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On this Exciting

World Premier

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.

In the year 2009, the entire nation will commemorate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. As part of that celebration, Indiana will present a new play in the Lincoln Amphitheatre, which is nestled in the hillside of the very woods where young Abraham once wandered.

One light shining in the darkness.  One life that forever changed the world.

Abraham Lincoln has long been acknowledged by many to be the greatest

president in United States history.  Now, with the creation of a brand new

Lincoln outdoor play, all of the spectacle and wonder of this humble

American's life will be brought to the stage.  Through spectacular Theatrical elements interwoven with the latest achievements in multi-media, the play will show that a boy grew to a man, and through determination of spirit, strong family values, an understanding of right and wrong, a compassion for people, and an unwavering belief that the Union must be preserved, this common American achieved greatness.

Indiana, the childhood home of Lincoln, provides a splendid setting in which

to capture the spirit of this very special man.  The elaborate staging, the

glorious music of a people enslaved, even the very words of Lincoln will

inspire audiences of all ages.  Just as Abraham Lincoln himself has been

inspiring us since 1865.

Audiences will experience the final battle of the Civil War. A thick cloud of smoke engulfs the playing area. Canons firing, a cavalry charge, and soldiers in hand to hand combat.  As the smoke clears from the battle, a large turntable rotates revealing the presidential box at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.  President and Mrs. Lincoln are watching the play OUR AMERICAN COUSIN.  Two actors in period costumes move onto the stage.  A shot rings out, and the President slumps forward.  John Wilkes Booth leaps from the box to the stage. He shouts to the crowd, and Mrs. Lincoln calls out that the President has been shot.

The turntable slowly rotates and carries the tragic scene off stage as the spirit of ABRAHAM LINCOLN walks from behind and through the audience. From out of the low hanging smoke, WILLY LINCOLN rushes to meet his father.  Abraham lifts WILLY into the air, and the audience soon learns that the Spirit’s of Abe and his son will guide this play from “ ‘twixt earth and paradise.”

Lincoln's boyhood in Indiana and the accomplishments of his Presidency are

seamlessly woven together as childhood moments parallel Presidential ones.

Lessons taught by young Abraham's family and his community are revealed and

the impact of those lessons well learned is shown. The Gettysburg address, the Emancipation Proclamation, meetings with Frederick Douglass,  phrases from the 1 and 2nd Inaugural speeches are interwoven with the family’s move to Indiana, the deaths of  Abe’s mother and sister, his boyhood friendships  and Lincoln’s first encounter with slavery.

The play would be accompanied by vocal and musical arrangements of gospel, spiritual and folksongs of the period while the exciting scenic and special effects enhance the summer nights. At the conclusion of the play, the FORD's Theatre rotates back into the scene, and the fallen President is carried from the box while the 'spirit'  Abe walks into night with one light shining on the hill.  With this newest theatrical adventure, audiences will discover much that  they never knew about Abraham Lincoln as the life and times of this extraordinary man are celebrated on the stage.

Premiering, spring 2009.

Lincoln State Park

Lincon City, Indiana

1-800-264-4ABE 1-812-937-4493

www.LincolnAmphitheatre.com

Lincoln’s remarkable character, forged on the Indiana frontier, will be the heart of a new play, opening in the 1,500-seat, roofed Lincoln Amphitheatre in June of 2009. The Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association has embarked on an extraordinary journey. Please join us as we work together to create this inspirational dramatization.