By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
The Medfield Public Library (MPL) opened its doors to former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt at the beginning of the month. Eleanor Roosevelt was played by Sheryl Faye, from Sheryl Faye Presents: Historical Women, Making The Past Present. The event was hosted by Medfield Historical Society, and David Temple, Historical Society president, was the mastermind behind this event.
“I’m so excited to see her act as Eleanor Roosevelt, as she was one of my favorite 20th century personalities,” Temple shared with the crowd before the performance began. He went on to share with the crowd that Roosevelt was the longest-serving first lady.
Faye acted as Eleanor Roosevelt for the duration of the presentation. Faye adopted Roosevelt’s accent and seamlessly changed into a variety of costumes and wigs to reflect the time period in the former First Lady’s life that was being discussed. The presentation also included a slideshow of photos.
The script about Roosevelt’s life was written by Faye, it detailed her life, including major highlights from when she was a child up until her death in 1962.
“I helped change the role of First Lady… I wanted to stand for something more than that,” Faye stated to the crowd, speaking as Roosevelt. She went on to share that the former First Lady wrote books and newspaper articles, taught classes, and held press conferences with all women reporters. The sensational first lady helped create the United Nations and acted as the eyes and ears for her husband, former President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt worked to completely rebrand the role of First Lady.
Beyond her work as First Lady, Roosevelt worked until she was in her seventies, as she helped former president John F. Kennedy run for presidency.
Faye did an excellent job summing up the greatest details of Roosevelt’s life in only an hour.
“The purpose of life is to live it,” Faye shared, as Roosevelt, and she certainly did live it to the absolute fullest. The crowd erupted in applause, praising Faye’s acting skills and the story she shared.
Faye’s company is based in Massachusetts, but she travels all over the country, acting as nine different historical figures. These figures include Helen Keller, Susan B. Anthony, Cara Burton, Abigail Adams, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anne Frank, Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. She provided programs for both children and adults. For more information, check out her website: https://sherylfaye.com/
