‘Women of ’76’ featured at the Fitchburg Historical Society

FITCHBURG — A thought provoking show coming to the city invites you to step into the untold side of the American Revolution and poses the question — what about the women?

The Fitchburg Historical Society will welcome Rita Parisi of Waterfall Productions for a powerful solo theatrical performance on Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m. “Women of ’76” is a journey into the lives of the real women who witnessed, chronicled, and in some cases changed the course of the American Revolution.

Parisi said her new theatrical work, which coincides with the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, was inspired through years of researching the American Revolution “and discovering how many remarkable women played vital roles in the struggle for independence yet are often missing from traditional narratives.”

“I wanted to bring their voices back to life through theatre, allowing audiences to meet these women not as distant historical figures, but as real people who faced danger, loss, and difficult choices during the war,” she shared.

Parisi revealed that the program focuses on five Revolutionary-era women “whose stories reveal the courage, resilience, and complexity of everyday people living through extraordinary times.”

In this free public program audiences will meet voices rarely heard in the history books — Prudence Wright, the Massachusetts patriot who led a militia of women to capture Tory spies; the Baroness of Eisenbach, Friederike Charlotte Louise Riedesel, the German noblewoman whose vivid journals capture the chaos of war; Nancy Hart, the fearless Georgia frontierswoman who faced down a band of British soldiers — and won; Mary Katharine Goddard, the courageous printer and publisher who issued the first printed Declaration of Independence to include the names of the signers; and Mary Gould Almy, a loyalist diarist whose moving firsthand accounts documented the siege of Newport, Rhode Island.

The release went on to say that their stories — patriot and loyalist, American and foreign — reveal a more complex portrait of the American Revolution.

“As we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary, sharing these stories helps deepen our understanding of the Revolution and reminds us that the founding of the country was shaped by many voices, including women whose contributions are only now being more widely recognized,” Parisi said.

The accomplished actress, playwright, and visionary researches and writes all of her historical presentations and has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years with her original her solo works. Since founding Waterfall Productions in 2005, Parisi has brought history to life for audiences throughout New England and beyond and as a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, her work has been seen on film and stage including features at the Boston International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.

Previous productions of hers at the Fitchburg Historical Society, including last Mother’s Day, have attracted standing room only audiences who have enjoyed Parisi’s riveting, richly costumed performances that bring history to life.

“The Fitchburg Historical Society was inspired to offer this program partly because we have seen in the past how talented Rita Parisi is at exhaustively researching historical figures and then using the information to create a fascinating monologue that brings those figures to life,” said Fitchburg Historical Society Executive Director Susan Navarre. “There are many different ways to learn history and sometimes a performance like that helps us learn even more as we experience the stories people to people.

“We are particularly excited about sharing Fitchburg’s history dating from the period of the American Revolution, 250 years ago and only 12 years after Fitchburg was incorporated in 1764,” she continued. “The 250th is a wonderful opportunity for people to think about the circumstances that led to America achieving its independence.”

Parisi’s performance is being held at the Fitchburg Historical Society headquarters located in the historic Phoenix Building at 781 Main St., a performance venue that is fully ADA accessible and there is ample street parking. “Women of ‘76” is funded in part by a grant from the Fitchburg Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

In addition to Parisi’s performance related to the American Revolution, the Fitchburg Historical Society has scheduled a special dramatic program about the Declaration of Independence called “Declaring Independence.” They are collaborating with a number of local groups on Saturday, June 13 at 11 a.m. for a program that will be presented with Three Pyramids at the Adrian L. Ford Center for Change, 18 Fairmount St.

“By the time that Civic Days arrives, Fitchburg’s citizens will know all about the ideas and values that we are celebrating on Independence Day,” Navarre said of the city’s annual July tradition.

For more information on these and other Fitchburg Historical Society programs visit fitchburghistoricalsociety.com and follow Fitchburg Historical Society on Facebook.