‘Hamilton’ actress to star in Sandra Seaton’s ‘Sally: A Solo Play’ at Wharton

After writing three bodies of work about Sally Hemings — a woman who was enslaved under President Thomas Jefferson and is widely recognized as the mother of several of his children — East Lansing playwright and librettist Sandra Seaton has become part of her world.

Seaton wrote an operatic work about Hemings, “From the Diary of Sally Hemings,” in 2001. It was performed at Coolidge Auditorium, which is, ironically enough, located inside the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington.

“Afterward, 45 of Sally Hemings’ descendants came to the reception,” Seaton said. “That’s how I got to know them, and we’ve stayed in touch since.”

They will be in attendance for the world premiere of “Sally: A Solo Play,” Seaton’s first of two plays about Hemings. (The second is “A Bed Made in Heaven.”)

“Sally” stars Sabrina Sloan, who toured the country as Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton,” and is directed by Hannah Ryan, the former resident director of “Hamilton” on Broadway. It will make its world premiere Feb. 19 through 21 the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.

“Sally” is a one-woman drama is set at Monticello, Jefferson’s home near Charlottesville, Virginia, in the days leading up to Jefferson’s death on July 4, 1826, as he’s writing his will. Sloan plays multiple characters: Sally; Jefferson; Sally’s mother, Elizabeth Hemings; Sally’s brother, James Hemings; and Jefferson’s daughter, Martha “Patsy” Randolph.

“When the play opens, Sally’s worried whether Jefferson will include their children in his will,” Seaton said. “Sally goes through all this emotional turmoil about what will happen with his will. Of course, there are flashbacks to other times. How does she deal with that?”

Sloan said, “When I read the piece, it’s just so moving and so empowering, and there’s so much to unpack. Each time I’ve done it, I’ve unpacked more and discovered more. We’re constantly reshaping it, rewriting it, and asking questions. It’s just an amazing, really nuanced piece that has so much depth and so many layers. I feel it’s something I can do again and again and again and still find new things, so it’s always exciting when you find a piece like that.”

Sloan feels a connection with Hemings. Both are multiracial. Hemings was of approximately three-fourths European descent and one-fourth African descent, legally classified as Black in Virginia during that period. Sloan is the daughter of a German English father and an African American mother.

“I know that she’s an unknown to so many people — we don’t know what she looked like, we don’t know much about her,” Sloan said. “What ‘Sally’ does for me is offer an example of a woman in a very challenging situation who has found her power, found some agency, and found a way to create and carve out a future for her children. What’s forefront on my mind is making sure my two children have the best future that they can have in a world that’s uncertain right now. The themes of freedom, of choice, of family — there’s so much that’s relevant to our lives. For me, it’s important this piece of oral history continues to be passed down, is shared, and continues to be shared.” 

“Sally” makes its debut several months before the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

“You think about all the struggles, all the suffering, all that was endured to get to that point,” Seaton said. “The story about Sally Hemings is really about a woman who, in spite of all the things she had against her — she was a slave, she was afraid — was able to stand up for her rights at a time when women were not standing up for their rights. She struggled, yet she stood firm to assure that her children would be free as she and Jefferson agreed to originally. This is another story about this country’s independence, another story about this country’s fight for freedom. This is a story about a woman who fought for the freedom of her children.”

Sally, Sandra, and Sabrina

Seaton’s interest in Hemings came about after meeting Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom. Bolcom wrote about Seaton’s great-uncle Flournoy Miller, the visionary behind “Shuffle Along.”

“What we know as the Broadway musical was invented at the time of that production in 1921,” Seaton said.

Florence Quivar, considered to be one of the most prominent mezzo sopranos of her generation, approached Bolcom about collaborating on a piece about Hemings. In turn, Bolcom asked Seaton if she wanted to participate.

“I thought about my own family history and my great-grandmother who was a child of a plantation. I thought about Hemings’ life. I said yes, and that’s how it happened. I ended up writing an operatic work about Sally Hemings (which became ‘From the Diary of Sally Hemings’).

After “Diary” made its debut at the Library of Congress, two sponsors from the Elinor Remick Warren Society spoke to Seaton about writing a play on Hemings. She wrote “Sally” in the next year. Since then, it’s undergone more than 20 revisions.

Seaton’s agent, Barbara Hogenson, informed her that the Aspen theater festival was looking for one-person plays and submitted “Sally.” At the time, Hannah Ryan was working at Theatre Aspen.

“We were looking for someone to play Sally, and Hannah had worked with Sabrina before on ‘Hamilton.’ They’re very knowledgeable about each other. Hannah greatly admired Sabrina’s work, and Sabrina was happy to work with Hannah again. That’s how it all came about,” Seaton said. “Sabrina’s extraordinary. She’s classically trained. She’s able to use these different voices. She’s able to take on all these personas believably. She’s really committed to the play and really brilliant.”

Seaton also holds Ryan in high regard.

“Hannah has a great vision,” she said. “She’s really able, with just one character, to visualize the stage and have in her mind how this all works as a piece of theater. We interviewed the set designer, the lighting designer and the costume designer, and Hannah’s been working with all of them to make this incredible show.”

In turn, Sloan had nothing but high praise for Seaton and Ryan.

“Sandra’s the best!” Sloan said. “Truly one of my favorite experiences is working with her and Hannah. When you have a solo piece, you have the opportunity to dig into the writing and the vision. She’s a historian in in her own right — she’s done so much research about Sally, Jefferson, and that period. She’s a poetic, beautiful writer and a joy to be around.

“Hannah’s just an incredible and special director,” Sloan continued. “I’ve never worked with anyone like her. She’s good at hearing your perspective and what you need in the moment and will help you get to the next moment. She’s very patient — we’ll take the time to go through something thoroughly until we’re happy with it, which is an anomaly with directors. She always makes me feel incredibly comfortable and confident in the work.”

Part of the design team for “Sally” has Michigan State University ties. Kirk A. Domer, interim chairperson and professor of scene design, is designing the set. Alison Dobbins, a professor of integrated performance media design, is doing project design.

Dobbins is no stranger to Seaton’s plays.

“I’m very excited to work with Sandra!” Dobbins said. “Her work is impactful, powerful and poignantly beautiful. I’ve had the pleasure of featuring several of her plays as projects in my courses at MSU over the past few years, and Seaton has generously discussed her process with my students. ‘Sally’ is one of my favorite Seaton plays, as well as one of my favorite plays full stop. Being a part of the premiere is thrilling.”

Although Seaton’s work has been performed at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington and Carnegie Hall in New York City, she’s thrilled to have “Sally” debut at the Wharton Center.

“My portrayal of Sally Hemings challenges the way she has been viewed in the past. I want audiences to see Sally not as an appendage to Jefferson, but as an individual in her own right. Not as a stereotype, but as a woman on a mission. The Wharton stage is the perfect setting to bring ‘Sally’ to life,” she said. “Eric Olmscheid and the Wharton people have been doing everything they can to realize it. Most people in the East Lansing community don’t know me as a playwright. All my work is done outside the community. The fact that I’m having something done here where I live is very nice because it gives me the opportunity to have people I know come out and see my work.”