A Patriotic Production: Northwood Temple's 'A House Divided'

Last weekend Northwood Temple hosted their epic patriotic production 'A House Divided' on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The two-hour long musical production that incorporated acting from scenes back in the 1850's were first class from the full orchestra down to the costumes.

Buck Hodge, the minister of music, selected the musical pieces and Janet Wright conducted the production and worked with the choir of adults during the month of June leading up to the performances, that were free to the public.

"The most rewarding aspect of this production was seeing how ordinary Christian men and women from our past had made such a huge impact on our country," said Janet. "Abraham Lincoln stood up for his strong moral beliefs, and he was not shy about sharing those convictions in public. As Christian Americans, we should be on our knees praying for the leaders of our government."

Hodge had read many books about each one of these famous Americans in order to write the script. He chose and purchased Patriotic music from various publishers to enhance the script.

Sarah Williams taught the children's choir during a week long music camp at Northwood. Williams, also, hired the 25 member orchestra, many of whom have been playing together for over 20 years.

"The music was inspiring, but the message that really struck me was how we seem to be repeating history. In the 1850's, the United States was being torn apart by the injustice of slavery," said John Wright, a trombone player in the production. "Now, we are being torn apart by other moral issues that are just as wrong. Our country truly needs another "Great Awakening". As it stands now, we are two different countries occupying the same continent."

Cast members were as follows:

Abraham Lincoln - Joe Berry

Billy Herndon - Ryan Ballard

Leonard Swett - Ken Stewart

Mary Todd Lincoln - Brook Duchene

Harriett Tubman - Janetta Carr

Miz Ann - Lori Epler

Sam Taylor - Brandon Bass

William Page - Gaundi Allen

Jeremiah Lanphier - Ryan Ballard

Rev. Patterson - Brandon Howard

James Gordon Bennett - Ken Stewart

Fanny Crosby - Alexis Stewart

Dwight L. Moody - Ed Wiens

Harriet Beecher Stowe - Audrey Berry