Ridgefield Theater Barn Hosts THE FABLE OF THE MAN AND THE LION, 1/29

As a combined commemoration of the 150th anniversaries of the Civil War and Black History Month, The Ridgefield Theater Barn is presenting a premier reading of an original play about Frederick Douglass' life and the events related to the abolition of slavery. "The Fable of the Man and the Lion" is a new work by a South Salem playwright, Myles Gansfried, whose plays you may have seen at local theaters.

The author's journey began with a chance visit to the Edgartown Inn in Martha's Vineyard three years ago, where he happened upon a book on his nightstand about Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts senator who was a major figure in the abolitionist movement preceding the Civil War. For the next several nights, he was engrossed, and charmed to learn from the innkeeper that he was staying in the Sumner Room, where Senator Sumner himself had often been a guest. Upon returning from his trip, Mr. Gansfried continued reading up on Charles Sumner and became fascinated by the story of abolition. As Mr. Gansfried says, "What captivated me most were the parallel and improbable stories of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. As a playwright my antenna is always activated by a story containing tension and conflict. In the indirect relationship and brief encounters between these colossi of the events of the mid-19th century there were the ingredients for a riveting play."

And so he began his research, devouring book after book about the lives of these two men and visiting the locale of Douglass' enslavement in Maryland. But as he read a fear developed, "if I write a play, is it going to be more of what we have been subjected to about these characters, that is, a familiar story comprised of platitudes and icons? That is not the stuff of good theater. Visceral characters, conflict, engaging stories, that's theater." Not one to give up on a good story, he continued digging. He was rewarded when he stumbled upon the story of Miss Ottilie Assing, who immigrated alone to the United States in the late eighteen fifties, a singularly unusual event for that day. As a correspondent for several German newspapers, Ottilie soon became fascinated by slavery, the evil that was rapidly dividing the nation. While reading Frederick Douglass' "My Bondage My Freedom" Ottilie appears to have fallen in love.

As she became a part of Douglass' life her influence and inspiration helped to define a broader interpretation of freedom in terms of loosening the boundaries upon women's lives, the interpretation of religion, and the freedom to love. "The more that I learned about this remarkable woman, the more I understood Douglass, and through Douglass I gained an understanding of Lincoln's role in the story of the ending of slavery in our country. I believe that the play is the result of my journey."

Mr. Gansfried hopes "The Fable of the Man and the Lion," will enable viewers to embark upon a similar journey from which they will emerge with a revitalized view of this defining time in terms of the real people that shaped history.

A reading of The Fable of the Man and the Lion, directed by Jenny Gantwerker and produced by Marla Manning, is being presented with free admission on Sunday, January 29th at 2:00 pm, at the Ridgefield Theater Barn. Please visit the website at http://ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org/ for more information.

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