Spies Infiltrate Goshen Music Hall Mary Elizabeth Bowser (c. 1839– ??) was utilizing Mary Elizabeth Bowser. an American freed slave who worked in Because of Bowser’s intelligence and connection with Elizabeth Van photographic memory, Van Lew Lew as a Union spy during the decided to make Bowser a spy Civil War. to infiltrate the confederacy. Van Bowser was born in Richmond, Lew, through the help of friends of Virginia, as a slave to John Van the Union, was able to have “Ellen Lew, a wealthy hardware merchant. Bond” work at functions held by Upon Van Lew’s death in 1843, Varina Davis, the wife of Jefferson his wife and son and daughter Davis. Bowser was eventually freed his slaves. The matriarch of hired full-time and worked in the the family, Elizabeth Van Lew, Davis household until just before became increasingly aware that the end of the war. Mary Elizabeth had exceptional The slaves were trained to act intelligence. Being a staunch and seem invisible. Usually not abolitionist and Quaker, she sent Mary Elizabeth Bowser noticed at all. The assumption Mary to the Quaker School in was that slaves could not read or Philadelphia to be educated. write, nor understand the complex Van Lew had strong ties to political conversations being the Union and used this to her held. However, due to Bowser’s advantage. She would use an education and keen perception, alter-personae which was always she was able to read and remember distracted and muttered when she any papers that were left around spoke in order for people to think in Jefferson Davis’ study and she was unbalanced and therefore report the information to the other not someone to take seriously. She spies. She would also spy on was given the nickname “Crazy conversations and relay back to Bet”. Van Lew all that was going on in Van Lew was instrumental in Davis’ house. establishing a spy system in the Elizabeth Van Lew The U.S. government honored Confederate capital. She would regularly visit Bowser for her work in the Civil War with an the Libby Prison with food and medicine, and induction into the Military Intelligence Corps helped escapees of all kinds, hiding them in Hall of Fame in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. a secret room in her mansion. However her P. Paullette MacDougal, author of the play biggest accomplishment in espionage was Waiting for MacArthur, which was produced
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Delaware & Hudson CANVAS
November 2013
Bettina Skye as Van Lew from “Mysteries at the Museum”, to air shortly on the Travel Channel
by Cornerstone Arts Alliance (CAA) in 2012, will be at the first performance of CAA’s New York premiere of her new play, Sisters Under The Skin on November 2. In MacDougal’s Waiting for MacArthur, Warwick actress Bettina Skye played a school teacher, giving a bravura performance as she aged from the character’s mid-60s to mid-70s. Now, MacArthur and Sisters director Ken Tschan has cast Skye in the role of Elizabeth Van Lew. After being cast in Sisters, Skye noticed that the Travel Channel television show Mysteries at the Museum, was casting for a TV version of the story (not the play). She approached the producers and was eventually cast. Regarding the theatre version, Skye stated, “MacDougal’s dialogue in MacArthur is in
a similar writing style as Sisters Under The Skin. She is a professor of literature so she is very “studied”, a real writer who studied the classics, Shakespeare, and uses ‘interesting big words’ in both plays. Sisters is very wellwritten. “For MacArthur, we were able to read the dialogue because they were real letters, but for the play we have to memorize the lines. And I have done a lot of research into the Civil War (I didn’t know that much about it) by reading books, watching DVDs and learning a southern accent. Van Lew Jackie Dion is part Southern belle and part spy and that makes for a very interesting role,” concluded Skye. A familiar face to Cornerstone audiences, often as technical director and lighting designer, Jackie Dion will be portraying Mary Benedict Hudson Elizabeth Bowser. Evelyn Albino and Benedict Hudson round out the cast, which is directed by Conerstone’s Artistic Director, Ken Tschan. The play runs from November 2-17 at the Goshen Music Hall, 223 Main Street in Goshen. Reservations are required. Call 845-294-4188.