Soldier, Come Home

To mark the observance of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, “Soldier, Come Home,” a play by Frank W. Wicks based on family Civil War letters, opens April 14 at GreenMan Theatre, produced in conjunction with Elmhurst Reads: The Civil War. Reviewers rave about the script: “The letters actually become a play, inviting us into the lives of one family dealing with war, separation and, ultimately, hope. It’s gripping, fascinating theater. I didn’t want it to end.”

Performances of “Soldier, Come Home” are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Apr 14-16, and Sunday Apr 17 at the First United Methodist Church, 232 S. York St., Elmhurst. Thursday through Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday is at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10, $8 for students/seniors. Free parking is available. For more information call 630-464-2646. Elmhurst resident Phil Hendricks directs the show; Phil previously appeared on GreenMan’s stage in “Murder: Stage Right” and was one of the directors for “I Only Have Ives for You.” 

Frank Wick’s “Soldier, Come Home” is being presented as a special added production in GreenMan Theatre’s season, part of commemorations of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Wicks, a founding member of the Long Wharf Theatre, transformed the letters of his great-grandparents, Philip and Mary Pringle, family members and friends, into a play, weaving the story of one family through the events of the Civil War. Mary Pringle wrote to her husband from Armagh, Pennsylvania, while he responded from several major Civil War battle sites, including Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, the siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox.

In 1950, the long-forgotten letters, written from 1859-1865, were discovered in a shoe box in the attic of the home of Wicksʼ grandparents, John S. Wicks and Sadie Pringle Wicks, in South Fork, Pennsylvania. Wicksʼ father, Frank Wicks, Sr., began to transcribe the letters. After his fatherʼs death, Wicks continued the project and began work on “Soldier, Come Home.”

“I was struck from the beginning by the emotional content of the letters,” Wicks said. “They were filled with conflicts, complicated relationships, humor, enormous difficulties and struggles for survival. I felt that the energy of the letters, plus their historical importance, would make for an interesting dramatic presentation.”

“Soldier, Come Home” has been playing to sold-out houses since its premiere performance in Brunswick, Maine in 2002. The play has been performed throughout the Northeast, including an Off-Broadway presentation in New York City. For the opening performance, critics said, “Soldier, Come Home” played to enraptured audiences. “The script, plus the acting, staging, lighting and music produced an amazing, intimate view of history. This is a theater experience not to be missed.”  The play is performed as reader’s theatre by five actors playing eight different characters using minimal sets, lights and costumes. “Soldier, Come Home” has been presented by small professional and amateur theatre companies, high schools and colleges, historical societies, community and senior centers, and Civil War Round Tables. The play runs approximately one hour with no intermission.

“You don’t have to be a Civil War buff to appreciate Soldier, Come Home. It’s about family, love, duty, and coping: universal themes for people caught in the maelstrom of war.” …..Rita Bailey, Joshua Chamberlain Civil War Round Table, Brunswick, Maine