Centre News

Centre’s Norton Center for the Arts will offer a performance of
“The Rivalry” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 in Newlin Hall. The
radio play depicts the famed 1858 debates between then-Illinois
senators Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

Centre’s Norton Center for the Arts will offer a performance of “The Rivalry” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 in Newlin Hall. The radio play depicts the famed 1858 debates between then-Illinois senators Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The Norton Center performance will be recorded and rebroadcast on WEKU, a local NPR affiliate, later this month.

Written by Norman Corwin and produced by LA Theatre Works, “The Rivalry” stars Robert Parsons (“Almost Famous”) as Abraham Lincoln and Josh Clark (“Heroes”) as Stephen Douglas. Parsons will be recreating the role of Lincoln from his performance of “The Rivalry” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., last year.

“The Rivalry” is told from the perspective of Douglas’ wife, Adele, and includes dialogue taken from the transcripts of the 1858 debates, during which the two senators tackled such pressing social issues as slavery and the American ideal of freedom.

After the performance, the actors will participate in a discussion with the audience about these issues and how they still affect America over 150 years later.

An array of other events will be held in conjunction with the Norton Center performance, including a campus-wide educational series of lectures and discussions entitled “Practicing Civil Engagement in the Age of Incivility: You Have the Right.”

The series begins on Wednesday Feb. 8 with a panel discussion called “How to be Civil in an Age of Incivility,” led by Assistant Professor of Government Ben Knoll at 4 p.m. in the Vahlkamp Theatre.

The Centre Democrats, Centre Republicans and Centre Young Democratic Socialists will have a debate on state vs. federal rights at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 in Weisiger Theatre.

Knoll will give a lecture entitled “Democracy Under Attack? The News Media, Campaigns and Politics” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 in the Vahlkamp Theatre.

A panel discussion on “The Major Role of the Minority Voter: Community Engagement in Politics” will be led by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Eva Cadavid at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 in the Vahlkamp Theatre.

For tickets to “The Rivalry,” call 1-877-HIT-SHOW or visit www.nortoncenter.com. For more information about other events occurring in conjunction with the performance, contact Norton Center Engagement Coordinator Dustin Mosko at 859-238-5422 or dustin.mosko@centre.edu.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail elizabeth.trollinger@centre.edu with your feedback.

Centre College, founded in 1819 and chosen to host its second Vice Presidential Debate in 2012, is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges, at 42nd in the nation, and ranks 27th for best value among national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 34th among all the nation’s colleges and universities and has named Centre in the top five among all institutions of higher education in the South for three years in a row. Centre is also ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News for its study abroad program. For more, click here.