Ransom is a two-act play
with music, inspired by the Civil War letters of Lt. Ransom W. Towle and
Joshua Whitney, both of West Rochester, Vermont. The play was conceived
by its authors in the winter of 2010 and was produced by the White River
Valley Players in Novemeber, 2010.
Joe Schenkman came upon the Towle
letters at the Vermont Historical Society while researching the history
of West Rochester. He transcribed the thirty letters and read passages
to composer Dorothy Robson, who thought they might become the basis for
a theatrical work. Those two formed a team with Dick Robson, playwright,
Jake Wildwood, songwriter, and April Dodd, playwright intern, with the
goal of producing that work within a year. The White River Valley Players
endorsed the project and agreed to be the producer. Six standing-ovation
performances were given in early November at the Rochester Hight School
auditorium.
Ransom uses many of the
letters verbatim written home by Ransom and Joshua in order to hear the
tone and the language of those singular times. Through them tha audience
is exposed to the trials of the soldiers, in camp and in battle. But it
b ecame obvious early in teh writing that the story at home was at least
as compelling, especially given that the Civil War marked the beginning
of the end for the small, but thriving, community of West Rochester.
It is probably in that respect, the exploration and understanding of the effects of the war on the cummunity at home, that Ransom is most significant to the field of Vermont history. Since no letters written back to either Ransom or Joshua survive (to our knowledge) the playwrights used letters written by Hannah Glimes (from Tunbridge) and other Vermont women to their husbands in Vermont regiments to trace the hardships and heartaches of those left behind.
As historian Howard Coffin said in a radio interview he gave on the subject of the play, "I understand the home situation better than I ever had-- and I believe I've read over a thousand letters... I was absolutely mesmerized... it has got to be seen." Reviewer Charlie McMeekin, writing for The Herald of Randolph said, "The story that emerges is one of courage and sacrifice, not only by Rochester's young men, but by the women and children they left behind... I have never seen such a fitting and somber tribute to our soliders... the belief that each of us as Americans, indeed as humans, owes something significant to a call of purpose beyond our own selfishness is the historic premise not only of this wonderful production, but of the White River Valley Players themselves, who celebrate [over] 30 years of existence this year."
