Although the great 20th century writer Carl Sandburg hailed from “Lincoln Country” in Galesburg, Illinois, many people do not realize that Sandburg also belongs to North Carolina. He spent his last 20 years in the mountains near Asheville.
In celebration of his life (1878-1967), the WCC Players will perform “The World of Carl Sandburg” in several Wayne County locations March 27-30. Veteran local actors Geoff Hulse, Rosalyn Lomax, Gerald Simmons and Margaret Boothe Baddour will appear in the readers theater type show, sponsored by the Foundation of Wayne Community College.
Foundation Executive Director Jack Kannan fondly remembers Lomax, Simmons and Hulse 13 years ago in the Foundation’s acclaimed play, “Driving Miss Daisy,” with Baddour as director. “They all had such chemistry on stage,” he said. “That may have been our most successful show. We turned people away at the door.” Now the same troupe has become the “WCC Players,” Kannan added.
Geoff Hulse has starred in many Wayne Community College (WCC) productions, including portraying Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Blackbeard in “Hot Grog,” and the Ann’s Uncle in “Ann of Green Gables.” He is a criminal attorney with Haithcock, Barfield, Hulse & Kinsey.
Rosalyn Lomax, a retired WCC English teacher, has starred in numerous college and Center Stage Theatre shows over the years, with lead roles in “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Steel Magnolias,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Macbeth,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” She directed “Spoon River Anthology” and directs the youth theater group at First Presbyterian Church.
Returning to the WCC stage years after his debut as Hoke in “Driving Miss Daisy,” Gerald Simmons plans to try his hand at readers theater. He is a retired WCC English teacher who currently tutors students in the college’s Academic Skills Center.
Margaret Boothe Baddour has directed 13 plays at WCC, also taking roles as such characters as the wicked stepmother in “The Robber Bridegroom,” Witch #2 in “Macbeth,” and Puck in “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” She has directed “Grease” and “The World of Carl Sandburg” for StageStruck and is a retired Humanities, Creative Writing, and Drama teacher at WCC.
Conceived as an outreach project, the Sandburg production will feature performances at 8 p.m., on Friday, March 27 at the University of Mount Olive’s newly restored Southern Bank Auditorium, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 28 at WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 29 at the Wayne County Museum, with a student show at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 30 at WCC’s Moffatt Auditorium.
“The World of Carl Sandburg,” written and arranged by Norman Corwin, debuted in 1960 on Broadway and starred Betty Davis, David Merrill and Clarke Allen. The script includes Sandburg’s poetry and jokes, excerpts from his prize-winning biography of Abraham Lincoln, and a selection of the folk songs he collected all over America in the “American Song Bag.” Sandburg is one of very few authors to win the Pulitzer Prize for both poetry and prose.
“This is a fun show,” said Director Margaret Boothe Baddour. “The four actors are not confined to stools and music stands but move freely around the stage with pieces committed to memory. Our musical accompaniment will be provided by professional musician Donald Thompson, with Sonny Boy Joyner on harmonica. Both are members of the Donald Underwood Thompson band.”
Over the years, “The World of Carl Sandburg” has been presented in Wayne County by adults in 1978 on the porch of Goldsboro’s Park House at Herman Weil Park, then by StageStruck kids in 2002 at the University of Mount Olive’s Rodgers Chapel as well as in the outdoor theater at WCC and at the Wayne County Museum.
“The show always evokes laughter and tears and pulse beats of patriotism as Carl Sandburg continues to work his magic,” Ms. Baddour said.
This past September, the WCC Foundation sponsored a trip to Sandburg’s home, Connemara, which is a historic site at Flat Rock, N.C. According to Ms. Baddour, the travelers marveled at the huge collection of books donated by Mrs. Sandburg and her prize Nubian goats, still romping in the pasture nearby. The Sandburgs and their three daughters and grandchildren all lived at Connemara in his sunset years.
Admission, payable at the door, to “The World of Carl Sandburg” will be $5 for adults and $2 for students and seniors for the Saturday WCC and the Sunday Wayne County Museum performances. Tickets will be available at the door.
The UMO performance will be open to students and members of the community.
For more information, contact Emily Byrd at the WCC Foundation at (919) 739-7022 or esbyrd@waynecc.edu.