Lizzie Borden Society Forum

The Fairfield Footlighters of Fairfield, a southwest Ohio city between Cincinnati and Dayton, will be presenting the 1984 drama "Lisbeth of Maplecroft" by Patricia A. Davis.

Synopsis: "Lizzie Borden took an axe ...", that childhood rhyme begins a journey into the mind of the infamous character who was accused of the brutal murder of her father and stepmother. The play takes a look behind the Victorian curtains to reveal what really may have happened to that ill-fated family. This suspense filled drama shows us what may have occurred to Lizzie after the trial found her not guilty. History tells us she and her sister were very close until a few years after the trial when her sister suddenly moved out never to see Lizzie again. This play looks at those years and suggests what may have caused this rift.

Performances are April 6, 7, and 8, 2006, at the Fairfield Community Arts Center, 8PM. There is also a matinee at 2PM on Sunday. April 9. Tickets are $10/$8 students and seniors. Tickets can be ordered by calling the Community Arts Center at (513) 867-5348.

Since becoming involved with this production, I have become fascinated with the Lizzie Borden story and with the views and comments of participants on this site. I really hope that some of you will be able to see this drama and post your comments here.

HI!
Well, interesting news!
If the show was here in Florida- you'd bet we'd be there!
What part are you in the production?

Maybe you can arrange to have the show taped?

Thanks, Kat, for the response. I play the part of Dr. Kolbe, a German psychiatrist who performs hypnosis on Lizzie. Remember, some of the characters are real-- Lizzie, Emma, Nan-- and some are ficticious-- Dr. Kolbe. Since what actually happened is still a mystery, the drama unfolds in 1904, twelve years after the murders, with Lizzie revisiting August 4, 1892, through a hypnotic trance. Patricia Davis, the playwright, gives her conjecture by having Lizzie go into a very long monologue about the event. No, I won't spoil the theatrical experience by giving away the author's ending, but I can say that Patricia Davis does explore several possible scenarios.

At Friday night's rehearsal I felt like I was attending an A&E or PBS discussion. Mrs. Davis, who is also directing the production, went into a long discussion with all the actors as to why and how she came to her conclusions. Her remarks gave us a lot of insight to use for our own character development.

I wish all of you would be able to see this production as it is truly good theatrical writing. I just hope that there will be an audience because those that attend will have quite a lot to discuss about Miss Borden for weeks to come.

As Kat stated earlier, is there a chance the show can/will be recorded and available for purchase ?


Tracy...

Last night Patricia Davis and I spoke at length about possibly taping the play. To do so would be quite an involved project, especially in light of the fact we open in two weeks. Also she stated that anytime a play is taped, it changes the perspective of what the playwright was trying to accomplish.

The play is copyrighted and all rights are owned by Patricia Davis. It is available for production rights upon application and payment of royaltiy, and printed copies of the script can be ordered for a fee. She has given me permission to post this e-mail address for all inquiries about "Lisbeth of Maplecroft":

[email protected]

Our production is the first ever produced by a community theater company, and I am sure that the play would be of interest to other companies looking for a good addition to their schedules. For more information about the Fairfield Footlighters, see:
http://www.fairfield-footlighters.org/L ... ecroft.htm

I'll keep you posted on how the production is going and what kinds of reactions we get from the audience.

Ooops! Wrong thread