The Franklin Stage Company, Delaware County’s renowned professional summer theater, will present a new play by Kyle Bass titled TOLIVER & WAKEMAN, directed by Vernice Miller. It will begin performances on Aug. 4 and run through Aug. 2.
Set at the start of the American Civil War, TOLIVER & WAKEMAN theatricalizes the wartime experiences of two actual historical characters from two very different (and yet not so different) backgrounds who lived in Delaware and Chenango counties. Toliver Holmes was a young black man born into slavery in Virginia who escaped to New York, changed his name to avoid capture, and mustered into the Union Army’s 26th Regiment of Colored Troops (NY), later settling in Delhi. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a young white woman born in Bainbridge, disguised herself as a man and mustered into the Union Army—the 153rd New York State Volunteers — using the alias Lyons Wakeman.
The play is a historical fantasia, exploring what two very different characters have in common, as each has escaped something they find untenable.
FSC began developing the work through a 2021 Support for Artists Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). The commission is written by the author of Possessing Harriet, which FSC produced during their 2019 summer season. The production will be directed by Vernice Miller.
The Franklin Stage Company season and the play run through Aug. 20 at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street, in Franklin. The show will play Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m, Saturday Matinee at 3 p.m, and Sunday at 5 p.m. General Seating. Admission is free — the suggested donation is $25 per person.
FSC does not require masks but will provide them for anyone who prefers to mask. For more information and reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org. The New York State Council on the Arts makes programming at the Franklin Stage Company possible with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
