Lincoln Discussion Symposium
Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Printable Version

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RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Gene C - 07-24-2016 06:04 AM

(07-23-2016 12:19 PM)BettyO Wrote:  I have written a synopsis for a one-man stage play about Powell and I have had some interest expressed in it. However, I think I'm a lousy play writer. More later on this.....

This is great. Who better to tell Powell's story, from his perspective, than you.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Pamela - 07-24-2016 11:50 AM

I bet Lincoln would have found the play amusing.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - wpbinzel - 07-24-2016 01:23 PM

(07-22-2016 12:51 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I guess my forty-one years at Surratt House are wearing me down,

Laurie - I had no idea that you started at Surratt House when you were 4 years old!

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Thomas Kearney - 07-24-2016 02:19 PM

(07-23-2016 12:19 PM)BettyO Wrote:  
Quote:I guess my forty-one years at Surratt House are wearing me down, but I'm becoming very jaded and impatient with artistes of various medias who have stretched artistic license and history to the breaking point. It is especially frustrating when there have been so many good books written since the 1980s as well as decent sites online. It is better to work with documentaries than with those more avant garde theater groups, but the final product is not always what you hope it will be.

I have to agree with Laurie - I, too would much more work with documentaries which don't take historical liberty (if at all!) I loved working the producers, directors and actors of NGC's Killing Lincoln - they were totally interested in getting the story right! I have a confession to make: I have written a synopsis for a one-man stage play about Powell and I have had some interest expressed in it. However, I think I'm a lousy play writer. More later on this.....

I'd be happy to portray Payne and perform it at the 2017 Surratt Conference.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Eva Elisabeth - 07-24-2016 03:42 PM

I think Betty herself should and would portray him the best. And she'd be well in line with great 19th century actresses like Sarah Bernhardt portraying male leads:
http://theconversation.com/tackling-gender-inequality-on-stage-needs-to-go-further-than-female-hamlets-31268

(In Shakespeare's days it went v.v., all females - and females who, in the course of the play, played men for camouflage - were portrayed by "boy players" who often were adults:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_player )

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Gene C - 07-24-2016 04:33 PM

Don't be to hasty Thomas, can you take a guess as to what the final scene might be?

BettyO is a stickler for realism and detail.
Just how long can you hold your breath?

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Eva Elisabeth - 07-24-2016 05:20 PM

(Just to clarify - I meant that absolutely seriously.)

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - BettyO - 07-24-2016 05:38 PM

Thanks, ya'll! This will definately be fact-based - very little if any liberties taken....

And play writing is totally different from writing a book - it's much more complex.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - L Verge - 07-24-2016 06:12 PM

(07-24-2016 01:23 PM)wpbinzel Wrote:  
(07-22-2016 12:51 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I guess my forty-one years at Surratt House are wearing me down,

Laurie - I had no idea that you started at Surratt House when you were 4 years old!

Yep, we older Boothies were child prodigies in history.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Thomas Kearney - 07-24-2016 07:55 PM

(07-24-2016 04:33 PM)Gene C Wrote:  Don't be to hasty Thomas, can you take a guess as to what the final scene might be?

BettyO is a stickler for realism and detail.
Just how long can you hold your breath?

Payne responding "you know best captain" when Christian Rath said he wanted the conspirators to die quickly. I can hold my breath for 15 seconds, that's faster than Secretariat.
(07-24-2016 03:42 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  I think Betty herself should and would portray him the best. And she'd be well in line with great 19th century actresses like Sarah Bernhardt portraying male leads:
http://theconversation.com/tackling-gender-inequality-on-stage-needs-to-go-further-than-female-hamlets-31268

(In Shakespeare's days it went v.v., all females - and females who, in the course of the play, played men for camouflage - were portrayed by "boy players" who often were adults:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_player )

Eva, I did school plays and did a very good portrayal of the dog in Officer Buckle And Gloria for a children's theater program. I'm a perfect candidate for Lewis Payne. Headshot is my avatar!
(07-24-2016 06:12 PM)L Verge Wrote:  
(07-24-2016 01:23 PM)wpbinzel Wrote:  
(07-22-2016 12:51 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I guess my forty-one years at Surratt House are wearing me down,

Laurie - I had no idea that you started at Surratt House when you were 4 years old!

Yep, we older Boothies were child prodigies in history.

I was nine and was a child prodigy. It's nice to see I'm not the only former child prodigy on this chat room!
(07-24-2016 05:38 PM)BettyO Wrote:  Thanks, ya'll! This will definately be fact-based - very little if any liberties taken....

And play writing is totally different from writing a book - it's much more complex.

I think this year's entertainment at the conference would be good if we had the one man show go after this excellent representation of Mary Surratt:

https://boothiebarn.com/2016/06/18/beware-the-people-whistling/

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - KateH. - 08-03-2016 12:23 PM

(07-24-2016 07:55 PM)Thomas Kearney Wrote:  I think this year's entertainment at the conference would be good if we had the one man show go after this excellent representation of Mary Surratt:

https://boothiebarn.com/2016/06/18/beware-the-people-whistling/

Thanks, Tom Smile

Or we could tag team: The Mary & Lew Show (Live from the Arsenal Penitentiary).

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Thomas Kearney - 08-30-2016 08:58 AM

(08-03-2016 12:23 PM)KateH. Wrote:  
(07-24-2016 07:55 PM)Thomas Kearney Wrote:  I think this year's entertainment at the conference would be good if we had the one man show go after this excellent representation of Mary Surratt:

https://boothiebarn.com/2016/06/18/beware-the-people-whistling/

Thanks, Tom Smile

Or we could tag team: The Mary & Lew Show (Live from the Arsenal Penitentiary).

Great idea! Just need to pitch that to Laurie.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - L Verge - 08-30-2016 09:10 AM

(08-30-2016 08:58 AM)Thomas Kearney Wrote:  
(08-03-2016 12:23 PM)KateH. Wrote:  
(07-24-2016 07:55 PM)Thomas Kearney Wrote:  I think this year's entertainment at the conference would be good if we had the one man show go after this excellent representation of Mary Surratt:

https://boothiebarn.com/2016/06/18/beware-the-people-whistling/

Thanks, Tom Smile

Or we could tag team: The Mary & Lew Show (Live from the Arsenal Penitentiary).

Great idea! Just need to pitch that to Laurie.

The idea has already been pitched to KateH weeks ago, Tom. Her one-woman show will be the entertainment at the Surratt conference banquet on April 1, 2017.

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - Gene C - 08-30-2016 12:15 PM

Interesting.
Will this be based upon the interesting anecdotes of Helen Jones Campbell?

RE: Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda - L Verge - 08-30-2016 01:33 PM

I will let Kate explain her self-researched and written script -- or better yet, Gene, why not come to the conference yourself to hear it? I know you would really enjoy it.

As for Helen Jones Campbell, let's not bad-mouth her completely. I can honestly say that she is one of the most frustrating authors on the subject, but I cannot discredit her. I can fuss about her not including sources and not giving assurance that some of her anecdotes and historical references did happen. However, for every frustration in that direction, there are also redeeming features where her text is dead-on correct.

In the good old days, I would be traveling to William & Mary to peruse her papers - if the library there ever catalogued them. Bettie Trindal tried to use them and got turned away.