Truly Eleanor

The Strength Behind a Historic Legacy.

She is 72 years old.
She is driving into Ku Klux Klan territory.
They have a $25,000 bounty on her head.
There is a pistol on the dashboard.
The Secret Service is refusing to protect her.

As Eleanor Roosevelt prepares for a journey that could cost her everything, she is pulled back through the defining moments that taught her how to face fear—and refuse to bow to it.

From a painfully lonely childhood to a hard-won public voice… from a tender, electric courtship with her fifth cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt to the crushing betrayal that nearly destroyed her… from the towering expectations of her formidable uncle Theodore Roosevelt to the biting wit of her rival cousin Alice Roosevelt Longworth… Eleanor learns, again and again, what it means to stand her ground.

When Franklin is struck by polio, she becomes his eyes, his voice—and, in many ways, his legs—helping to carry him back into public life and toward the presidency, even as she steps into her own power.

We meet the woman behind the legend: challenged by a domineering mother-in-law, tested by public scrutiny, and ultimately transformed into one of the most powerful and principled voices of the 20th century—culminating in her groundbreaking work at the United Nations.

Bold, intimate, and unexpectedly humorous, Truly Eleanor reveals a woman who did not begin fearless—but became so.

Following the performance, the cast invites the audience into a lively discussion exploring courage, resilience, and the ongoing fight for human rights.