Lincoln Amphitheatre Presents OUR AMERICAN COUSIN, 8/19-27

The play President Abraham Lincoln attended the night of his assassination will be staged at Lincoln Amphitheatre this summer.

"Our American Cousin" is a three-act, farcical comedy written by Englishman Tom Taylor in 1850 and originally produced by New Yorker Laura Keene in 1858. It is about an American Asa Trenchard visiting England to claim his inheritance from a distant relative.

"Our American Cousin" was one of President Lincoln's favorite pieces of theatre. As an adult, President Lincoln enjoyed theatrical productions and saw "Our American Cousin" multiple times. The most famous performance of "Our American Cousin" was on April 14, 1865, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. when actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln. Nine hours later, on April 15, 1865, President Lincoln died in the William A. Petersen home.

"Since the next production of our revised "Lincoln" show is a year away, we wanted to present one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite plays this season, and give our audiences a glimpse into the humor that was on stage during the 19th century," says Father Jeremy King, president of the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association, the governing board for Lincoln Amphitheatre.

Dean Bolin will direct the community production of "Our American Cousin." Bolin graduated with a Master of Arts in Communication degree focusing on theatre directing. He directed "TitusAndronicus," Jean Anouilh's "Antigone," and Arthur Miller's "Broken Glass." He wrote and directed the premiere of "Relative Connections" produced at Repertory People of Evansville.

"The Wizard of Oz" and "Our American Cousin" will complete the 2011 summer production series at Lincoln Amphitheatre. "The Wizard of Oz" will take the stage July 21 - August 7, Thursday - Saturday evenings with a Sunday matinee. "Our American Cousin" will run August 19 - 27, Friday and Saturday evenings with a Sunday matinee. Tickets will go on sale to the general public April 1, 2011.

For more information about the 2011 season, call 800-264-4ABE or visit http://www.lincolnamphitheatre.com/.