Lewis and Clark play is more than historical review
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, August 22, 2004
Rehearsing a scene for "A Young Man of Much Merit" are Paul Guggenheimer, Matt Ebel and John Mangan at Briar Cliff University Theater. ( Staff photo by Jerry Mennenga)
Richard Poole's play, which examines the Lewis and Clark expedition, is more than just an historical review.
"It's a play that looks at the motivation behind the 'why?'," he explained. "Why do these people do the things they do?"
Poole was commissioned to write a play about the Lewis and Clark expedition and its relation to Siouxland. The result of months and months of research was "A Young Man of Much Merit: Sergeant Charles Floyd and the Corps of Discovery."
"After the trip was over, Clark referred to Floyd as a young man of much merit," Poole said. "That's the reason for the title."
Poole consulted books and the journals written from the expedition to give historical accuracy to the production. Some dialogue is taken verbatim from the journals, but most of the conversations and monologues in the play are his interpretation.
"What really interested me was that these were not historical characters," Poole said. "These were actual people who lived and had to make decisions and how they arrived at those decisions."
Although the focus is on Capts. Meriwether Lewis (Matt Ebel), William Clark (John Mangan), and Sgt. Charles Floyd (Paul Guggenheimer), the show presents insights into the minds of lesser characters, such as President Thomas Jefferson (Art Moss) and York (John Hardy), Clark's slave and the only black man on the expedition. Jefferson and York muse about the expedition in almost a parallelism about "waiting."
"Jefferson was a free, white man who never went west, but always wanted to. He was left behind, 'waiting' to hear from the others on their adventure," Poole observed.
"It was my invention to have York, a black man and a slave, consider what he was 'waiting' for and that would have been an enlightenment about his role in the expedition and afterwards," he added.
The challenge for Poole as playwright comes in accuracy versus entertainment.
"I can't presume to understand what it was like to be the president or a slave," Poole speculated, "but I can use my imagination to create scenes where the characters might explain what their lives were like."
The 11-member cast uses a form of interpretive theater in which scripts are carried on stage and costumes are minimalistic. Slides are projected behind the cast to illustrate scenes and locales.
"Directing this, I searched for simplicity in design and richness in performance," Poole said. "The cast has been outstanding in focusing on the internal qualities of the characters."
The play begins as a fourth-grade history class visits the Floyd Monument on a field trip. As the teacher discusses the significance of the expedition, scenes from her lecture come to life. The play follows the trek and concludes with Floyd's death.
"I hope the play moves the audience to a greater understanding of who these people were and what they might have felt," Poole said.
"A Young Man of Much Merit" -- interpreters' theater with performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday at Briar Cliff University Theater, 3303 Rebecca St. Tickets are $5, or $3 for children and senior citizens. Open seating only. Reserve tickets beginning Monday by calling the box office, (712) 279-5542.
"It's a play that looks at the motivation behind the 'why?'," he explained. "Why do these people do the things they do?"
Poole was commissioned to write a play about the Lewis and Clark expedition and its relation to Siouxland. The result of months and months of research was "A Young Man of Much Merit: Sergeant Charles Floyd and the Corps of Discovery."
"After the trip was over, Clark referred to Floyd as a young man of much merit," Poole said. "That's the reason for the title."
Poole consulted books and the journals written from the expedition to give historical accuracy to the production. Some dialogue is taken verbatim from the journals, but most of the conversations and monologues in the play are his interpretation.
"What really interested me was that these were not historical characters," Poole said. "These were actual people who lived and had to make decisions and how they arrived at those decisions."
Although the focus is on Capts. Meriwether Lewis (Matt Ebel), William Clark (John Mangan), and Sgt. Charles Floyd (Paul Guggenheimer), the show presents insights into the minds of lesser characters, such as President Thomas Jefferson (Art Moss) and York (John Hardy), Clark's slave and the only black man on the expedition. Jefferson and York muse about the expedition in almost a parallelism about "waiting."
"Jefferson was a free, white man who never went west, but always wanted to. He was left behind, 'waiting' to hear from the others on their adventure," Poole observed.
"It was my invention to have York, a black man and a slave, consider what he was 'waiting' for and that would have been an enlightenment about his role in the expedition and afterwards," he added.
The challenge for Poole as playwright comes in accuracy versus entertainment.
"I can't presume to understand what it was like to be the president or a slave," Poole speculated, "but I can use my imagination to create scenes where the characters might explain what their lives were like."
The 11-member cast uses a form of interpretive theater in which scripts are carried on stage and costumes are minimalistic. Slides are projected behind the cast to illustrate scenes and locales.
"Directing this, I searched for simplicity in design and richness in performance," Poole said. "The cast has been outstanding in focusing on the internal qualities of the characters."
The play begins as a fourth-grade history class visits the Floyd Monument on a field trip. As the teacher discusses the significance of the expedition, scenes from her lecture come to life. The play follows the trek and concludes with Floyd's death.
"I hope the play moves the audience to a greater understanding of who these people were and what they might have felt," Poole said.
"A Young Man of Much Merit" -- interpreters' theater with performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday at Briar Cliff University Theater, 3303 Rebecca St. Tickets are $5, or $3 for children and senior citizens. Open seating only. Reserve tickets beginning Monday by calling the box office, (712) 279-5542.
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