Truth Be Told : A Play Based on the Life of Sojourner Truth
North Greenville University Theatre presents Truth Be Told, an original play written by Amy Dunlap and based on the life of Sojourner Truth. The work explores the unlikely friendship of two women: the former slave, born Isabella Bomfree and known as “Belle;” and the white abolitionist, Olive Gilbert, who helped her write her life story. In 1843, Belle declared that the Spirit called on her to preach the truth, renaming herself Sojourner Truth. She became an outspoken advocate for abolition, temperance, and civil and women’s rights in the nineteenth century. In 1850, she dictated what would become her autobiography—The Narrative of Sojourner Truth—to Gilbert, who assisted in its publication. Truth survived on sales of the book, which also brought her national recognition. Her Civil War work earned her an invitation to meet President Abraham Lincoln. Performances of Truth Be Told are February 13th through 15th in Billingsley Theatre, on campus in Tigerville.