Synopsis

5 men, 3 women

In 1735, a 23-year-old Native American servant named Patience Boston was sentenced to hang in York, Maine, for a gruesome child murder that she eagerly confessed to but possibly did not commit. During her seven-month confinement in a small Maine jail, she was ministered to by local fire-and-brimstone evangelist Samuel Moody and his son Joseph Moody, a tormented young preacher later remembered as “Handkerchief Moody” for hiding his face behind a black veil whenever he appeared in public.

Eventually, father and son Moody published the story of Patience Boston’s sinful life and jailhouse conversion to Jesus, entitled: “Faithful Narrative OF THE Wicked Life AND Remarkable Conversion OF Patience Boston.”  Best-sellers at the time, conversion pamphlets were written in the first person (“Taken From Her MOUTH”) and read publicly in the presence of the condemned prior to their hanging.

“Patience Boston,” Michael Kimball’s play, is a historical crime drama based on the Moodys’ pamphlet and various historical records, including a biography and diary of Joseph Moody.

Productions

Past productions

• Players’ Ring, Portsmouth, NH, Sep - Oct 2017