WAPAKONETA — The Auglaize County Historical Society will host Shades of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 4:30 p.m., at the Wapa Theatre, Willipie Street, Wapakoneta. The event is free and open to the public.
Based in northeast Ohio, Largely Literary Theater Company founder Sara Showman will present Shades of Blue and Gray, a one-act play incorporating history, song, literary selections and, of course, ghost stories.
As a nation, we continue to be haunted by the Civil War. Shades of Blue and Grayincludes ghost stories from Ohio and other states. The literary interludes include poetry by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, as well as a special section about Abraham Lincoln. The program is one hour in length.
Specializing in faithful adaptations of great literary works, the Largely Literary Theater Company was founded in 2001 to promote literacy, literature and live theater. The troupe is best known for: Twain By Two, an adaptation of humorous sketches by Mark Twain; The Tell-Tale Play, a two-act collection of poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe; and its three-person version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
A Tennessee native, Showman serves as Managing Director for the Largely Literary Theatre Company. She has appeared in many productions in Ohio since moving to the Akron area in 1983. She has worked with professional companies, as well as college, children’s and community theaters. Showman has appeared at Kent State, Weathervane, Coach House Theatre, the Beck Center for the Performing Arts, the Canton Players Guild, Porthouse Theatre Company, the Working Theater and Actors Summit Theater. An Equity membership candidate, she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting and directing from Kent State University. Favorite roles include Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Melissa in Love Letters, Clara in I’m Not Rappaport and Shirley in Shirley Valentine. Before moving to Ohio, she appeared in several productions for theater companies in her native Tennessee, includingAnother Part of the Forest, A Little Night Music, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ten Little Indians and Inherit the Wind.
States Historical Society administrator Rachel Barber, “Inasmuch as 2015 marks the end of the sesqui-centennial commemoration of the Civil War, the Historical Society wanted to provide one more pro-gram that highlighted this transformative era in American history. Ghosts of the Civil War also provides us with the opportunity to collaborate with the Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce on its WA-PAWEEN promotion. We thank the management of the theatre for allowing us to host an event in this historic space. We’re excited to bring Sara Showman here for a wonderful presentation at the Wapa Theatre, and hope that many will come out for this special matinee!”
The Auglaize County Historical Society was founded in 1963. The Auglaize County Historical Society collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the history of Auglaize County and its people through exhibits, programs, and publications.
For more information about this or other Auglaize County Historical Society programming, please email [email protected] or call 419/738-9328. The Auglaize County Historical Society is also on Facebook.
