Did you know that North Adams was once home to the second-largest Chinese population east of the Mississippi? The Celestials by Peter Glazer, which was premiered at a script reading at MASS MoCA, transports audiences to 1870 as seventy-five Chinese laborers —and unwitting strikebreakers— arrive in this bustling factory town.

Charged relationships develop between the immigrants and townspeople, centering on foreman Charles Sing, factory owner Calvin Sampson, and his wife Julia, complicating an already tense situation. A tale of labor, love, immigration, and community, Peter Glazer’s theatrical adaptation of Williamstown author Karen Shepard’s mesmerizing novel, The Celestials, shines a light on a little-known, yet startling familiar moment of our city’s history.

The Celestials is based on a novel by Williamstown author Karen Shepard and is still in development.