BOSTON – A new play in Boston hopes to introduce theatergoers to Toni Stone, an important figure in baseball history.
“We should know her like we know Babe Ruth, like we know Satchel Paige, like we know Jackie Robinson,” Lydia Diamond said.
But local playwright and director Diamond knows people don’t know Stone the way they know other baseball heroes. Her new play, now on stage at the Huntington Theater in Boston, looks to change that.
Stone, who was black, was rejected from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which you may recognize from the movie “A League of Their Own.” In 1946, she joined the Negro Leagues and became the first woman to ever play professional baseball on a men’s team.
Actress Jennifer Mogbock plays Toni, and she is the only woman in the cast.
Diamond says that was very intentional. “I thought it was striking to see black men holding Toni up and helping tell the story. It feels good, it’s also beautiful on stage and it’s something I don’t see often on stage.”
Stanley Andrew Jackson is one of the nine men, who plays several roles in the play, including Toni’s only girlfriend.
“It’s an American Story”
“This story is all about her steadfastness. It’s about facing adversity and breaking barriers and focusing on that no matter what gets in her way. And I feel like this is a beautiful, important American story. It’s not just a dark story. story, but it is an American story,” Jackson said.
Diamond feels Toni’s passion for baseball and determination to succeed are having an impact.
“I think doing something really well often transcends the mannerisms that we as African-Americans may have. We as African-American women can be diminished. You know, you can’t really deny excellence.”
And Jackson hopes this baseball play can open the door to a whole new audience, telling us, “If you’ve never been to the theater, this is a great entry point, especially if you’re an athlete. See that there people talk about your sport, but also get to know theater sports.”
You can watch The Huntington Theater’s production of “Toni Stone” through June 16.
