Zeitgeist/Way Dramaturgy Blog for the Oct/Nov 2007 Boston Premiere of The Kentucky Cycle

"Come Gather For God's Great Supper"

2007-08-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

The title for the cycle God's Great Supper comes from the book of Revelation Chapter 19 Verse 17. Revelation is a book in the New Testament. And not just any book, it is the final book of the bible. It is the retelling of a vision that John had (the same John who was a disciple of Jesus and who penned the Gospel of John). Interesting that it is the recounting of a vision and that its content recurs in Jed's dreams in the play.

Here is the section of Revelation 19 (with verse numbers included) referring to God's Great Supper:

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Suffer the Little Children

2007-08-24T11:35:00.000-04:00

In God's Great Supper, Jed quotes the Gospel of Mark Chapter 10 Verse 14 in retalitation to his father Ezekiel, showing not just a perfect application of a New Testament teaching, but also speedily holding his father to the doctrine of the same bible that Ezekiel claims to believe. Ezekiel's response, not surprisingly, is to dismiss it and turn the phrase into a threat, "Oh he'll suffer alright." A look at the KJV and NIV translations of the original Greek sheds some light on the meaning:

King James Version (KJV) - "But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."

New International Version (NIV) - "When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

Dr. Thomas Walker's Journal, 1750: 1st Coal Discovered in Kentucky

2007-08-24T11:18:00.000-04:00

In 1749, Peter Jefferson (father of future U.S. President Thomas Jefferson) and Joshua Fry, along with Dr. Thomas Walker of Albemarle County (1714-1794), James Maury, Thomas Meriwether (grandfather of Meriwether Lewis) and others, established the Loyal Company with the purpose of petitioning for a large grant of land west of the Allegheny Mountains.

On 12 Jul 1749, the Council of the Province of Virginia authorized the Loyal Company to enter and survey 800,000 acres of the public domain on the "western waters" (located along the southern border of Virginia, now southeastern Kentucky), but with a provision that required settlement of the land within four years, during which time period the Company would be permitted to make surveys and returns.

Dr. Walker was employed by the Loyal Company to determine the locations of the settlements, not only because he was a member of the company, but also because he was an experienced surveyor and had already traversed the western country at least once, in 1748 in the company of Col. James Patton, Colonel Patton's son-in-law, John Buchanan, Charles Campbell and longhunter John Findlay, at which time they had explored the western country as far south as the "Fork Country of the Holston" (present-day Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee).

Dr. Walker's journal of his 1750 travels was preserved by his family, and first published in 1888 by his descendant, William Cabell Rives, a limited edition according to Williams, who published the Tennessee portion of the Journal (21 Mar - 14 Apr) in his "Early Travels in the Tennessee Country" (The Watauga Press, Johnson City, Tennessee, 1928, pp. 165-174). The following year, Lewis Preston published the journal in his "Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800," (Vol. I, pp. 8-26, Abingdon, Virginia, 1928). Williams's edition included an introduction to the journal, and both Williams and Summers footnoted heavily.

Dr. Walker noted in his journal that the "region is rich in cola, several seams underlying the surface of the ground." Walker does not indicate that he foresaw that coal would be by far the most valuable product of the region.

God's Trombones: a fire-and-brimstone retelling

2007-08-24T10:49:00.000-04:00

In God's Great Supper, Ezekiel refers to the book of Revelation like a fire-and-brimstone preacher of God that he claims to be.

Click here for an 8-minute YouTube piece with Jim Stark acting the role of an old-time fire and brimstone preacher. The description says the message is called "Judgement Day" from the book, God's Trombones. The book God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse was written in 1927, by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938). Click here for a bio on the author.

Matthew Brady Civil Way Photographs

2007-08-24T10:33:00.000-04:00

The other night during table work, David mentioned Matthew Brady the Civil War photographer. Click here to peruse a photo journal of the Civil War by this famous photographer and experience some of the images that Jed may have witnessed during his military tenure. (Note: the Civil War started in 1861, the same year at the start of God's Great Supper.)

Fire in the Hole!!! And Typhoid Info

2007-08-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight David blocked most of Fire in the Hole and the cast ran through the blocking. Typhoid figures prominently in this cycle.

Updated note on Typhoid symptoms and fatality (source: http://www.medicinenet.com/typhoid_fever/page2.htm): Typhoid Fever is treated with antibiotics which kill the Salmonella bacteria. Prior to the use of antibiotics, the fatality rate was 10%. Death occurred from overwhelming infection, pneumonia, intestinal bleeding, or intestinal perforation. With antibiotics and supportive care, mortality has been reduced to 1-2%.

What are the symptoms of Typhoid Fever? The incubation period is usually 1-2 weeks and the duration of the illness is about 4-6 weeks. The patient experiences: poor appetite, headaches,
generalized aches and pains, fever, and lethargy. Persons with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (39 to 40 degrees Centigrade).
Chest congestion develops in many patients and abdominal pain and discomfort are common. The fever becomes constant. Improvement occurs in the third and fourth week in those without complications. About 10% of patients have recurrent symptoms (relapse) after feeling better for one to two weeks. Relapses are actually more common in individuals treated with antibiotics.

Click here and here to read more about Typhoid Mary. And click here for information on Typhoid fever from the Centers for Disease Control in D.C.

Christian Scripture References

2007-08-20T23:08:00.000-04:00

There are many spiritual and scriptural elements in The Kentucky Cycle that this post begins to explore cycle by cycle. I plan to update it with more references in the text, but if you have a line referring to scripture and cannot wait, a tool that I have found handy for researching biblical text in its various translations is www.biblegateway.com.

Masters of the Trade & God's Great Supper

Michael Rowen refers to Psalm 121 in Master of the Trade. The Psalm follows (i.e. the King James translation).

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Earl Tod immediately counters with his belief in "an eye for an eye" and Michael Rowan responds "Ahh, an Old Testament man, are ya?" and "The New Testament, it's, a little watery now isn't it?" Subtext and foreshadowing is overflowing here.

Surely Michael Rowan would have a problem with the New Testament where the Gospel of Matthew states:

Matthew Chapter 5, verses 38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Hence the expression: turn the other cheek.)

But perhaps looking at the context of the "eye for an eye" quote could shed light on the Old Testament cultural climate in which it arose. Interesting how it makes mention of a man hitting a pregnant woman, neighbors mistreating neighbors, general abuses that seem to cycle through generations and through our cycles in Kentucky...

Note: Image from The Houston Chronicle's editorial cartoonist and demonstrates the possibility for extremist radicalism regardless of faith or culture.

Exodus Chapter 21 verses 22-25 "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." Leviticus 24: 18-20 "Anyone who takes the life of someone's animal must make restitution—life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured." Deuteronomy 19: 16-21 "If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

But like any bible scholar will advise, it is crucial to consider the social and political context and also view the text in its greater context within the Old and New Testaments. Because looking at the New Testament, we see a lot of what Michael Rowan might consider "watery" but what evolved as the central message of the gospel of peace embodied by Jesus:
Matthew 5:43-44 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies..." Luke 6: 38-39 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Titus 3: 1-5 "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy."

Ties That Bind
The story of the Samaritan in referred to in this cycle. The parable follows from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 10:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Yes, certain Rowans seem to be a little weak in their New Testament doctrine.

Prohibition in the 20's

2007-08-19T16:52:00.000-04:00

With Fire In The Hole set in 1920, it is useful to note that prohibition started at that time.

Click here for a look at prohibition and the history of alcohol.

Note: this image comes compliments of eBay. A 1925 Prohibition Prescription written for one pint of Whiskey...Oi (1 pint)...Sig. Zi repeat at end of 3 hours if needed. In prohibition times, this was the only legal way to drink liquor in the U.S.

Kentucky pre and post Civil War

2007-08-19T14:56:00.001-04:00

(Source: PBS website) Before the Civil War, Kentucky was primarily an agricultural state, with extensive hemp and tobacco plantings. After the war, the hemp industry declined but the tobacco industry boomed.

		1860	1870
	Number of Farms	83,689	118,422
	Value of Farm Land	$291.5 million	$311.2 million
	Number of Factories	3,450	5,390
	Value of Manufactured Products	$37.9 million	$54.6 million
	Data source: University of Virginia Geospatial and Statistical Data Center. United States Historical Census Data Browser. http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/

About Sharecropping

2007-08-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

Click here for info on sharecropping including a mini-documentary!

Click here for Q&A by historians on slavery to sharecropping.

Click here to view a sample contract.

Rifle History and Images

2007-08-19T13:42:00.000-04:00

Click here for a pretty succinct history of the rifle. The flintlock appears to be the rifle of choice and necessity in the 1700's.

There are two types of flintlock rifles applicable to the 1700's: the Brown Bess (pictured above) and the Kentucky Rifle (pictured below).

About the Brown Bess: "The first truly famous, or perhaps infamous, gun in history was a flintlock, the "Brown Bess." The British actively employed the Brown Bess during the American War for Independence, the French and Indian War, and the War of 1812. However, Brown Besses still ended up in the hands of American militiamen in the Mexican War and even in the American Civil War! The Brown Bess still had no provision for aiming, but its weight had been reduced to around 8lbs. This allowed quick firing by most soldiers in the range of three shots per minute."

Info on the flintlock known as "The Kentucky Rifle" and a photo follow:

Surprisingly, one of America's earliest triumphs in artistic and functional design, the "Kentucky rifle," was not invented or generally fashioned in Kentucky. The name was coined from a hearty stock of Americans who plied it.

Native Americans called Kentucky the "Dark and Bloody Ground" because of the unending wars between Iroquois and Cherokees for its possession. New worlders thought of the first wild west as a hunter's paradise. In 1752, a stalwart American Indian trader named John Findley, traveled the Ohio River documenting the valley's beauty and abundance. In 1769, a bold young explorer and skilled marksman, who was given an American-made flintlock rifle at the age of twelve, hired Findley and four other woodsmen to guide him through a wilderness country road between Kentucky and Tennessee which is now know as the "Cumberland Gap." In 1775, (Daniel) Boonesborough, Kentucky was established.

During the Revolution, demoralized English officers wrote home about a new type of American-made long-barreled "rifle" backwoodsmen used with astonishing skill. When the war was won, the new government paid debts to its officers by offering land grants in untamed land. Claiming their acreage, these adventurers brought their rifles to Kentucky with them.

Near the end of the lost War of 1812, American spirits were raised when five thousand Americans, including two-thousand frontiersmen with long barreled guns, under the command of General Andrew Jackson, defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans. A popular song called "The Hunters of Kentucky or The Battle of New Orleans" (no doubt, written by a proud Kentuckian) forever named America's rifle.

"But Jackson he was wide awake, and wasn't scar'd at trifles, for well he knew what aim we take, with our Kentucky Rifles."

The Kentucky rifle was invented and predominantly made in Pennsylvania. A good shooter cost half a man's yearly wage. Most were used for hunting on a daily basis. They were handed down from generation to generation, and are often found in worn condition today. Antique dealers like myself call this "patina" and charge additional fare for it. Many of the early "flintlock" rifles were converted to the improved "percussion" system in the 1830's. This does not ruin the value of a Kentucky rifle. It is simply a chapter of its life.

Age, artistic beauty, and condition are the most important factors in gauging the value of the world's most sought-after firearm. A classic specimen is stocked in native American tiger stripe maple. (Dealers note* Tiger maple is almost never found in European furniture and thus is evidence of valuable American origin.) A rare colonial "transition era (1715-1775)" flintlock specimen in a plain grain of maple, walnut, cherry, or birch, can command a huge sum. Keep in mind, most plain-wood Kentucky rifles found today were made during the third generation "percussion era.(1825-1860)" These are generally, thousand dollar rifles, not five figure antiques.

Source: www.antiquetalk.com/column101.htm

Pictured above from www.flayderman.com is a CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THE “GOLDEN AGE” KENTUCKY RIFLE BY A FAMED MAKER, CIRCA 1780-1790

"Original flintlock. Although unsigned (as are a great many Kentucky rifles) this fine early American longarm typifies the work of Wolfgang Haga, of Berks County, Penna. (died 1796), among the very earliest of Kentucky rifle makers. The brass mountings and patch box and a toe plate identical to those found on most Haga rifles (and exactly as shown on pages 200-202 of classic work on the subject “Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in its Golden Age” by Kindig, 1960). An excellent example of an 18’th century specimen of this historic American rifle in lovely condition by one of the earliest makers."

Kentucky Flintlock Rifle, USA, 19th Century

"The name “Kentucky Rifle” is largely a misnomer - they were primarily made in Pennsylvania, although Maryland and Virginia gunsmiths contributed a fair share. The “Kentucky” name came about as a result of the Battle of New Orleans (click here for info on the battle) which was substantially won by these rifles, in the hands of two thousand frontiersmen from Kentucky. While the design was influenced by the German Jaeger rifles and the slender English and French fowling pieces of the early 18th Century, the Kentucky is uniquely American. This non-firing version shows the graceful lines for which the Kentucky became renowned."

Utah Mine Owner: Troubling Safety Record, Useful Political Clout

2007-08-17T13:46:00.000-04:00

Click here for the story (p.s. thanks David!)

Tall Tales: Baucis and Philemon

2007-08-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

JT is well read and adept at navigating sticky situations. The tall tales that he tells seem strategically selected. By telling a tale from Ovid (click here for the story of Baucis and Philemon) he not only leverages his knowledge of Greek mythology but uses a tale with the name of a biblical book (click here for Philemon commentary) referenced as well. Not just any book, it talks of receiving a stranger as a brother. That may sway bible-quotin' Lallie to become vulnerable to his fiscal seduction.

The Value of Money Then and Now

2007-08-15T08:26:00.000-04:00

The question came up last night about the sum that JT pays Jed in Tall Tales for the "mineral rights" to his land, and what that would be worth today.

Here's a handy fact:

A lump sum grows in value. The Rule of 72 states that an investment at a particular interest rate will double in a certain number of years. You can easily determine how quickly your investments will double simply by dividing 72 by the interest rate that you anticipate receiving in a given investment. For example, an investment that will yield 10% per year will double approximately every 7.2 years (72/10 = 7.2). A 12% yield would mean your investment doubles every 6 years.

Using this math and assuming a 4% interest rate over time, the sum that JT pays Jed Rowan in 1885's Tall Tales would double every 18 years (72/4). Anyone want to venture a guess at its value today?

Big Coal by Jeff Goodell - NY Times Book Review Excerpt

2007-08-15T08:05:00.000-04:00

Review: Black Cloud by COREY S. POWELL

There is perhaps no greater act of denial in modern life than sticking a plug into an electric outlet. No thinking person can eat a hamburger without knowing it was once a cow, or drink water from the tap without recognizing, at least dimly, that its journey began in some distant reservoir. Electricity is different. Fully sanitized of any hint of its origins, it pours out of the socket almost like magic.

In his new book, Jeff Goodell breaks the spell with a single number: 20. That's how many pounds of coal each person in the United States consumes, on average, every day to keep the electricity flowing. Despite its outdated image, coal generates half of our electricity, far more than any other source. Demand keeps rising, thanks in part to our appetite for new electronic gadgets and appliances; with nuclear power on hold and natural gas supplies tightening, coal's importance is only going to increase. As Goodell puts it, "our shiny white iPod economy is propped up by dirty black rocks."

Coal has become near-synonymous with electricity because it is cheap and abundant. A pile of coal containing one million B.T.U.'s worth of energy costs $1.70. The equivalent amount of natural gas runs about $9. All electricity looks the same, so why pay more? Even by Goodell's explicitly conservative estimates, America has enough coal to keep its power plants humming for decades to come. And compared with prospecting for oil, finding the black rock is a snap. In Wyoming's Powder River basin the coal seams run 50 to 100 feet thick and lie so close to the surface they can be scoured in open-pit mines.

Unfortunately, coal is also dirty and dangerous. One of the highlights of "Big Coal" is Goodell's outraged account of the catastrophic 2002 flooding of a mine in Quecreek, Pa., run by PBS Coals. His story follows Randy Fogle and Blaine Mayhugh, two of nine workers who survived. Mayhugh, shattered by the experience, left to become a maintenance engineer at a wind farm. Fogle, who came from a long line of miners, returned to the work that had already taken the lives of his grandfather and his wife's grandfather. PBS Coals eventually paid a $14,100 fine for negligence that may have triggered the accident while receiving more than $500,000 from the state for costs associated with the rescue operation.

In the world of coal, that counts as a happy ending. About a month ago, an underground explosion killed five workers in Kentucky's Darby Mine No. 1. Coming on the heels of the widely publicized deaths of 12 workers in another coal mine explosion in Sago, W.Va., on Jan. 2, the latest mishap has everyone from Ted Kennedy to Gov. Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky crying out for better mine safety. There's a long way to go. More than 104,000 Americans died digging out coal between 1900 and 2005; twice as many may have died from black lung. The fatality rate in coal mining is almost 60 percent higher than it is in oil and gas extraction.

Excerpts from NY Times Book Review published June 25, 2006
Book: BIG COAL
The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future.
By Jeff Goodell.
324 pp. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cherokee Women and the Matrilineal Kinship System

2007-08-15T07:41:00.000-04:00

Cherokee Women
--by Theda Perdue

Long before the arrival of the white man, women enjoyed a major role in the family life, economy, and government of the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees originally lived in villages built along the rivers of western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, northern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee. When white men visited these villages in the early 1700s, they were surprised by the rights and privileges of Indian women.

(click here to continue)

Legislating women's sexuality: Cherokee marriage laws in the nineteenth century

2007-08-15T07:32:00.000-04:00

The story of Michael Rowan and Morning Star is one model of how white men and Cherokee women united in the late 1700's. The wedding bands pictured here are purely for show, since we concluded during table work last week that their marriage was strictly common law with not a hint of matrimonial ceremony save for the traditional carrying the bride over the threshold. Only in their case, the bride was kicking and screaming and the context was intimidation and domination. But then again, some people like that (secret table work inside joke:).

This article from the Journal of Social History (Winter, 2004 by Fay Yarbrough) takes it further to look at how the Cherokee nation responded to protect its female population.

Legislating women's sexuality: Cherokee marriage laws in the nineteenth century

The nineteenth century was a time of tremendous social and political upheaval in the Cherokee Nation. Most readers are likely to be familiar with the tragedy of the "Trail of Tears" when federal troops forced the Cherokee Indians to abandon lands in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina to settle in the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in 1838-1839. What may not be as widely known is that Removal was only one of several dramatic changes experienced by the Cherokee Nation in the nineteenth century. The Cherokees radically transformed their political and legal institutions early in the century; survived the internal strife, which verged on civil war, that was the result of the removal policy of the 1830s; weathered the American Civil War and their own reconstruction as they struggled to incorporate their former slaves into society; and confronted federal attempts to dismantle Indian sovereignty as the century drew to a close. In many respects, the legal institutions of the nineteenth-century Cherokee Nation resembled those of the United States. The Cherokees divided their government into three branches: an executive embodied by the Chief; a judiciary with district and Supreme courts; and a legislature that created laws for the Nation. This essay will consider some of the laws passed by the legislative branch of the Cherokee government, particularly those regarding marriage and sex.

(click here to continue)

"Hell and repeat?" and The Infunt Fernomerner Tale

2007-08-13T23:45:00.000-04:00

On p. 181 of the script, Andrew says, "You ever been to West Virginia? Colorado?" and Abe replies, "'Hell and repeat?' No sir, I ain't been there."

The question of what that means came up. I found the expression in a few places online. One particularly interesting was this letter. You might find it helpful to see a father-son exchange from 1900, to see the idioms, the base grammar at the end, and the distinct tone of communication that we also find in some of the cycles...

CHICAGO, June 4, 1900.

Dear Pierrepont: Judging from what you say about the Highfaluting
Lulu, it must be a wonder, and the owner's reason for selling--that
his lungs are getting too strong to stand the climate--sounds
perfectly good. You can have the money at 5 per cent, as soon as
you've finally made up your mind that you want it, but before you
plant it in the mine for keeps, I think you should tie a wet towel
around your head, while you consider for a few minutes the bare
possibility of having to pay me back out of your salary, instead of
the profits from the mine. You can't throw a stone anywhere in this
world without hitting a man, with a spade over his shoulder, who's
just said the last sad good-byes to his bank account and is starting
out for the cemetery where defunct flyers are buried.

While you've only asked me for money, and not for advice, I may say
that, should you put a question on some general topic like, "What are
the wild waves saying, father?" I should answer, "Keep out of watered
stocks, my son, and wade into your own business a little deeper."
Though, when you come to think of it, these continuous-performance
companies, that let you in for ten, twenty, and thirty cents a share,
ought to be a mighty good thing for investors after they've developed
their oil and gold properties, because a lot of them can afford to pay
10 per cent. before they've developed anything but suckers.

So long as gold-mining with a pen and a little fancy paper continues to
be such a profitable industry, a lot of fellows who write a pretty fair
hand won't see any good reason for swinging a pick. They'll simply pass
the pick over to the fellow who invests, and start a new prospectus.
While the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, they're something
after all; but the walls along the short cuts to Fortune are papered
with only the prospectuses of good intentions--intentions to do the
other fellow good and plenty.

I don't want to question your ability or the purity of your friends'
intentions, but are you sure you know their business as well as they
do? Denver is a lovely city, with a surplus of climate and scenery,
and a lot of people there go home from work every night pushing a
wheelbarrow full of gold in front of them, but at the same time there
is no surplus of that commodity, and most of the fellows who find it
have cut their wisdom teeth on quartz. It isn't reasonable to expect
that you're going to buy gold at fifty cents on the dollar, just
because it hasn't been run through the mint yet.

I simply mention these things in a general way. There are two branches
in the study of riches--getting the money and keeping it from getting
away. When a fellow has saved a thousand dollars, and every nickel
represents a walk home, instead of a ride on a trolley; and every
dollar stands for cigars he didn't smoke and for shows he didn't
see--it naturally seems as if that money, when it's invested, ought to
declare dividends every thirty days. But almost any scheme which
advertises that it will make small investors rich quick is like one of
these Yellowstone geysers that spouts up straight from Hades with a
boom and a roar--it's bound to return to its native brimstone sooner
or later, leaving nothing behind it but a little smoke, and a smell of
burned money--your money.

If a fellow would stop to think, he would understand that when money
comes in so hard, it isn't reasonable to expect that it can go out and
find more easy. But the great trouble is that a good many small
investors don't stop to think, or else let plausible strangers do
their thinking for them. That's why most young men have tucked away
with their college diploma and the picture of their first girl, an
impressive deed to a lot in Nowhere-on-the-Nothingness, or a beautiful
certificate of stock in the Gushing Girlie Oil Well, that has never
gushed anything but lies and promises, or a lovely receipt for money
invested in one of these discretionary pools that are formed for the
higher education of indiscreet fools. While I reckon that every fellow
has one of these certificates of membership in The Great Society of
Suckers, I had hoped that you would buy yours for a little less than
the Highfaluting Lulu is going to cost you. Young men are told that
the first thousand dollars comes hard and that after that it comes
easier. So it does--just a thousand dollars plus interest easier; and
easier through all the increased efficiency that self-denial and
self-control have given you, and the larger salary they've made you
worth.

It doesn't seem like much when you take your savings' bank book around
at the end of the year and get a little thirty or forty dollars
interest added, or when you cash in the coupon on the bond that you've
bought; yet your bank book and your bond are still true to you. But if
you'd had your thousand in one of these 50 per cent bleached blonde
schemes, it would have lit out long ago with a fellow whose ways were
more coaxing, leaving you the laugh and a mighty small lock of
peroxide gold hair. If you think that saving your first thousand
dollars is hard, you'll find that saving the second, after you've lost
the first, is hell and repeat.

You can't too soon make it a rule to invest only on your own know
and never on somebody else's say so. You may lose some profits by this
policy, but you're bound to miss a lot of losses. Often the best
reason for keeping out of a thing is that everybody else is going into
it. A crowd's always dangerous; it first pushes prices up beyond
reason and then down below common sense. The time to buy is before the
crowd comes in or after it gets out. It'll always come back to a good
thing when it's been pushed up again to the point where it's a bad
thing.

It's better to go slow and lose a good bargain occasionally than to go
fast and never get a bargain. It's all right to take a long chance now
and then, when you've got a long bank account, but it's been my
experience that most of the long chances are taken by the fellows with
short bank accounts.

You'll meet a lot of men in Chicago who'll point out the corner of State
and Madison and tell you that when they first came to the city they were
offered that lot for a hundred dollars, and that it's been the crowning
regret of their lives that they didn't buy it. But for every genuine case
of crowning regret because a fellow didn't buy, there are a thousand
because he did. Don't let it make you feverish the next time you see
one of those Won't-you-come-in-quick-and-get-rich-sudden ads. Freeze
up and on to your thousand, and by and by you'll get a chance to buy a
little stock in the concern for which you're working and which you
know something about; or to take that thousand and one or two more
like it, and buy an interest in a nice little business of the breed
that you've been grooming and currying for some other fellow. But if
your money's tied up in the sudden--millionaire business, you'll have
to keep right on clerking.

A man's fortune should grow like a tree, in rings around the parent
trunk. It'll be slow work at first, but every ring will be a little
wider and a little thicker than the last one, and by and by you'll be
big enough and strong enough to shed a few acorns within easy reaching
distance, and so start a nice little nursery of your own from which
you can saw wood some day. Whenever you hear of a man's jumping
suddenly into prominence and fortune, look behind the popular
explanation of a lucky chance. You'll usually find that these men
manufactured their own luck right on the premises by years of slow
preparation, and are simply realizing on hard work.

Speaking of manufacturing luck on the premises, naturally calls to
mind the story of old Jim Jackson, "dealer in mining properties," and
of young Thornley Harding, graduate of Princeton and citizen of New
York.

Thorn wasn't a bad young fellow, but he'd been brought up by a nice,
hard-working, fond and foolish old papa, in the fond belief that his
job in life was to spend the income of a million. But one week papa
failed, and the next week he died, and the next Thorn found he had to
go to work. He lasted out the next week on a high stool, and then he
decided that the top, where there was plenty of room for a bright
young man, was somewhere out West.

Thorn's life for the next few years was the whole series of hard-luck
parables, with a few chapters from Job thrown in, and then one day he
met old Jim. He seemed to cotton to Thorn from the jump. Explained to
him that there was nothing in this digging gopher holes in the solid
rock and eating Chinaman's grub for the sake of making niggers' wages.
Allowed that he was letting other fellows dig the holes, and that he
was selling them at a fair margin of profit to young Eastern
capitalists who hadn't been in the country long enough to lose their
roll and that trust in Mankind and Nature which was Youth's most
glorious possession. Needed a bright young fellow to help him--someone
who could wear good clothes and not look as if he were in a disguise,
and could spit out his words without chewing them up. Would Thorn join
him on a grub, duds, and commission basis? Would Thorn surprise his
skin with a boiled shirt and his stomach with a broiled steak? You bet
he would, and they hitched up then and there.

They ran along together for a year or more, selling a played-out mine
now and then or a "promising claim," for a small sum. Thorn knew that
the mines which they handled were no Golcondas, but, as he told
himself, you could never absolutely swear that a fellow wouldn't
strike it rich in one of them.

There came a time, though, when they were way down on their luck. The
run of young Englishmen was light, and visiting Easterners were a
little gun-shy. Almost looked to Thorn as if he might have to go to
work for a living, but he was a tenacious cuss, and stuck it out till
one day when Jim came back to Leadville from a near-by camp, where
he'd been looking at some played-out claims.

Jim was just boiling over with excitement. Wouldn't let on what it was
about, but insisted on Thorn's going back with him then and there.
Said it was too big to tell; must be taken in by all Thorn's senses,
aided by his powers of exaggeration.

It took them only a few hours to make the return trip. When Jim came
within a couple of miles of the camp, he struck in among some trees
and on to the center of a little clearing. There he called Thorn's
attention to a small, deep spring of muddy water.

"Thorn," Jim began, as impressive as if he were introducing him to an
easy millionaire, "look at thet spring. Feast yer eyes on it and tell
me what you see."

"A spring, you blooming idiot," Thorn replied, feeling a little
disappointed.

"You wouldn't allow, Thorn, to look at it, thet thar was special pints
about thet spring, would you?" he went on, slow and solemn. "You
wouldn't be willin' to swar thet the wealth of the Hindoos warn't in
thet precious flooid which you scorn? Son," he wound up suddenly,
"this here is the derndest, orneriest spring you ever see. Thet water
is rich enough to be drunk straight."

Thorn began to get excited in earnest now. "What is it? Spit it out
quick?"

"Watch me, sonny," and Jim hung his tin cup in the spring and sat down
on a near-by rock. Then after fifteen silent minutes had passed, he
lifted the cup from the water and passed it over. Thorn almost jumped
out of his jack-boots with surprise.

"Silver?" he gasped.

"Generwine," Jim replied. "Down my way, in Illinois, thar used to be a
spring thet turned things to stone. This gal gives 'em a jacket of
silver."

After Thorn had kicked and rolled and yelled a little of the joy out
of his system, he started to take a drink of the water, but Jim
stopped him with:

"Taste her if you wanter, but she's one of them min'rul springs which
leaves a nasty smack behind." And then he added: "I reckon she's a
winner. We'll christen her the Infunt Fernomerner, an' gin a lib'rul
investor a crack at her."

The next morning Thorn started back, doing fancy steps up the trail.

He hadn't been in Leadville two days before he bumped into an old
friend of his uncle's, Tom Castle, who was out there on some business,
and had his daughter, a mighty pretty girl, along. Thorn sort of let
the spring slide for a few days, while he took them in hand and showed
them the town. And by the time he was through, Castle had a pretty bad
case of mining fever, and Thorn and the girl were in the first stages
of something else.

Castle showed a good deal of curiosity about Thorn's business and how
he was doing, so he told 'em all about how he'd struck it rich, and in
his pride showed a letter which he had received from Jim the day
before. It ran:

"Dere Thorn: The Infunt Fernomerner is a wunder and the pile groes
every day. I hav 2 kittles, a skilit and a duzzen cans in the spring
every nite wich is awl it wil hold and days i trys out the silver frum
them wich have caked on nites. This is to dern slo. we nede munny so
we kin dril and get a bigger flo and tanks and bilers and sech. hump
yoursel and sell that third intrest. i hav to ten the kittles now so
no mor frum jim."

"You see," Thorn explained, "we camped beside the spring one night,
and a tin cup, which Jim let fall when he first tasted the water,
discovered its secret. It's just the same principle as those lime
springs that incrust things with lime. This one must percolate through
a bed of ore. There's some quality in the water which acts as a
solvent of the silver, you know, so that the water becomes charged
with it."

Now, Thorn hadn't really thought of interesting Castle as an investor
in that spring, because he regarded his Western business and his
Eastern friends as things not to be mixed, and he wasn't very hot to
have Castle meet Jim and get any details of his life for the past few
years. But nothing would do Castle but that they should have a look at
The Infant, and have it at once.

Well, sir, when they got about a mile from camp they saw Jim standing
in the trail, and smiling all over his honest, homely face. He took
Castle for a customer, of course, and after saying "Howdy" to Thorn,
opened right up: "I reckon Thorn hev toted you up to see thet blessid
infunt as I'm mother, father and wet-nuss to. Thar never was sich a
kid. She's jest the cutest little cuss ever you see. Eh, Thorn?"

"Do you prefer to the er--er--Infant Phenomenon?" asked Castle, all
eagerness.

"The same precious infunt. She's a cooin' to herself over thar in them
pines," Jim replied, and he started right in to explain: "As you see,
Jedge, the precious flooid comes from the bowels of the earth, as full
of silver as sody water of gas; and to think thet water is the mejum.
Nacher's our silent partner, and the blessid infunt delivers the
goods. No ore, no stamps, no sweatin', no grindin', and crushin', and
millin', and smeltin'. Thar you hev the pure juice, and you bile it
till it jells. Looky here," and Jim reached down and pulled out a
skillet. "Taste it! Smell it! Bite it! Lick it! An' then tell me if
Sollermun in all his glory was dressed up like this here!"

Castle handled that skillet like a baby, and stroked it as if he just
naturally loved children. Stayed right beside the spring during the
rest of the day, and after supper he began talking about it with Jim,
while Thorn and Kate went for a stroll along the trail. During the
time they were away Jim must have talked to pretty good purpose, for
no sooner were the partners alone for the night than Jim said to
Thorn: "I hev jest sold the Jedge a third intrest in the Fernomerner
fur twenty thousand dollars."

"I'm not so sure about that," answered Thorn, for he still didn't
quite like the idea of doing business with one of his uncle's friends.
"The Infant looks good and I believe she's a wonder, but it's a new
thing, and twenty thousand's a heap of money to Castle. If it
shouldn't pan out up to the first show-down, I'd feel deucedly cut up
about having let him in. I'd a good deal rather refuse to sell Castle
and hunt up a stranger."

"Don't be a dern fool, son," Jim replied. "He knew we was arter money
to develop, and when he made thet offer I warn't goin' to be sich a
permiscuss Charley-hoss as to refuse. It'd be a burnin' crime not to
freeze to this customer. It takes time to find customers, even for a
good thing like this here, and it's bein' a leetle out of the usual
run will make it slower still."

"But my people East. If Castle should get stuck he'll raise an awful
howl."

Jim grinned: "He'd holler, would he? In course; it might help his
business. Yer the orneriest ostrich fur a man of yer keerful
eddication! Did you hear thet Boston banker what bought the
Cracker-jack from us a-hollerin'? He kept so shet about it, I'll bet,
thet you couldn't a-blasted it outer him."

They argued along until after midnight, but Jim carried his point; and
two weeks later Thorn was in Denver, saying good-by to Kate, and
listening to her whisper, "But it won't be for long, as you'll soon be
able to leave business and come back East," and to Castle yelling from
the rear platform to "Push the Infant and get her sizzling."

Later, as Jim and Thorn walked back to the hotel, the old scoundrel
turned to his partner with a grin and said: "I hev removed the insides
from the Infunt and stored 'em fur future ref'rence. Meanin', in
course," he added, as Thorn gaped up at him like a chicken with the
pip, "the 'lectro-platin' outfit. P'r'aps it would be better to take a
leetle pasear now, but later we can come back and find another orphant
infunt and christen her the Phoenix, which is Greek fur sold agin."

It took Thorn a full minute to comprehend the rascality in which he'd
been an unconscious partner, but when he finally got it through his
head that Jim had substituted the child of a base-born churl for the
Earl's daughter, he fairly raged. Threatened him with exposure and
arrest if he didn't make restitution to Castle, but Jim simply grinned
and asked him whether he allowed to sing his complaint to the police.
Wound up by saying that, even though Thorn had rounded on him, old Jim
was a square man, and he proposed to divide even.

Thorn was simply in the fix of the fellow between the bull and the
bulldog--he had a choice, but it was only whether he would rather be
gored or bitten, so he took the ten thousand, and that night Jim faded
away on a west-bound Pullman, smoking two-bit cigars and keeping the
porter busy standing by with a cork-screw. Thorn took his story and
the ten thousand back to his uncle in the East, and after a pretty
solemn interview with the old man, he went around and paid Castle in
full and resumed his perch on top of the high stool he'd left a few
years before. He never got as far as explaining to the girl in person,
because Castle told him that while he didn't doubt his honesty, he was
afraid he was too easy a mark to succeed in Wall Street. Yet Thorn did
work up slowly in his uncle's office, and he's now in charge of the
department that looks after the investments of widows and orphans, for
he is so blamed conservative that they can't use him in any part of
the business where it's necessary to take chances.

I simply speak of Thorn as an example of why I think you should have a
cool head before you finally buy the Lulu with my money. After all, it
seems rather foolish to pay railroad fares to the West and back for
the sake of getting stuck when there are such superior facilities for
that right here in the East.

Your affectionate father,

JOHN GRAHAM.

Website of Kentucky Coal Mining History

2007-08-13T12:01:00.000-04:00

Compliments of David...

http://www.kycoal.homestead.com/KYCoalMiningHistory.html

Interesting Links - click on each to go to the site

2007-08-11T09:16:00.000-04:00

A trip to the library this weekend should yield many books on Cherokee death beliefs and other unexplored topics - the internet can only go so far :) - all may peruse tomorrow at rehearsal (and I shall copy and share key findings).

In the meantime check these links out - fascinating!

Harlan County and Kentucky's 1st "Exhibition" Coal Mine

Photographic gallery of Hazard and Perry Counties of Kentucky from late 1800's to Present Day with interesting info under "Features" like "The Loss of Community" and a photo journal of early schools under "School Page" and an article from The Hazard Herald 10/24/1918 under the "1918 Flu Epidemic"

Links in the History section of http://matewanwv.com
and btw for those who haven't seen the movie Matewan (produced in the 80's, a John Sayles film) it is definitely one to rent

And don't miss the Timeline of Kentucky Coal by clicking on Kentucky Timeline at this site

Mining Cartoon

2007-08-10T12:23:00.001-04:00

Mining cartoon found by David.

The method of mining used at the Utah mine that collapsed Monday, trapping six miners, has a history of being disproportionately deadly, according to federal safety studies.

Story continued at: http://www.dailysentinel.com/hp/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Mine_Collapse_Report.html

Cherokee Story: Two Wolves

2007-08-09T23:56:00.000-04:00

A Cherokee Elder was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me... it is a terrible fight between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride and superiority.

The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old man simply replied, "The one you feed."

Another version:

The Wolves Within - Cherokee An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. "I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit." The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?" The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TwoWolves-Cherokee.html

Rehearsal 4: "Which Side Are You On?"

2007-08-08T23:10:00.000-04:00

Tonight due to availability of actors, we made a leap from 1792 to 1954 for the first rehearsal of the later cycle "Which Side Are You On" and more than a few questions arose. Most of which shall be answered this weekend.

What are coal royalties?

They're in the cycle "Which Side Are You On?" (1954)

They're in the news. They're in private contracts. They're in government policy. But what the heck are they?

While there is no definitive source for the definition (and Wikipedia, while chock full of info, is editable by anyone and therefore not as reliable as an unchangeable resource) it implies the following:

An amount payable by a lessee to the lessor for removing or consuming coal, requiring the holder of a mining lease to pay a royalty in respect of any mineral removed or consumed from the leased area at an agreed upon rate.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

The topic of recent news of a mining accident came up, the point being that no matter how much advancement we may experience as a society, the fact remains that events like this persist. Why? News on the mine owner is particularly parallel-rich. News on mine safety reform also reminds us of the theme of our cycle du jour.

INFO ON KENTUCKY MINERS:
http://www.coal-miners-in-kentucky.com

Blood in Breast Milk: Is It Really Not Normal?

2007-08-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

Is blood in the breast milk indeed not normal, as Michael Rowan fears? Sources vary on this issue:

Although many babies ingest blood-tinged milk without parents or health professionals ever knowing about it, drinking bloody breast milk is not entirely benign. Continued at http://life.familyeducation.com/nursing/postpartum/36050.html?page=4

Although finding blood in expressed breastmilk is a frightening experience for the mother, you can be assured that this is not an uncommon occurrence, especially in mothers who are nursing their first baby. Continued at http://www.pregnancy.org/article.php?sid=1679

Kentucky: a dark and bloody ground

2007-08-08T07:52:00.000-04:00

Besides including information on Kentucky to the right in the Dictionary list, I also found this article from 1959 which points to the history of Kentucky as "dark and bloody ground" - a key theme in the play.

Monday, May. 25, 1959 Dark & Bloody Primary

Decades of warfare between the Iroquois and Cherokee gave Kentucky its name, the "dark and bloody ground." The tradition of bloodthirsty cunning has survived with a vengeance in Kentucky politics, turned vote-hunting into a boyhood sport, factional throat-cutting into a party game that everybody enjoys.

Continued at the following link but the rest is not as pertinent to the play:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,865878,00.html?promoid=googlep

Rehearsal 3: the Morning Star / Lucifer connection

2007-08-08T07:22:00.000-04:00

Last night we saw the survival instincts of Morning Star in full swing. Survival is the name of the game this week. Primal living is a theme that keeps resurfacing over and over each night. It seems to be the primary governing principle in the world of the late 1700's. Plant, hunt, kill or be killed. It is a world foreign to our 21st century orientation and one that we journey together towards discovering.

Trying to save her son, and ultimately her self, Morning Star employs many tactics: guilt, need, and ultimately spirituality - imploring Joe Talbert to show God's forgiveness.

Why is it that the playwright (in cycle #2) makes direct reference to the fact that Morning Star shares the same name as Lucifer? As explained below, there are many uses of the name in sacred scripture.

(Hebrew helel; Septuagint heosphoros, Vulgate lucifer)

The name Lucifer originally denotes the planet Venus, emphasizing its brilliance. The Vulgate employs the word also for "the light of the morning" (Job 11:17), "the signs of the zodiac" (Job 38:32), and "the aurora" (Psalm 109:3). Metaphorically, the word is applied to the King of Babylon (Isaiah 14:12) as preeminent among the princes of his time; to the high priest Simon son of Onias (Ecclesiasticus 50:6), for his surpassing virtue, to the glory of heaven (Apocalypse 2:28), by reason of its excellency; finally to Jesus Christ himself (2 Peter 1:19; Apocalypse 22:16; the "Exultet" of Holy Saturday) the true light of our spiritual life.

The Syriac version and the version of Aquila derive the Hebrew noun helel from the verb yalal, "to lament"; St. Jerome agrees with them (In Isaiah 1:14), and makes Lucifer the name of the principal fallen angel who must lament the loss of his original glory bright as the morning star. In Christian tradition this meaning of Lucifer has prevailed; the Fathers maintain that Lucifer is not the proper name of the devil, but denotes only the state from which he has fallen (Petavius, De Angelis, III, iii, 4).

(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09410a.htm)

Patrick Rowan: Born With Teeth? Really???

2007-08-08T07:05:00.000-04:00

Night 3 of rehearsals and once again a TREMENDOUS amount of subtext came to light. Many topics came up, from the significance of the printing of money (a preview: besides marking the year of cycle #3, 1792 marked the establishment of our federal monetary system) to Cherokee beliefs on death (preview: death by disease had distinct meaning - http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/sfoc/sfoc12.htm) - all of which I look forward to posting this weekend.

The fact that Patrick is born with teeth was one bit from the night before last that I wanted to look into right away, especially in light of last night's discussions about Patrick's motivations. A little research on the phenomenon begins to reveal the hidden meaning:

If a child is born with teeth there is a superstition that it will become extremely selfish.
(http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/baby.html)

The journey starts in the womb. While you were pregnant, your baby developed tooth buds, the foundation for baby teeth (also called milk teeth). Only one in 2,000 babies is born with teeth, though. The vast majority sprout their first tooth between 4 and 7 months of age.
(http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/6574.html)

What did Dragging Canoe Say?

2007-08-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

Dragging Canoe's Speech

This is (supposedly) what Dragging Canoe said before he stormed away in protest from the negotiations that later resulted in the so-called "Henderson Purchase." It should be pointed out that there were no tape recorders there and that the accuracy of this transcription is completely dependent upon whoever wrote it down when he said it:

"Whole Indian Nations have melted away like snowballs in the sun before the white man's advance. They leave scarcely a name of our people except those wrongly recorded by their destroyers. Where are the Delawares? They have been reduced to a mere shadow of their former greatness. We had hoped that the white men would not be willing to travel beyond the mountains. Now that hope is gone. They have passed the mountains, and have settled upon Tsalagi (Cherokee) land. They wish to have that usurpation sanctioned by treaty. When that is gained, the same encroaching spirit will lead them upon other land of the Tsalagi (Cherokees). New cessions will be asked. Finally the whole country, which the Tsalagi (Cherokees) and their fathers have so long occupied, will be demanded, and the remnant of the Ani Yvwiya, The Real People, once so great and formidable, will be compelled to seek refuge in some distant wilderness. There they will be permitted to stay only a short while, until they again behold the advancing banners of the same greedy host. Not being able to point out any further retreat for the miserable Tsalagi (Cherokees), the extinction of the whole race will be proclaimed. Should we not therefore run all risks, and incur all consequences, rather than to submit to further loss of our country? Such treaties may be alright for men who are too old to hunt or fight. As for me, I have my young warriors about me. We will hold our land."

Source: http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/stories/dragging_canoe

Dragging Canoe: Two Sides to Every Story

2007-08-06T23:46:00.000-04:00

DRAGGING CANOE & THE CHICKAMAUGA CHEROKEES

By Dallas Bogan

Dragging Canoe, often called the Tecumseh of the South, was one the Cherokee tribe's most devoted chiefs. He angrily opposed the terms of the deal in which the Cherokee Nation signed away some of their valuable land to the whites and received very little in return. He broke away from the Cherokees in 1776, forming an aggressive wing of the tribe known as the Chickamauga Cherokees. Dragging Canoe strongly recommended that the patriotic Cherokees to join in parting of the tribe. After this episode, they settled at various places along the main stream south known as the Chickamauga Creek. It was therefore appropriate to call themselves Chickamaugans.

Dragging Canoe was the son of the famous narrator, Chief Attakullakulla. Dragging Canoe chose for his headquarters the site of an ancient Creek village on the Chickamauga, near present day northeast Chattanooga, Tennessee. Many well-known chiefs joined him, Chief Ostenaco among them. This old Indian had fought side by side with George Washington on the Virginia frontiers and knew intimately. He knew not only our first president but also the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry.

Dragging Canoe's brother, Chief Little Owl also traveled with him and settled on the Chickamauga less than two miles upstream.

The first celebration of Independence Day, July 4, 1776, took place at Fort Patrick Henry where Kingsport, Tennessee, now stands. Sometime previous to that date the whites invited the Cherokees to a meeting of the two forces. The white man's main object was to win the Indians from the side of the British. Totally ignoring the meeting call, Dragging Canoe, on that first Fourth of July, remained at home in the Chickamauga town puffing on his trusty pipe.

The American representatives had invited the Cherokees who were present and who were still allies of the British, to join in this celebration. The Cherokees were totally ignorant concerning the American's "Declaration of Independence," and had no idea what the celebration was all about. During the readings of the manuscript the tribe listened and joined in with the whites, not knowing what was going on, dancing merrily with them. However, in just a few days they again returned to the British and resumed their mutual warfare against the Americans.

A few years before Dragging Canoe chose Chickamauga as his headquarters, a Scotch trader by the name of John McDonald was appointed assistant superintendent of the British concerns in the South. McDonald's place of residence soon became a prominent meeting place for Tories and Cherokees. Henry Hamilton, of Detroit, Michigan, then Governor of the Northwest Territory, had supplied McDonald's site with thousands of dollars worth of supplies for the Indians' use in their warfare against the whites. Most of these supplies had been brought by horseback from Pensacola, Florida.

Everything seemed satisfactory with McDonald and Dragging Canoe until one spring morning in April 1779, when a multitude of soldiers, numbering about 600 men in command of Col. Evan Shelby and John Montgomery, floated down the Tennessee River form Fort Patrick Henry. Upon reaching the mouth of Chickamauga Creek, this party captured a fisherman and made him lead the whites to Dragging Canoe's center of operations, some seven miles upstream.

The party of 600 whites caught the Indians by surprise and burnt their village to the ground. At the time, Dragging Canoe was away from home, so the whites had little difficulty in defeating the remaining Cherokees.

A detailed report of the combat was made by Thomas Jefferson and sent directly to General Washington. The report stated that Shelby's men captured 20,000 bushels of grain, also goods to the value of 25,000 pounds (about $75,000 in today's money). McDonald took a serious monetary loss along with 100 head of cattle and 150 horses. The whites sank their pirogues (a type of canoe). The American officers bought the stolen horses and rode back to their homes. Shelby's men moved on up the Chickamauga and destroyed Little Owl's village. Dragging Canoe and his trusted followers were not discouraged at the destruction of the towns. The villages were rebuilt.

In 1782, three years later, John Sevier entered with his mounted troops and destroyed Chicakamauga Town and other Chickamauga villages along with Little Owl's village. Fourteen years later John Sevier was elected the first governor of Tennessee.

After the devastation of his villages, Dragging Canoe moved south of the present Chattanooga where he formed what later became known as the Five Lower Towns of the Cherokee.

Dragging Canoe was struggling to regain some of the valuable land the Cherokees had lost. Joining his band was many persons of mixed blood, some cutthroats, robbers, and murderers, all of which took advantage of the situation and joined the Chickamaugans. For many years afterward these thieves attacked and robbed the early immigrants as they descended the Tennessee in flatboats, looking for home sites and approving situations in other parts of the Country.

History states that the headquarters for the most energetic groups of these misfits was at Nickajack, a few miles down the river from Chattanooga. The atrocities of these villains were basically blamed on Dragging Canoe for which he was not responsible.

Dragging Canoe died in March 1792 at Running Water where he was buried. This village was near the present Hale's Bar below Chattanooga Running Water, the mountain stream, which continues to bear its old name.

Chief Black Fox said "The dragging Canoe has left the world. He was a man of great consequence to his country. He was friend both to his own and the white people." Dragging Canoe was a first cousin of Nancy Ward, the beloved Cherokee woman who was highly respected by the whites.

After the Cherokees had struggled courageously to hold their lands and homes in the South, the greedy whites succeeded at last in ousting them. Their doom was sealed in 1838 when the last of the 14,000 Cherokees were removed West. A few thousand of them took off by boats from Chattanooga; others went in wagons and on foot across the land. Four thousand died on the long journey.

A few hundred Cherokees managed to escape to the mountains of western North Carolina, preferring death by starvation rather than be forced to abandon their own lands they loved so well. Today we have within a few hours drive of Chattanooga the Cherokee Indian Reservation of Western North Carolina, as a result of those Indians who escaped.
The Cherokees are now citizens of the United States, and they furnished many a brave soldier in both World Wars.

According to John P. Long, Chattanooga's first postmaster who lived among the Cherokees, the word Chickamauga means sluggish water. John P. Brown, author of Old Frontiers, however, says it means, dwelling place of the war chief.

Source: http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/hist-bogan/DraggingCanoe.html

A real Dragging Canoe who said as the play retells: buying "dark and bloody ground" and allegedly struck back!!!

2007-08-06T23:31:00.000-04:00

Bob Benge: Chickamauga Warrior

Eric Orr
Dragging Canoe, founder of the Chickamauga Band of the Cherokee.

In 1775 the Cherokee Indians had been making treaties with the United States for 55 years. They had already signed away a significant portion of their land when a white man by the name of Richard Henderson convinced Cherokee leaders to sell 20 million acres spanning part of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. It turned out to be the largest private real estate deal in the history of the United States. The selling price was 2000 pounds of sterling and 6 wagonloads of trade goods, about a quarter cent per acre. Among the negotiators was Attakullakulla, a prominent Cherokee chief. A young chief named Dragging Canoe vehemently protested the transaction. Bitter that his people had given up almost everything they owned, he feared this would bring about the extinction of the Cherokee. The land that sold was Cherokee hunting grounds, lands that they depended on for survival. Dragging Canoe warned that he would fight and he told the white men they were buying “dark and bloody ground.” He deemed the deal illegal as Cherokee law dictated that land cession must meet with unanimous approval among the tribe. Shortly thereafter Dragging Canoe moved his people to Chickamauga Creek, near present day Chattanooga, and formed the Chickamauga band of the Cherokee.

The American Revolution erupted just a month after the Henderson land deal. Most of the Cherokee tried to remain neutral, but Dragging Canoe took the opportunity to strike out at the encroaching white settlements. His forces were small at first but he continued to gain followers over the next 20 years as he and the Chickamaugas fought to preserve their heritage.

Among his cohorts was a young half blood named Bob Benge. Benge is believed to have been born sometime around 1760 in the Cherokee village of Toque. His mother was Cherokee and his father was a white trader of Scottish descent who had lived with Indians for most of his adult life. The older Benge was known to stand by his word. He was so highly respected among the Cherokee that Dragging Canoe once sent his own son to defend Benge in battle. Bob Benge was raised as an Indian along with his brother and sister. He was also related to Sequoyah, who later invented the Cherokee alphabet, and some sources say they were half brothers.

Around 1777, Benge’s family moved south to live among the Chickamaugas in a town called Running Water. Here Benge met and befriended a small band of Shawnee that had come to contribute to Dragging Canoe’s cause. Several Cherokee, including Benge, joined the Shawnee in raiding white settlements. Benge quickly rose to leadership as he established a reputation of being a courageous and swift warrior.

In 1785 Bob Benge led a war party northeast to the Holston River area of Tennessee and Virginia. The Indians came upon a cabin owned by Archibald and Fannie Dickson Scott. When night fell they broke down the door and rushed in shooting and killing Archibald. The four children living in the cabin were killed with tomahawks and scalped. After looting the house, they set it ablaze and rode away with Mrs. Scott to present day Kentucky, where the loot was divided equally among the warriors. The chief then divided the group sending nine warriors to steal horses from nearby Clinch River settlements and four men went to hunt with Mrs. Scott in tow. She was left alone with the oldest of the group and escaped to a white settlement. Benge’s presence on this raid is only assumed by Scott’s testimony of hearing Benge’s name spoken several times.

Shortly after the raid a notorious militia leader by the name of John Sevier used the dark of night to surprise the Cherokee settlement Ustalli Town on the Hiawassee River. Sevier’s militia managed to capture a young Indian boy and kill five men acting as a rear guard, but they found the town abandoned, fires still burning in some of the houses. Sevier ordered his men to torch the town and then gave chase to the fleeing Cherokee, whom Bob Benge had led away. The militia was met with an ambush from Benge and his warriors giving the Cherokees time to reach safety, but the young boy captured earlier was brutally murdered during the fray.

In another incident during the summer of 1791, Bob Benge led a war party of six to southwestern Virginia. On their first raid they killed two white adults and kidnapped a woman and a boy of eight. The next raid ended with four dead and a nineteen year old girl captive. They quickly returned home with their prisoners and the scalps of their victims. Such raids made Benge notorious for infiltrating and ravaging well guarded enemy territory leaving only ghosts.

Bob Benge reached legendary status among the white settlers of Virginia and Tennessee. He took on the nicknames of “Captain Benge,” “The Bench,” “Chief Benge,” and “Chief Bench.” Mothers in the region commonly warned their children, “if you don’t watch out, Captain Benge will get you.”

A well known Indian killer by the name of Moses Cockrell liked to brag about what he would do to Bob Benge given the opportunity for engagement. In the Spring of 1793 Benge and a war band set up an ambush in the Holston River area when they saw three men approaching with a pack train. Benge identified one of the men as Moses Cockrell and, knowing of Cockrell’s slanderous talk, decided to kill his companions and take on Moses one on one. So Benge dropped his firearm and leapt from cover, tomahawk in hand. Cockrell immediately turned and ran when he realized it was Benge. The pursuit continued for two miles until Cockrell came upon a settler’s cabin and took refuge. As a last ditch effort, Benge hurled his tomahawk and missed, leaving Cockrell to suffer in his own embarrassment.

Though notoriously brutal and cruel to white settlers Benge occasionally showed mercy to his victims. He and a group of warriors once encountered a party of whites traveling to Nashville. The first shot was fired by a Cherokee, and all seven white men hastily fled the ambush, abandoning the four women to meet their grim destinies. Benge captured a horse that escaped from the women and tied it to a tree. He then gently assured each of them that they would be spared, built them a fire for warmth, and left them safe.

Benge joined a raid led by his cousin John Watts near Knoxville. Benge’s Uncle Doublehead was also present and was determined destroy and rob as much as possible. The group came upon Cavett’s Station, a small outpost. Although the whites were severely outnumbered, they chose to fight anyway. Watts took pity on them and offered them a chance to surrender peacefully. Since Benge spoke fluent English, he was chosen to negotiate with the whites. He told them they would be saved and exchanged for Cherokee prisoners. Doublehead watched and grew furious feeling that no whites should be spared. As soon as the white men opened the gates, Doublehead flew into a rage, attacking and killing the settlers with his axe. Benge tried to protect them unsuccessfully. Another Cherokee warrior, James Vann, picked up a little boy to save him, but Doublehead lunged at the boy, smashing his skull. Benge left Cavett’s Staion infuriated with Doublehead for killing innocent people after leading them to believe they would be spared. He vowed never to fight with Doublehead again.

Once on a visit to the Cherokee settlement Nickajack, Bob Benge overheard negotiations for a prisoner exchange between the Cherokee and some white settlers. Three white children had been captured from a river boat, and their father was trying to arrange a trade for some Indians whom had been captured by militia leader John Sevier. The “owner” of the youngest white child lived in another town and was not willing to relinquish ownership to the white father. Upon hearing this, Benge announced, “I will bring the girl, or her owner’s head,” and galloped away on his horse. He arrived back at Nickajack the following morning with the young white girl. There is no evidence of what transpired when he retrieved the girl.

Benge conducted his final raid on April 6, 1794. After a short farewell to his wife and children, he headed out with seven warriors toward Virginia. The war party ended up at the house of Peter and Henry Livingston. The two brothers were outside working when they saw smoke rising from the area where the house was located. As they rushed toward the house they found that their mother and a black child had been tomahawked, killing the child and mortally wounding the woman. Their wives and children had been taken. The brothers rallied help from other settlers before pursuing Benge and his war band. They were afraid an ill prepared chase might jeopardize the safety of their captive family. The local militia called upon all members to aid in the rescue mission. Having dealt with Benge before, they suspected he was responsible, and they knew where he might be headed.

Confident that he wasn’t being followed, Benge slowed his pace. He and his warriors took their time breaking camp the following day, and Benge spoke easily with his prisoners. He told Elizabeth Livingston that he was taking her to an Indian town, and he asked her for information on various settlers. He said that within a year he would have stolen every Negro in the area.

As the Chickamauga war band made their way through the mountains they were ambushed by the white militia. Bob Benge was shot dead. His scalp was sent to the governor of Virginia, and the offender was rewarded with a new rifle. To the great relief of white pioneers, the most feared warrior of the Chickamauga band would fight no more. It’s difficult to imagine killing innocent people as a means of fighting. Though their tactics were objectionable, Benge and the Chickamaugas were lashing out against a force that rendered them all but powerless. Their freedoms and possessions were gradually taken away so that didn’t even notice until it was too late. A violent uprising was all they had left after broken treaties and back room deals had stolen their livelihood.

Benge’s death marked the end of the Chickamauga resistance. Dragging Canoe had been dead since 1792 and there was no one left to lead them. The Cherokees continued to yield to white colonization until they had nothing left to give but themselves. They were finally removed west in 1838.

Source: http://www.chattoogariver.org/index.php?req=benge&quart=Su2004

Rehearsal 2: Cherokee women

2007-08-06T23:07:00.000-04:00

David brought in some research, some of which is shared here as well:

Cherokee Women: Gender and Culture Change, 1700-1835

Alabama Review, Apr 2000 by Matthews, Becky

Cherokee Women: Gender and Culture Change, 1700-1835. By Theda Perdue. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. xi, 252 pp. $40.00. ISBN 0-8032-3716-2.

"Without a woman, the dance could not have taken place" (p. 2). This statement, part of a crucial metaphor in Theda Perdue's study of Cherokee women, refers to an incident she observed at a Cherokee stomp dance in Oklahoma in the summer of 1993. Late in the evening, when most dancers were weary, a male singer led a group of young men to the fire at the center of the dance ground. The singer tried to coax others to join them, but for an awkward interval no women came forth. As bystanders began to wonder if there would be another round of dancing, a female dancer moved in behind the singer and, using the heavy turtle shell rattles on her legs, "set the rhythm and permitted him to sing" (p. 2).

In the stomp dance, as in all facets of traditional Cherokee life, women and men follow anciently prescribed roles that complement each other and make it possible for Cherokees to live balanced lives. Perdue examines the interplay between the Cherokees' desire for balance, their creation of a symmetrical society, and their construction of gender. Her thesis is that important elements of their traditional definition of gender survived numerous assaults from Euro-American influences and remain vital today. In her words, "the story of most Cherokee women is not cultural transformation ... but remarkable cultural persistence" (p. 11).

Before European contact, the Cherokees practiced a gender-specific division of labor: women farmed and men hunted. This fundamental separation of responsibilities empowered women even as it stimulated the emergence of a distinct women's culture. As heads of matrilocal households women owned considerable property-the house itself, adjacent storage buildings, a kitchen garden, and produce from allotted portions of communally owned cornfields. A kinship system based on matrilineal clans was the source of Cherokee identity and the sinew of society. Motherhood was a social as well as a biological function: "Only those who belonged to Cherokee clans ... only those who had Cherokee mothers were Ani-Yuna Wiya, the Real People [Cherokee] " (p. 59). Women exerted political influence by participating in community council meetings, and they had significant roles in Cherokee ceremonial life. "Beloved Women," elders with supernatural powers, exercised essential spiritual authority, while "War Women," who gained status by accompanying men to battle, possessed the right to decide if captives lived or died.

The arrival of Europeans and the subsequent establishment of the United States disrupted Cherokee life but failed to destroy its foundations. The deerskin trade brought men to the forefront economically, and male-dominated European methods of diplomacy diminished the importance of women in political negotiations. Christianity and "civilization" rested on hierarchical, patriarchal relationships, which missionaries attempted with mixed success to impose on Cherokee families.

Previous studies of the impact of Euro-Americans on Cherokee society have concluded that the importance of women declined dramatically after contact. Cherokee Women proves otherwise. Perdue goes beyond the usual emphasis on economics and politics to examine cultural dynamics. She skillfully uses ethnohistorical methods to demonstrate that although changes occurred, essential values persisted. Women became preservers of Cherokee traditions, and thev remain so today. Pointing to the recent leadership roles of Wilma Mankiller in Oklahoma and Joyce Dugan in North Carolina, Perdue concludes, "these women did not become chiefs by succeeding in business or law; they became chiefs because they embodied the values of generations of Cherokee women, values apparently still honored and respected by men and women alike" (p. 195).

Cherokee Women is a valuable addition to the growing scholarship on American Indian women. Nonspecialists interested in native people will enjoy its clarity of style and organization. Specialists and students (particularly those in graduate courses) in American Indian studies, women's history, and United States history will appreciate its challenging themes, fruitful methodology, and astute analysis of sources. Perdue provides a model for future scholarship on the place of women among other native peoples-those non-Cherokees who lived in Alabama, for example. The major disappointment with this study is that it ends with the onset of Cherokee removal from the Southeast. There is a definite need to bring the story of Cherokee women into the twentieth century. Certainly, their dance goes on.

BECKY MATTHEWS

Auburn University

Copyright University of Alabama Press Apr 2000

Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3880/is_200004/ai_n8887476

Cherokee Women Had Important Influence in Daily Life of Tribe

ARKANSAS TERRITORY — As Cherokee children of the 1820s sit around the wood stoves in the kitchens of their farmhouses on the Cherokee Reservation between the White and Arkansas rivers, they learn the history of their tribe. Their mothers tell them how important women and children were to the tribe in the old days when all the tribe lived east of the Mississippi River.

In the 1500s, the Spanish explorers Hernando de Soto and Juan Pardo, met women chiefs with “considerable power among the southeastern Indians. Cherokee beloved women” were people of influence; like Nancy Ward, who spoke in council meetings and conducted negotiations.

The Cherokees were a matrilineal tribe, which means daughters could inherit things from their mothers. So women could own property separately from their husbands, such as a house that a daughter inherited from her mother.

The matrilineal clans owned the agricultural fields they farmed, and women often sold food and other goods to the European explorers and settlers.

Work among the Cherokees was divided between women and men. The work year was divided into two seasons — the warm and the cold. During the warm season, women grew food plants in the kitchen gardens near their houses and grew corn in the larger agricultural fields. Men fished and did some hunting during the warm season. The cold season was the main times for men to hunt, while the women collected wild foods and firewood.

Besides growing the food plants, women ran the household, cooked, and made baskets and pottery. They ground corn into meal in large wooden pestles or bowls, by pounding it with a mortar.

They also cured animal skins, after the men had dressed the skins in a preliminary way. The women often smoked the hides and sometimes used natural dyes to color them yellow, red, green, blue, or black. The women then sewed the skins into clothing, using an awl and sinew like a needle and thread.

Cloth for clothing was also made by the women. They wove, twined, and plaited plant and animal fibers with their fingers into pouches and sashes. On an upright loom ‘with suspended threads they Wove capes, called mantles, of buffalo, rabbit, or opossum hair or the fiber from plants such as nettle, hemp, mulberry, or cane.

Sometimes they made a very light and warm cape by first weaving a net cloth, then attaching to the net small turkey, swan, or duck feathers.

Children helped the women collect wild vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts, and seeds. There were some wild foods available every season of the year. Little girls also helped with housework, tended the gardens, and learned to make pottery and baskets.

Boys learned to hunt by going hunting with the men. Boys liked to compete in bow-and-arrow shooting contests and in foot races. They learned to play “chunkey,” a game based on throwing spears at a rolling, wheel-shaped stone. When they were older, they played a ball game that was an important part of town life.

Source:
http://www.oldstatehouse.com/educational_programs/classroom/arkansas_news/detail.asp?id=385&issue_id=27&page=7

Press Photo #1

2007-08-06T12:32:00.000-04:00

This is just one of many photos taken last week. Click to enlarge. (Clockwise from far left): Mia Van de Water, Terrance P. Haddad, Maureen Adduci, Peter Brown, Michael Steven Costello, Ashley Kelly, Christine Power, & Bill Bruce in Zeitgeist Stage Company’s production of The Kentucky Cycle.
Photo by Joel W. Benjamin

Rehearsal 1: Indentured Servitude in Masters of the Trade - Rehearsal 1 - 8/5/07

2007-08-06T09:17:00.000-04:00

A wealth of subtext started bubbling to the surface of last night's rehearsal.

Initial findings on indentured servitude follow. More to come on other questions that arose.

Michael Rowan came to Kentucky by way of Georgia following the sudden death of his master after a disagreement over the length of Michael's indentured servitude. Michael had a wife and children killed at Zion.

About Indentured Servants:

Indentured Servants and Transported Convicts

White indentured servants came from all over Great Britain. Men, women, and sometimes children signed a contract with a master to serve a term of 4 to 7 years. In exchange for their service, the indentured servants received their passage paid from England, as well as food, clothing, and shelter once they arrived in the colonies. Some were even paid a salary. When the contract had expired, the servant was paid freedom dues of corn, tools, and clothing, and was allowed to leave the plantation. During the time of his indenture, however, the servant was considered his master's personal property and his contract could be inherited or sold. Prices paid for indentured servants varied depending on skills.

While under contract a person could not marry or have children. A master's permission was needed to leave the plantation, to perform work for anyone else, or to keep money for personal use. An unruly indentured servant was whipped or punished for improper behavior. Due to poor living conditions, hard labor, and difficulties adjusting to new climates and native diseases, many servants did not live to see their freedom. Often servants ran away from their masters. Since they often spoke English and were white, runaway servants were more difficult to recapture than black slaves. If runaway servants were captured, they were punished by increasing their time of service.

Since indentures were not recorded, information about indentured servants at Stratford is scarce. Most information has been taken from advertisements for runaway servants and court records. Some of the male indentured servants were highly skilled laborers, holding such jobs as bricklayer, joiner, plasterer, cook, clerk, gardener, coachman, butcher, blacksmith, and musician. Female indentured servants performed domestice chores like laundry, sewing, and housekeeping. Children also were indentured.

Transported convicts, both men and women, were sold to plantation owners as another form of labor. One-fourth of the British immigrants to the colonies were convicts. Most of these convicts were male, young, unskilled, and poor. The usual crime was grand larceny. Generally, the only people exiled were those judges felt could be rehabilitated. Convicts performed the same type of work as indentured servants but were less trusted. Their length of service was usually longer than that of indentured servants. Like indentured servants and slaves, convicts frequently ran away. Political prisoners also were shipped to the colonies. Most of these were convicted following religious persecutions.

Source: http://www.stratfordhall.org/ed-servants.html

Also:

INDENTURED SERVANTS IN THE U.S.

Indentured servants first arrived in America in the decade following the settlement of Jamestown by the Virginia Company in 1607.

The idea of indentured servitude was born of a need for cheap labor. The earliest settlers soon realized that they had lots of land to care for, but no one to care for it. With passage to the Colonies expensive for all but the wealthy, the Virginia Company developed the system of indentured servitude to attract workers. Indentured servants became vital to the colonial economy.

The timing of the Virginia colony was ideal. The Thirty Year's War had left Europe's economy depressed, and many skilled and unskilled laborers were without work. A new life in the New World offered a glimmer of hope; this explains how one-half to two-thirds of the immigrants who came to the American colonies arrived as indentured servants.

Servants typically worked four to seven years in exchange for passage, room, board, lodging and freedom dues. While the life of an indentured servant was harsh and restrictive, it wasn't slavery. There were laws that protected some of their rights. But their life was not an easy one, and the punishments meted out to people who wronged were harsher than those for non-servants. An indentured servant's contract could be extended as punishment for breaking a law, such as running away, or in the case of female servants, becoming pregnant.

For those that survived the work and received their freedom package, many historians argue that they were better off than those new immigrants who came freely to the country. Their contract may have included at least 25 acres of land, a year's worth of corn, arms, a cow and new clothes. Some servants did rise to become part of the colonial elite, but for the majority of indentured servants that survived the treacherous journey by sea and the harsh conditions of life in the New World, satisfaction was a modest life as a freeman in a burgeoning colonial economy.

In 1619 the first black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave laws in place, they were initially treated as indentured servants, and given the same opportunities for freedom dues as whites. However, slave laws were soon passed – in Massachusetts in 1641 and Virginia in 1661 –and any small freedoms that might have existed for blacks were taken away.

As demands for labor grew, so did the cost of indentured servants. Many landowners also felt threatened by newly freed servants demand for land. The colonial elite realized the problems of indentured servitude. Landowners turned to African slaves as a more profitable and ever-renewable source of labor and the shift from indentured servants to racial slavery had begun.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/212_indenturedfeature.html

Additional sources:
Ekirch, A. Roger. Bound for America, in The William & Mary Quarterly, 3d. series, 42 (April 1985): 167-83.
Ekirch, A. Roger. Bound for the Chesapeake: Convicts, Crime, & Colonial Virginia, In Virginia Cavalcade, 3 (Winter 1988): 100-13.

The Read-Through

2007-07-26T10:12:00.000-04:00

We had our read-through this week! Night one Tuesday at the BCA Plaza Theatre a majority of the actors arrived. Prav measured them and David delivered a comprehensive orientation explaining everything from our casting methodology to comp ticket policy. I said a few words at the end explaining how we had almost 200 people audition for this, and how fortunate we are for the chance to work with such an amazing mix of talented folks. And most importantly, I expressed our excitement and gratitude. David joked how Deirdre and I serve as the warm and fuzzy balance to his style.

We aimed to get through Part 2 - due to the availability of the actors and the bulk of characters in Part 2 vs. Part 1 - but due to the time at the beginning for measuring and orientation, we came up one play shy. Night two at the Lyric we managed to swiftly get through Part 1 and tackle the last play in Part 2 that we had missed Tuesday.

Something happened through the course of reading the plays. Moments of collective laughter, uncomfortable silences, and a sense of a cast beginning to form an ensemble. The read-through was without reading stage directions. Yet in sections where stage directions called for sounds of cheers or rambling questioning by reporters, the cast would partake. A clear ensemble spirit was starting to form already. And this from a group of actors who, any one of them, could and would be seen in a lead role. Here, in this 24-person cast where the speaking role time is far less than a lead role, here was an ensemble in the making.

And that was exciting.

We start working six nights per week on Aug. 5th, tackling a certain play each night. So all the actors do not need to be there all six nights.

This is at once insane and thrilling and a little more than daunting, but in a good WAY:) . I anticipate greatness and believe we will watch it unfold in big and small ways in the weeks and months to come.

Photo: Upscale Family Porch Pic

2007-06-27T00:10:00.000-04:00

Thomas Madison Goodin and Family at their residence, the old Judge John Goodin house.

The house belonged to Judge John Goodin pictured separately (born 1836, died 1885).

Photo: Preacher Man and Wife

2007-06-26T23:49:00.000-04:00

Looking for some more images for costume preparation for a photo shoot in July. Here's what I could find (click on image to enlarge):

This first one is Reverend Preston Turner of Colmar, Kentucky, born April 1, 1840, and died July 20, 1905, and married Dorcas Partin, born June 10, 1844, and died July 15, 1909.

For dialect research: Mother Jones

2007-06-18T16:58:00.000-04:00

Source: http://www.kentlaw.edu/ilhs/majones.htm

Mother Jones: The Miners' Angel
by Mara Lou Hawse

The elderly woman smoothed her black dress and touched the lace at her throat and wrists. Her snow-white hair was gathered into a knot at the nape of her neck, and a black hat, trimmed with lavender ribbons to lend a touch of color, shaded her finely wrinkled face. She was about five feet tall, but she exuded energy and enthusiasm. As she waited to speak, her bright blue eyes scanned the people grouped beyond the platform. Her kindly expression never altered as her voice broke over the audience: "I'm not a humanitarian," she exclaimed. "I'm a hell-raiser."

And she was. She was Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, and her size and grandmotherly appearance belied her fiery nature. When she stepped on a stage, she became a dynamic speaker. She projected wide variations in emotion, sometimes striding about the stage in "a towering rage." She could bring her audience to the verge of tears or have them clapping and "bursting with laughter." She was a good story teller, and "she excelled in invective, pathos, and humor ranging from irony to ridicule."

Mother Jones's low, pleasant voice had great carrying power. It was unusual because it "did not become shrill when she became excited but, rather, dropped in pitch so that 'the intensity of it became something you could almost feel physically.' When she rose to speak, Mother Jones 'seemed to explode in all directions' . . . and suddenly everyone sat up alert and listened. No matter what impossible ideas she brought up, she made the miners think she and they together could do anything."

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a nationally known labor organizer, called Jones "the greatest woman agitator of our times." She was denounced in the U.S. Senate as the grandmother of all agitators. Mother Jones was proud of that title and said she hoped to live to be the great grandmother of agitators.

Mother Jones, born in Cork, Ireland, on May 1, 1830, came from a long line of agitators. When she was a child, she watched British soldiers march through the streets, the heads of Irishmen stuck on their bayonets. Her father's father, an Irish freedom fighter, was hanged; her father was forced to flee to America with his family in 1835.

Jones grew up in Toronto, Ontario, where she attended the public schools and graduated from normal school at age seventeen. She seemed to be, according to all accounts, ambitious and adventuresome. She taught in a convent school in Michigan for eight months, then moved to Chicago, where she worked as a dressmaker. "I preferred sewing to bossing little children," she said. She moved to Memphis, Tennessee, again to teach school. And there, in 1861, she met and married George E. Jones, an ironmolder who was "a staunch member" of the Iron Molders' Union.

Jones's biographer Dale Fetherling claims that Mother Jones learned a great deal about unions and about the psychology of workingmen from her husband. And later, when much of her work was with women, she tried to pass on to them what she had learned: "That is, the wife must care for what the husband cares for if he is to remain resolute."
Life was relatively good for Mary Harris Jones until 1867. That year, when she was 37 years old, within one week her husband and their four small children died in a yellow fever epidemic. After the epidemic had run its course, she returned to Chicago where, once again, she began to work as a dressmaker.

But tragedy followed Mother Jones. Four years later, in 1871, she lost everything she owned in the great Chicago fire. That event also changed her life drastically, and she discovered a new path to follow. She became involved in the labor movement and began to attend meetings of the newly formed Knights of Labor "in an old, tumbled down, fire scorched building."

One biographer believes that Mother Jones's interest in the labor movement really began when she sewed for wealthy Chicago families and observed the blatant economic and social inequities that existed. According to Fetherling, she said: "Often while sewing for the lords and barons who lived in magnificent houses on the Lake Shore Drive, I would look out of the plate glass windows and see the poor, shivering wretches, jobless and hungry, walking alongside the frozen lake front.... The contrast of their condition with that of the tropical comfort of the people for whom I sewed was painful to me. My employers seemed neither to notice nor to care."

The early Knights of Labor, with their ideals and their sense of fraternity, fulfilled some need within Mother Jones and fitted well with what she had learned from her husband. According to Fetherling, "Coming, as it did, on top of successive personal tragedies, the experience [with the Knights of Labor] forged an amalgam of compassion and fervor which would serve her well in industrial wars over the next half a century." Wherever there were labor troubles, there was Mother Jones--the "Miners' Angel."

Mother Jones apparently stayed in Chicago, working as a seamstress, for two or three years after the fire. She had no fixed home, but she made Chicago her base as she traveled back and forth across the country, from industrial area to industrial area. When asked where she lived, she replied: "Well, wherever there is a fight." She lived with the workers, in tent colonies or in shantytowns, near the mills or in the shadow of the tipples. As Fetherling pointed out, "In lieu of a family, she would adopt America's toilers, and they would call her 'Mother.'"

During the time she was most active in the labor movement, the country was changing dramatically, from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy. Small enterprises were replaced by large ones.

"The nature of work and of workers was altered. Waves of immigrants and displaced farmers dug the nation's coal and forged its steel. All too often, they received in return only starvation wages and nightmarish conditions. Within these men smoldered the sparks of class conflict which Mother Jones would fan for 50 years. To these workers, she would become an anchor to the past and an arrow toward a better future."

She always worked either for or with the working people, and often she was at odds with union leaders. "Her skill was the invaluable but incalculable one of tending to men's spirits, of buoying them, of goading them to fight even though the battle seemed hopeless."

When there was a strike, Mother Jones organized and helped the workers; at other times, she held educational meetings. In 1877, she helped in the Pittsburgh railway strike; during the 1880s she organized and ran educational meetings; in 1898 she helped found the Social Democratic Party; and in 1905 she was present at the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World.

After 1890 she became involved in the struggles of coal miners and became an organizer for the United Mine Workers, attending her first UMWA convention on January 25, 1901. She had been on the union payroll for the past year. Her earlier work in miners' strikes and organizing had been as a volunteer, not as an employee.

She resigned as a UMWA organizer in 1904 and became a lecturer for the Socialist Party of America for several years, traveling throughout the southwest. Although sometimes she participated in strikes and organized drives for various unions, her main interest was in raising funds for the defense of Mexican revolutionists in the United States who were being arrested or deported.

Mother Jones was one of the founders of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). In 1905, she was the only woman among 27 persons who signed the manifesto that called for a convention to organize all industrial workers. She later left the organization, but she remained friendly with many of its leaders.

Mother Jones left the Socialist Party in 1911 to return to the payroll of the United Mine Workers, as an organizer. The new president, John P. White, was an old friend who agreed that she would set her own agenda. She expected that her talents "would have full scope." In 1923, when she was 93 years old, she was still working among striking coal miners in West Virginia.

She came to national attention in 1912-13, during the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike in West Virginia, because of the publicity resulting from frequent violence. Mother Jones remembered the lessons learned from her late husband, and she often involved the wives and children of miners to dramatize a situation. On September 21, 1912, she led a march of miners' children through the streets of Charleston, West Virginia; on February 12, 1913, she led a protest about conditions in the strike area and was arrested.

She was convicted by a military court of conspiring to commit murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Her trial, conviction, and imprisonment created such a furor that the U.S. Senate ordered a committee to investigate conditions in the West Virginia coalfields. However, on May 8, 1913, before the investigation got underway, newly elected governor Hatfield set Mother Jones free. She was 83 years old. Later in 1913 Mother Jones traveled to Colorado to participate in the yearlong strike by miners there. She was evicted from mine company property several times, but returned each time. She was arrested and imprisoned twice: "first for more than two months in relative comfort in Mt. San Rafael hospital, and again for twenty-three days in the Huerfano County jail in Walsenburg, where the conditions of her semibasement cell were appalling."

Mother Jones was especially touched by the "machine-gun massacre" of miners and their families in a tent colony at Ludlow, Colorado, on April 20, 1914, when 20 people were killed. She traveled across the country, telling the story. Members of the House Mines and Mining Committee and President Wilson responded by proposing that the union and the owners agree to a truce and create a grievance committee at each mine.

Mother Jones was notable for attracting publicity and attention from the government for the cause of workers. One of her best-known activities was leading a march of miners' wives "who routed strikebreakers with brooms and mops in the Pennsylvania coalfields in 1902." Another was leading the "children's crusade," a caravan of striking children from the textile mills of Kensington, Pennsylvania, to President Theodore Roosevelt's home in Long Island, New York, in 1903, to dramatize the case for abolishing child labor.

Mother Jones went on to participate in 1915 and 1916 in the strikes of garment workers and streetcar workers in New York, and in the strike of steel workers in Pittsburgh in 1919. In January 1921, at the age of 91, as a guest of the Mexican government, she traveled to Mexico to attend the Pan-American Federation of Labor meeting. According to one writer, "It was the high point of recognition in her role in the labor movement."

In 1922 Mother Jones left the United Mine Workers. She disagreed with the policies of John L. Lewis, and Lewis did not reappoint her as an international organizer. Although she was hospitalized several times, she continued to speak when her health permitted. Her last known public address was in Alliance, Ohio, in 1926, when she was the guest of honor at a Labor Day celebration. Her last public appearance was at her 100th birthday party, May 1, 1930, at a reception in Silver Spring, Maryland. She read congratulatory messages and "made a fiery speech for the motion-picture camera."

Mother Jones lived in an incredible era. As biographer Dale Fetherling points out, she "was born . . . less than 50 years after the end of the American Revolution. Yet, she died on the eve of the New Deal. She was alive when Andrew Jackson was president, and she sometimes quoted from speeches she heard Lincoln make. As an adult she knew the Civil War, the Spanish- American War, and World War I. She rode in automobiles, and she saw the railroads link the oceans. She saw and was seen in films and came to know the everyday use of the telephone, the electric light, and the radio. She watched unions grow from secret groups of hunted men to what she feared was a complacent part of the established order.... It may have been a good time to live in America. But it also was a time in which one needed to fight very hard to survive. That she did."

Mary Harris Jones died in Silver Spring on November 30, 1930, seven months after her one-hundredth birthday. She was buried in the Union Miners Cemetery at Mount Olive, Illinois, in the coalfields of southern Illinois. Her grave is near those of the victims of the Virden, Illinois, mine riot of 1898.

For dialect research: Quantrill

2007-06-18T16:49:00.000-04:00

Source: http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/quantrill.htm

William Clarke Quantrill
(1837-1865)

Leader of perhaps the most savage fighting unit in the Civil War, William Quantrill developed a style of guerrilla warfare that terrorized civilians and soldiers alike. Quantrill was born in 1837 in Ohio, but little is known of his early life. It appears that after being a schoolteacher for several years, he travelled to Utah in 1858 with an army wagon train and there made his living as a gambler, using the alias of Charles Hart. After a year, he moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where he was again a schoolteacher from 1859 to 1860. But his past and predisposition soon caught up with him and, wanted for murder and horse theft, Quantrill fled to Missouri in late 1860.

Quantrill entered the Civil War on the Confederate side with enthusiasm. By late 1861, he was the leader of Quantrill's Raiders, a small force of no more than a dozen men who harassed Union soldiers and sympathizers along the Kansas-Missouri border and often clashed with Jayhawkers, the pro-Union guerrilla bands that reversed Quantrill's tactics by staging raids from Kansas into Missouri. Union forces soon declared him an outlaw, and the Confederacy officially made him a captain. To his supporters in Missouri, he was a dashing, free-spirited hero.

The climax of Quantrill's guerilla career came on August 21, 1863, when he led a force of 450 raiders into Lawrence, Kansas, a stronghold of pro-Union support and the home of Senator James H. Lane, whose leading role in the struggle for free-soil in Kansas had made him a public enemy to pro-slavery forces in Missouri. Lane managed to escape, racing through a cornfield in his nightshirt, but Quantrill and his men killed 183 men and boys, dragging some from their homes to murder them in front of their families, and set the torch to much of the city.

The Lawrence Massacre led to swift retribution, as Union troops forced the residents of four Missouri border counties onto the open prairie while Jayhawkers looted and burned everything they left behind. Quantrill and his raiders took part in the Confederate retaliation for this atrocity, but when Union forces drove the Confederates back, Quantrill fled to Texas. His guerrilla band broke up into several smaller units, including one headed by his vicious lieutenant, "Bloody Bill" Anderson, known for wearing a necklace of Yankee scalps into battle. Quantrill himself was eventually killed on a raid into Kentucky in 1865.

Even after his death, Quantrill and his followers remained almost folk heroes to their supporters in Missouri, and something of this celebrity later rubbed off on several ex-Raiders -- the James brothers, Frank and Jesse, and the Younger brothers, Cole and Jim -- who went on in the late 1860's to apply Quantrill's hit-and-run tactics to bank and train robbery, building on his legacy of bloodshed a mythology of the Western outlaw that remains fixed in the popular imagination.

Selling the Cycle: THE KENTUCKY CYCLE as a Blueprint for Promoting Two-Part Plays

2007-06-14T17:03:00.000-04:00

(from http://www.artsnet.org/ATHEEJ/cycle.htm)

How can a theatre company best prepare to sell a two-part production like THE KENTUCKY CYCLE or ANGELS IN AMERICA? Longer plays almost certainly require capacity crowds to justify an extended performance schedule and to cover higher production costs. In the case of many university and college theatres choosing to mount a two-part show, the commitment means devoting a substantial portion of a season or academic term -- perhaps an entire semester -- to a single playwright. For better or for worse, the houses carry double the impact on the box office. Advance planning can help ensure success and guarantee income. This paper follows the marketing planning and process of one theatre department's presentation of the complete version of THE KENTUCKY CYCLE by Robert Schenkkan. As a measure of success, it should be noted that a week before opening night, the decision already had to be made to add more performances to the two-week run.

Advance decisions, in fact, remain more important than ever when planning a two-part play. For THE KENTUCKY CYCLE, public announcements began more than a full year in advance - prior to the half-way mark of the previous season and prior to the first renewal notice to subscribers. After agreeing to have Schenkkan's Pulitzer Prize-winning play represent the full second half (spring semester) of the next season, the faculty felt the immediate urge to begin generating a momentum. It was not simply the need to build future audience expectations; it remained crucial to inspire the students to jump on board and embrace the production commitment wholeheartedly. Any major who could not share the excitement and join the tremendous effort needed to mount the play would potentially feel alienated from the degree program for months, and such negativity could ultimately devastate retention, recruitment, and FTE/SCH totals. But students who truly felt they were being admitted on the ground level could identify with the sense of anticipation and willingly agree to rehearse and perform a script which demands over six hours in the theatre. An additional academic benefit came from a joint faculty decision to integrate THE KENTUCKY CYCLE into all upper division theatre courses during the semester of production: students in theatre history, for example, would receive dramaturgical assignments designed to benefit the director, and students in theatre management would chaperone special public events and provide additional front of house support while simultaneously promoting subscription sales for the season following the CYCLE.

But the synthesis of syllabi and stage was not limited to theatre classes. To help promote THE KENTUCKY CYCLE as a university-wide event, theatre faculty identified colleagues from other departments who might be asked to serve as members of an advisory committee. These professors -- with selected administrators -- were invited to a luncheon where theatre faculty presented the scope o the complete project (still a year in advance), distributed a 12-page booklet of ideas, topics, and summaries, and offered copies of the full script to sign out and review. Instructors had been targeted if they taught classes which touched upon any of the various themes addressed in the play, such as women's rights, labor relations, treatment of Native Americans, African-American issues, political or economic structures, especially with regard to coal mining and the environment, and American history in general. Advance planning provided the lead time necessary for faculty to consider including THE KENTUCKY CYCLE as part of their courses. Any faculty who adopted the play would receive two complimentary tickets; any classes required to attend generated ticket reservations.

Ultimately, the largest contribution of the multi-department advisory committee was the formation of two open-to-the-public panel discussions involving scholars from various areas of the university. Few committee members served as speakers themselves, but their advocacy attracted colleagues who were happy to share ideas or present brief papers. The department chair personally invited the university president to participate, and he willingly joined a panel. One panel discussion utilized "viewing history as entertainment" for its theme, while the other considered matters of historical documentation. In addition, funding was secured to invite playwright Schenkkan to campus for three days of class visits, and he generously agreed to give a public lecture on the professional evolution of his work and THE KENTUCKY CYCLE's brief Broadway run. All events were held on the university theatre stage earlier in the semester of production, with upstage portions of the CYCLE set as a background. Publicity for these academically-oriented sessions also promoted the play itself to the outside community - tickets were even sold in the lobby - while professors who initially may not have favored requiring class attendance at a play were more open to making their students come to panel presentations. Theatre Appreciation students had to pick Schenkkan's talk and one other activity; theatre majors and minors were required to attend all three sessions.

Another of the earliest management decisions involved scheduling. A calendar was agreed upon sixteen months before the play opened. Part One would be given on Friday evening and repeated on Saturday afternoon, with Part Two performing on Saturday night and repeated as a Sunday matinee. Tech crews, therefore, were only required to do one changeover per weekend. Patrons could see the entire play in sequence in one day--also appealing to an out of town audience, particularly parents of students--or attend two consecutive days, or even choose to come once each week for two weekends. The full Saturday schedule included a dinner break, and arrangements were made for audiences to eat on campus, adjacent to the theatre, if they preferred; the dinner breaks, of course, also extended to the cast and crew.

In order to make ticket prices more attractive, an early decision was also made to provide a discount to anyone purchasing tickets to both parts at the same time. Patrons had the full choice of performances and could enjoy the security of two reserved seats with a single transaction. Obviously, by giving audiences such a wide range of options, not every person wound up with the exact same seat for both parts. The "same seat" benefit was first offered to subscribers as much as possible, and thereby encouraged making early reservations. Ticket buyers could also order Saturday dinners through the box office.

The first widespread public announcement came through the university's elder hostel program, geared at offering opportunities to continue learning in retirement. This in-house marketing, which involved no major theatre publicity expenses, stimulated advance word of mouth and later provided both block bookings of seats and the eventual conversion of single ticket buyers to subscriber status. The director and other members of the faculty also agreed to present lectures to the retirees who registered for formal programs. Outreach lectures were not limited to the elder hostel groups. A campus notice offered in-class visitations by actors and other company members to any instructor in any discipline, such as an adjunct instructor of Freshman Composition.

The annual season brochure highlighted THE KENTUCKY CYCLE, and subscriptions reached a five year high. And advance planning continued paying dividends during the season. By combining the announcement of special events with the calendar of play performance dates, only one bulk mailing flyer was needed for the entire spring semester. An order blank for tickets appeared on the back, but the front was designed so that it could also be re-printed on heavier stock, on only one side, to serve as a poster. By the time traditional production press releases and PSAs were sent, the majority of tickets had already been sold. The final two dress rehearsals, one of each part, were sold out as previews, and two additional weeknight performances were added prior to the closing weekend. Was the overall experience worthwhile? Freshmen associated with THE KENTUCKY CYCLE were still talking about it their senior year, leaving a positive impression on incoming majors. Reflecting the spirit of Schenkkan's script, history had indeed been made.

Richard Hansen is Assistant Professor of Speech and Theatre at MiddleTennessee State University.

Broadway Cast and Awards

2007-06-14T16:53:00.000-04:00

Information from IBDB:

The Kentucky Cycle
Royale Theatre, (11/14/1993 - 12/12/1993)
Preview: Nov 3, 1993
Total Previews: 15
Opening: Nov 14, 1993
Closing: Dec 12, 1993
Total Performances: 33
Category: Play, Original, BroadwaySetting: In and around Eastern Kentucky. 1775 - 1975.
Comments: 16 complete, 2-part cycles

The Kentucky Cycle
Awards

1994 Tony Award® Best Play
[nominee]

1994 Tony Award® Best Featured Actor in a Play
Gregory Itzin [nominee]

1994 Tony Award® Best Featured Actress in a Play
Jeanne Paulson [nominee]

1994 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play

1994 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play
Stacy Keach [nominee]

1994 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play
Gregory Itzin [nominee]

1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Written by Robert Schenkkan [winner]

Opening Night Production Credits

Produced by David Richenthal, Gene R. Korf, Roger L. Stevens, Jennifer Manocherian, Annette Niemtzow, Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum (Gordon Davidson, Artistic Director; Charles Dillingham, Managing Director), Intiman Theatre Company and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Produced in association with Benjamin Mordecai

Written by Robert Schenkkan; Incidental music by Jerome Ragland

Directed by Warner Shook

Scenic Design by Michael Olich; Costume Design by Frances Kenny; Lighting Design by Peter Maradudin; Sound Design by James Ragland

General Manager: Niko Associates, Inc. (Manny Kladitis, Founder and President); Company Manager: Alexander Holt

Production Stage Manager: Joan Toggenburger; Technical Supervisor: Christopher C. Smith; Production Supervisor: Bonnie Panson; Stage Manager: Tracy Crum

Fight direction by Randy Kovitz; Dramaturg: Tom Bryant; Casting: Pat McCorkle; General Press Representative: Jeffrey Richards Associates; Dialect Coach: Judi Dickerson; Advertising: Serino Coyne, Inc.

Opening Night Cast

John Aylward
Dragging Canoe
Joe Talbert (1792)Rebecca's father
Judge Goddard
Patrick Rowen (1861)Jed's grandfather
Union Colonel
Gus Slocum
Doctor
Preacher
James Talbert Winston (1954)owner, Blue Star Mining Co.
James Talbert Winston (1975)

Lillian Garrett-Groag
Morning Star (1776)
Star Rowen (1792)
Star (1819)
Julia Anne Talbert (1861)Richard's daughter
Lallie Rowen (1890)Mary Anne's mother
Mother Jones

Gail Grate
Sallie (1792)
Sallie Biggs (1819)
Sureta Biggs (1920)Cassius' wife
Lana TollerJoshua's secretary

Katherine Hiler
Rebecca Talbert (1792)a neighbor
Rose Anne Talbert (1861)Richard's daughter
Mary Anne Rowen (younger) (1890)
Lucy

Ronald Hippe
Zachariah Rowen (1819)Patrick's son
Randall Talbert (1861)Richard's only son
Carl Dawkins
Joshua Rowen Jackson (1920)son of Mary Anne

Gregory Itzin
Jeremiah
Richard Talbert (1861)land owner, son of Jeremiah Talbert
J. T. Wells
Andrew Talbert Winstona mine boss
Sheriff Ray Blanko

Stacy Keach
Michael Rowen (1775)
Michael Rowen (1776)
Michael Rowen (1792)
Ezekiel Rowen (1861) Jed's father
Jed Rowen (1890) Mary Anne's father
Gun Thug
Joshua Rowen (1954)President, UMW District #16
Joshua Rowen (1975)

Ronald William Lawrence
Taskwan
Jessie BiggsSallie's son, also a slave
Boatman
Cassius Biggs (1920)miner/bootlegger
Franklin Biggs (1954)owner of Biggs & Son
Franklin Biggs (1975)

Scott MacDonald
Patrick Rowen (1792)Michael's son
Patrick Rowen (1819)
Tommy Nolan
Silusa miner
Scott Rowen (1954)son of Joshua and new UMW district field rep

Tuck Milligan
Sam
Ezekiel Rowen (1819)Patrick's son
Jed Rowen (1861)
Tommy Jackson (1890)
Abe Steinman
Calvin Hayesa local president in District #16
Frank

Randy Oglesby
Earl Tod
Deputy Grey
Sharecropper #1
William Clark Quantrill
Tommy Jackson (1920)husband of Mary Ann
StuckyDistrict #16 security officer
Steve

Jeanne Paulson
Joleen Rowen (1861)Jed's mother
Mary Anne Rowen (older) (1890)
Mary Anne Rowen Jackson (1920)
Margaret Rowen (1954)wife of Joshua

Stephen Lee Anderson
Cherokee Warrior
Rebel #2
Chucka local president in District #16
Ensemble

Michael Hartman
Deputy O'Sullivan
Union Soldier #1
Man in the Woods
Grega local president in District #16
Bob SmalleyBlue Star Mine guard
Ensemble

Philip Lehl
Cherokee Warrior
Sharecropper #2
Ensemble

Patrick Page
Cherokee Warrior
Rebel #1
Mackiea miner
Gun Thug
Mikea local president in District #16
Ensemble

Susan Pellegrino
Ensemble

James Ragland
Guitar Player
Banjo Player
Ensemble

Jennifer Rohn
Ensemble

Novel Sholars
Ensemble

Lee Simon, Jr.
Cherokee Warrior
Union Soldier #2
Jefferson Biggs (1954)son of Franklin
Ensemble

preliminary pre-production priority list

2007-06-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Need to research the background of the real life historical figures in the play - Mother Jones, Quantril, etc. so that coach Laura can plan on the dialect for them based on their backgrounds.