TOLIVER & WAKEMAN Comes to Franklin Stage Company in August

The Franklin Stage Company, Delaware County’s renowned professional summer theater, will present a new play by Kyle Bass entitled TOLIVER & WAKEMAN, directed by Vernice Miller. It will begin performances on August 4 and run through August 2, 2023.

Set at the start of the American Civil War, TOLIVER & WAKEMAN theatricalizes the wartime experiences of two actual historical characters from two very different (and not so different) backgrounds who lived in Delaware and Chenango Counties. Toliver Holmes was a young black man born into slavery in Virginia who escaped to New York, changed his name to avoid capture, and mustered into the Union Army’s 26th Regiment of Colored Troops (NY), later settling in Delhi, NY. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a young white woman born in Bainbridge, New York, disguised herself as a man and mustered into the Union Army—the 153rd New York State Volunteers—using the alias Lyons Wakeman. 

“In reality, their life paths did not intersect. But in my play, poetic license in service to a poetical dramaturgy brings them into each other’s lives,” said playwright Bass. “Theirs will be a shared narrative drama and a drama of identity.” The play is a historical fantasia, exploring what two very different characters have in common, as each has escaped something they find untenable. Each has cloaked their true identity before joining the Union Army. Each is looking to define freedom on their own terms.”

The cast includes Brianna Joy Ford (Regional: Our Town, Summer and Smoke), and Jelani Pitcher (Regional: Topdog/Underdog) as Toliver. The creative team Zachary Paul (Fiddle player), Scott Holdredge (Set Design/Lighting Design/Technical Direction), Kevin Bartlett (Sound Design),  Lindsey Quay Voorhees (Costume Design),  Riley Israel (Stage Manager), Katrina Ali (Assistant Stage Manager), and Evan True (Production Manager) 

FSC began developing the work through a 2021 Support for Artists Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). The commission is written by the author of Possessing Harriet, which FSC produced during their 2019 summer season. The production will be directed by Vernice Miller. “It's wonderful to have the opportunity to bring this new play to life and to produce our first world premiere," said Artistic Director Patricia Buckley, "Possessing Harriet was an audience favorite, and we're thrilled about Kyle's new piece, an exploration of local and historical facts and imaginings." 

The Franklin Stage Company season and the play run through August 20 at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street, in Franklin, NY. The show will play Thursday–Saturday at 7:30 pm, Saturday Matinee at 3:00 pm, and Sunday at 5:00 pm. General Seating. Admission is free—the suggested donation is $25 per person.

FSC will not require masks but will provide them for anyone who prefers to mask. Any updates to FSC's Covid policy can be found on their website. For more information and reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org. The New York State Council on the Arts makes programming at the Franklin Stage Company possible with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.