By Wendy Swanson
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Take a deep dive into Herbert Mitgang’s play, Mister Lincoln, when history and theatre converge at a special event: “Written Then, Spoken Now: Mister Lincoln” at Ford’s Theatre at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1.
Speakers Richard Helleson, a dramaturg and playwright, and our own Lincoln Group member Michelle A. Krowl of the Library of Congress will examine the craft of bringing historical figures to life through theatre and selections from the archives of the Abraham Lincoln Papers. Mitgang’s play, currently playing at Ford’s, relies heavily on Lincoln’s own words to tell the story of our greatest president.
The program is free and open to the public; however, general admission tickets are required.
Krowl is the Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress, where she also oversees presidential papers from James K. Polk through Theodore Roosevelt. She co-curated the 2012-2014 exhibition “The Civil War in America.” She has authored several books and articles on the Civil War and served as a research assistant for Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Hellesen is a playwright whose most recent work is the solo show Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, starring Tony-winner John Rubinstein. As an associate artist at Ford’s , his plays include the full-length Necessary Sacrifices, the one-act works, One Destiny (over 1500 performances, including at the White House) and The Road from Appomattox. He is the co-book writer of the 2015 adaptation of Frank Wildhorn’s musical The Civil War, titled Freedom’s Song.
Mister Lincoln at Ford’s runs through October 13, 2024. For more information, visit fords.org/performance/mister-lincoln/.
(Graphic courtesy of Ford’s Theatre)
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