The Truth Behind Amanda Seyfried's "The Testament of Ann Lee" at Hancock Shaker Village

Friday, September 4, 10:30am–12pm | Pittsfield, MA

Hancock Shaker Village leads a special Shaker Discovery Tour, "The Real Testament," on September 4, exploring the life and legacy of Shaker founder Ann Lee through the lens of Mona Fastvold's 2025 film The Testament of Ann Lee. Parts of the movie was filmed on the actual grounds, and the tour visits several of those locations directly—the Brick Dwelling, Sisters' Dairy and Weave Shop, the Round Stone Barn, and the Laundry and Machine Shop.

Fastvold's film, co-written with Brady Corbet and starring Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried as Lee, arrived in theaters on Christmas Day and picked up Golden Globe nominations along the way. The production shot most of its Shaker settlement scenes on an actual working farm property in Europe and used a functioning replica 18th-century ship for the transatlantic voyage sequence, but came to Hancock Shaker Village specifically to capture authentic detail: doorways, buildings, and, notably, a dawn scene in the Meetinghouse where the cast sang a cappella hymns in the actual space. Fastvold has described the experience as something that felt like it tugged at a string between past and present. The film's score, by Daniel Blumberg, drew on wordless Shaker hymns and sheet music the production accessed through Hancock Shaker Village's own archives.

Pre-registration is required; the fee includes general admission to the Village.

Hancock Shaker Village, 1843 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield, MA. Register at hancockshakervillage.org.