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Freedom Bound: Musical play arrives in Boston

Performance will be at Timilty Middle School

J. Cottle
Freedom Bound: Musical play arrives in Boston
Bob Lucas as Udney Hyde and Charles Lattimore as Addison White in Freedom Bound. (Photo: Courtesy of Mad River Theater Works)

It is the dead of night in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, 1856. A black slave is hiding in the upstairs loft owned by a white abolitionist, surrounded by a squadron of U.S. Marshals led by his old slave master, threatening to take him back to the plantation he had fought so desperately to escape.

This is not the plot of another Quentin Tarantino movie. This is historical fact.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Timilty Middle School, Madison Park Development Corporation will present Mad River Theater Works’ production of Freedom Bound, a theater and music hybrid that tells the story of Addison White, Udney and Amanda Hyde, and a town that stood up to the government to protect a fugitive deserving of freedom.

Mad River Theater Works incorporated as a non-profit ensemble in 1978, in western rural Ohio, and primarily focuses on telling the stories of extraordinary people not often heard of. According to Chris Westhoff, managing director of Mad River Theater Works and tour manager for the current national tour of Freedom Bound, playwright Jeff Hooper was looking for a story about the Underground Railroad local to the community and came across the tale of Addison White and the Hyde Family.

Addison White was enslaved in Fleming County, Kentucky. After getting into a physical altercation with his master, Daniel White, Addison ran on the Underground Railroad towards freedom, and away from the capital punishment that awaited him on the White farm. He escaped to Ohio and was taken in by Udney Hyde, a bedridden abolitionist, and his daughter Amanda Hyde. The story that follows is a timely one that explores freedom, how it’s won, and the necessary transcendence of color and creed when fighting against bigotry.

In a time rife with apathy and insistence that we live in a post-racial society where institutions like Black History Month are at times deemed unnecessary, Westhoff believes in the relevancy of Freedom Bound and pieces like it.

“We don’t live in a post-racial society, and the race issue is just another example of human bigotry,” he said. “The relevance is that it’s a story that digs into the rock and hard place of humanity, and it just happens to be a story of an African American trying to be free. It’s super relevant to talk about these things.”

As mature as these themes are, Freedom Bound is still a piece meant for the whole family to share and enjoy. As a theatrical art piece the play wields a certain power in regard to educating young people in a way that is lasting and impactful. Westhoff cites powerhouse music, a wonderful cast and an impressive pedigree as reasons to bring the family out next Saturday afternoon.

“To see a show like this in Roxbury is really remarkable,” he said. “We’ve played it at the Smithsonian, The Kennedy Center, some of the greatest theaters in the country, so for Madison Park Development Corporation to sponsor this for the community is a total gift.”

Mad River Theater Works receives support from The National Endowment for the Arts, The Ohio Arts Council, Honda of America, and the Columbus Foundation.

Freedom Bound can be seen next Saturday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. in the Timilty Middle School auditorium. The school is located at 205 Roxbury Street in John Eliot Square. Tickets are free and all are welcome. No RSVP is necessary for this event.