A turquoise-tinged collage of pictures of 19th century African-Americans. In the foreground is a white silhouette of Abraham Lincoln.
L-R: Chas R. Douglass, Courtesy of the Manuscripts Division, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University. Charlotte Scott, LC-DIG-ppmsca-10994. Abraham Lincoln, LC-DIG-ppmsca-19198. Richard H. Cain, LC-DIG-bellcm-00707. Sojourner Truth, LC-USZ62-16225. Nancy Bushrod.

Written Then, Spoken Now: Mister Lincoln

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

7 p.m.
Free. General Admission
Accessible
Register

Experience the convergence of history and theatre as we dive into the world of Mister Lincoln, by Herbert Mitgang. Dramaturg and Playwright Richard Hellesen and Michelle A. Krowl of the Library of Congress illuminate the craft of bringing historical figures to life through theatre and selections from the archives of the Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress.  

This event will be free and open to the public. General Admission tickets required. 

Mister Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre runs September 20 – October 13, 2024. For more information and to purchase ticket, visit fords.org/performance/mister-lincoln/.

Michelle A. Krowl is the Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress, where she also oversees presidential papers from James K. Polk through Theodore Roosevelt. She co-curated the 2012-2014 exhibition “The Civil War in America.” Krowl received a B.A. in History from the University of California, Riverside, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of several articles and books on topics relating to the Civil War, as well as Quantico, Virginia and the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. She has worked as a library assistant at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and assistant professor at Northern Virginia Community College, and as a research assistant for historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. 

Richard Hellesen is the author of a number of plays for adults and young audiences. His most recent work, the solo show Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, starring Tony-winner John Rubinstein, premiered off-Broadway at Theatre at St. Clement’s in 2023.  As an Associate Artist at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, his plays include the full-length Necessary Sacrifices, the one-acts One Destiny (over 1500 performances, including at the White House) and The Road from Appomattox, and, as co-bookwriter, the 2015 adaptation of Frank Wildhorn’s musical The Civil War, titled Freedom’s Song.