Monday’s at the Museum

Nellie Bly, Pioneering Journalist/Activisit

Performance by Judith Present

Nellie Bly, Woman Investigative Reporter

There have always been those who had the initiative to go where no man or woman has ever gone before, who are brave enough to jump hurdles no matter the obstacles. Investigative Reporter Nellie Bly, given that name by her editor, was one of those remarkable women. She not only was a first for women journalists, but for all investigating correspondents. Elizabeth Jane Cochrane’s upbringing led her to stand up for what she believed was right, even if it was controversial, making her one of the late nineteenth century’s most rousing characters. In the 1880s she pioneered the development of “detective” reporting, the acknowledged forerunner of full-scale investigative journalism. While still in her early twenties, the example of her fearless success helped open the profession to coming generations of women journalists clamoring to write hard news.

Bly performed feats for the record books. She feigned insanity and engineered her own commitment to a mental asylum, then exposed its horrid conditions. She circled the globe faster than any living or fictional soul in 1890. She always knew that her greatest asset was the force of her own will.

So here’s to the crazy ones who don’t fit in, the radicals and firebrands. The square pegs in the round holes. They are the ones who see more than we do and won’t follow the rules with distaste for the status quo. You can underestimate them or disagree with them, sing their homage or disparage them. But you’ll never be able to disregard them, because they transform things because they push us all forward; and though some might see them as insane they’re actually masterminds. This play will show you those who were able to cross boundaries set up to stop them and weren’t afraid to do so. Because the people we often think of as the nutty ones are the ones who change the world, as Nellie Bly did.

Lunch: Ham, Potato, Vegetable, Dessert-Apple Crisp

Note: Vegetarian alternative: available upon request at time of reservation

Lunch and Program $20

Program only: $5.00

Reservations for lunch should be made by Friday March 8th- call 607-722-4873