the house that inspired their creation. The Ghost of Matthew Maule stalks the audience and warns that the Pyncheons will die horrible deaths — ‘God will give them blood to drink’ for the injustice done to him. We find there is only one solution to this family feud — love.”
Much like the year-round staff at The House of the Seven Gables, Anne Lucas enjoys the October season. “Every year it is so much fun to come back to The Gables with new actors and old regulars. The wonderful staff feels like family. So there is always a letdown when it is over.”
Don’t be let down as well! Be sure to get your tickets for this year’s performances.