Arts & Entertainment
Civil War Letters
A Staged Reading of Letters by Timothy Andrews, Jr. of Essex, MA Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
A remarkable, touching story of one man’s journey
Featuring Timothy Andrews, Jr.'s descendant Rebecca Elwell Axelrod
Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
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This event is presented as a free gift to the community in the beautiful, historic (air-conditioned) Community House, 284 BAY ROAD, Hamilton, MA 01982
Black Box Lab at Stage284 announces the launch of the third event in its inaugural performance season “The Greats” with the dramatic presentation of Civil War Letters: The Heart of A Soldier. Patricia Peterson Jamison directs this poignant, tender look at one North Shore man’s service during this bloody time in our nation’s history. It is not only an intimate historical perspective, but a poetic look at the suffering endured. His responses range from frustration to faith, with a great appreciation for life, love, affirmation, and a reliance on God.
Find out what's happening in Hamilton-Wenhamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
ABOUT THE WORK
In the summer of 1862, Timothy Andrews Jr. of Essex, MA heeded the call of President Lincoln for volunteers to serve in the Union Army. Andrews enlisted in Company A of the 39th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers. Over the next 3 years, he wrote letters home to his young (pregnant, when he left) wife. Join us as their descendant, Rebecca Elwell Axelrod, takes on the persona of her great-great-grandmother Nancy toward the end of her life, reading these remarkable letters.
Rebecca Axelrod of Essex is delighted to be imagining her great-great-grandmother Nancy Cogswell Lee Andrews as she reads her ancestor’s remarkable letters from the Civil War. Becky remembers tales told to her as a child by her grandmother Rebecca about her revered “Grandfather Timothy.” She performed for 19 years with New York Cabaret Unlimited, an American songbook, touring ensemble located in Westchester County, and with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players in Manhattan. Retired to her family home in Essex, she debuted at The Community House in 2014 as “Aunt March” in Little Women, then played “Aunt Martha” in Arsenic and Old Lace, “Mrs. Corry” and a “Sweep” in Stage 284’s Mary Poppins, and the title role in The Drowsy Chaperone.
ABOUT THE ACTOR
Doug Brendel, of Ipswich, and his wife Kristina lead NewThing.net, the largest humanitarian aid operation in Belarus, in the former USSR. Doug also writes humorous commentary on life in New England, at Outsidah.com. Last year marked Doug’s return to community theatre after a quarter-century hiatus. Doug appeared as “Man in the Chair” in The Drowsy Chaperone here at Stage 284, and previously played “Mysterious Man” in Into the Woods in Danvers, “King Arthur” in Camelot in Gloucester, and “El Gallo” in The Fantasticks in Boxford.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Patricia Peterson Jamison of Topsfield is one of the founders of both STAGE284 and Black Box Lab at Stage284. After decades on stage and behind the microphone, Patricia has taken on the production side of theatrical events. She is known to local audiences mostly as an actress. Her favorite roles at STAGE284 include “Winifred Banks” in the recent magically inventive Mary Poppins, “Abby Brewster” in Arsenic and Old Lace, “Marmee” in Little Women and “Mother Abbess” in Sound of Music. She was also recently in Black Box Lab’s The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt.
Black Box Lab at Stage284 productions feature Boston area professional and regional actors. This inaugural season has included sold-out presentations of the greatest evil, Hitler, in Jack Beatty’s play, The Battle Not Begun: MUNICH 1938; and the greatest actress, The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt. Black Box Lab at Stage284 fosters a vision for new works as well as little known classics from around the world to enrich, entertain, and educate our community. This summer, we bring you a reading about the greatest division in our nation’s history.
TICKETS
This event is presented as a free gift to the community, at no charge. Donations welcome. Please request tickets in advance by emailing BlackBoxLabS284@gmail.com or call 978-468-4818 to ensure sufficient seating. There will be a Talkback after the evening with Kurt Wilhelm, Curator, Essex Society & Shipbuilding Museum.
Stage284 and Stage284 BlackBox Lab programs are brought to you by
The Community House, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
STAGE284 BLACK BOX LAB, 284 Bay Road, Hamilton, MA 01982
