Leslie McCurdy bringing Harriet Tubman show to River Raisin Centre for the Arts

When she was in the fifth grade, Leslie McCurdy discovered Harriet Tubman.

“Growing up in a primarily white neighborhood, attending schools bereft of the inclusion of Black people in the curriculum, it was wonderful to have the example of Harriet Tubman as a Black woman who was fighting against racism in a way that most men around her wouldn’t dare to do. She represented what I wanted to become, a powerful woman,” McCurdy of Canada said.

For the last 26 years, McCurdy has traversed two countries, introducing her hero to other generations in the one-woman show “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman.” She’ll present the show at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 S. Monroe St.

Tickets range from $15 to $39. For tickets, stop by the box office, call 734-242-7722 or visit www.riverraisincentre.org.

“The Spirit of Harriet Tubman” is one of 11 programs planned this month in Monroe’s “Discover the Underground Railroad” series. Local organizers received a Main Street microgrant from the Michigan Municipal League Foundation to put on the series.

McCurdy has performed her award-winning show throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“Harriet is my personal hero, and I consider it a privilege and honor to share her story,” McCurdy said.

The one-hour performance is set on a barren stage with only a trunk of costumes, which McCurdy uses to show the progression of Tubman’s life. She portrays a young Tubman in the 1820s, her Underground Railroad conductor days and her senior years spent running a home for the aged and infirmed.

McCurdy becomes Tubman at each stage of life, running through fields as a child and waving a shaky hand as an elderly woman. At times, she dances on stage and sings “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”

In one scene, McCurdy, in the words of Tubman, tells the audience about the Underground Railroad and the 300 slaves Tubman freed.

“I work up to the north to get the money for my trip south to help other slaves to escape. Once someone come with me, there ain’t no going back. With me, it was live free or die. But nobody getting a chance to get back and tell everything they knew. I wasn’t risking the lives of all the good people on the Underground Railroad. More than 300 people come with me out of slavery, and I never run my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger,” she said.

McCurdy wrote the screenplay herself and included both familiar and lesser-known stories of Tubman.

“Through it all, we learn of the faith and conviction that drove Harriet Tubman to follow her dreams, the spirit of the past connecting with the present, inspiring her charges to have the courage to do the same in envisioning their future,” McCurdy said.

Audiences tell her it’s a show for everyone.

“People find the performance beautiful, inspiring and informative. Some say that I humanize Harriet Tubman, and that it was powerful to see their hero brought to life,” McCurdy said. “I tell the story of Harriet Tubman in such a way that everyone finds something to relate to in it. People will get from it what that are meant to receive.”

She’s performed the show for nearly three decades and once even took it to London.

“I am shocked that I have done it this long. Time flies when you’re having fun, and I have a great time performing the show,” McCurdy said. “I have not changed the script, though there are updates to the facts of the actual real life of Harriet Tubman of late. My performance has grown, as I have come to understand how what I wrote and the events around me have impact upon me personally, and thus my interpretation of what I wrote.”

She’s planning to end “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman” in 2027.

“That will be 30 years, and it is a very physical show. My agent and I are talking of hiring other actors to continue performing this play whenever I do decide to retire it. I also have other material, including a play about Billie Holiday that I call, ‘Lady Ain’t Singin’ No Blues,’ and I’ll be working to get that show back on its feet soon,” she said.

McCurdy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dancing with a teaching certificate from the University of Michigan. She also had been a choreographer and teaching assistant at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

She’s appeared in other theater productions, including “American Dream,” “The Wiz” and “Cabaret,” and was on ABC’s “Detroit 187.” She’s had roles in movies, including “The Ides of March,” directed by George Clooney.

Also a playwriter, she wrote four one-woman plays. “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman” is the best-known.

McCurdy also offers a school program on Tubman.

On the Net: www.lesliemccurdy.ca

Other upcoming programs in Monroe’s Underground Railroad series

? “The Dorsch Memorial Library: Lighting the Way to Liberty” has been set for 10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 18 at the Dorsch Memorial Branch Library, 18 E. First St. “Join us as we honor Harriet Tubman’s legacy,” the library said. “Families will be able to make their own liberty lanterns, hear a story about Harriet Tubman and enjoy a video showcasing the rich history of the Dorsch Memorial Branch Library.”

Registration is required by visiting bit.ly/libertydo or calling 734-241-7878.

? “Point the Way: Codes of the Freedom Quilts” will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 18 at The Book Nook, 42 S. Monroe St.

? "Painting the Way: A Celebration of Black History Month” will be offered from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Monroe County Museum, 126 S. Monroe St.

? An art display by Robert S. Duncanson Society Master Artist Stacy Hall will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 18 at the RRCA.

? “Human Zoos: How We Judge Each Other and Why,” presented by Robin West-Smith, will take place at 3 p.m. Feb. 22 on Zoom. West-Smith is CEO of the WADE Center for Self-Development and an adjunct faculty member at MCCC. For the Zoom link, visit www.monroeccc.edu.

? “A Journey to Joy,” a presentation by the College/Community Symphony Band, 7:30 p.m. March 6 in the La-Z-Boy Center, Meyer Theater, at MCCC.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Leslie McCurdy as Harriet Tubman at River Raisin Centre for the Arts