The interactive experience debuts May 1 and continues through September 30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays during regular visitors' hours at the church and burial ground, according to a news release from the church.  An expanded presentation will also be enacted for groups at pre-arranged times.

Following the mandate of Resolution A123 passed by the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2006 calling on the church to give "a full, faithful, and informed" accounting of its history, Christ Church is speaking out about slavery and its unspoken past, the release said. The founding fathers who worshipped in Christ Church, were buried in its graveyard, and debated the Constitution also owned slaves. 

"We commissioned an original 30-minute presentation to tell the authentic stories of Philadelphia's early history and its silent past," said Donald U. Smith, executive director of the Christ Church Preservation Trust.  "Slavery was a harsh and very real link in America's colonial history, and it took place here in Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love. In the 1760s, 80 percent of the Africans in Philadelphia were enslaved.

"Our drama sheds light on what it meant to be free or enslaved, black or white in this colonial city. We offer a clear voice to those early enslaved Philadelphians who were invisible."

The presentation is an interaction between a costumed interpreter, "Sarah," who tells of her daily life as a slave, and a guide who adds perspective and historical overview to the experience. The presentation concludes with a question-and-answer session, during which the audience is encouraged to ask questions about this harsh and contradictory past, according to the release. 

The mini drama tells the real stories of Black Alice, a 116 year-old slave, who collected tolls on the Dunk's Ferry Road; of the Isabella, the first slave ship to dock in Philadelphia in 1684; the young Yale graduate, William Sturgeon, who accepted the position of "catechist to the Negroes" at Christ Church; founding fathers Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Benjamin Rush, who fought to abolish slavery while owning slaves.

"Today it is given that slavery is wrong," Smith said.  "Our drama challenges the audiences to consider what they would have done if they lived 250 years ago. Would you have followed the accepted practice of the day? Would you have been among the few who stood up and spoke against it? Would you have fought for your freedom?  Would you have tolerated bondage for the sake of your family and friends?"

The public can see the presentation on Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 1 through September 30 at 1:30 p.m. at the burial ground, Fifth and Arch Streets or at 2:30 p.m. in the church at Second Street above Market.

The admission fee at the burial ground is $2 for adults and $1for students. The church presentations are free.

Groups of 10 to 50 can arrange private, expanded performances in the evening, followed by receptions. For reservations and pricing information, contact Anne McLaughlin, Christ Church Preservation Trust, amclaughlin@christchurchphila.org, or 215-922-1695, x32.

Christ Church, founded in 1695, was the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania and is also the birthplace of the post-Revolution American Episcopal Church. The current church building was started in 1727 and completed in 1754, and has long been considered one of the finest Georgian structures in America. 

Christ Church Burial Ground has 1,400 markers on two acres in the heart of the historic portion of Philadelphia. Three blocks from the church, the burial ground is the final resting place of prominent early leaders, including Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Christ Church Preservation Trust is a non-religious, non-profit organization established in 1965 to preserve and maintain historic Christ Church, the Church Burial Ground and Neighborhood House.