‘On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led a slave rebellion that became a watershed event in America’s long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict. EMANCIPATION is a thoughtful, powerful and visceral examination of this pivotal moment in American society. This site-specific performance was held at The Shabazz Center, in the historic Audubon Ballroom – the site of the assassination of Malcolm X’ (Classical Theatre of Harlem, 2008).
I found this film fascinating because, although we could never recreate such powerful themes, the idea of creating a production based on true events would give our performance meaning.
Lincoln Cathedral and Castle
We discovered that even as late as the 1800’s, Lincoln was ‘divided into two parts, known by the appellation of Above-hill and Below-hill… The former part is the general residence of the gentry and clergy; while the latter is mostly inhabited by merchants and tradespeople’ (Stark, 1810, p.279). This is interesting because we think there is still a divide in place between the uphill and downhill, in terms of architecture, housing and social differences.
Lincoln
Our aim now is to produce a performance, which highlights the division between the uphill and downhill areas of Lincoln.
Word Count: 272
