I am thrilled to announce I have completed another play (one of two in six months) – a historical drama – “Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand.”
As a lover of history, I have often used my theatrical writing to resurrect little-known or under-reported stories from the past, and this story in particular is one that I find very touching, very hopeful, and very relevant, especially in an age where, regardless of political persuasion – right, left, or in-between – Americans have lost faith in our leaders and our institutions.
Considering that rather depressing situation, it helps to turn back the clock to a man who, though widely decried at the time as pleasure-seeking and corrupt, rose to the greatest of challenges and aimed to restore faith in the American government and in American institutions – and all the time being encouraged by a most unlikely, yet remarkable woman.
This is “Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand”…
In the year 1880, James A. Garfield is elected President of the United States, with Chester Alan Arthur as Vice-President – but while Garfield is generally well-regarded, Arthur is a creature of the New York political machine and a participant in the rankest corruption. As a devotee of soirees above all, he is content to remain in the largely ceremonial role of Vice-President – until, that is, President Garfield is suddenly shot and killed by a deranged office-seeker. Propelled into history, Arthur has to choose between feeding the corrupt impulses of his friends and doing what is right for the country. He waffles, he wavers – and then suddenly he receives an inspiring letter from a mysterious woman who gives him the courage to stand up for himself and for what he knows is right.
A brisk-paced, two-act drama – funny in parts, heartfelt in others, and even tragic in some – “Respectfully Yours, Julia Sand” is a play about hope and redemption – and specifically, the hope and redemption of the unlikeliest people from the unlikeliest sources.
Classical, yet avant-garde in style, the play requires as few as 6 performers and takes place entirely in an English garden, as Arthur relives his life in memory, and is performed, aside from the actor playing Arthur, entirely by young women of all races, who play over 20 different roles.
You can read an excerpt of the play here!