This Labor Day Weekend, watch one of the final four performances of A Quiet Roar: The Unparalleled Lives of Bayard Rustin & Sarah Mapps Douglass, a Semiquincentennial theater program at Arch Street Meeting House (320 Arch Street).
It’s the summer of 1948, and dynamic civil rights activist Bayard Rustin has a very important speech to prepare for at Arch Street Meeting House. But outspoken 18th-century educator, activist, and artist Sarah Mapps Douglass doesn’t know who this young interloper is.
A Quiet Roar is an immersive theater performance that brings together the lives and legacies of Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) and Sarah Mapps Douglass, two influential Black Philadelphian Quakers whose stories intersect across time within the walls of Arch Street Meeting House. Though they lived nearly a century apart, both Rustin and Mapps Douglass struggled with racial injustice, pursued social change, and navigated the complexities of religion and activism within the Quaker faith. Drawing from their writings and lived experiences, the performance invites audiences to explore how their voices continue to resonate today and consider the often-overlooked connections among race and faith in the very same spaces that Rustin and Mapps Douglass did many years ago.
In describing her process, A Quiet Roar’s writer and director, Yvie Jones, said, “Finding a way to bring these two distinct, renowned Black Quakers to life was a welcome challenge. But tapping some of their actual writings to bring a duo born in very different American centuries together on stage in a way that makes historical, creative, and emotional sense has been downright invigorating. While it’s technically a two-person performance, I absolutely think of Arch Street Meeting House, a place that held great meaning for Rustin and Mapps Douglass, as a silent but potent third character. I hope this summer’s audiences find the trio as dynamic as I do, and are moved to learn more, including the many unsettling ways current events mirror the human rights struggles Rustin and Mapps Douglass’ confronted in their own times.”
The final performances of the season will occur on Saturday, Sept. 5, and Monday, Sept. 7, at 11 AM-12 PM and 12:30 PM-1:30 PM.
Run Time: 30 minutes
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) at ASMH practices unprogrammed, silent worship. Following the performance, the audience will be invited to engage in a 30-second moment of silent reflection and a Q&A.
Cast: Leslie Hartshell (Sarah Mapps Douglass) & Najee Duwon (Bayard Rustin)
Written & Director: Yvie Jones
About the Actors
Leslie Hartshell
Leslie Hartshell is a Philadelphia-based actor with credits in several short films and
an original theatrical production, Savannah. She has trained at Playhouse West –
Philadelphia, as well as the Wilma Theater, is building a strong, character-driven
approach her craft. Passionate about telling meaningful stories, she is especially
excited about the opportunity to portray Sarah Mapps Douglass and bring her
legacy to life.
Najee DuWon
Najee DuWon is an actor from the Philadelphia area. After briefly attending East Stroudsburg University, where he studied both Theatre and Music Theatre, he starred in various short and featured films over the last few years. After taking the stage in “Carnelian,” during the 2023 Fringe Festival with Spare Titles Productions, as well as in 2025 with Yellow Bicycle Theatre’s “A Marine Walks Up to the Pearly Gates,” he again steps up as he portrays Bayard Rustin in A Quiet Roar, with the Arch Street Meeting House. He looks forward to paying homage to him, and he thanks his friends and family for supporting him throughout his career.
About Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust
Arch Street Meeting House [historicasmh.org], built in 1804, is a National Historic Landmark, museum, and active place of Quaker worship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The meetinghouse is a living symbol of Quaker history, values, and contributions to American democracy. Deeded by William Penn in 1701 as a burial ground for the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Arch Street Meeting House has had an estimated 20,000 burials occur on its historic grounds. The museum strives to share the stories of Quakers and their contributions to both the founding of Pennsylvania and U.S. history.
Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust preserves, operates, and interprets the meeting house and grounds which will serve to increase public understanding of the impact and continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.
About William Penn Foundation
The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is committed to expanding access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all. Learn more at www.williampennfoundation.org.
