'Nancy,' award-winning historical play, comes to ETSU

In 1820, Elihu Embree published his newspaper, The Emancipator, on Main Street, Jonesborough. The seven-edition paper is the first publication dedicated solely to the cause of abolitionism. Embree passed away in December of 1820, and the paper died with him.Even though it was short-lived, The Emancipator had over 2,000 subscribers and its reach went all the way to Boston and Philadelphia. In spite of his abolitionist beliefs, Embree himself was an enslaver. Nancy was an enslaved woman owned by Elihu Embree, and her story will be shared on Sunday, Jan. 21 at East Tennessee State University's (ETSU) Martin Center for the Arts.Written by Anne G'Fellers-Mason, former executive director of the Heritage Alliance and new program manager for the McKinney Center, "Nancy" follows a year in the woman's life, from January 1820 when Elihu Embree wrote his will to January 1821 when his will was read before the Washington County court.The play is based on primary research relying heavily on documents from the Washington County Archives. Local actress Ubunibi Afia Short takes on the titular role of Nancy."We're excited to finally be able to bring Nancy's story to ETSU," Mason said. "It's an honor to perform in the Martin Center for the Arts and to share this experience with Black American Studies and the ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance. Without their support, this wouldn't be possible."The play is the recipient of an Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums and a History in the Media Award from the East Tennessee Historical Society.The performance will begin at 2:00 p.m. inside the Bach Theatre in the Martin Center with doors opening at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations for the Heritage Alliance and Black American Studies are encouraged.The Martin Center is located at 1320 W State of Franklin Rd. in Johnson City. For more information, call the Heritage Alliance at (423) 753-9580.