Senior Taylor Moyer looks to bring audience members into the past to shed a new light on the Civil War with his play, “A House Divided.”
The play, produced by Moyer’s organization, 1801 Productions, is named after President Lincoln’s speech and takes place in Kentucky between 1861 and 1863. It is centered around a family trying to stay together while its country falls apart, Moyer said.
It really plays on the brother against brother aspect, Moyer said.
This will be the fourth play Moyer has written and produced with 1801 Productions, which has been around since 2008 when he combined his love of theater with his love of history, he said.
Moyer said “A House Divided” was inspired by the upcoming 150 year anniversary of the Civil War and he wanted to do something new and original. The play is also a tribute to his ancestor William Franklin Moyer, a Union soldier who fought in the Battle of Antietam, a Union victory in Pennsylvania. Two other cast members had Confederate ancestors as well, he said.
“The most important thing about this play is to get a better understanding of where our country has come from and how important different beliefs are,” Moyer said.
By doing a more historically accurate play, Moyer said he hopes to bring the people of the Civil War back to life and give them a voice.
“A House Divided” is a historical drama featuring original songs and a cast of seven.
The composer, Austin Patrick, a freshman at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio, said he put more than 100 hours of writing and research into the play.
“I tried to make the themes as antique as possible and give it an American vibe while making it orchestrally exciting,” Patrick said.
Patrick got involved in the play when Moyer, a band instructor at his high school asked him to write the score while he was working on a musical last fall.
“It was a little scary at first, but the further I got down the road the more I enjoyed it,” he said.
University sophomore Aaron Welch is acting in the play and said what sets “A House Divided” apart from other plays is its historical accuracy.
“People will come to understand that life wasn’t easy back then, especially when a war is going on,” Welch said.
“People don’t know American history like they think they do,” he said. “They tend to focus on the big names of the war, but have forgotten the normal people who fought and we want to tell their side of the story.”
“A House Divided” premieres June 21 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Gymatorium in downtown Napoleon, Ohio, and costs $8.
