Civil WarVoices Musical by James R. Harris Original Arrangements by Mark Hayes
From the moment the haunting strains of the violin and piano begin, you know you are in for something special... Stirring, emotionally driven, powerfully written... You will leave the theatre enlightened, renewed. Times Square Chronicles Civil War Voices is a soul-stirring crowd pleaser... splendidly entertaining. Backstage Civil War Voices Musical. By James R. Harris. Featuring songs of the period with original arrangements by Mark Hayes. Cast: 6 to 19m., 4 to 19w. This musical tells the compelling and passionate true stories of real people who lived through the Civil War, often using the actual words they left behind in diaries, letters and other writings. Joe Harris was a cotton planter from Alabama with a conflicted conscience about the war. The discovery of the existence of his diary inspired the play. Elizabeth Keckley endured the indignity of slavery, bought her freedom and became Mary Todd Lincoln s closest friend and personal assistant in the White House. Theo Perry and his pregnant wife, Harriet, were a young, married couple from Texas who were separated by the war. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a college professor from Maine who enlisted to fight for the Union, became a national war hero as a result of his actions at Gettysburg and accepted the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. The show contains exciting arrangements of some of the greatest songs of the period, such as Battle Hymn of the Republic, Amazing Grace and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child. Appealing to all audiences, the songs and stories bring to life the incredible drama of this stirring era. Flexible set. Music excerpts available online. Approximate running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. Code: CN8. Cover: Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va. Photo: Leah Prater. Cover design: Susan Carle. ISBN 10: 1-58342-800-3 ISBN 13: 978-1-58342-800-9 www.dramaticpublishing.com Dramatic Publishing 311 Washington St. Woodstock, IL 60098 Phone: (800) 448-7469 (815) 338-7170 Printed on recycled paper
CIVIL WAR VOICES By JAMES R. HAR RIS Orig i nal mu sical ar range ments by MARK HAYES Dra matic Pub lish ing Woodstock, Il li nois Aus tra lia New Zea land South Af rica
*** NO TICE *** The am a teur and stock act ing rights to this work are con trolled ex clu sively by THE DRA MATIC PUB LISH ING COM PANY with out whose per mis sion in writ ing no per for mance of it may be given. Roy alty must be paid ev ery time a play is per formed whether or not it is pre sented for profit and whether or not ad mis sion is charged. A play is per formed any time it is acted be fore an au di ence. Cur rent roy alty rates, ap pli ca tions and re stric tions may be found at our website: www.dramaticpublishing.com, or we may be con tacted by mail at: DRA MATIC PUB LISH ING COM PANY, 311 Wash ing ton St., Woodstock IL 60098. COPY RIGHT LAW GIVES THE AU THOR OR THE AU THOR S AGENT THE EX CLU SIVE RIGHT TO MAKE COP IES. This law pro vides au thors with a fair re turn for their cre ative ef forts. Au thors earn their liv ing from the roy al ties they re ceive from book sales and from the per for mance of their work. Con sci en tious ob ser vance of copy right law is not only eth i cal, it en - cour ages au thors to con tinue their cre ative work. This work is fully pro tected by copy right. No al ter ations, de le tions or sub sti tu tions may be made in the work with out the prior writ ten con sent of the pub lisher. No part of this work may be re pro duced or trans mit ted in any form or by any means, elec tronic or me chan i cal, in clud ing pho to copy, re cord ing, vid eo tape, film, or any in for ma - tion stor age and re trieval sys tem, with out per mis sion in writ ing from the pub lisher. It may not be per formed ei ther by pro fes sion als or am a teurs with - out pay ment of roy alty. All rights, in clud ing, but not lim ited to, the pro fes - sional, mo tion pic ture, ra dio, tele vi sion, vid eo tape, for eign lan guage, tab loid, rec i ta tion, lec tur ing, pub li ca tion and read ing, are re served. MMXIII by ROUGH AND READY, LLC Printed in the United States of Amer ica All Rights Re served (CIVIL WAR VOICES) ISBN: 978-1-58342-800-9
IM POR TANT BILL ING AND CREDIT RE QUIRE MENTS All pro duc ers of the mu si cal must give credit to the au thor of the mu si cal in all pro grams dis trib uted in con nec tion with per for mances of the mu si cal and in all in stances in which the ti tle of the mu si cal ap pears for pur poses of ad - ver tis ing, pub li ciz ing or oth er wise ex ploit ing the mu si cal and/or a pro duc - tion. The name of the au thor must also ap pear on a sep a rate line, on which no other name ap pears, im me di ately fol low ing the ti tle, and must ap pear in size of type not less than fifty per cent (50%) the size of the ti tle type and shall read as fol lows: Civil War Voices By James R. Har ris Fea tur ing songs of the pe riod Orig i nal ar range ments by Mark Hayes Ap proved biographical in for ma tion on the au thor, if in cluded in the play - book, may be used in all pro grams. In all pro grams this no tice must ap pear: Pro duced by spe cial ar range ment with THE DRA MATIC PUB LISH ING COM PANY of Woodstock, Il li nois In ad di tion, all pro duc ers of the play must in clude the fol low ing ac knowl - edg ment in all pro grams dis trib uted in con nec tion with per for mances of the play: Civil War Voices re ceived its New York City pre miere at the Mid town In - ter na tional Thea tre Fes ti val in 2010, pro duced by Bob Ost/Wildly Pro duc tive Pro duc tions in as so ci a tion with Sheila Si mon Geltzer and Alma Villegas. It was sub se quently pro duced and de vel oped by Bar ter Thea tre, Abingdon, Va., by Rich ard Rose, pro duc ing ar tis tic di rec tor. Spe cial thanks to Robin McKercher and Doane Col lege. Civil War Voices 2007-2012 by Rough and Ready, LLC. The au thor wishes to ac knowl edge the fol low ing source ma te ri als used for this show: Let ters of Theophilus and Har riet Perry, Per - son Fam ily Pa pers, Rare Book Manu script and Spe cial Col lec tions Li brary, Duke Uni ver sity, Dur ham, N.C. The let ters are used with the per mis sion of Duke Uni ver sity. Wid ows by the Thou sands: the Civil War Cor re spon dence of Theophilus and Har riet Perry, ed ited by M. Jane Johansson. 2000 by the Uni ver sity of Ar kan sas Press. Used with per mis sion of the pub lisher, www.uapress.com. The Di ary of Jo seph Har ris, 1860-1865. 1999 by Oakbowery Prop er ties, Inc., Lin coln, Neb. Used with per mis sion of Oakbowery Prop er ties, Inc. Be hind the Scenes by Eliz a beth Keckley, orig i - nally pub lished in 1868. Through Blood and Fire at Get tys burg, Ap po mat - tox, and Other Per sonal Rem i nis cences of J.L. Cham ber lain, orig i nally pub - lished in var i ous pub li ca tions circa 1907-1913.
AU THOR S NOTES Al though this mu si cal is set against the back drop of a great and pan oramic na tional con flict, the stag ing re quire ments for the show are quite flex i ble and rel a tively sim ple. The show can be per formed us ing a sin gle unit set. As the ac - tion of the play un folds, the au di ence is called upon in its col lec tive imag i na tion to the var i ous lo ca tions of the war. Some pro duc tions have fea tured slide pre sen ta tions de pict - ing pe riod scenes and char ac ters as a back drop for the per - for mance, while oth ers have not. Be cause of the flex i bil ity of the stag ing re quire ments, this mu si cal has been pro duced in a re mark able va ri ety of ven - ues. It was first per formed in a small church fel low ship hall and an in ti mate col lege thea tre, but then was next pro - duced in a gi ant per form ing arts venue. It has been per - formed in a gymatorium in Get tys burg, an in ti mate New York thea tre, and a wide va ri ety of con cert halls and thea - tres on a na tional tour. It was even pro duced in con cert to com mem o rate the an ni ver sary of the Bat tle of Bull Run, com plete with a 100-voice choir back ing up the ac tors. Cast size is also flex i ble. There are around 30 speak ing roles, many with solo sing ing parts. More ac tors can be added in the en sem ble scenes and for the large cho ral num - bers. The show has also been per formed with a small en - sem ble cast, us ing cast dou bling. Cast ing sug ges tions for a 10-per son cast have been in cluded at end of script. 4
A few words about the char ac ters in the show seem to be in or der. The Narrator con trols the show by call ing forth the other char ac ters to tell their sto ries. The script is writ - ten so the same ac tor por trays the Nar ra tor and Jo seph Har - ris. The trans for ma tion of the Nar ra tor to Har ris can take place in a va ri ety of ways: a change in ac cent, per haps, or a slight change in cos tume, such as putt ing on a coat or hat for ex am ple. The Nar ra tor and Jo seph Har ris can also be por trayed by sep a rate ac tors, in which case stage di rec tions should be ad justed ac cord ingly. Abra ham Lin coln is also a char ac ter in this show by vir tue of his friend ship with Eliz - a beth Keckley. How ever, I do not be lieve it is nec es sary to try to cast a Lin coln look-alike in the role. (Af ter all, how many peo ple ac tu ally look like Abra ham Lin coln?) A sim - ple, fa mil iar de vise such as a stovepipe hat should suf fice to con vey the char ac ter to the au di ence. Al though there is a lot of sad ness in the show, there are also mo ments of hu mor. I think it is im por tant to high light the lighter mo ments in the show when ever pos si ble so as to lighten the bur den of the war. Lastly I would like to ex press my un dy ing grat i tude to my bril liant mu si cal col lab o ra tor, Mark Hayes. Mark s orig i nal mu si cal ar range ments make these clas sic Amer i can songs live anew. Any one who is not gen u inely touched by Mark s stir ring mu si cal work in this show is a hard hearted soul in deed. 5
Civil War Voices was pre sented in New York at the Mid - town In ter na tional Thea tre Fes ti val by Bob Ost/Wildly Pro - duc tive Pro duc tions in as so ci a tion with Sheila Si mon Geltzer and Alma Villegas, with stage di rec tion by Den nis Courtney and mu si cal di rec tion by Laura Bergquist. It was sub se quently pro duced and de vel oped by Bar ter Thea tre, Abingdon, Va., by Rich ard Rose, pro duc ing ar tis tic di rec - tor. The Bar ter pro duc tion was di rected by Susanne Boulee with mu si cal di rec tion by W. Brent Saw yer. * * * * Spe cial thanks to Robin McKercher and Doane Col lege. * * * * For my par ents, John and El ea nor Har ris 6
CIVIL WAR VOICES Nar ra tor / Jo seph Har ris Theo Perry Har riet Perry Eliz a beth Keckley Joshua Law rence Cham ber lain First Mas ter Old Mis tress Cook Keckley s Mother Sec ond Mas ter St. Louis Woman Gov er nor Washburn Mrs. Jef fer son Da vis Mary Todd Lin coln Abra ham Lin coln Cornelia Har ris Sgt. George Buck Gen eral Lee Gen eral Hunt Un ion Gen eral First Sol dier s Wife Sec ond Sol dier s Wife Nar ra tor s Fa ther Con fed er ate Medic Con fed er ate Of fi cer Con fed er ate Woman Cel e brant #1 Cel e brant #2 CHAR AC TERS PLUS Fire Eat ers, Con fed er ate Sol diers, Un ion Sol diers, Cit i zens, Cel e brants, Cho rus 7
CAST ING SUG GES TIONS FOR 6 MEN AND 4 WOMEN MAN 1 MAN 2 MAN 3 Nar ra tor Theo Perry Cham ber lain Jo seph Har ris Gov er nor Male Op pres sor (non-speak ing) MAN 4 MAN 5 MAN 6 Sec ond Mas ter First Mas ter Cook Abe Lin coln Gen eral Hunt Sgt. George Buck Gen eral Lee Con fed er ate Sol dier Un ion Gen eral Nar ra tor s Fa ther Cel e brant Con fed er ate Medic WOMAN 1 WOMAN 2 WOMAN 3 Har riet Perry Eliz a beth Keckley Keckley s Mother Cel e brant Keckley as a Child St. Louis Pa tron Sol dier s Wife Mary Lin coln WOMAN 4 Old Mis tress Mrs. Da vis Cornelia Har ris Sol dier s Wife 75
MU SI CAL NUM BERS 1. Pro logue.......................... 9 2. Dixie Un der score..................... 12 3. The Bonnie Blue Flag................... 13 4. Dixie........................... 15 5. Bonnie Blue Flag Re prise................. 16 6. Some times I Feel Like a Moth er less Child......... 17 6a. Time Passed........................ 19 6b. St. Louis/Call of Duty - South............... 19 7. Aura Lee......................... 21 7a. The Ques tion....................... 23 8. Oh, Free dom....................... 23 8a. Call of Duty - North.................... 25 9. We Are Com ing, Fa ther Abra ham............. 26 9a Af ter Fa ther Abra ham.................. 28 9b. Bat tle field Graves..................... 31 10. Goo ber Peas....................... 32 10a. Af ter Goo ber Peas.................... 34 11. Call of Duty - Cham ber lain................ 35 12. Steal Away........................ 36 12a. The Night Sky...................... 37 13. The Yel low Rose of Texas................. 39 14. Weight of the War..................... 41 15. Amaz ing Grace...................... 42 16. Open ing/bat tle Cry of Free dom.............. 46 17. Theo s Let ter....................... 49 18. He s Gone Away..................... 50 18a. Bat tle #1......................... 53 19. When Johnny Co mes March ing Home........... 54 19a. Bat tle #2......................... 55 20. Beau ti ful Dreamer..................... 58 20a. Pro fes sor Cham ber lain................... 59 21. Pass ing of the Dead.................... 62 21a. End of the War...................... 63 22. Did n t My Lord De liver Dan iel?/great Day!........ 63 23. My Lord, What a Mornin................. 66 24. Finale: Bat tle Hymn of the Re pub lic............ 68 25. Bows and Exit Mu sic................... 74 8
ACT ONE PRO LOGUE (MU SIC 1: PRO LOGUE) TIME AND PLACE: The pres ent, in the at tic of a house. AT RISE: NAR RA TOR wan ders in, looks around the room with won der, even tu ally sees an old pic ture and picks it up ten derly. NAR RA TOR. When I was a lit tle boy, I be came fas ci nated with an old pic ture in a sil ver frame on my grand - mother s par lor ta ble. It was a pic ture of a Civil War sol dier, no older than my broth ers. He was wear ing a Un ion uni form with brass but tons down the front and an ill- fit ting cap with a mus ket at his side. He looked at once de ter mined to be brave and scared to death. His eyes stared straight for ward with a look that said, What s to be come of me? My grand mother told me the young boy was her mother s brother and that he was killed by a stray bul let dur ing the Civil War. The haunt - ing look on that young sol dier s face has stayed with me all my life. 9
10 CIVIL WAR VOICES Act I (NAR RA TOR looks again ten derly at the pic ture, and then puts it down in a place where it will re main for the rest of the play.) Like many Amer i cans, I have an ces tors from both sides of the war. My mother was from Ne braska and my fa - ther was from Al a bama. My dad grew up on an Al a - bama farm that had been in his fam ily for gen er a tions. There were lots of old sto ries about the war, in clud ing one about a fam ily mem ber who hid up in a tree as the Un ion troops passed be neath, and an other about a neigh bor who was hung by his thumbs by Un ion troops sent to tear up the rail road. It seems he would n t tell them where he had bur ied his sil ver. (He makes his way to an old trunk, hes i tates, then lifts the lid. Rev er ently, he pulls out an old book.) Then I found a di ary that my great-great-un cle kept in Al a bama dur ing the Civil War. As I read his di ary, I could feel the warm breath of his life and times on ev - ery page. And I be gan to look for true sto ries of the war left be hind by other Amer i cans as well. (He puts the book back and takes a stack of let ters from the trunk.) I found the let ters of Theo and Har riet Perry. (THEO and HAR RIET PERRY en ter ten ta tively from op - po site sides of the stage. NAR RA TOR hands them the let ters. They gain strength.)
Act I CIVIL WAR VOICES 11 THEO. I left my preg nant wife and child in Mar shall, Texas, to fight for the South. HAR RIET. We wrote to each other de vot edly through out the war. This is our true story and these are our words. (They run to each other and em brace.) NARRATOR. I dis cov ered a book by a freed slave named Eliz a beth Keckley in a New York mu seum shop. (NAR RA TOR takes a book from a trunk and KECKLEY en ters. He gives her the book. She be comes an i mated.) KECKLEY. I was born a slave. There fore I came upon the earth free in thought, but fet tered in ac tion. This is my true story and these are my words. NARRATOR. A friend told me about the in spir ing mem - oirs of Joshua Law rence Cham ber lain. (NAR RA TOR takes a book from the trunk, and CHAM - BER LAIN en ters. He gives the book to CHAM BER - LAIN.) CHAMBERLAIN. I was a col lege pro fes sor in Maine when the war broke out. I en listed and fought for the Un ion. I soon found my self at the cen ter of the most im por tant bat tle ever fought in North Amer ica. This is my true story and these are my words. NARRATOR. But it was my un cle s di ary that in spired my quest. (NAR RA TOR takes his un cle s di ary from a trunk and is trans formed into JO SEPH HAR RIS.)
12 CIVIL WAR VOICES Act I HARRIS. My name is Jo seph Har ris, a cot ton planter from Oak Bow ery, Al a bama. It is No vem ber 9, 1860. This is my true story and these are my words. CHAMBERLAIN. This is my true story and these are my words. KECKLEY. This is my true story and these are my words. THEO & HAR RIET. This is our true story and these are our words. ALL (hold ing their pages up to heaven). And these are our words. SCENE 1: An Al a bama townhall meet ing (MU SIC 2: DIXIE UN DER SCORE) HARRIS. I heard to day that Abra ham Lin coln was elected pres i dent. This is om i nous news as he is op posed bit - terly to our South ern in sti tu tions. (FIRE-EAT ERS drift in one at a time.) I went to a mass meet ing for the pur pose of tak ing into con sid er ation the best means of Al a bama se ced ing from the Un ion in con se quence of Lin coln s elec tion. Oh, this is a dan ger ous busi ness. I have never heard as much con fu sion as I heard there. Pas sions are run ning so high ev ery one wanted to speak at once! (EN SEM BLE MEM BERS gather to gether to form a meet ing of fire-eat ers. )
Act I CIVIL WAR VOICES 13 SOUTH ERN FIRE-EAT ERS. The North won t fight. they need our cotton. We must defend our sacred honor. Alabama must secede at once. A war with the North wouldn t last a month. (Ad lib.) HAR RIS. I per ceive that we are on the eve of one of the great est rev o lu tions imag in able. (SONG 3: THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG) FIRE-EATER #1. WE ARE A BAND OF BROTHERS, AND NATIVE TO THE SOIL FIGHTING FOR THE PROPERTY WE GAINED BY HONEST TOIL. FIRE-EATER #2. AND WHEN OUR RIGHTS WERE THREATENED, THE CRY ROSE NEAR AND FAR; HURRAH FOR THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG THAT BEARS A SINGLE STAR! ALL FIRE-EAT ERS. HURRAH! HURRAH! FOR SOUTHERN RIGHTS, HURRAH! HURRAH FOR THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG THAT BEARS A SINGLE STAR! FE MALE FIRE-EATERS. AS LONG AS THE UNION WAS FAITHFUL TO HER TRUST
14 CIVIL WAR VOICES Act I LIKE FRIENDS AND BRETHREN, KIND WERE WE, AND JUST; FIRE-EATER #3. BUT NOW, WHEN NORTHERN TREACHERY ATTEMPTS OUR RIGHTS TO MAR, WE HOIST ON HIGH THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG THAT BEARS A SINGLE STAR! ALL FIRE-EAT ERS. HURRAH! HURRAH! FOR SOUTHERN RIGHTS, HURRAH! HURRAH FOR THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG THAT BEARS A SINGLE STAR! HURRAH FOR THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG THAT BEARS A SINGLE STAR! FIRE-EATER #1. La dies and gen tle men, our South ern cause is righ teous. We must de fend our sa cred honor from Yan kee in sult. The South will be vic to ri ous! ALL FIRE-EAT ERS (cheer ing). SE CES SION! (HAR RIS moves downstage.) HAR RIS. I fear we may be mov ing too quickly. These peo ple are my friends, and they are good peo ple. They seem so sure that war is the an swer. Why can t I be so sure? What if my friends are wrong? They could be killed. I could be killed. Our way of life could be de - stroyed. There must be some way to avoid war. I love the South and I fear for her fu ture.
Act I CIVIL WAR VOICES 15 (SONG 4: DIXIE) HAR RIS (heart felt, slowly). I WISH I WAS IN THE LAND OF COTTON OLD TIMES THERE ARE NOT FORGOTTEN LOOK AWAY! LOOK AWAY! LOOK AWAY! DIXIELAND IN DIXIELAND WHERE I WAS BORN IN EARLY ON ONE FROSTY MORNIN LOOK AWAY! LOOK AWAY! LOOK AWAY! DIXIELAND (FIRE-EAT ERS take up song, slowly and stately at first, then build ing to a frenzy.) ALL FIRE-EAT ERS. I WISH I WAS IN DIXIE HOORAY! HOORAY! IN DIXIELAND, I LL TAKE MY STAND TO LIVE AND DIE IN DIXIE AWAY, AWAY, AWAY DOWN SOUTH IN DIXIE! AWAY, AWAY, AWAY DOWN SOUTH IN DIXIE! TWO FIRE-EAT ERS. OH, HEAR THE NORTHERN THUNDERS MUTTER NORTH ERN FLAGS IN SOUTH WINDS FLUT TER TO ARMS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS, DIXIELAND! ALL MALE FIRE-EAT ERS. SEND THEM BACK YOUR FIERCE DEFIANCE STAMP UPON YOUR CURSED ALLIANCE TO ARMS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS, DIXIELAND!
16 CIVIL WAR VOICES Act I ALL FIRE-EAT ERS. I WISH I WAS IN DIXIE HOORAY! HOORAY! FOR DIXIELAND I LL TAKE MY STAND TO LIVE AND DIE FOR DIXIE AWAY, AWAY, AWAY, DOWN SOUTH IN DIXIE! AWAY, AWAY, AWAY, DOWN SOUTH IN DIXIE! (HAR RIS re turns to be ing NAR RA TOR.) NAR RA TOR. I share my un cle s love of the South. But there are some things about the Old South I will never un der stand. How could any one have been so blind to the in jus tice of own ing peo ple as prop erty? South ern ers of the time, in clud ing my un cle, were very re li gious. They en gaged in a great deal of moral self-ex am i na tion on a va ri ety of top ics, but not slav ery. Lis ten care fully to the words of Bonnie Blue Flag. (SONG 5: BONNIE BLUE FLAG RE PRISE) FIRE-EATER #2. WE ARE A BAND OF BROTHERS, AND NATIVE TO THE SOIL FIGHTING FOR THE PROPERTY WE GAINED BY HONEST TOIL
Act I CIVIL WAR VOICES 17 SCENE 2: Slave quar ters of a South ern plan ta tion in Dinwiddie, Vir ginia (MU SIC 6: SOME TIMES I FEEL LIKE A MOTH ER - LESS CHILD starts as back ground with COOK hum - ming mel ody softly.) KECKLEY. I, Eliz a beth Keckley, was born a slave in Vir - ginia, my mother s only child. My fa ther was the slave of an other man, and he could only visit us twice a year. Our re unions were al ways joy ous. On one such oc ca - sion when I was about seven, my fa ther was told by his mas ter, FIRST MAS TER. I ve de cided to move to the West, and I m tak ing you with me. Say your goodbyes. You will never re turn here again. KECKLEY. The an nounce ment fell upon that rude log cabin like a thun der bolt. I re mem ber how my fa ther cried out against the cruel separation his last kiss; his wild strain ing to hold my mother; the tears and good - byes. And then he was gone. My mother could not re - strain her sor row. My old mis tress had no tol er ance for her tears. OLD MIS TRESS. Stop your non sense. There is no ne ces - sity for you putt ing on airs. There are plenty more men around here, and if you want a hus band so badly, stop your cry ing and go find one. KECKLEY. Mother turned away in sto i cal si lence. My par ents never met again in this world. (Sings.) A LONG WAY FROM HOME OH LORD, MY LORD I FEEL SO FAR FROM HOME
18 CIVIL WAR VOICES Act I KECKLEY & COOK. SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I M ALMOST GONE, SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I M ALMOST GONE, SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I M ALMOST GONE. WAY UP IN THE HEAV NLY LAND, WAY UP IN THE HEAV NLY LAND. LORD, WAY UP IN THE HEAV NLY LAND. (Spo ken.) Later that year, I wit nessed for the first time the sale of a hu man be ing. My mas ter had just pur - chased his hogs for the win ter, but he was un able to pay for them in full. To es cape this em bar rass ment it was nec es sary to sell one of his slaves. Lit tle Joe, the son of the cook, was se lected as the vic tim. FIRST MAS TER. How old is that lit tle boy of yours? COOK. My Joe just turned five. FIRST MAS TER. I want you to go and dress him up in his Sunday clothes and bring him to me. I have a sur prise for him. KECKLEY. Joe ar rived in his Sunday clothes with a bright face. The poor lit tle boy had no un der stand ing of what was about to hap pen to him. Be hind closed doors, Joe was placed on the scales and was sold like the hogs, at so much a pound. His fa ther was not told of the trans ac - tion, but his sus pi cions were aroused. COOK. Where are you tak ing my lit tle boy? What s hap - pen ing? FIRST MAS TER. I m just tak ing Joe to town for a visit. I ll bring him back in the morn ing. KECKLEY. But he never re turned. My mother be gan to worry that I would be sold. KECKLEY S MOTHER. Lizzy, you re the only thing I have left on this earth. I can t let any one take you away
Act I CIVIL WAR VOICES 19 from me. Lis ten to me. I have a plan. Mas ter can t do with out his fine cloth ing. Lizzy, I will teach you to sew. If you be come a fine seam stress, Mas ter will never sell you. COOK. Lizzy, you knew my lit tle boy. You and my Joe were friends. Please, Lizzy. Lis ten to your mother. KECKLEY S MOTHER. Prom ise me you will learn, Lizzy. KECKLEY (as a child). I prom ise, Mother. (MU SIC 6a: TIME PASSED. FIRST MAS TER en ters, clears his throat, and the group dis perses.) KECKLEY (cont d., as her self). Time passed and I be came a young woman. For four years, a white man I spare the world his name had base de signs upon me. (She is shad owed men ac ingly by MALE OP PRES SOR, who looks her up and down.) I do not care to dwell upon this sub ject, for it is one fraught with pain. Suf fice it to say that he per se cuted me for four years, and I be came a mother. The child of which he was the fa ther, my son George, was the only child that I ever brought into the world. The years passed, and my new mas ter moved to St. Louis. (MU SIC 6b: ST. LOUIS/CALL OF DUTY - SOUTH) There I was hired out to oth ers as a seam - stress to bring in ex tra money. Soon I had a large and ex ten sive cli en tele that in cluded some of the fin est la -
20 CIVIL WAR VOICES Act I dies in the city. Still I could not stop think ing of one thing: Free dom! (KECKLEY goes downstage and NAR RA TOR steps for - ward.) NARRATOR. While Keckley dreamed of her free dom, men across the South were an swer ing the call of duty. Theo Perry, a young law yer from the lit tle town of Mar - shall, Texas, vol un teered for ser vice, but he deeply longed for home. SCENE 3: The Perry home in Mar shall, Texas, and an