Hopewell Furnace News Release
Original Drama Featuring Hopewell's Stories of Women, Slavery, and the Underground Railroad to be presented in Douglassville
From Out The Fiery Furnace, a one act play written and directed by nationally recognized play write Christine Emmert and performed by 40-year veteran of the stage and screen Barbara Hannevig, features the stories of life in the 19th century at Hopewell Village. Hannevig brings to life several characters of the period including runaway slaves, “fallen” women, indentured servants, orphaned children, and others. According to Hopewell Furnace Superintendent performances are slated for 4 p.m. at the Villa at Morlattan and 7 p.m. at the 1801 Chapel of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church on Friday, November 13. These adjacent facilities are located on Route 422 East in Douglassville, PA. The program is free and open to the public.
“We are pleased to be able to bring the stories of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site to the community in an exciting new way,” said Superintendent Shean-Hammond. “This is an original drama and Hannevig is riveting to young and old alike.” The play premiered during Hopewell’s Harvest Time event on September 19 to two full house audiences. Emmert and Hannevig volunteered to take the show on the road to connect new audiences to their local national park. The National Park Service chose St. Gabriel’s as an appropriate venue as it was the church of Mark Bird, who founded Hopewell Furnace in 1770. Future performances are scheduled in Phoenixville and Radnor in 2010.
The National Park play showcases how a woman’s life and love could be singularly tracked through her relationship with a Hopewell Stove. “Hopewell Furnace was famous for not only supporting George Washington in the Revolutionary War, but also for its proliferation of perhaps the most important innovation of the 19th century, the 10-plate cooking stove.,” said Shean-Hammond. “We should never take for granted how this important innovation and the industry that created it freed women both black and white to pursue their just place in American Society,” she added.
Playwright/director Christine Emmert has a long resume of work. She has been published in three countries and performed throughout the English speaking world. In addition to directing and writing Emmert has had an extensive stage career. She has appeared with Barbara Hannevig at Village Productions in LETTICE AND LOVAGE, QUILTERS, and MRS BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE. Christine lives in Valley Forge with her husband, Richard, who often joins her in her theatre adventures.
Barbara Hannevig studied at the Goodman Theatre School in Chicago and worked professionally for over forty years. In addition to her stage work she has performed in videos and voiceovers. She has graced the stage of Village Productions in such diverse pieces at JAKE'S WOMEN, ALMOST MAINE, and of course, LETTICE AND LOVAGE.
Donna Samluk(Assistant Director/Stage Manager) met up with Christine and Barbara in their Village Production Days. Donna has worked on a great variety of productions behind the scenes, including those presented by the Berks Opera Workshop where her son, Matt, has contributed his baritone voice. She is currently stage managing DRACULA in Pottstown.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (NHS) is the pre-eminent example of a 19th century iron-making community. Park visitors can walk its pathways of history, exploring structures such as the cast house, ironmaster’s mansion, blacksmith shop and barn. Livestock at the park’s farm include horses, a cow, chickens and sheep reminiscent of the types that were used to support the work force when the Furnace was an active business and community.
At Hopewell Furnace NHS, the National Park Service preserves and interprets an early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation. The site is surrounded by the 73,000-acre Hopewell Big Woods, the largest forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Showcasing an iron plantation and its surrounding village, the park restrooms and grounds, including miles of hiking trails, are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The park stays open Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. It is closed other federal holidays. Hopewell Furnace is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. The entrance fee is $4 for visitors age 16 & older. Children under 16 are admitted free, as are holders of Hopewell Furnace Park Passes, and other Federal Recreational Lands Passes (Senior/Access/Annual). No entrance fees are charged during January and February. For more information stop by the park’s visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park’s web site at: www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact us by e-mail at: hofu_superintendent@nps.gov. Visitors with specific needs may contact the park for assistance before their visit.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site: We’re Making It in America!
