Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) weaves a rich tapestry of a beleaguered and divided nation, war-weary and desperate for goodwill, on a blustery Christmas Eve in 1864. Through the personal stories and struggles of a wide range of historical figures and fictional characters – from the President’s wife to runaway slaves, Union and Confederate soldiers to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Walt Whitman – we learn that, for all their differences, one thing is clear: the yearning for peace cuts across religious and class divisions, color lines and, of course, the Mason-Dixon Line.

At once familiar and freshly re-imagined, the story of that winter night is alive with history, hope and humanity. Vividly staged by director Tina Landau and infused throughout with traditional carols and period music, A Civil War Christmas takes a sprawling new look at the seemingly intractable challenges we once faced to see how far we’ve come as a nation and how far we still have to go.

Musical Arrangement Daryl Waters
Musical Direction Andrew Resnick
Scenic Design James Schuette
Costume Design Toni-Leslie James
Lightning Design Scott Zielinski
Sound Design Jill BC Du Boff
Stage Manager Lori Lundquist

with Sumaya Boulhbal, Jonathan David, K. Todd Freeman, Amber Iman, Karen Kandel, Sean Allan Krill, Chris Henry, Rachel Spencer Hewitt, Antwayn Hopper, Alice Ripley and Bob Stillman