Next year marks the 200th anniversary of Florida becoming US territory. How did women shape the course of Florida’s rebirth from Spanish province to US possession? Theater with a Mission is exploring two case studies: Cristina de Onís and Anna Kingsley, played by Carolina Mérida and Twanda McBride.
Federika Christina von Mercklein was a German aristocrat who married Luis de Onís y González-Vara in 1788, traveled to the USA to help him negotiate the Florida Treaty in 1809, and died of a New World fever before the Treaty was signed in 1819. In Theater with a Mission’s new play Florida for Sale, Cristina reappears as a spirit on the night the treaty is signed, congratulating her beloved Ambassador husband on the Treaty’s special protections for Native Floridians, encouraging him to complete two volumes of memorias about negotiating the Treaty, and blessing him with a farewell “Recuérdame.”
Carolina Mérida is playing the role of Cristina de Onís for Theater with a Mission (TWAM), onstage and on film. Her biggest reservation about stepping into this part was performing a woman who is fluently bilingual. “I grew up in a Spanish-speaking household,” says Mérida, “but because we were in America, speaking Spanish was put on the back burner, because our mom wanted us to learn English.” She loves the challenge of building her own background into her portrayal of Cristina. “This is part of me. I am Hispanic and American.” COVID-19 is highlighting more connections between Carolina and Cristina. “Cristina had a voice,” Carolina notes, “and she used it. She had that fierceness about her. Though she was supportive and caring, the things she cared about, she dealt with.” The same can be said of Carolina. Trained in Christian education and called to Tallahassee to conduct children’s ministry, she has become an information specialist with the Department of Elder Affairs during the pandemic, serving as an essential worker in charge of implementing new initiatives for older adults.
Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley was a Senegalese princess who was captured by African slave traders in 1806, sold to Florida merchant Zephaniah Kingsley in Cuba, and freed in 1811. By the time Florida became US territory in 1821, Anna Kingsley owned her own plantations, complete with slaves. In TWAM’s Florida for Sale, Anna Kingsley reappears as the devout Catholic proponent of Spanish governance, free black wife of a white slaveholder, and devil’s advocate who helps Zephaniah Kingsley write a famous speech to the Territorial Legislature arguing that Florida must have free black citizens to prosper.
Twanda McBride is creating the role of Anna Kingsley for TWAM. McBride sees striking parallels between her life today and Kingsley’s trailblazing presence in Florida 200 years ago. “We were raised up the hard way,” recalls McBride. “We caught food from the wild. We used an outhouse. My grandmother cooked on a wood stove – just like Anna Kingsley.” McBride uses these parallels between her background and Kingsley’s life to find “some kind of likeness for me to submerge myself into Anna’s character.” Then she looks for “diversity – to put a little spice in it.” McBride has played Anna Kingsley during parades and public meetings to discover how her alter-ego can “mingle with the audience in a positive way – I love that presence I get from the audience.” The most surprising discovery to spring from “using my own flair to mingle Anna with the people” has been “I sensed she was flirtatious,” a juicy insight about a character history pictures as queenly or businesslike. McBride connects with those sides of Anna’s character, too. She started acting in 2013, has already appeared onstage in three counties, and she is using COVID-19 as an opportunity to write poetry, complete acrylic paintings, and get her new work copyrighted.
When it comes to Florida history, Cristina de Onís and Anna Kingsley, Carolina Mérida and Twanda McBride show that a woman’s place is in the driver’s seat, mapping out new directions. To see these characters and actors in action, visit www.theaterwithamission.com, and follow TWAM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ¡Salud!
