(Worcester, Mass.) -- As part of a multi-year commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War, the Worcester State University History and Political Science Department is offering one-person performances of both Abraham Lincoln and Harriete Tubman this February and March. Last fall, the department featured the one-man play “Frederick Douglass: Stories are A Tellin',” by Guy Peartree.
"Abraham Lincoln, A One-Man Play" will be presented, Wednesday, February 15, at 10am in the Sullivan Auditorium. A Second Performance of will be held in the Student Center North/South Auditorium at 7:30pm. Lincoln will be portrayed by James A. Getty. After the morning performance, Getty will give a bibliographical presentation describing the research necessary to develop his dramatic interpretation of Abraham Lincoln in the Eager Auditorium in the Sullivan building at 2pm.
Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States and is considered by many scholars to be the greatest American president, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through the American Civil War – preserving the Union and ending slavery, and promoting economic modernization. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and supported passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, just six days after the surrender of the Confederate Army.
James A. Getty has portrayed Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg since 1978 and has also been featured on television and in special appearances throughout the United States and Canada. Getty holds a master‘s degree in music from Illinois Wesleyan University. He taught high school choral music in St. Charles and Naperville, Illinois, Sandusky, Ohio, and was director of choral activities at The University of Maine. Getty has spent years researching Abraham Lincoln and his contemporaries and has developed several “first person” presentations as the sixteenth president.
In March, the department will feature, "Harriet Tubman, a One-Woman Play" Wednesday, March 14, at 10am. in the Sullivan Auditorium and a Bibliographical Presentation of her research at 2pm in the Eager Auditorium of the Sullivan Building.
Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Harriet Ross in 1822, was an African American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy. She escaped from slavery and rescued more than 70 slaves using the network known as the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. Tubman devoted her life to helping those struggling for equality and civil rights and worked to promote the cause of women’s suffrage.
Quezaire-Presutti has performed in character to intergenerational audiences from the main stages of national festivals, educational conferences, colleges, schools and corporations. She gives a dramatic performance in her interpretation of Harriet Tubman during the Civil War. Quezaire-Presutti is a professional story teller who combines her expertise in public speaking and historical research to create memorable interpretations, incorporating learning into each of her performances.
All events are free and open to the public and are part of the U.S. Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration sponsored by the department of History and Political Science at Worcester State University.
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