Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration: Civil War Voices

Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration: Civil War Voices

Mayor Chris Beutler today announced that "Civil War Voices" will return to Lincoln for the City's annual Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration in February. The musical, written by local attorney and playwright Jim Harris, will be presented February 11 through 21 at the Haymarket Theatre, 803 "Q" Street. The presenting sponsor is Cornhusker Bank, and the production is supported by the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Additional funding is provided by local businesses, organizations and individuals.

After the 2008 original workshop of "Civil War Voices" at Doane College in Crete, the musical was presented to a sold-out audience at the Lied Center as part of the City's Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration in 2009. It has since been presented in 14 states, and has been through two major revisions.

In 2010, "Civil War Voices" won six awards, including Best Production of a Musical, at the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City. The Tony Award-winning Barter Theater of Abingdon, Virginia produced the show and took the musical on a 26-city national tour in 2011. In 2014, the musical was produced to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of New York's venerable University Club. It was also produced in concert at the National Arts Club in New York City in 2015.

"After seven years of performances in the east and south, it's exciting to bring the newest version of this outstanding home-grown musical back to Lincoln," Mayor Beutler said. "It is important that we keep Civil War history alive and make sure new generations understand the lessons of this critical time in our nation's history. Jim has written this musical using the actual words of real people who lived through the Civil War era, and people of all ages can identify with their stories."