Paul R. Tetreault, Director of Ford's Theatre Society, announced the line-up for the free Living Lincoln Series, which will premiere Feb. 16, 2009. This Monday-night series will explore the many aspects of President Lincoln's personality and life through lectures, panels, play readings and performances. The series is part of the grand reopening for Ford's Theatre, which reopens in February after an 18-month renovation.
The series begins Feb. 16 with Lincoln Seen and Heard, a words-and-images show that takes Abraham Lincoln from his days in Congress through the American Civil War. The Feb. 16 program will feature Sam Waterston and Harold Holzer. On Feb. 23, storyteller Jon Spellman will present Lincoln as Storyteller. On March 2, Conan O'Brien and Joshua Wolf Shenk will present Lincoln as Humorist. Ford's Theatre collaborates with the Shakespeare Theatre Company on April 13 for Lincoln and Shakespeare on Freedom's Stage, a presentation exploring Lincoln's love of The Bard. On April 20, Dr. Edna Medford will moderate a discussion titled Race and Emancipation in the Age of Lincoln. On April 27, Ford's will present Oratory in the Age of Lincoln. The presentation on May 4 will be a reading of The Rivalry, about the Lincoln-Douglas debates with special guest actors. On May 11, author and historian James McPherson will present Lincoln as Commander In Chief. The series will end on May 18 with Lincoln in Love, the reading of a new musical based on the film Young Mr. Lincoln.
Beginning December 8, free tickets can be reserved through Ticketmaster at (202) 397-SEAT or by visiting www.fords.org. Groups of 20 or more may reserve tickets by calling (202) 638-2367. Any remaining tickets will be released the day of each performance. These will be available for pick-up at the Ford's Theatre Box Office beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Ford's Theatre Society
Since it reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865, assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ford's Theatre has been one of the most visited sites in the nation's capital. Ford's Theatre has enthralled visitors because of its unique place in United States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the American experience through theatre and education. For its accomplishments, the organization was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S. government to artists, arts institutions and arts patrons.
Ford's Theatre will reopen in February 2009 after an 18-month renovation, while the Ford's Theatre Museum will reopen in spring 2009. The renovations are part of The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign, a $50 million capital campaign that supports the renovation of the theatre and museum as well as the building of the new Center for Education and Leadership, an education center focused on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.
Ford's Theatre Society works to present the Theatre's nearly one million visitors each year with a high quality historical and cultural experience, enhancing the vibrancy of this historic site, an important tool for promoting the ideals of leadership, humanity and wisdom espoused by Abraham Lincoln.
Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, Ford's Theatre Society has been recognized by the critics and theatergoing public for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed Big River to the regional premiere of Trying and world premiere of Meet John Doe, Ford's Theatre has undoubtedly begun to make its mark on the American theatre landscape.
In addition, through the leadership of Wayne R. Reynolds, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the mission of Ford's Theatre Society has recently been expanded to include education as a central pillar of the organization, equal to that of producing theatre of the highest quality. As Ford's Theatre looks to the future, the health of the organization will be defined and determined not only by the quality of the productions on the stage but also by the success of its educational programming in teaching about the life, Presidency and lessons of leadership of Abraham Lincoln.
For more information on Ford's Theatre and the Ford's Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.
