THE WITNESS: INCIDENTS OF THE WAR AND REBELLION To Be Presented By Renatum
Performances will run October 24-25th at Shepherd University- Frank Center for the Arts.
Renatum, West Virginia's only professional choir, will present the Mid-Atlantic premiere of The Witness: Incidents of the War of the Rebellion on Saturday,
October 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 p.m. at Shepherd University.
Composed by Thomas LaVoy and based on the 1888 memoir of Union soldier James Waxler, The Witness brings a deeply personal account of the Civil War to the stage through choral music, theater, and spoken storytelling.
Waxler's story is particularly resonant for audiences in the Eastern Panhandle and surrounding region. His experiences unfolded across the very landscape where
Renatum performs today, including Washington County, Maryland and Jefferson County, West Virginia; specifically Hagerstown, Martinsburg, Charles Town, and the
Shenandoah Valley. He witnessed the war. We inherit the story. That idea lies at the heart of Renatum's production. Rather than presenting the Civil War as a distant historical event, The Witness asks audiences to encounter the conflict through the eyes of one person who lived through it-and to consider what happens when that testimony is passed from one generation to another.
The production features professional singers from Renatum alongside an accomplished creative team led by Renatum Artistic Director Dr. Jason Strunk, composer Thomas LaVoy, and stage director Maria Watson.
The cast includes Sean Watkinson, who portrays James Waxler. Watkinson has appeared on Broadway in A Beautiful Noise and on the national tour of Hadestown,
with additional credits including Working Girl at La Jolla Playhouse, Jesus Christ Superstar at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Spring Awakening at Round House Theatre,
and productions of Rent, Billy Elliot, and Newsies.
Featured artist Brittany Chanell Johnson joins the production as the mezzo-soprano soloist. Johnson is a music director, educator, and conductor in the Washington,
D.C. region. She is the founder of OnStage Performing Arts Collective, Johnson has served on the musical-theatre faculty at Howard University and has appeared as a guest conductor for PBS's Black Broadway. Her work bridges concert music, musical theater, education, and community engagement.
For Renatum, the work represents a natural extension of its mission to create ambitious, professional choral art in rural America while telling stories that connect
audiences to the places they call home. 'The Witness is not simply a piece about Civil War history,' said Strunk. 'It is an intimate look at the human cost of war. This work timely and invites us to think deeply who we are.'
A reception and conversation with members of the creative team will take place following the Saturday evening performance.
The Witness: Incidents of the War of the Rebellion will run Saturday, October 24, 2026 - 7:30 p.m., Sunday, October 25, 2026 - 3:00 p.m. at Shepherd University- Frank Center for the Arts, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Tickets are available at renatum.ticketspice.com/witness
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