Special LGBTQ+ Pride Month Run Of HICK: A LOVE STORY to be Presented at The Marsh SF

In celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, The Marsh San Francisco will present Hick: A Love Story, a play based on Eleanor Roosevelt's letters to Lorena Hickok, written by award-winning pioneer lesbian playwright/actor Terry Baum with playwright/actor Pat Bond. This captivating and thought-provoking solo show follows Eleanor Roosevelt's love affair with reporter, Lorena Hickok, their 30-year relationship, and their humanitarian work. Hickok was the most famous female journalist of her time and the first woman to have a byline on the front page of The New York Times. She met Eleanor Roosevelt during FDR's first Presidential campaign in 1932, and after convincing her editor that this candidate's wife was worth being covered by her own reporter, got the assignment. Hick: A Love Story, written by Terry Baum and Pat Bond, performed by Baum, developed with Carolyn Myers, and directed by Sarah Albertson, in co-production with Lilith Theater, will be presented 5:00pm Sundays, June 9 – July 14, 2024 at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia Street, San Francisco.

For tickets ($20-$35 adult general admission sliding scale; $50-$100 reserved), or more information, the public may visit themarsh.org.  

The discovery of 2,336 touching and intimate letters in 1978 revealed a love affair and lifelong friendship and offers a rich insight into Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok's relationship. Hickok played a pivotal role in Roosevelt's life, providing mentorship and support as the latter rose to become a prominent advocate for democracy and human rights, one of the most significant American women of the 20th century. To authentically portray their relationship, Baum, the founder of San Francisco's famed Lilith Theater, meticulously researched original documents, including Eleanor's letters from the "Lorena Hickok" files at the FDR Library in Hyde Park, New York and interviewed people who knew Hickok. In Hick: A Love Story, Baum's portrayal is made up of precise quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt's letters, authenticated and approved by her literary estate, bringing to life this extraordinary relationship, the profound connection the two shared, and the secret nature of their bond in a society that did not publicly admit nontraditional relationships. 

Hick: A Love Story premiered in San Francisco in 2014, received rave reviews and played packed houses. The San Francisco Examiner hailed it as “Compelling… A real love story like no other,” while the San Francisco Bay Guardian described how “Baum brilliantly captures Hick's transformation as the First Lady returns her affections.” Baum toured with Hick: A Love Story, continuing to garner raves. The Baltimore Sun called the play “Valiant, valuable and vivid,” and DC Metro described Baum as “Captivating… She gives a skilled and nuanced performance.” At the 2015 New York Fringe Festival, Hick: A Love Story was named a Fringe Fave and the 2019 San Francisco Fringe Festival gave the play a Best of Fringe Award.