Resilience

Merrimack Repertory Theatre

Boott Cotton Mills Museum

   Mill No. 5

My first ever Lowell class trip was to the Merrimack Repertory Theater where where we watched a one-man production of the The Lion. At first, I was dreading to sit in my seat for two hours to watch a show with only one actor. I thought to myself, “this is going to be a boring long two hours” but I was completely wrong. As soon as Benjamin Scheuer leapt onto center stage, his presence brought a sense of excitement. The production was about Scheuer’s life story and his transition from boyhood to manhood. He told his story mainly through a variety of different styles of songs. He wrote many of the songs which were composed of different styles such as rock and ballads, with many different tempos that ranged from fast to slow. I noticed that the audience, including myself, were engaged the entire time. He pulled in the audience with a fast song about his relationship with his father and the love of music they both shared. The upbeat song slowly turned into a tragic ballad as the audience was left stunned at his father’s sudden death. The plot had become a tragedy all in the span of ten minutes. In between the songs he would pause and directly speak to the audience specifically about what he went through and how he felt about his experiences.

When my class and I discussed and reviewed his performance, there were several points that came up. We discussed about the the effective use of lighting during the show which reflected and portrayed the emotions that he was going through. For example, when he was singing about his frustrations with his father, his rock and roll edge was complemented with red lighting that lit up the stage. When he sang songs about his cancer and depression, there would be a blue lighting on the stage. The use of lighting helped the audience to empathize with Scheuer. I personally appreciated his ability to pour his emotions into the songs. There were some song stories that were clearly hard for him to sing about which made the show more authentic and original. My favorite part of the night was when the audience sang Happy Birthday in honor of Scheuer’s father who would have celebrated his birthday that night. Benjamin Scheuer’s performance was so outstanding that he received a 5 minute standing ovation. The opening night was a huge hit.

My second required excursion took me to the Boott Cotton Mills Museum in Lowell. It was so fascinating to see how cotton was made during the 19^th century. We had talked about the Industrial Revolution in the United States during class. The heart of the Industrial Revolution started in Lowell, Massachusetts with the opening of several factories many of which were textile factories. These factories were mainly powered by the the Merrimack River. My dad and I walked through rows and rows of cotton spinning machines. The machines still work today and we were able to see how the different types of cotton were made.

Each piece of fabric had a different weave pattern which could be altered simply by switching the gears of the machine. There were a few workers there that day who ran the machines. My dad and I got a chance to talk to one of the ladies that operated the machines. She showed us specifically how the machine worked and how each machine was different from the other. It was amazing to learn how complex these machines were. However, when all the machines ran at once the noise was unbearable. The machines were so loud that I could barely hear what the worker was saying to me as she explained the mechanics of the machine. Many of the workers were wearing ear plugs to protect their ear drums from getting damaged. They wore ear plugs because in the olden days, many workers did not take the initiative to protect their ears. This resulted in many workers losing their hearing at a young age. The machines themselves were also extremely dangerous. The machines had many moving parts that move with such force. You had to be very careful about where you placed your hands. Many workers in those days had severe injuries because they accidentally placed their hands in the wrong place while the machines were turned on. 

In class, we learnt about how there were many young women who came to Lowell from remote places. They would leave their families and come to work in the city. There were many issues that the women faced at the factories. They received low salaries, worked in unsafe and unhealthy environments for countless hours, put up with poor living conditions, did not have enough break time and many other concerns. These women would stand up against the managers and factory owners by initiating strikes. However, the strikes lost effect when the factory owners hired immigrants from different parts of the world such as Irish immigrants to replace the women. The number of women workers in the textile industry declined. I desired to see the women’s boarding house which was located near to the Boott Cotton Mills Museum however it was closed. I really wanted see for myself the kinds of living conditions that these women had. However, the museum provided a lot of information about the history of the industrial revolution and how it influenced the city of Lowell.

An additional location that I visited was Mill No.5. Mill No. 5 was an old abandoned mill but the building is currently used by offices and businesses that have taken up space in different floors of the mill. The main attraction of Mill No. 5 is the market place located on the fourth floor. As soon as I arrived there were people setting up to do a live performance. Once I went past the stage, I faced a long hallway. There were rows and rows of shops and booths set up along both sides of the hallway. There was a variety of different stores and booths that sold interesting trinkets and souvenirs. Each shop and booth was unique and different from the booths on either side. There was even a sit-in café that served warm beverages and other baked goods. I walked the full length of the hallway, and once I reached the end, I came across a huge sign that read ‘The Lunar Theatre’. The theatre was screening a variety of different shows, and I wanted to explore inside the theatre. However, I had arrived in between the screenings of a show and I was unable to watch any of the shows. My favorite part of visiting Mill No.5 was walking on the famous long spiral staircase. Just looking down from the top of the stairs made me feel dizzy. It was amazing to witness how an abandoned mill had transformed into a modern day market place.

All these events and locations were very different from each other. Each had its own unique characteristics and different past experiences. However, one thing that I noticed in common among all these excursions were that despite their difficult history, all these places seemed to show resilience. Benjamin Scheuer sang about his incredibly tragic past. However, to watch him perform live on the opening night of his tour was so inspirational. He showed incredible strength through his songs and he gained tremendous success for his smash off- Broadway hit show. Scheuer’s story did not end with his tragic experiences. Similarly, the end of the Industrial Revolution in Lowell was not the end of the Boott Cotton Mill. It has now turned into a museum and has become a historic landmark that represents the Industrial Revolution in Lowell. Locals can still see how the mill functioned and how cotton was produced. It has become a place full of information and rich history. Likewise, Mill No. 5 was an old abandoned mill. However, there were investors that believed that the building could still be put to good use. Now it is a place thriving with local businesses and stores. Each of the excursions had a grim and dark history but their resilience to continue to move forward had caused them to thrive in the city of Lowell. It well represents a city that was once declining but is now thriving due to the community’s resilience.