Abraham lincoln: Indiana’s american story
June 18 will see the opening of the second season of Lincoln Amphitheatre’s
LINCOLN: Upon the Altar of Freedom, an original two-act play with period music and multimedia effects. The story is set inside Lincoln’s mind from the time he was shot; there, audiences can experience an epic life that in many respects was born of his time spent growing up in Spencer County, Indiana. Brandi Weyer, Communications Director at Lincoln Amphitheatre, describes the experience audience members can expect: “From the moment people step out of their car, they will have direct interaction with people from that time, that era, so they can get more of a relationship with how life and the times were during Lincoln’s growing up in Indiana,” she says.
Like last season, meals by Black Buggy are available; unlike last year, they are optional, so that ticket prices for the play itself have gone down. Whether you wish to enjoy a home style meal beforehand or not, Weyer gives an example of a quality visit to the Amphitheatre as such: “You can come at six and enjoy your meal, and then experience the Lincoln exhibit, which gives you a transition from his life as a boy in Indiana into his Illinois time and then his time in office, and it gives a detailed history of his assassination,” Weyer relates. “If you like,” she continues, “before the show you can walk the trails of Lincoln State Park – actually just down the road from the Amphitheatre itself is a church, and it has the gravesite of Sarah Grigsby, his sister.” The production begins at 7:30 p.m. Central Time; it is a 90-minute production with two 15 minute intermissions, followed by a postshow Concert in the Park. “Coming from a guest’s point of view, take a historical experience into account with the theatrical experience,” says Weyer. “Lincoln Amphitheatre itself is on the very grounds that Lincoln walked as a boy. Understanding the relationship of how the life he lived in Indiana affected his presidency – that’s the engagement you’ll see in the play.” Returning to portray the 16th president is Los Angeles-based actor Geoffrey Wade; he will be accompanied by his real-life wife, Amelia White, who will play the role of Mary Todd Lincoln. Both will remain residents of the area throughout the play’s run, which is nightly continuing through August 7, with the exception of Mondays. “He’s an absolutely fascinating character; he’s so human. And that’s the interesting challenge about it, too,” Wade says. “You find yourself playing a person and not an idea or a marble statue in Washington.” Wade found the book Lincoln, written by David Herbert Donald, to be extremely helpful in researching the man he portrays. “I found that one particularly interesting,” says Wade. “He talked about Lincoln’s essentially passive nature, which is not something you would typically • 68 •
associate with Lincoln. That’s a very useful thing for an actor, because that’s a very human sort of trait. In many ways, that informed his ability to be a mediator, to be a consensus maker, to delay decisions, all of these things that in the end made him so great.” As an actor, Wade is well aware of portraying Lincoln in a realistic way. “Everyone expects Lincoln to be this flowing, baritone, and graceful man,” Wade says. “And I say, ‘well, he was incredibly clumsy and he walked in this funny way like a monster; he had this high-pitched voice – that’s one of the few things that everyone agrees on: That he had a high-pitched voice, frequently described as piercing or shrill. I very much try to embody what I hope would be a realistic re-creation; I try to give him a northern Kentucky, southern Indiana, sort of western twang.” Another actor playing the role of a towering figure in history is Chicago-based Allen Edge. In LINCOLN, Edge portrays black abolitionist, writer, orator and editor, Frederick Douglass as well as a fictional slave character Returning to portray the 16th president is named Moses. As Edge relates, “he Los Angeles-based actor Geoffrey Wade. (Douglass) had misgivings about Lincoln, but he did change his mind – it could be a general statement and the legend were made, if not born, to a great for people, especially in this country, of how you degree right here in our backyard. perceive people one moment until you actually As Allen Edge puts it, “I would see them up close or they put their lives up.” encourage them [the audience] to kind of wipe Lincoln ultimately put his life up, off the white board and look at Lincoln afresh. becoming an instant martyr the moment he was They may see some things they never thought of; assassinated. A legend was created instantly, and to me, whenever I see movies or documentaries the human being, with all of his failings, doubts about the childhood of certain people, it’s really about himself, and personal tragedies – along interesting to see how they became who they with all of the wonderful traits he possessed were psychologically.” – was somewhat lost, given to stone edifices, And you don’t have to be a history coinage and statues. It is, however, the flesh and buff to enjoy the play, but as Edge puts it, “If you blood human being that audiences get to see, weren’t, you will be.” hear and feel with LINCOLN. And both the human www.News4UOnline.com • June 2010