Churchill Set to Premier at The Arts Place of Stokes
The Stokes County Arts Council is excited to present the North Carolina premiere of “Churchill”, written and performed by Andrew Edlin, on March 17th and 18th at The Arts Place of Stokes, 502 N. Main Street, Danbury, NC.
This tour de force one-man show features Edlin as one of the world’s most extraordinary characters – the charismatic statesman, orator, and wit Sir Winston Churchill. Set in 1955, Churchill, ‘the Man who won the War’, agonizes in his wartime London bunker whether to resign as Prime Minister. Churchill’s wit and wisdom keep the audience entranced as they share his hopes and fears as a child, as a young soldier and politician, and into his mature leadership against the might of Hitler and the Nazis. As Churchill wrestles with whether to quit, it becomes clear that old personal issues will affect his ability to let go.
British-born actor and playwright Andrew Edlin first performed his Churchill in 1997 after a four year period of research, writing, and workshopping. He has continued to revise the script and production ever since, working with directors John Rainey and Al Constantineau. Edlin, who won a history scholarship to Oxford University in England, feels he has been unconsciously gathering material for the play all his life.
“I was 10 years old when Churchill died. It is hard to exaggerate what an enormous presence he was in England. Beloved and iconic as F.D.R. was in America, there was never that feeling, as there was with Churchill, that his unbreakable will had single-handedly saved the country from destruction.”
Tickets to Churchill are $15 for Stokes Arts members, $18 General Admission, and include Hot Tea and Crumpets to set the mood. Both performances are sponsored by Dr. Mark Johnson Family Dentistry.