New production shines a light on the formative power of Lincoln's time in Indiana

The cast performs a musical number during a dress rehearsal of *Here I Grew Up* held Sunday evening at Lincoln Amphitheatre. *Photos by Matthew Crane.*

Here I Grew Up begins at the end of Abraham Lincoln’s life as the dying President stands as a solitary specter reliving pivotal moments and relationships of his years in Indiana.

Working within the time between the shot from John Wilkes Booth’s gun at and his eventual passing nine hours later, Lincoln — played by Dean Dorrell — narrates as he and the audience view the relationships, the joys, the sorrows and the events in Indiana that helped to form him and create the country’s 16th President.

During this time, six important people in his life guide him to eternity.

Tyler Smith portrays John Wilkes Booth in the opening scene of *Here I Grew Up* during a dress rehearsal held Sunday at Lincoln Amphitheatre.

The new play opening this Friday at the Lincoln Amphitheatre is the first Lincoln show wholly produced and developed by Southern Indiana residents. The process began in 2017 at the end of the run for the 30th Anniversary of Young Abe Lincoln.

Seeking a new Lincoln production, Marc Steczyk, the director of the Lincoln Amphitheatre, decided to take a look at several scripts submitted around 2008 after the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association made a call-out for new ideas. From that 2008 callout came the production of Lincoln: Upon the Altar of Freedom.

Still, a handful of those submissions remained in the amphitheater office and among the incomplete works and samples, Steczyk found the script for Here I Grew Up.

Abraham Lincoln became who he was because of the community that surrounded him. Our show celebrates that. – from the play booklet

“There were a handful of scripts in the office—mostly partials or full scripts as samples of the playwright’s work,” he explained. “I was pleasantly surprised to find Here I Grew Up in a completed yet, very raw state.”

Steczyk had partnered with the Dubois County Actors Community Theatre in 2017 for the 30th anniversary of Young Abe Lincoln. Using the local group made the production more budget-friendly and built a local draw for the show, but it also proved the value the volunteer troupe brought to the table in regards to talent, vision, and professionalism.

“The formula worked at such an outstanding level that it made sense to contract with them again in 2018 (for another run of Young Abe Lincoln),” Steczyk said.

Cast members rehearse a fight scene prior to the dress rehearsal held Sunday at Lincoln Amphitheatre.

In 2017, he handed the development over to ACT to bring Here I Grew Up to life. It was a challenging project to undertake, but Steczyk saw how they tackled the Young Abe Lincoln production and had faith they would be 100 percent dedicated to seeing this through as well.

“Keep in mind, there was no score and, while completed, the play was in rough shape and needed much, much development work,” he explained.

His only requirements were the production has to be solid, respectable, and historically accurate.

Members of the ACT development team meet prior to rehearsals in May and discuss several scene changes. From left: Dean Dorrell, Molly Rupert, Kyle Rupert, Heath Kluemper, and Jasmine Bosler.

A core group of ACT volunteers — Jasmine Bosler, Dean Dorrell, Jason Kleiman, Heath Kluemper, Kyle Rupert, Molly Rupert, and Tyler Smith — began meeting to complete the play.

Working hand in hand, the group began to write lyrics and score music for songs that only existed as ideas in the original submission as well as rewrite the script with dialogue and added scenes to flesh out the two-hour play.

“We’ve had some people focusing on music, some people focus on scripts and some people focusing on historical accuracy,” Molly Rupert explained.

Eight iterations and nearly two-years of work later, nearly 60 cast and crew members are now ready to introduce 15 brand new songs, new choreography, new sets and a whole new story to audiences.

“I would say that since the local community has brought this together, it focuses much more on the community of Little Pigeon Creek,” Tyler Smith explained. “It brings a lot more family elements into the show that have not been in past shows. It also brings in local characters that haven’t been there in the past even though they were important in the President’s life.”

Camille Woolston portraying Nancy Hanks Lincoln performs a song during a scene enacting the Lincoln’s move to Indiana. Dean Dorrell portrays Lincoln as a spectator to these special moments in Lincoln’s life.

Working with what was primarily a shell of a story outline, the group has created a meaningful and insightful play that explores the ideas of what makes each of us uniquely who we are while seeing those themes develop with Abraham Lincoln.

“I feel like while this play has some lightheartedness as other productions have, this will be a much more emotionally charged production,” Molly said.

The play pulls from some of the darker layers of Lincoln to make the legendary figure more relatable. The audience will see sides of Lincoln that haven’t been shown in previous productions. And while maintaining the historicity has been paramount, the development crew has created a multifaceted and entertaining story.

The play is directed by Jasmine Bosler who also directed last year’s production of Young Abe Lincoln. “Our goal all along has been to be true to these people,” she said about the many people portrayed in the story. “These aren’t characters, these are real people.”

Olivia Hedinger (middle), Molly Rupert (left) and Sophia Greenwood (right) perform during a song and dance routine during a dress rehearsal held Sunday at Lincoln Amphitheatre.

Steczyk is pleased with the Here I Grew Up. While he understands the complexities of the production, he is sure ACT has put together a great show.

“I know that ACT has poured their heart into this production, so I have no doubt and offer no hesitation in saying that I am certain that our audiences will not be disappointed,” he said.

Audiences will have five opportunities to see the new shows inaugural run beginning Friday, June 28 and continuing Saturday, June 29 and opening again for a three day run Thursday, July 11, Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13. All shows will start at 7 p.m. Central with doors opening at 6 p.m. Central.

General admission tickets are $19.95 while VIP tickets (preferred seating, a free drink voucher good for Pepsi products or beer/wine, and a commemorative poster) are $26.95. Seating for veterans is $14.95 and senior citizens pricing is $15.95.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.LincolnAmphitheatre.com. For group discount information or to order tickets over the phone, call 812-937-2329.

In case you were wondering, the script does not have a playwright’s name attached to it. In handing over the rights to the play, the playwright asked for anonymity. However, the ACT team affirmed the playwright is a resident of Southern Indiana.