News & Press

Feb 10, 2012

DANVILLE, KY— On Friday, February 10 Centre College’s Norton Center for the Arts will offer a riveting depiction of the 1858 Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas Illinois Senate debates in the LA Theatre Works, Susan Albert Loewenberg Producing Director, radio-play production of The Rivalry by Norman Corwin.

Over one hundred and fifty years ago, Americans struggled with issues of slavery, race, freedom, equality, states’ rights, and America’s future. In the 1858 Illinois Senate race, as the country steamrolled towards an enormous and costly civil war, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas embarked on a series of debates. Their epic clash of ideas and oratory forged a future President and a nation. Without access to television, bloggers, and podcasts, the debates were witnessed live by thousands along with written reports transported by railroad and telegraph across the country. A local race quickly became the focus of a divided country, whose future was on the line.

“In keeping with the Norton Center’s season theme ‘RE:imagine’, this production takes the audience on a journey to a time when debates were held without electronic media and instant reporting,” said Norton Center executive director Steve Hoffman.  “The play is told from the perspective of Stephen Douglas’ wife, Adele, and brings to light the personal, emotional and political strategies of the debate as well as behind the scenes family debates over the public issues and chance encounters between Adele and Lincoln.  A radio play, The Rivalry includes costumed actors, an on-stage sound effects person and high dramatics.  The play features Hollywood actors who bring an important part of our nation’s history to an intimate and very human setting.”

The Rivalry weaves dialogue from the original debate transcripts with behind-the-scenes conversations with the candidates and their families to bring to life the fierce competition between the future President and the incumbent Senator as they tackled the day's most controversial issues - slavery and the American concept of freedom. The play eloquently reminds us of a time when substantive political debate engaged Americans in a way that screeching talking heads and the blogosphere cannot, and underscores the impact of words and their effective communication in shaping public policy. The Rivalry is also a stunning testament to the willingness of Lincoln and Douglas to put aside their differences and “reach across the aisle” for the good of the country - a painful yet eloquent reminder of what is missing in the partisan politics we see today. Remarking on the governing philosophy of his political role model, President Obama observed, “Whatever personal feelings there were, the issue was how we can get this country through this time of crisis.”

The Rivalry raises difficult fundamental questions of values and rights that are still being debated and remain unresolved at every level of American government and society: race, social and economic inequity, states’ rights and the “proper” role of the federal government in the lives of its citizens.

The cast for The Rivalry includes:  Robert Parsons, who starred in the acclaimed production of The Rivalry at Ford’s Theatre in Washington last year, and who will recreate the role of Abraham Lincoln. Parsons has been seen in the films Black August and Almost Famous and on television in Nash Bridges. Stephen Douglas will be played by television and film actor Josh Clark who has a long list of roles in Heroes, Star Trek: Voyager, Pretty Little Liars, and All My Children. His film credits include Big, Ragtime, Little Nikita and others.

The Norton Center along with local NPR affiliate and media partner for The Rivalry, WEKU, arranged to record this performance for a one- time, exclusive radio rebroadcast. Now in its fifth decade of broadcasting, WEKU went on the air in November of 1968 and since then has been broadcasting its unique mix of award-winning local and regional news as well as national and international news from National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Additional Activities

As part of this visit by the highly acclaimed LA Theatre Works, the Norton Center and Centre College offer additional related activities for community youth, adults and college students.   For information on any of these activities please contact Dustin Mosko, Norton Center Engagement Coordinator at 859-238-5422 or dustin.mosko@centre.edu.

- An abbreviated matinee performance of The Rivalry for area middle and high school students will be held on Friday, February 10 at 11:00 AM in Newlin Hall.  For more information or to arrange tickets for your student group, please contact the box office. Lesson plans that address state and national standards are available for teachers at www.nortoncenter.com/k-12-activities. 

- A three-day educational series entitled, “Practicing Civil Engagement in the Age of Incivility: You Have the Right” will be presented February 8-10 on the campus of Centre College.  The general public is invited to attend these activities free of charge, although registration in advance may be required:

• Panel Discussion: How to Be Civil in an Age of Incivility, a panel discussion by Centre College faculty members offering different perspectives on incivility in American politics and how citizens can engage in civil discourse in an increasingly uncivil environment. (led by Benjamin Knoll; Wednesday, February 8 at 4:00 PM; Vahlkamp Theatre)
• Moderated Debate: Centre Democrats and Centre Republicans will conduct a debate focused on contemporary state vs. federal law issues (Thursday, February 9 at 11:30 AM; Weisiger Theatre).
• Lecture:  Democracy Under Attack? The News Media, Campaigns and Politics, A one-hour presentation on incivility in American political media and advertising. Do negative ads work? How do voters respond to them? How does negative campaign media ultimately affect our political communication and democratic governance? (led by Benjamin Knoll; Thursday, February 9 at 2:00 PM; Vahlkamp Theatre)
• Panel Discussion: The Major Role of the Minority Voter: Community Engagement in Politics (led by Eva Cadavid; Thursday, February 9 at 7:00 PM; Vahlkamp Theatre).
• Post-Performance Talk-Back:  LA Theatre Works actors will return to the stage to  speak with the audience immediately following the evening performance (led by LA Theatre Works; Friday, February 10; Newlin Hall)

- Led by actors from the LA Theatre Works company, two educational workshops will be offered as part of their Norton Center residency:

• An Audition Seminar and Monologue Study for Centre College students. (Thursday, February 9 at 4:00 PM; Space is limited - registration required; Weisiger Theatre.)
•  A Debate Presentation Workshop for high school students. (Thursday, February 9 at 10:00 AM; Space is limited - registration required; Grant - Gillespie Recital Hall)

For a short breakdown of these activities, click here.

About Playwright Norman Corwin

Norman Corwin was best known for his innovative use of sound effects and unusual narrative devices in the radio plays which he created.  Always in love with radio, during World War II, Corwin delivered compelling reports from Britain and the Soviet Union in the series “An American in England” and “An American in Russia.”  Life Magazine called him “radio’s top dramatic genius.”  In 1944 The New York Post wrote, “He has earned the daring reputation of being the first to credit radio audiences with intelligence.”  Another great success came with his adaptation of “Lust for Life,” Irving Stone’s biography of Vincent van Gogh.  Corwin’s screenplay for the movies was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957. Corwin’s The Rivalry opened at the Bijou Theater on Broadway in 1959.   A documentary film on Corwin’s life, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Feature in 2006.  Corwin passed away in October 2011 at the age of 101.

About LA Theatre Works

Under the leadership of Producing Director, Susan Albert Loewenberg, LA Theatre Works (LATW) has been the foremost radio theater company in the United States for more than two decades. Broadcast in America on NPR stations, streamed online at www.latw.org and aired internationally on the BBC, CBC, and many other English language networks, LATW has single-handedly brought the finest recorded dramatic literature into the homes of millions. The company records the majority of its productions annually in Los Angeles before an enthusiastic and loyal audience of season subscribers. Works by Arthur Miller, Tom Stoppard, Lillian Hellman Athol Fugard, Joyce Carol Oates, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Lynn Nottage and others have been performed and recorded by LATW with casts of the most critically acclaimed film and stage actors. On the road, LATW has delighted audiences with its unique live radio theater style performances in over 200 small towns and major cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington and Chicago.  An L.A. Theatre Works performance is immediate, spontaneous, and features a first-rate cast, live sound effects, and a connection to the audience rarely felt in a traditional theater setting.

Today, LATW’s Audio Theatre Collection includes more than 400 classic and contemporary titles–the largest library of its kind in the world. LATW’s newest initiative, The Play’s the Thing for Higher Education, makes over 300 digitized works from our collection available to universities and colleges across the country for use in a variety of disciplines. For more information on these programs, LATW’s Audio Theatre Collection, national radio broadcast information and other exciting projects, visit www.latw.org.

Normin Corwin’s The Rivalry begins at 8:00 PM in Newlin Hall.   Tickets, ranging from $23-$45, are on sale now and can be purchased on the web at www.NortonCenter.com or by calling the box office at 1-877-HIT-SHOW.