The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum will premier a new play in the area called, The Heavens Are Hung in Black by James Still. This beautifully written historical piece paints a picture of our greatest leader in a time of personal and professional crisis – writing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. Directed by Phil Funkenbusch, the play presents on Nov. 8-10 and 15-17 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 11 and 18 in the afternoon. Contact the museum at 217-558-8934 or http:/alplm.org/ for information.
Tickets are now on sale for an eight-performance run of the Lincoln drama The Heavens Are Hung in Black, a two-act drama by James Still, playing November 8-11 and 15-18, 2012 in the Union Theatre of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, 212 N. Sixth Street in downtown Springfield.
The large-cast drama takes place 150 years ago, during several months in 1862 as the Civil War rages on and President Lincoln prepares to write what will become the Emancipation Proclamation. Richard “Fritz” Klein, renowned for his portrayal of Lincoln around the country, will play the President in the large-cast production.
Still’s play was commissioned by and premiered at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC in 2009. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum production is being presented by JPMorgan Chase.
“I admire this play for many reasons, one of which is that Lincoln is shown as a real, flesh-and-blood human being,” said director Phil Funkenbusch. “The playwright also adds some theatrical touches: Lincoln is visited by the ghosts of Dred Scott, a Missouri slave who unsuccessfully sued the Supreme Court for his freedom; abolitionist John Brown, and even the fictional character Uncle Tom from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
The Heavens Are Hung in Black is sponsored by The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and History Comes Alive!-a Living History Program.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for Foundation members, and $10 for students. Performance times are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Call (217) 558-8934 for tickets or purchase them online at www.presidentlincoln.org.
