Diana Wortham Theatre

L.A. THEATRE WORKS IN THE RIVALRY

There was a time when political candidates’ words mattered, their ideas were essential, and their booming oratorical debates were crucial to the shaping of the nation. In the 1858 Illinois Senate race, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas embarked on a series of debates as the country steamrolled towards an enormous and costly civil war. Their epic clash of ideas and oratory forged a future President and a nation. The Rivalry, Norman Corwin’s riveting depiction of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, uses dialogue from the original transcripts to bring to life their fierce competition and the day’s most controversial issues - slavery and the American concept of freedom. The play eloquently reminds us of a time when substantive political debate engaged Americans in a way that talking heads and the blogosphere cannot and underscores the impact of words and their role in shaping public policy.

Tickets: Regular $35, Student $30, Child $12

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