Did you know that North Adams was once home to the second largest Chinese population east of the Mississippi? The Celestials transports us to 1870 as seventy-five Chinese laborers — and unwitting strikebreakers — arrive in this bustling factory town. A tale of labor, love, immigration, and community, Peter Glazer’s stage adaptation of Williamstown author Karen Shepard’s mesmerizing novel (inspired by the same history as MASS MoCA’s 2008 exhibition The Nanjing Particles, by Simon Starling), The Celestials shines a light on a little known, yet startling familiar moment of our city’s history.
Playwright: Peter Glazer
Based on a novel by Karen Shepard