Actor Performances

Lilacs & Letters

In the shadows of an early morning in 1865, American poet and journalist Walt Whitman sits among the sleeping wounded at the Armory Military Hospital in Washington D.C. Whitman reflects on national grief, as he puts finishing touches on his poetry, eulogizing President Lincoln. This one-man play tells how Whitman would often visit soldiers during his spare time, dressing wounds, sitting bedside, and writing letters home for them. This performance may be an event enhancement for an evening Museum rental event.

• Location: Union Theater
• Running Time: 15 minutes; Q & A included
• Appropriate for all audiences

Lilacs & Letters: $400 per performance

Small Beginnings 

This is a Living History performance that premiered at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in the Fall of 2022 and is offered as an event enhancement during an evening Museum rental event. Museum actor, Reggie Guyton, portrays Robert Smalls, an American politician, publisher, and businessman. Born into enslavement in South Carolina, Smalls commandeered a Confederate ship during the Civil War, freeing himself, his crew, and their families. Underscored by Museum actor/musician Randy Skalicky, Small Beginnings brings to life the story of Robert’s daring escape to freedom.

• Location: Union Theater
• Running Time: 13 minutes; Q & A included
• Appropriate for all audiences

Small Beginnings: $500 for a performance

At Ford’s Theater

Give your guests the opportunity to learn more about the nation in the weeks following Lincoln’s assassination by adding one of our actors portraying either Mrs. Wade or Jason Knox. The actor will take your guests back to that time as they perform a short, scripted piece and answer questions inside the Ford’s Theater room of The White House Years Journey. 

Jason Knox’s remembrance is based on his letter about what he saw that night. Though he promised his father he would “never set foot in a theater or a saloon,” he was at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865, “only to witness the saddest tragedy ever enacted in the country.”

Mrs. Wade’s performance is based on a letter she wrote about her brother, who “ran to the presidential box and was told to get a doctor.”

We invite you to add this actor performance, which is based on actor availability, to your Museum event with our Facilities Rental staff as we help you plan your evening at the Museum.

At Ford’s Theater Actor: $100 per hour

From My Front Porch

Enjoy a 12-minute, one actor performance on a specially-made set piece during a Museum event to see Mrs. Rose Allen doing her housework on her front porch while taking your guests back to 1863 Springfield.  The show will delight your guests with stories of the Lincoln family and The Civil War.

We invite you to add this performance, based on actor availability, to your event with our Facilities Rental staff as we help you plan your evening at the Museum.    

From My Front Porch: $100