Based on actual events, this one-woman show tells the true story of Olivia Buckner, a Kentucky blue-blood, who defied convention to marry a Japanese seminary student, Yutaka Minakuchi, in 1903.
The play’s title — taken from a newspaper article written about her at the time–is meant to be ironic, as Olivia was the antithesis of a typical “reigning “belle.” Upon hearing of their engagement, the men in Olivia’s family held a meeting to discuss killing Yutaka to prevent the marriage. One cousin, Woodford Buckner, is said to have opposed the idea of murdering the young Japanese man, and Rose is forever grateful to that lone cousin for her very existence. The couple fled Kentucky, but racism followed as they traveled the east coast where Yutaka lectured on the Chautauqua Circuit. Racial prejudice and financial pressures were part of life as they made a family with their half-Japanese son (Rose’s father.) Despite the challenges, Olivia embraced life with courage, humor, resilience, and love.
Chicago actor, Rose Buckner, has acted professionally in the theater for over 30 years. She is the writer and performer of four solo shows including a comedy, Save the Ducks and Other Stories of Courage, Dignity, Embarrassment and Total Cowardice. Her latest solo play, The Reigning Belle of the Bluegrass Region, is the culmination of 17 years of writing and research about the life of her paternal grandmother. She has interviewed scores of individuals of diverse backgrounds and life stages. Rose taught arts and humanities to youths who were incarcerated or on probation or parole. For her work with Chicago youth, Rose received a Peter Lisagor Award for Journalism, the Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for Public Humanities in the Community, and the Lawrence W. Towner Award for Best Humanities Project.
Contact the Ask Us Desk at askus@dglibrary.org or call (630) 960-1200 with questions.
AGE GROUP: | Seniors | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Registration Required | Music & Performance | In-Person Program |
