Fisk University will begin its 150th Anniversary celebration with a Pre-Sesquicentennial event, the play, “Lady Patriot.” Written and directed by actor and prolific author/playwright Ted Lange, the play tells the story of Mary Bowser, the African-American heroine in the Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ White House in Richmond, VA. It is being staged as a fundraiser to benefit Fisk’s drama/theater program and the General Scholarship Fund.
Mary Bowser is a freed slave and unlikely spy in the Jefferson Davis White House who helped to bring down the Confederacy with her intelligence work. Based on a true story, Lady Patriot reveals an intimate look into the prejudices and patriotism of three ladies who lived during the Civil War: Varina Davis, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Mary Bowser. Lady Patriot is the third play in Lange’s historical trilogy. George Washington’s Boy, the first play, was presented two years ago in Los Angeles, and then in Winston-Salem, NC at the National Black Theatre Festival to rave reviews “Lady Patriot” combines Lange’s signature comedy and drama as it peels away traditional stereotypes prevalent in the South during the Confederacy. The last in his trilogy of historical plays about our nation, Lange gives us a civics lesson about Confederacy President Jefferson Davis' personal and professional struggles trying to fight for a new nation and deal with his long-suffering wife Varina. The play spans four years from 1861 to the war's aftermath in 1865, the year that the American Missionary Association and Fisk’s founders were planning the University’s establishment. Performances will be presented in the Fisk Memorial Chapel. Opening night is Friday, October 2, 2015 and the play runs thru Sunday, October 4, 2015. Performances are Friday at 7 pm, Saturday at 3 pm & 7 pm, and on Sunday at 4 pm. For tickets, go to https://connect.fisk.edu/patriotplay or call (615) 329-8530. Free parking is available. Brief bios of the actors, all of whom are established actors, and the playwright/director are attached. Fisk alumnus Lou Beatty (class of 1969) masterfully plays Old Robert, the house butler. While in Nashville, the playwright and cast will conduct master classes at Fisk, and are available for appearances
on local television and radio shows. A review from the Winston-Salem, NC production can be found at http://m.journalnow.com/relishnow/nbtf/lange-s-lady-patriot-a-wonderful-surprise/article_51457816-fa51-11e2-ac82-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm. For additional information or to schedule appearances of the cast or director, contact Dr. Edwina Harris Hamby at 615.329.8768 or ehamby@fisk.edu.
About Ted Lange: Ted Lange personifies the Renaissance Man Theatre Award received from the NAACP. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Lange’s career has gained worldwide recognition as a gifted actor of stage and screen, revered director, and prolific writer. Lange was named an adjunct associate professor at the School of Cinema/Television at University of Southern California, where he taught a weekly course in film directing. In addition to this, he also lectures on Shakespeare and acting at high schools and colleges across the nation. Lange has penned 24 plays including his historical trilogy “George Washington’s Boy” “The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson,” and “Lady Patriot.” Lange is probably best known for his character, bartender Isaac Washington, on ABC's long-running show The Love Boat.
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About Fisk University:
Founded in 1866, Fisk University is Nashville’s first institution of higher education and currently ranks in the top 20% of all liberal arts institutions in the nation according to The Washington Monthly. According to the American Physical Society, Fisk is the #1 producer of underrepresented minority Master's in Physics degrees. Fisk is ranked in the top 15 institutions for awarding the Master's in Physics degree for all students, and tied for fourth place for Master's degrees awarded to women. Fisk is the fourth highest ranked institution in Tennessee and the highest ranked Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Forbes magazine’s 2014 edition of “America’s Top Colleges.” Fisk has ranked in Princeton Review’s “Best Southeastern Colleges” publication for 22 consecutive years. U.S. News & World Report ranks Fisk in the elite Tier One liberal arts institutions. Fisk has earned 4 R&D 100 Awards, the only HBCU to do so, for work in the creation of radiation detectors developed in collaboration with several national laboratories and corporations. According to the National Science Foundation, Fisk produces more African-Americans who earn doctoral degrees in the natural sciences than any school in the nation. For more information on Fisk University, please visit www.fisk.edu.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Wednesday, July 22nd 2015 at 6:11PM
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