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The David B. Ford Lecture

“Becoming Peggy Scott”: An Evening with Denée Benton & Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar

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“Becoming Peggy Scott”: An Evening with Denée Benton & Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar at Rosecliff has closed.

Seated Dinner in the Rosecliff Ballroom and Conversation: “Becoming Peggy Scott: The Creation of the Character on HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age'”

Denée Benton & Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Our distinguished guests will delve into the creation of Peggy Scott, a character from HBO’s award-winning show “The Gilded Age,” and shed light on the crafting of this fictional 19th-century African American woman from Brooklyn. They will discuss the historical women who inspired this independent and pioneering character and explore the collaborative process that ensured the historical and social accuracy of Peggy’s portrayal on screen.

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Denée Benton

Denée Benton is a Tony Award-nominated actress who stars in the critically acclaimed HBO series “The Gilded Age.” Her previous film and television credits include the 2019 independent feature “Our Friend” and Lifetime's acclaimed series “UnREAL.” Benton is also an acclaimed theater actor, recently starring as Cinderella in the hit Broadway revival of “Into the Woods.” She has had starring roles in the Broadway productions of “Hamilton” and “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” for which she was nominated for the 2017 Tony Award. Benton is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

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Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Erica Armstrong Dunbar is the Charles and Mary Beard Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University. Dr. Dunbar serves as a historical consultant and producer for multiple television projects and feature films and is the co-executive producer of HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” She is the award-winning author of several books of nonfiction, including “A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City” and “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge.”

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