This mash up of time periods is on display in the special engagement presentation of "At Liberty Hall" running from Oct 16-19, literally at Liberty Hall Museum, the 1882 Carriage House in Union, NJ presented by Premiere Stages as part of the "Liberty Live" program. The story follows the meeting and friendship of two unlikely teenagers, Christian Rosario, a recently arrived high school student from the Dominican Republic and another teenager named Alexander Hamilton. The two teenagers naturally are dumbfounded by the circumstance of seeing someone out of time but soon find a common bond in shared experiences.
Playwright James Christy was inspired to write the piece by his 10-year old son who became very interested in American history and the founding fathers. "I started doing research into Alexander Hamilton's story, his very difficult childhood. He's the only founding father who was really poor and had to struggle to make something of himself. The fact that he has this real link to [the city of] Elizabeth and Liberty Hall made his story really attractive. I wanted to find links between teenagers of that time and now, show how they may have cared about similar things, had similar obstacles. We think of founding father's when they're older, I wanted to show Hamilton at this formative time in his life," Christy said.
"This device of having characters from different time periods interact opens up a lot of possibilities. We are inherently curious about what things were like in the past, and it's fun to see the reactions of historical characters about how much the world has changed," added Christy on the story telling possibilities.
According to Clare Drobot, Premiere Stages producing associate and resident dramaturg, the group is very excited to present the world premiere of Christy's play and as part of the special "Liberty Live" event." The play was specifically commissioned for Liberty Live, Premiere Stages' partnership with Liberty Hall Museum, and was written with this particular performance space in mind. "At Liberty Hall" marks the second iteration of the "Liberty Live" initiative. Liberty Live partners Premiere, the professional theatre in residence at Kean University, with Liberty Hall Museum, the former residence of New Jersey's first elected governor, said Drobot.
"Every two years, Premiere commissions a New Jersey resident playwright to write a new family-friendly play celebrating New Jersey's rich history. Proposals were solicited from writers across the state, and the 2013-2014 project specifically challenged writers to dramatize the 350th anniversaries of the founding of New Jersey and Elizabethtown. James Christy's play was selected and developed over the past year and a half, and had a staged reading at Premiere in November 2013. New Jersey has such a rich and varied history, and we are particularly interested in developing new work that brings that history to life. Jim has done a really wonderful job in finding the parallels between Cristian and Alexander Hamilton's journeys, and their time-bending friendship exemplifies the unlimited possibilities of the American experience," Drobot elaborated.
Other Related Events:
The show is designed to be site-specific; the play is performed in the 1882 Carriage House at Liberty Hall Museum, and utilizes the museum's grounds as part of the experience of attending the production. At Liberty Hall performances coincide with a number of local and statewide initiatives commemorating the 350th anniversaries of New Jersey (http://officialnj350.com/) and the founding of Elizabethtown (http://www.goelizabethnj.com/350/), including Four Centuries in a Weekend (http://ucnj.org/cultural-and-heritage-affairs/four-centuries/), Union County's annual historic homes tour sponsored by the Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs. In conjunction with Elizabethtown 350 celebrations, Liberty Hall Museum will also welcome the Brigade of the American Revolution (BAR) to its grounds for an extended encampment October 18 – 19 (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). The renowned living history association, which will participate in a number of re-enactments countywide, will offer a "Civilian Class Membership" (CCM) Ladies' Tea at Liberty Hall on Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m., and a recreation of portions of the Battle of Connecticut Farms on museum grounds on Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 p.m. Guests attending Premiere's Saturday and Sunday matinees of At Liberty Hall are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy these and other free events.
About Premiere Stages:
Created in 2004, Premiere Stages is the professional equity theatre company in residence at Kean University. The company is committed to serving the cultural needs of northern and central New Jersey through the development and production of high-quality Equity theatre premieres, professional development and educational initiatives for the local and campus communities, and the support and cultivation of emerging playwrights and theatre artists. As a professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, Premiere Stages actively engages and enhances the specialized training programs at Kean, while embracing and serving a culturally diverse audience, underserved local youth, and a broad pool of gifted regionally-based artists. You can visit their site at www.kean.edu/premierestages
Premiere Stages
The 1882 Carriage House at Liberty Hall Museum, Liberty Hall Museum, 1003 Morris Ave.
October 16–19, 2014
Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Friday at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday at 3 p.m.
Ticket information: $15 for general admission
BUY TICKETS
To purchase tickets, please call 908-737-SHOW (7469) or go to https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&w=8d30dd522356ec287b30b4734b1678c0 to view current shows and purchase online.
GROUP SALES
To purchase discounted group tickets, please contact Heather Kelley at 908-737-4077.
PHOTO: Dave Thomas Brown as Alexander Hamilton and Jeffrey Sanchez as Cristian in James Christy's At Liberty Hall, directed by Kel Haney, at Premiere Stages. Photo by Steve Hockstein.
