Kevin Purcell directs 'Lincoln and Shakespeare,' which he wrote, to examine the president's love of the bard and how Shakespeare's writing may have influenced Abe's writing and speeches. Feb. 21-22 at the Hoogland
What do Abraham Lincoln and William Shakespeare have in common? More than you might think — and a new production at the Hoogland Center for the Arts explores that powerful connection.
In Lincoln and Shakespeare, writer and director Kevin Purcell dives into the 16th president’s lifelong love of the Bard. The idea was sparked in 2011, when Purcell was challenged to create a play about the unexpected relationship between the frontier president and the world’s greatest playwright. After a year of research, he discovered a rich thread: Lincoln grew up reading Shakespeare and the Bible, and Shakespeare’s language and themes profoundly shaped his thinking, writing, and leadership.
The evolved production, on stage February 21–22 in the Peggy Ryder Theatre, is largely a one-man show set in April 1865 — just days after the Civil War’s end and shortly before Lincoln’s assassination. When a performance of Macbeth is interrupted by an actor’s sudden illness, Lincoln is invited to share his reflections on Shakespeare. What unfolds blends history and imagination, weaving Lincoln’s speeches with passages from Macbeth, Hamlet, and Richard III.
Purcell’s script highlights the striking rhythms of Lincoln’s language — including moments of iambic pentameter echoing Shakespeare’s verse — offering fresh insight into how the Bard may have influenced some of the most enduring words in American history.
For history lovers, theater fans, and the Shakespeare-curious alike, this production is an illuminating and uniquely Springfield experience.
Transcript pending.
