Quabbin Region 150th Anniversary Commemorative of the American Civil War

Quabbin Region 150th Anniversary Commemorative of the American Civil War

Genevieve Fraser, the artistic director of the Drama Circle, appeared before the Orange Select Board recently to review activities planned for the week of July 4, 2012 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

Among other activities, the Drama Circle will be producing the world premier of an original drama, "Lincoln: The Musical" by Dr. Michael Riccards in the Orange Town Hall, 6 Prospect Street, Orange, Massachusetts the weekend prior to and following July 4, 2012, which falls on a Wednesday.  Fraser will serve as producer/director of the musical.  The Drama Circle is free of charge and sponsored by the performing arts division of the non-profit organization, Art for Life.  Tim Waite will serve as the assistant director.

Mary Todd Lincoln

Auditions for the Drama Circle World Premier of "Lincoln: the Musical" by Michael P. Riccards will be held on Saturdays, January 14 and 21, 2012 between 3:00 and 5:00 PM at The Dance Studio, 5 South Main Street in Orange, Massachusetts.  

Scripts are available for review at reference desks in libraries in the towns of Orange as well as Athol, Barre, Gardner, Greenfield, New Salem and Petersham.  The music for "Lincoln: The Musical" is from the Civil War era.  

Plans also call for readings of  Civil War diaries and letters from the lost Quabbin towns and towns throughout the region as well as reenactment activities, including a possible Civil War parade.  Along with actors, musicians, singers and Civil War reenactors, volunteers are needed to serve on the steering committee. 

Other activities include a "Living Heritage Farmers and Artisan Market," a Civil War Quilt Contest, a Black Powder Shoot and a Civil War Parade on the 4th of July.  Ken Reynolds of Orange is organizing the parade.  Planning sessions will be held at the Swift River Valley Historical Society in North New Salem, Massachusetts.  The commemorative readings are planned for the Orange Town Hall.

Though the American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 with the Battle of Fort Sumter, it wasn't until the 4th of July 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for volunteers for three years' service.

According to "A History of Massachusetts in the Civil War" by  William Schouler, "Prior to that date, no fixed district or town system for recruiting men for the military service had been formed by either the Commonwealth or by the General Government, and no system of local credits had been arranged, by which we could tell how many men had entered the service from any particular city or town."  Following Lincoln's call for volunteers on July 4, 1862, "the towns immediately held meetings, appropriated money, and fixed the amount of the bounty which they authorized to be paid."

Michael Riccards

Dr. Michael Riccards, the author of "Lincoln: The Musical" is an American political scientist, writer, and professor.  Riccards has been the president of three American colleges and has written extensively on public policy, the American political process, and the history of the American presidency. His book The Ferocious Engine of Democracy was praised by President Bill Clinton.  He currently serves as executive director of the Hall Institute for Public Policy in New Jersey.