Play Reading, “Ben Butler” – an Important Part of Black History
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Play Reading, “Ben Butler” – an Important Part of Black History
January 16, 2019 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
FreeBen Butler, a Union general, had just arrived as commander of Ft. Monroe in Virginia in 1861 when three Black men asked him for sanctuary.
Should he honor the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and return the men to their “owner”? This is the central question of Richard Strand’s “Ben Butler,” a surprisingly witty, as well as serious, play that will be read by local actors Wednesday, Jan 16, 7:30 pm, at Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth. Butler’s decision, according to historians, helped steer the direction of the Civil War.
