HALLOWED GROUND

“Hallowed Ground earns its stripes … a cleanly written drama that deals with universal emotions. Hallowed Ground is a simple but elegant work … effectively directed by Nora Hussey. The set is minimal and … gives the play a post-apocalyptic feel that transcends its Civil War setting. Hallowed Ground isn’t a play of showy importance, and though it has something to say about racial and gender roles, its subtlety and concern with universal themes – the futility of war, the power of hope – push it beyond “identity” theatre. I hate to categorize the play at all, especially after recalling another fine moment in this production. The Confederate soldier plays a tune on his cornet and Lizzie is about to identify it when he puts up his hand and says, “Don’t name it, girl. Let it live a bit before you tie it down.” —Boston Phoenix

“Hallowed Ground deftly portrays war’s horror, poetry. Laura Harrington makes these characters real. As these enemies try to forge a peace over ravaged bodies, so shall the entire nation after the war ends. Jubal and Lizzie and Micah and Jack feel like flesh and blood, not walking symbols. Harrington also forges a fine language, capable of sounding like real speech while packing a poetic punch. Witness Jubal when he dreams of playing his cornet beautifully enough “to drown out the sound of this war.” —Maine Sunday Telegram

“The text of the play is mesmerizing … the language poetic. The play is a story of friendship and growth, of grief and loss, and of the tenuous moments between life and death, between peace and war … Hartman’s performance is outstanding.” —The Portland Phoenix