‘Agitators’ presents compelling portrait of two flawed but inspiring agents of change
Next up at Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts is The Agitators by Mat Smart. The Agitators chronicles the oft-tempestuous 46-year friendship that evolved between Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass from their meeting in Rochester, through the Civil War and to the highest halls of government. They agitated each other. The agitated the nation. And in the process, they helped shape the Constitution 
and the course of American history.
Anthony and Douglas were two of history’s most important activists for equality. When they met for the first time at picnic in 1849, Douglas was already America’s most famous advocate for the abolition of slavery. Anthony had not yet built a reputation, but she was nonetheless on the verge of launching her campaign for women’s rights, including suffrage. Over the course of the play’s two-plus-hour running time, Smart drops the audience into eleven separate scenes that highlight the conflicts that existed within and between these legendary orators and organizers.
“Both intimate and insightful, 
[the play] is a compelling portrait of two flawed but inspiring agents of change,” writes critic Rob Hubbard for Twin Cities Pioneer Press. “Smart has deftly blended tales of their collaborations and compromises — spiced with quotes from their speeches and writings — and shaped them into a very well-told story, one totally bereft of clunky exposition. The script is seamless, every energetic encounter driving the conflict (and the friendship) forward.”
Like Hamilton, The Agitators promises to blend the best of history with theater.
Artistic Director Bill Taylor directs.
December 5, 2018.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.