Screening of the Play Lafayette, with Guest Speaker Marc Jensen

Saturday, 19 March 2016
Hendrick Hudson Library – 25 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose, NY 10548
Continental breakfast is at 10:30 AM. Presentation is at 11:00 AM.

Please join us for the screening of a play woven from the letters between Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, “teen hero” of the American Revolution, and his young wife, Adrienne de Noailles from 1777 to 1780. Written by noted British dramatist Ian Curteis, Lafayette is the story of an eccentric young man who operated against family and class to become the first ally of the upstart American nation; turning the tide of the War of Independence by securing full French support from his reluctant king, Louis XVI. But it is also the story of a young couple, just out of their teens, struggling across an ocean with separation, love, abandonment, and child loss, reuniting in political brinksmanship to save the American Revolution. The play ends with the Marquis de Lafayette boarding his famous “freedom frigate,” Hermione, to America.

The film, a recording of the play’s 2015 world premiere performance at New York’s Florence Gould Hall, will be followed by commentary from Marc Jensen about the extensive project of building, outfitting, training crew and sailing  the replica frigate Hermione on a voyage commemorating the one that the Marquis de Lafayette undertook in 1780. Mr. Jensen is an experienced sailor who went to sea aboard Hermione and will recount the challenges of reconstructing an authentic reproduction with 15.5 miles of rigging, 44 tons of ironwork, and 23,680 sq. feet of linen sail cloth.

Marc Jensen has a love for teaching about the marine world. He created four webinars conducted during the voyage last summer; hundreds of schoolchildren in France and the US participated to learn about life aboard the ship, navigation, our environment and climate, and sail and power propulsion. He hopes to continue to build on these topics with new ships as they cross the world’s oceans. Marc is presently supporting the crossing of a 115-foot Viking ship that will visit New York in the fall of this year.

The public is invited. Please contact the National Maritime Historical Society at 914 737-7878, ext. 0, or email nmhs@seahistory.org if you plan to attend. A $5 to $10 donation is appreciated. If you would also like to join NMHS and the speaker for lunch following the presentation, it is $25 prepaid, with cash bar. Reservations required.

For more information on the complete lineup of seminars as it is finalized, please check back with the Charles Point Council page for ongoing updates.