Dr. Daisy Century will bring Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut to life in a historical impersonation on Thursday, February 1, in the Meagher Theatre. Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty and the first woman to rule with the full authority of a pharaoh.
The 1:30 p.m. performance is free to students, faculty, and staff.
Hatshepsut ruled from 1479 BC to her death in 1458 BC, struggling to keep her reign due to her gender and royal family sibling rivalry. She is considered by many historians as the first woman to acquire such stature and power.
According to a 2009 article by Elizabeth Wilson in Smithsonian Magazine, evidence of Hatshepsut’s remarkable reign did not begin to emerge until the 19th century. By the early 20th century, Wilson explains, historians had crafted the few known facts of her life into a soap opera of deceit, lust and revenge.
“Although her long rule had been a time of peace and prosperity,” writes Wilson, “Hatshepsut’s methods of acquiring and holding onto power suggested a darker side to her reign and character. The widowed queen of the pharaoh Thutmose II, she had, according to custom, been made regent after his death in c. 1479 BC to rule for her young stepson, Thutmose III, until he came of age. Within a few years, however, she proclaimed herself pharaoh,” thereby becoming a usurper.
‘Disconcerting to some scholars, too,” Wilson adds, “was her insistence on being portrayed as male, with bulging muscles and the traditional pharaonic false beard -- variously interpreted by those historians as an act of outrageous deception, deviant behavior or both.”
Other historians, however, believe that Hatshepsut declared herself king not out of ambition but to protect the kingship for her stepson.
Dr. Century is an actor, vocalist, speaker, and published writer (under the pen name Emily Nelson). She is also a middle school science teacher and holds BS, MEd, and EdD degrees.
As an actor, she has appeared in lead roles in independent movies and as an extra in Beloved, Sixth Sense, Trading Lanes, and Twelve Monkeys.
Century has traveled across the country to portray historical characters, including Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Mary Fields, Phillis Wheatley, and Bessie Coleman.
The event is sponsored by the Cultural Arts Forum at Neumann University. The Forum hosts lecture series, workshops, and author presentations to enrich the educational experiences of the university and the community.
Proceeds of its programs benefit the Dr. Margaret Mary Kearney student scholarship fund, which assists non-traditional students at the university.
To see the full schedule of 2023-24 Cultural Arts Forum events, visit www.neumann.edu/arts.