Two Elizas: Solo Performance by Yale Alumna Jenny Mercein
Years ago, Eliza left her abusive husband in Canada and fled to her family home in New York where, with the support of her parents, she filed for divorce, something unheard of at the time. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which then ruled in her favor. Even though the outcome was a victory for her and set a precedent in this country that a wife was not her husband’s property, it came at a great personal loss, as her son was made to stay with his father in Canada and Eliza was only allowed to keep her daughter.
This acclaimed solo show explores the true story of Jenny’s ancestor Eliza Mercein Barry and her landmark 1847 U.S. Supreme Court case, Barry v. Mercein, which established a woman’s right to retain custody of her child. In an emotionally gripping intergenerational reflection on resilience and women’s rights, Jenny mirrors her ancestor with her own trials and tribulations to motherhood.
June 2, 20:00, Mezrab Theater Amsterdam
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