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ACT presents 'Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Secret Journey' Cynthia Tank stars in "Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Secret Journey." Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Thursday Jan 26, 2017 at 9:00 AM “You are such a secret person, Eleanor, such a secret person. Whatever is it that you are growing in there?” asks historian Henry Adams of his young friend in Rhoda Lerman's play “Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Secret Journey.” Adams predicts that the melancholy young mother of five — who grew into a formidable first lady — would “one day change history,” but first she must “endure a great fire” in order to transform herself. That great fire burned her deeply on four fronts: Her rigid upper-class family; the devastation of World War I; her husband's overt affairs (especially with Lucy Mercer); and finally the loss of her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It's by sorting through these memories that Eleanor finds her voice and takes a stand for what she believes in. Ashland Contemporary Theatre will present "Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Secret Journey," a one-woman show starring Cynthia Tank and directed by Jeannine Grizzard, with performances set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, at the Ashland Community Center, 59 Winburn Way. The show will continue at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at Grizzly Peak Winery, 1600 E. Nevada St., Ashland. All tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at ashlandcontemporarytheatre.org, at Paddington Station in Ashland and Grocery Outlet in Medford. Call 541-646-2971 for information. Called "First Lady of the World" by President Harry S. Truman for her human rights achievements, Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the first women to excel at politics through her indestructible faith in humanity. Her diplomacy brought about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. Lerman's story unfolds as the newly inaugurated Truman calls Roosevelt at her home to ask that she be a delegate to the new United Nations and fight for human rights. Initially she refuses, preferring a private life after FDR's death. Then, as her memories of war re-emerge, she changes her mind. Four years later, the UN's Declaration on Human Rights was adopted. Most historians consider this Roosevelt's grandest achievement. Lerman first researched Roosevelt for her 1979 book, "Eleanor: A Novel." In the '90s, she adapted it into a play for actress Jean Stapleton, who toured with the play  for several years. Actress Loretta Swit played the part in 2016. The story focuses on Roosevelt's inner journey. ACT’s production stars Tank, who moved to the Rogue Valley in 2014. "The ability to shift quickly between characters is important in 'Eleanor,' " Grizzard says. "As in most solo performances, there are eight other people being portrayed. I knew Cynthia was up to the challenge, having a resume full of a great leading ladies to her credit: Nurse Ratched in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' Linda Loman in 'Death of a Salesman' and Eleanor of Aquitane.” “The play is more touching than I realized at first, and Lerman’s use of language is sophisticated, even poetic. What I think audiences can most connect with is her journey of transformation. Eleanor Roosevelt crafted — from a shy and fairly ordinary personality — a great soul able to see the greatness in others. She had to endure, with deep reflection, her personal grief and society’s horrors to grow into the person we remember.” Last fall, ACT announced that it would present a dark thriller, "Switzerland," about author Patricia Highsmith. With the election of President Donald Trump, Grizzard sought a different vehicle for actress Tank — one that would inspire others about righteousness in politics and women leaders in particular. "I knew of Lerman's play, and newspaper columnist Evalyn Hanson suggested a one-woman show on Eleanor Roosevelt," Grizzard says. "Then my husband suggested 'Eleanor' as I was looking for a drama that would be supportive of the community.”