New Stage Play on Local History

On August 23 – 26, the Defiance area will have the opportunity to participate in an exciting celebration of local history: a brand-new stage play based on significant but rarely heard local history, the launching of a new Community Arts organization, and a first production in a newly established performing arts venue.

The recently formed Defiance Community Cultural Council, an organization dedicated to the promotion of the arts in the Defiance Community, in cooperation with the City of Defiance, will present the world premiere performances of “Rescuing the Past: the True Narrative Behind the Captivity of O.M. Spencer in the Year of Our Lord 1792.” The play is based on the true story of the captivity of 11 year old Oliver Spencer by the Shawnee, as told in an article written by Oliver forty years after the events. The play has been written by and will star, Hank Fincken—a professional actor and playwright who has appeared several times in the Defiance region. Fincken was commissioned to write the work by Defiance Historian, Randy Buchman, with the support of the City of Defiance and local donors.

The play was created on the premise that Spencer, after whom Spencer School was named, has returned to Defiance late in his life to try to recollect the details of his captivity as a pre-teen. He is invited to speak to the locals about his writing and appears in a local church. The venue for the performances is the former New Beginnings Ministry at 319 Third St., originally First Baptist Church. The building will become the home of DCTV and Defiance Community Cultural Council, and will be the site for many more community events.

Tickets are $8 and available at Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce, Defiance Development and Visitor’s Bureau, Defiance Public Library, and prepaid by mail at Defiance Community Cultural Council, PO Box 294, Defiance OH 43512. Be sure to indicate which performance you wish. Thursday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. The Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m. The event sponsor for the performances is Mark Moats Ford.
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