TECUMSEH

• When: June 8 – September 1, 2007 Monday through Saturday at 8 p.m.
• Location: Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre in Chillicothe, Ohio
• Phone: toll-free 1-866-775-0700

Photo by Joe Murray

Have we as a nation lost touch with our past?  Do our kids think history is what happened two weeks ago on “The Bachelor”?  Which did you want to be, Daniel Boone or Geronimo, when you played in the woods?  For less than a tank of gas you can immerse yourself and your family in the struggle and spectacle of the late 1700’s.  In Chillicothe, Ohio the outdoor drama “Tecumseh!” has been bringing the past to life every summer for the last thirty-two years.  The story of the legendary Shawnee leader has played to over two million audience members from over one hundred countries.  How long has it been since we embraced the heroes who walked this soil not so very long ago? 

Imagine yourself seated in the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre: although you are sitting in a state-of-the-art theatrical facility, you are also perched in a crag on the side of a mountain surrounded by hardwoods hundreds of years old and a gentle breeze.  Little would you suspect that you are about to be encircled by a herd of galloping horses and a volley of black powder rifle shot.  Warriors with tomahawks and frontiersmen brandishing knives are battling for the very right to breathe in this verdant land.  Fierce convictions are held on both sides; white and native battle with the morality of the accepted, traditional way of achieving triumph over the other.  Yet this is not a tale of hatred, but a complex love story…the story of two peoples and their love for the land. 

In a brilliant script, often called the best of its genre, seven-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and Emmy recipient Allan W. Eckert brings to the stage the constant and time-honored question - how far would you go to save the people and land you cherish?  Over the course of his lifetime, Tecumseh fought to do just that.  The play spans the years from 1784 to 1813, and the lush outdoor set portrays ground from the Kentucky Territory up through the Thames River in Ontario, site of Tecumseh’s last battle.    

Though the show alone is mesmerizing, it is equally fascinating to find out what goes on behind the scenes at the drama.  Producer and Artistic Director Marion N. Waggoner -himself a Blue Licks, Kentucky native- explains the arduous rehearsal and training schedules the 105 people involved in “Tecumseh!” must endure.  “It is like theatre boot camp.  For two weeks and five days the actors work fourteen hours a day and the production staff members work up to eighteen [hours].  Finding talented people willing to endure the physical demands of this kind of drama is the hardest part.”           

Indeed, if you go on one of the Backstage Tours offered at “Tecumseh!”, you will get a small taste of what Waggoner is talking about.  The actors themselves lead the tours into “behind-the-curtain” areas and explain part of the process they go through in readying the show.  There are demonstrations of the weapons, high-falls, and stage combat used during the battles (usually the most interesting to the younger crowd,) but the guides also give shortened explanations of history significant to the story.   

After the tour ends, take a walk through the Mini-Museum provided to patrons free of charge in the Rolette Pavilion.  In conjunction with the Ohio Historical Society, the producers of “Tecumseh!” have amassed a small, yet unique Prehistoric Indian Collection of items relating not only to Tecumseh’s time, but from other cultural periods as well. 

There is a gift shop near the box office that offers some beautiful Native-crafted art and jewelry, as well as informative books about the time period.  Here the kids can find small mementos from their journey back into the days of Simon Kenton and the Shawnee.  If you don’t feel like going back into town for dinner before the show, the Restaurant Terrace offered on-site is a good option.  Broasted chicken, baked ham, hot vegetables, a salad bar, and drink are included on the “all-you-care-to-eat” buffet.  The usual hot-dogs, popcorn and drinks are available at the snack bar, and you are permitted to take them into the theatre if you are short on time. 

Should you care to make a weekend trip of the outing, the “Tecumseh!” web site provides convenient links to other area attractions.  Other great side trips that would enhance the experience: The Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, The Adena State Memorial, and The Ross County Historical Society Museums. 

This weekend why not allow yourself to become entranced by your childhood heroes once again?  Introduce your children, while you’re at it… *Not recommended for children age 6 or under.

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