GARDINER – Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center of Gardiner will present two performances of “Soldier, Come Home,” a play by Frank Wicks based on family Civil War letters, May 14 and 15.

Frank Wicks, a founding member of New Haven’s Long Wharf Theater and a director for the famed Actors Theater of Louisville, transformed the letters of his great-grandparents, Philip and Mary Pringle, into a dramatic stage presentation.

The letters were written during the period 1859 -1865, from western Pennsylvania and from several major Civil War battle sites, including Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, the siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox.

Johnson Hall was built in 1864, at the same time these letters were being written.

Cast members include Rock Bergeron, Jack Mahoney, Jessica Peck, Bill Steele and Hamish Strong. Technical assistance is provided by Henry Eichman and Greg Klein.

Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the hall at 280 Water St. The performances will be followed by receptions.

Audience members are invited to have refreshments and meet the author and actors, who will answer questions about the play.


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