New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179
Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to present the
World Premiere of Butler
by Richard Strand, directed by Joseph
Discher and starring Ames Adamson, David
Sitler, Benjamin Sterling and John G. Williams. Butler is a recipient of a prestigious Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award and is based on real life events that changed the lives of
more than 10,000 slaves. The play begins at the start of the Civil War and Butler, a successful Massachusetts
lawyer in civilian life has just been promoted to Major General and is given
command of Fort Monroe,
a Union hold-out in the state of Virginia.
The Fort, situated in a highly strategic location between North and
South, was considered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee to be a great threat
to Richmond, a
center of Confederate strength. By the time Butler assumed command, he was thrust into
the thick of things and was already considered by his superiors to be a prickly
individual who had a tendency to bend orders and to over-step authority. It is
this independence of spirit that ultimately leads to the explosive situation
that becomes the central event of the play. The catalyst that sets these events
in motion is the unexpected appearance of Shepard
Mallory, a runaway slave, who requests sanctuary at the fort. However, the law
of the land at the time has not yet changed and slaves are still considered
property that must be turned over to their "rightful owners". This is tantamount to a death-sentence and Butler is confronted with
a daunting moral dilemma.
Butler runs through Sunday, July 13. Tickets may be purchased by
calling 732-229-3166 or online at www.njrep.org.
