Underground Railroad Production to Premiere

Steal-Away, an audio docudrama about the Underground Railroad, will have its premiere on Friday, November 9, in Park Hall Auditorium. The 7:30 p.m. presentation is free and open to the public.

Written and produced by assistant professor of television-radio Gordon Webb, Steal-Away is the fictional account of Jacob, a slave who makes his way north to freedom prior to the Civil War.

"I based Jacob’s story on historical documents," says Webb. "It is intended to be representative of the experiences of the thousands of slaves who made the Underground Railroad journey beginning in the early 1800s. The audience will be immersed in that world."

Through music, narration, dialogue, and sound effects, the 20-minute production conveys the experience in a "surround sound" format using Dolby 5.1 audio technology. Webb produced the piece under the auspices of a Pendleton production grant provided by the Park School. He says Steal-Away was a collaborative effort involving the talents of some 40 students, community members, professional actors, and musicians.

"This program would make an excellent resource to supplement classroom instruction or to accompany a museum or historical society exhibit about slavery and the Civil War era," says Webb. He has invited area educators to attend the premiere and plans to make a stereo version of the production available on compact disc.

For more information, contact Webb at 274-1891 or webb@ithaca.edu.