Former PA Governor’s Pennypacker Mills Estate Offers Free Holiday Deck the Halls Mansion Tours through January 9th, Victorian Décor and Traditions Abound at this Montgomery County Historical Site

By Catherine J. Barrier

Governor Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (1843-1916), a Republican, served as Governor of Pennsylvania for one term, from 1903 to 1907, during his fellow conservationist Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency. 

In the early 20-Century, Pennypacker Mills encompassed 135-acres and was a working “Gentleman’s Farm”.  At that time, it was fashionable to be associated with farming and to be considered hard-working and close to the land, and Governor Pennypacker embraced these ideals.

Indeed, in the early 1900’s, most Americans were still farmers (almost 50%) or came from farm families.  Horses provided the power for farming; they pulled most of the heavy farm machinery, usually in teams of two.  Certain seasonal jobs, such as preparing the soil for planting in the spring, spreading manure on the fields in the spring or summer—to fertilize the ground, and weeding the summer fields between rows of plants—to keep the crops healthy, needed to be done yearly.  Then in late summer or early autumn, the crops had to be harvested and the grains then stored to dry—in preparation for threshing, that is for the separating of the barley, oat, or wheat kernels, for example, from the stalks.  It was dirty work and often done on still very hot days.  In the winter, farm machinery was repaired, animals cared for, and buildings and fences fixed.  Winter was also the season to can or smoke meat.  There was always work to be done on a farm, and Pennypacker Mills was always bustling with activity as well.

What we know today as the Pennypacker Mansion (and Estate) first belonged to a Pennypacker family member in 1747 and was a stone German farmhouse.  The Governor bought it in 1900 and had it refurbished in what is called the Colonial Revival Style.  This style is normally characterized by things such as rectangular, symmetrical façades; gabled roofs; dormers; pillars and columns; simple, classical detailing; temple-like entrances, having porticos topped by pediment; and multi-pane, double-hung windows with shutters.  In 1980, Montgomery County purchased the Pennypacker Mills Estate, fully furnished, from a member of the Pennypacker family.



The Christmas Tree,
with Victorian Decorations

 “We have the house filled with Victorian decorations, so it looks like it did in 1900 when the Governor [and his family] lived here, and we give tours of the Mansion” said Ella Aderman, the Pennypacker Mills Site Supervisor, who has an M.A. in Historic Preservation, has worked as an interior designer, and has taught art.  She has been at Pennypacker Mills for the past 15 years. 

“The site has been open for 25 years and has been decorated and open for holiday tours each year,” said Aderman.  “The decorations change every year, but they’re all based on Victorian themes and/or on German or Dutch traditions.  The Pennypacker Family was of German and Dutch descent.”

Now through Sunday, January 9, 2011, Pennypacker Mills offers its Deck the Halls Holiday Mansion Tours.  The house is located on the Pennypacker estate at 5 Halderman Road (at the intersection of Rts. 73 & 29), in Schwenksville (19473).  See antique musical instruments, garner great decorating ideas, see Clear Toy Candy, learn about the (family) life of one of Pennsylvania’s former governors, and much more.  Guided tours are available Tuesdays-Saturdays 10-4 and Sundays 1-4, but the site is closed Mondays, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day.  The last tour of the day is at 3:30 p.m.  The Mansion tour is Free, but there is a suggested donation of $2 per person for admission to Pennypacker Mills.  For more information, see http://www.historicsites.montcopa.org/; call (610) 287-9349; or E-mail: PennypackerMills@montcopa.org. 

“The staff and several volunteers decorated the house,” said Aderman.  “We have a group of 10 to 12 volunteers who decorated it, but there’s a lot of time spent planning for the actual decorating ahead of time.”

“Our theme this year is music, since we [currently] have a musical instrument exhibit,” said Aderman.  “Not all the people in Victorian times could afford to take private music lessons or knew how to read music, so there were lots of gadgets that people came up with to have music in their homes during the holidays.  And many times these required some kind of turning of a crank handle or some other simple action.”

Now through next September 1^st, 2011, during regular museum hours, samples of these popular mechanical musical devices that produced entertaining music for family and friends are on display in the second floor gallery, a two-room gallery that features changing exhibits of the kinds of things Governor Pennypacker liked and collected.  And the musical devices in this “Wind It Up & Hear It Play: Mechanical Music of the 19^th-Century” display are not only for viewing; visitors are also treated to how the individual instruments sound and to sounds of music from the past.

“For our musical instruments exhibit, we have actual antique instruments [not reproductions], and we demonstrate how they are played,” said Aderman.  “It’s a hands-on kind of thing.”  Some of the instruments on display include a barrel organ and other instruments that have either a metal projection of some sort—and work like modern music boxes—or bellows.  For the former, “. . . it’s all a matter of where the bumps are; they control the sound,” said Aderman.  These musical demonstrations are included on the regular tours of the Mansion.

“Many of these musical gadgets were fairly inexpensive, and some were even given away by companies, as promotional items, during the holidays,” said Aderman.

Ms. Aderman finds the Pennypacker Mills site to be quite unique.

“There are so many different things to talk about and do for interesting programs here [at Pennypacker Mills], and there’s incredible documentation!” said Aderman.

“We have lots of receipts, so we know what [the Pennypacker family members] were buying and what they had,” said Aderman.  “The house is full of things that [Governor Pennypacker] collected, and everything is well-documented.”

Some of the things that Governor Pennypacker collected included thousands of volumes and manuscripts, many of early Pennsylvania imprints, and many containing information about the German colonists in Pennsylvania or having been printed by Benjamin Franklin.

Holiday-Decorated Bedroom at Pennypacker Mills

“We don’t know everything [The Pennypacker Family] did during the holiday season, but we do know more than many other historical sites do [because of all the surviving records],” said Aderman.  “[And] ninety-five percent of what we have in the house is original to the house and the family, and we have the documents and receipts to prove it.”

“Many of the decorations of the [Victorian] time were imported by the family from Germany, or ordered from the Sears Catalog or from John Wanamaker’s [Department Store] in Philadelphia,” said Aderman. (The Sears Catalog had, by the turn of the century, become one of only two books some rural folks ever read—the other one being the Bible.  And Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck first produced a catalog in 1888.  Later, catalogs were introduced periodically, when they felt they had enough new items to sell.  John Wanamaker & Co., on the other hand, was the first department store in Philadelphia and one of the first department stores in the United States.)  “But they made many decorations at that time, too, and they didn’t have printed wrapping paper.”  Some of the hand-made decorations of the day included raisin and nut garland, popcorn balls, tinfoil decorations, orange baskets, and Gilded English Walnuts.  In lieu of wrapping paper, the Pennypackers and other Victorians found other, creative ways to package and present their gifts to one another.

Some of the examples of specifically Victorian decorations that can be found in the Mansion house are decorations made of what was called “scrap”, bits and pieces of all kinds of everyday things.

“There are dried branches, having color added by the placement of things such as pine cones and berries, and roses made of satin ribbon and crèpe paper—all to add color; good ribbon is key to decorating during this [Victorian] time period,” said Aderman.

One of the things visitors will find in the Mansion is samples of Clear Toy Candy.  This treat is a Pennsylvania-German tradition that dates back to the 18^th-Century when children received it as a holiday gift.

Samples of Clear Toy Candy at
Pennypacker Mills

“Clear Toy Candy is basically sugar, heated and put into antique molds to shape it into clear shapes of different kinds of toys and animals anywhere from 1-1/2” to 5” large,” said Aderman.  “The antique candy molds were made in a Philadelphia-based company, and the candy was popular especially in the Mid-Atlantic region—for example, in Pennsylvania and Maryland—during Victorian times.  The candy was usually gold, red, or green in color, and the pieces of candy often served as decorations in the home as well.  For kids, the neat thing about it was to see which shape you got, and the possibilities were endless.  There were Santa’s, frogs on bicycles, almost anything.”  One candymaker, Young’s Candies on Girard Avenue, was famous for making this Candy for more than 100 years, from 1897 through 2006.  Young Candies’ more than 250 candy molds have since been purchased by the Berley Brothers, who continue to make this seasonal candy.

Governor Pennypacker would most likely have appreciated the fact that the Victorian Era’s holiday traditions are preserved each year at his former home.

“[Governor Pennypacker] was interested in history from the time he was 11 and found some Indian arrowheads, and he was the ‘go-to-guy’ to ask about history during his day,” said Aderman.  “He was the President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and he talked about the history of Pennsylvania when he campaigned.  He started the State Archives and the State Museum.” 

Samuel Pennypacker was born in Phoenixville, and later, as a young man, interrupted his education to enlist as a private in Company F of the 26^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia.  He fought in the Civil War around Gettysburg and later studied law at the University of Pennsylvania.  He opened his own law practice in 1866.  Soon thereafter, he became the President of the Philadelphia Law Academy.

On October 20, 1870, Samuel Pennypacker married his childhood sweetheart, Virginia Earle Broomall, and they eventually had 4 children: three daughters and a son.  Before 1880, he received his Doctor of Law degree from Franklin and Marshall College.  And while he’d studied French and Latin at school, later in his life, he taught himself Dutch, German, and Spanish.

Pennypacker began his public service in 1885, with his appointment to the Philadelphia Board of Education.  Also during the 1880’s, he received several judgeships and became President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1900.  He won his bid for Governor in 1902, and while in office signed the Child Labor Act of 1905 into law.  This Act set a minimum age and standards for young workers.  Later, Pennypacker created the Pennsylvania State Police—the first statewide police force in America.  Also in 1905, he founded the Pennsylvania State Museum, and the following year vetoed a bill that would have become the first compulsory sterilization law in the United States.  Also during his tenure as Governor, Pennypacker oversaw the completion, in 1906, of the new Pennsylvania State Capitol Building (following the older one’s having burned down in 1897).

The Mansion's Dining Room,
Decorated for the Christmas Holidays

“[People should come and tour the Mansion during the holiday season] because it’s a wonderful time period, and most of our current holiday traditions came about at this [Victorian] time,” said Aderman.  “[The Mansion is] a comfortable, warm house, with a great layout, and the Christmas decorations add to the overall atmosphere.”

“It’s a stone house with deep window sills, and the fireplace is the focal point of each of the rooms,” said Aderman.

The Museum Shop is open year round, sells the Clear Toy Candy, and is the perfect place to find that unique gift and/or the seasonal Victorian Era item(s) needed to add that special touch to your holiday décor.

After leaving office, Governor Pennypacker returned to his law practice and to writing.  As a writer, he wrote about law, early local and state history, genealogy, his autobiography, and several other biographies.  And he and his family resided at Pennypacker Mills, where he died on September 2, 1916, at the age of 73.

“I love to see the expressions on the peoples’ faces when they walk into a room that they especially like,” said Aderman.  “People have a warm feeling about the house and speak of how it’s a wonderful resource in the community.  It’s a nice location, and in the winter, there are still things to see and do.”

This holiday season, why not travel back in time to the Victorian Era and experience the kind of holiday traditions the Pennypacker Family enjoyed.  It should make the season extra special.

* Photos Courtesy of the Montgomery County Department of Parks and Heritage Services

© 2010 by Catherine J. Barrier.  All rights reserved.

The Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia Presents “A Feast of Carols”, the Holiday Tradition Combines Musical Works from the Past and the Present

By Catherine J. Barrier

The Mendelssohn Club is one of the country’s oldest choruses, having been founded in 1874 by William Wallace Gilchrist (1846-1916), a leading 19^th-century musical figure in Philadelphia, who was also a choral conductor for several choruses, a composer, and the organist and choirmaster for several area churches.  Gilchrist also founded and conducted the Symphony Society of Philadelphia in the 1890s, one of the symphonies that reorganized into The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1900.  Since its founding, the Mendelssohn Club has been a major force in choral music—in Philadelphia and beyond. 

The Mendelssohn Club in Concert
at Holy Trinity Church

The Club started as an eight-voice male chorus, grew in size, and added female voices.  In December 1879, the Club performed its first subscription concert, which included instrument solos as well as choral works.  Today, its programming is innovative and includes the finest choral music of many cultures, traditions, periods and styles, and the Club enriches the lives of its members and the public, enhancing the Club members’ knowledge and experience of music and assisting in the development of new musical compositions, new artists, and new audiences—all to bring fulfillment to those who listen to and love music.

William “Bill” Walkowiak is one past member of the Mendelssohn Club whose life was enriched by his involvement with the group.

“[Performing with the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia] was a fantastic experience,” said Walkowiak, a Club member from 1984 to 1996. “It exposed me to a wonderful, diverse repertoire of music and enabled me to perform with talented musicians in many famous venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Academy of Music, and the Mann Music Center, among others. I have many, many exquisite memories of my years with the Mendelssohn Club.”

Walkowiak had sung with his church choir for many years before friends told him about the Mendelssohn Club and urged him to audition. “I thought it would be a big step up for my love of music, and decided to give it a try,” said Walkowiak.  “Fortunately, I passed the audition.”

“Working with the Mendelssohn Club, it’s a delight,” said Alan Harler, the Club’s Artistic Director.  “And it has a wonderful history.  It’s a professional dream for me to have such a big, thriving group of singers, with an orchestra, doing our own productions.” 

Since 1988, Harler has led the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia while both teaching graduate conducting and serving as the Laura H. Carnell Professor and the Chairman of the Choral Department at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance.  He just recently retired from Temple, but his work with the Mendelssohn Club is still almost a full-time job.

“I’d been in Philadelphia—at Temple—for about 3 or 4 years and was asked to put together a chorus to do the Verdi Requiem at the Casals Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, so I approached the Mendelssohn Club [to see if they’d be interested],” said Harler.  “At the time, I believe they were between conductors, and they agreed, so I worked with them and several of the choirs at Temple to prepare for that performance.  Soon thereafter, they asked me to stay on and lead them, and I accepted.”

This Saturday, December 11^th, at 4:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m., the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia will present “A Feast of Carols” at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Avenue, in Philadelphia (Chestnut Hill).  This year’s annual event for the whole family will feature holiday music spanning several centuries, a world premiere—as well as other works—by the Mendelssohn Club’s Composer-in-Residence Donald St. Pierre, Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols (Op. 28), well-loved traditional carols with audience participation, and much more!  General admission: $25; tickets are available online at www.mcchorus.org.  Students receive special discounts; check show time for student ticket price.  For more information, check the Website, e-mail info@mcchorus.org, or call (215) 735-9922.

“We’ve done [these holiday concerts at St. Paul’s in Chestnut Hill] every year, and they’re very popular,” said Harler.  [St. Paul’s] is a beautiful space, a beautiful church, with great acoustics, and there’s a wonderful church organ.  We use the church organ and our Mendelssohn Brass Quintet.  We’ve been going there for a long time.”

“Holiday concerts were always a highlight of the year,” said Walkowiak. “They made the season really feel special, and certainly got me into the ‘Christmas Spirit’. Each year we did a concert in Chestnut Hill at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where we stood on the altar literally surrounded by an enormous pipe organ. The crescendos with the organ and choir literally vibrated through my entire body. I can still feel the sensation. Being part of such a musical performance is the most spiritual feeling that I have ever experienced.”

There have been numerous changes at the Mendelssohn Club since Harler first became its artistic director.

“It’s a much larger group since I’ve been involved,” said Harler.  “When I first started, there were about 75 members.  We’re a much larger chorus now (currently 135 members).  And the real focus now is that we perform new music and are frequently commissioning new pieces.  I guess what I’ve brought to the group is the performing of American music from the current time.  And the Chorus is being choreographed in movement and the audience is [now often] being actively engaged; for example, they’re given the opportunity to sing along with the Chorus on certain songs during performances.  And in fact, in February, we’ll be doing a program entitled The Audience inCHOIRing.  With that, through Facebook and Twitter, the public will be given the chance to learn several simple tunes and a little play that will be incorporated into our performance program.” Evidently, using modern technology is one way the Mendelssohn Club continues to offer innovative programming.

But Harler normally achieves his innovative programming a bit differently.  He often combines new or rarely heard musical compositions with more familiar, traditional works, believing the combination enhances each of the individual component parts.  He recognizes that such programming also provides the audience with familiar contexts for the newer musical experiences.

“I think it’s just really important that at the same time that our Western European traditional music [continues to be performed] that we do American music,” said Harler.  “After all, it’s the music that comes out of our culture.  It’s important to me to champion American music—and new music.  Normally, until the 20^th-century, that’s what was usually done (an individual country’s new music was performed by its choirs and choruses).  It was only in the 20^th century that we started to focus on repeatedly performing the [older] music of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  And when I’ve traveled, [I’ve found that] the choirs from other countries are doing mostly music from their countries.  German choirs are performing German music; French choirs are doing French music.  [Performing our new American music] is a way for us to encourage our own American culture.  We’ve done about 45 new commissioned works during my tenure [with the Mendelssohn Club].”

“New commissions were one of the most exciting aspects of the Mendelssohn Club under Alan Harler,” said Walkowiak. “I was very proud that we were able to commission so many new works, and felt that I was part of something historic.  Of course, some turned out better than others, but each one was performed for the very first time by the Mendelssohn Club, and I was part of it. How many people can experience such a thing?”

“Donald St. Pierre has done a lot of commissions for us,” said Harler.  “He’s our Composer-in-Residence, and it’s his 15^th anniversary with us.  He’s also our accompanist.  We’re doing three of his pieces [during this upcoming concert], including his Three Carols, a work to be sung a cappella.  Another, his A Visit from St. Nicholas, is based on what we know as the famous ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas text, and we’re doing his Songs of Sweet Accord for men’s voices and harp.  After we did [Benjamin] Britten’s Ceremony of Carols (Op. 28) a number of years ago, we immediately commissioned Don to write a parallel piece to be scored for men’s voices with harp.  The Britten piece is scored for women’s voices and harp.  So, these are three big pieces of Don’s on this upcoming program.”

St. Pierre is also a faculty member at the Curtis Institute of Music (since 1990) and has served as the principal keyboard player for the Milwaukee Symphony.  Moreover, he served as Music Director of the Skylight Theater in Milwaukee (from 1978-1990), where he composed 3 chamber operas and directed in excess of 50 productions.  He has also held several positions as head voice coach and recital accompanist throughout the United States and abroad.

“And we have a young harpist working with us for the first time,” said Harler.  “Her name’s Coline-Marie Orliac, and she’s a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music.  We’re happy to have her join us for this performance.”

Coline-Marie Orliac began playing the harp at age 7, studied for nearly a decade after that with Madame Fontan-Binoche, and attended the National Conservatory of Nice (in France)—graduating with first prizes in both harp and piano.  She graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music last spring.  Her technique has been praised as being “flawless”, and she has already won top prizes in five international competitions and has performed with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra in December 2009.

Also an active chamber musician, Orliac has participated in a number of well-known chamber music series and festivals worldwide and is a member of the Dolce Suono Ensemble, a highly praised ensemble.  For Orliac, who says she deeply loves learning new works because of the fascination involved and the need for a completely different approach to the music, this will be her first time performing Ceremony of Carols (Op. 28), as well as St. Pierre’s new works.

“The [Benjamin Britten Ceremony of Carols (Op. 28)] piece was written by Britten after he’d spent a considerable amount of time in America, and he wrote it on a ship, while traveling back to Europe,” said Harler.  “It’s 11 movements long and based mostly on Old English texts.  It’s probably one of the most famous sets of carols, and it’s a beautiful use of harp and women’s voices.”  Britten was traveling back to Britain in 1942 on the Axel Johnson, and while docked at one of the ports during that trip, found Gerald Bullett’s The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, a collection of medieval poems, and began composing music for them.  Ceremony of Carols has an opening procession and a closing recession, which together serve as the framework for the other otherwise-unrelated songs. 

Over the years, Harler has prepared choruses for many of the leading orchestras and conductors throughout the United States, and he believes that a good conductor’s strongest characteristic is his/her ability to teach.

“I think it’s just part of the work,” said Harler.  “A conductor is constantly informing the performers about everything—the meanings of the texts, the formal structure of the music, etc., and that’s true of any kind of conducting role, for choral works, for orchestral works.”

“I have not had much formal musical training,” said Walkowiak. “Most of my experience had been with school and church choirs prior to the Mendelssohn Club. Alan taught me how to become a much more professional singer and performer. Every rehearsal was a lesson for me. In addition, I greatly expanded my knowledge of the musical repertoire, as we were constantly working on new (to me) pieces of music.”

“We also were required to re-audition for Alan each year,” said Walkowiak. “These re-auditions were like private lessons. Alan pointed to areas that needed improvement, and gave me instruction and materials to practice.”

Alan Harler is also an active guest conductor, performing regularly at the Festival of Casals in San Juan, Puerto Rico and the Aspen Choral Institute.  The Taiwan Philharmonic Association has also sponsored him to conduct performances in Taiwan and China, as well as to give master classes in conducting in both locales.

The Mendelssohn Club offers a conducting apprenticeship program, and within that framework, Harler works with a young conductor apprentice each year, sharing his knowledge and skill.

“We have a wonderful apprentice program called An Apprenticeship in Community Chorus Leadership,” said Harler.  “And in addition to the musical part, [the apprentices] also find out about the workings of the chorus, what is needed to operate a choral group.  They attend Board meetings and learn about how budgets are done.  The first criteria for their being accepted [into the program] is their musicianship, but many of them will most likely want to have their own choruses in the future, . . . it’s a total immersion into what’s necessary for the running of a chorus.”

Harler has played an important role in influencing choral music in the United States.  In 1995, he was elected to the Board of Chorus America, the national professional association of professional and volunteer choruses, and in 2009, he was awarded Chorus America’s Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art.  He is the recipient of a number of other honors and awards as well.

“I had taken a year leave of absence from the Club when my job took me to Washington DC from mid-1987 to mid-1988,” said Walkowiak. “When I returned to the Club in 1988, Alan had become Artistic Director. His positive influence on the Club can never be overstated. He raised us to higher levels in every aspect of our musicality and performance. He truly loves music and his passion to strive for excellence was contagious to all of us. I think that every member of the Club was willing to work very hard -- on very challenging material -- in order to achieve the performance standards that he strived for.”  Bill Walkowiak has recently moved to San Diego, California and is not currently involved with any chorus.

“A lot of people [at these holiday concerts at St. Paul’s] like that we do sing some of the very familiar carols with the Brass [Quintet] and organ, and I weave these into the overall program, and people always seem to respond to and like that part of it,” said Harler.  Some of the traditional carols the audience will be able to sing with the chorus this Saturday are: Silent Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (music by Felix Mendelssohn), and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

“A lot of the music for 'A Feast of Carols' is music that goes back to my childhood, and it’s a very joyous but reflective time—to hear this music again,” said Harler.  “Some of it we come back to every year—to these certain arrangements that I know and like.  And there’s a special message that comes through—a message of hope and joy—and that always makes it delightful.”

For a delightful holiday feast of carols, be sure to attend one of the Mendelssohn Club’s performances this Saturday at St. Paul’s in Chestnut Hill.  You will undoubtedly be glad you did.

* Photo by John L. Shipman, Courtesy of the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.

© 2010 by Catherine J. Barrier.  All rights reserved.

Holly Nights at Pennsbury Manor, a Time to Remember Pennsylvania’s Founder and to Celebrate the Christmas Season in 17th-Century Style

By Catherine J. Barrier

William Penn in King Charles II's Breakfast
Chamber at Whitehall

Although William Penn spent, in total, less than 4 years in America, his influence on what became the U.S. government was great.  During his lifetime, both in England and in his colony of Pennsylvania, Penn fought for freedom of religion, for freedom of assembly, and for the right to a trial by jury.  As a Quaker, he was a pacifist and believed in people being governed by laws of their own making.  When he was first granted the charter for what King Charles II called “Pennsylvania” (literally “Penn’s Woods”), in honor of Penn’s father, Admiral Sir William Penn, the younger Penn wrote to the Swedish, Finnish, and Dutch already living in his colony to assure them that he would allow them a part in making the rules that they would be expected to live by and to state that there would be freedom to worship God according to one’s own conscience there.  Years later, Thomas Jefferson would say of Penn that he was “the greatest law-giver the world has produced”.  Eventually, many of Penn’s values, ideas, and laws for his colony became basic tenets of law in the new United States of America.

On Thursday night, December 9^th and Friday night, December 10^th, Pennsbury Manor, the home of William Penn along the Delaware River, located at 400 Pennsbury Memorial Road in Morrisville, PA (19067), will present its annual Holly Nights, rain or shine, from 5:30-9:00 p.m.  Step back into the 17^th Century, to a simpler time of candlelight in the evenings, season carolers, colonial crafts, period clothing, a crackling bonfire, dramatic skits, and free hot cider.  Adults: $10; Senior Citizens: $8; Children 3-17: $5; Children under 3 are free.  Because the site is along the Delaware River, it can be reached by a short drive from U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 13, or the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  This is an outside event; dress appropriately.  For directions or more information, call (215) 946-0400, e-mail at willpenn17@aol.com, or see www.pennsburymanor.org.  A coupon, good for $1.00 off an adult admission, can be downloaded from the Website.

“[The Holly Nights at Pennsbury Manor have] been going on for quite some time now—for over 35 years,” said Tabitha Dardes, a spokeswoman for Pennsbury Manor and their Director of Public Relations and Marketing.

“It’s a festive event,” said Dardes.  “And along with the nice holiday event, there’s some education about life in the 17^th-Century,” said Dardes.

The Holly Nights event will include the demonstrations of several colonial crafts.

Open Hearth at Pennsbury Manor during Holly Nights

“We get to educate people about the 17^th-Century,” said Dardes.  “There’ll be an open hearth demonstration, craftsmen in the Blacksmith’s Shop will be working with metals, and joiners will show people the tools they used and the things they made—and there will be tours of the Manor House.”

“The Manor House has been recreated based on [information in] letters and other correspondence; it’s not the original building,” said Dardes, “but we do have period and reproduction furniture from the period—including some original pieces, so the house is furnished.”

“When people did excavation on the site, they found the foundation of Penn’s home, which he had had built in 1682.  [The present-day Manor House] is a reconstructed building of William Penn’s estate.  We found letters and documents, and the house was reconstructed based on the research available.”

Pennsbury Manor was reconstructed from archaeological evidence found mostly in the letters of instruction to James Harrison, the man Penn appointed his overseer at Pennsbury when Penn left for England in 1684 and to James Logan, whom Penn had brought to America as his personal secretary in 1699.

“The house is all decorated for the holidays and lit by candlelight,” said Dardes.  “And we have people stationed around to tell people about the house—for example, the Great Hall, where [Penn and his family] ate, the nursery, where one of Penn’s children [slept]—the only one born in America, and Penn’s bedroom.”  It was Penn’s son John, called “John the American” who was born in the New World.

A Joyner Working in the Shop

“[Pennsbury Manor] was a working estate, or plantation, with animals, gardens, and all the people making things [that the estate needed],” said Dardes.  “The estate wasn’t self-sufficient; they had to bring some things in, but they had crops, orchards, animals, and many people working on the property, working and living off of what they were doing here.”  Penn did send to town (to Philadelphia) for such things as bricks, lime, locks, nails, chocolate, flour, bacon, coffee, and cornmeal, and these would then be delivered by flatboat up the Delaware River to the landing in front of his manor home.

“The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has administered the property since the 1930’s, when the site was reconstructed,” said Dardes.  In 1932, the Charles Warner Company owned the land and gifted 10 acres of the original site to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Pennsbury opened in 1939.  But the Commission is not responsible for running the events at Pennsbury Manor.  “We have a non-profit (501)(c3) organization, called The Pennsbury Society [, established in 1966,] that helps administer the site,” said Dardes.  “It’s the organization that runs the special events, such as the Holly Nights, and that’s involved in bringing in the school programs, etc.  Our main focus here (at Pennsbury Manor) is education,” said Dardes.

“What we do is that, throughout the 2 evenings, we have various instrumental and choral groups come in,” said Dardes.  We bring in some local groups, such as the Men of Harmony and some other community groups—and some of the Pennsbury High School and Middle School groups will be performing.”

The Men of Harmony, formerly the United States Steel Chorus, is an organization of singers who exist to preserve the traditional religious, folk, and popular songs of our country while fellowshipping and enjoying the results of learning and performing.  In the 1940’s, many U.S. Steel plants formed choruses to entertain employees, their families, and the communities at large.  Sixty years ago, this group became the sixth U.S. Steel Chorus and from the back of a pick-up truck drove around the construction site singing Christmas Carols for the workers.  After the steel company no longer supported the chorus, the group became independent and today continues the tradition of singing for the enjoyment of others.

“The different groups perform at different spots throughout the [43 acres of the] property, so you can usually find something of particular interest to you going on,” said Dardes.

William Penn was born at Tower Hill, in London, on October 14, 1644.  His father, Admiral Sir William Penn, served in the Commonwealth Navy during the English Civil War and later received estates in Ireland from Oliver Cromwell.  Admiral Penn helped King Charles II return to the British throne, was eventually knighted, and later served in the Royal Navy.  So the younger Penn grew up under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, and he received a strictly classical education and was greatly influenced by Puritan behaviors, such as strictness, somberness, and lack of humor.

At 15, Penn was living with his family in Ireland, where he met Thomas Loe, a Quaker missionary.  During this time, Penn would later say he was “visited by God” and began to understand Him.  Back in England and at Oxford, young Penn rebelled against the rules to worship God only in the way of the official Anglican Church.  Because he was an embarrassment to them, his parents sent him to Paris, where he met a French Protestant theologian, Moise Amyraut, who further influenced Penn’s life.  Penn returned to London, studied law for a while, and lived through the plague in London in 1665, observing the suffering and death caused by it.  He also witnessed the persecution of Quakers who tried to help the sick.

The reign of King Charles II further tightened restrictions against all religious sects except the Anglican Church.  It became illegal to worship any other way, and Quakers were especially targeted.  Their meetings were considered criminal acts.  Despite this, Penn was attracted to Quakerism and began to attend Quaker meetings.  He was soon arrested for doing so, and decided to publically declare himself a Quaker.  So at 22, Penn joined the Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends), and his choice of faith greatly influenced who he was from then on, how he treated the Native American Indians in the New World years later, and eventually the government of the United States of America.

In 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn the charter for “Pennsylvania”, partly in payment for a debt the king owed Penn’s deceased father, the Admiral, and the Founder of Pennsylvania and its first Governor not long afterwards set sail on the “Welcome”, to make the 2-month voyage by ship to come to the New World.  He arrived here in 1682 and began to realize his dream.

Penn, though deeply religious, was not an ascetic, and he wanted to establish a new society based on more freedom in his colony—and to see if people would be better and happier because of this freedom.  Penn believed good government was part of God’s plan for humanity, so he called this plan his “Holy Experiment”.  And Penn, as a Quaker, believed God’s communication came to each individual directly, and consequently, he believed in the rights of the individual, which later became important when Penn was setting up the government for his new colony.  He was a gifted administrator, and unlike many, did not seek personal power.

Penn was also committed to treating the local Native American Indians fairly; it was a Quaker principle to deal justly with neighbors, so he met with them and got their blessing to settle the new land of Pennsylvania.  Although he was given the land by King Charles II, Penn paid the Native American Indians for it, recognizing that they had been there first and would not recognize the validity of the King’s charter.  Thus, Penn was very fair with the Native American Indians, and no treaty he made with them was every broken during his lifetime.  His unfailing sense of fair play won him the Indians’ respect and affection, and his work with the Indians saved Pennsylvania from Indian wars for about seventy years.  After purchasing the land from the Indians, Penn then mapped out the town of Philadelphia, between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers and called for an election of representatives for a provincial Assembly before turning to the building of Pennsbury Manor in 1683.  It was also in 1683 that the first Quaker Meeting House was built in Philadelphia.

It took 4 years for Penn to build his country estate along the Delaware; it was completed in 1686, when Penn was abroad in England, and during that time, before sailing for England, Penn was often in Philadelphia, from where he governed his colony.  Once completed, Pennsbury had not only its Manor House, but a large stable, and many small buildings for various tasks, such as brewing and baking.  The original Manor House was a 2-story, Georgian-style home made of the typical 17^th-century red brick.  Today, the reconstructed Manor House is a three-story building rebuilt on the foundations of the original house.  It has dormer windows in the roof and is surrounded by the many estate buildings.  And it boasts more than 30,000 visitors per year.

Penn married Gulielma Maria Springett in 1672 and the couple ended up having 7 children, among them William Penn, Jr.  In 1683, Penn began the building of Pennsbury Manor, expecting that he and Gulielma would spend their days there, but circumstances in England forced Penn’s return there in 1684 before Gulielma ever came and before he’d been in the New World for a full 2 years.  Penn did not return to Pennsbury until 1699, fifteen years later.  Penn administered his colony of Pennsylvania via mail across the Atlantic during this time of much political unrest in England.  Political power changed in England while he was there, and Penn found himself suspected and finally accused of treason.  Shortly after being acquitted of those charges, Penn suffered the death of his Gulielma.

When Governor William Penn returned to Pennsylvania in 1699, it was with his second wife, Hannah Callowhill, and his grown daughter, Letitia.  The following year, on January 29, 1700, his son John, called “John, the American”, was born.  It was also during this time, between 1699 and 1701, that the Penns entertained distinguished guests from Europe, the Indian Nations, and even governors of other colonies. 

Bust of William Penn

And during this second visit to Pennsylvania, Penn drew up his Charter of Privileges, a new from of government which outlined a type of self-government for the colony of Pennsylvania and which remained in effect for almost 75 years, until the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.  A type of constitution, the Charter of Privileges was adopted in October 1701.  Year’s later, in 1751, a bell was cast for the 50^th anniversary of the Charter of Privileges.  Today, we know this bell as the Liberty Bell, and it is engraved with the words “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”, words taken from the Book of Leviticus (in the Bible), from Chapter 25, Verse 10.

Also during this second visit to Pennsylvania, Penn influenced the governors in neighboring New York and in Virginia to start increasing co-operation with one another.  While true unity between the colonies did not truly happen until later in the century, Penn was already pushing for it in the New World in the beginning of 18^th-Century.

Because the administration of Pennsylvania was in danger of politically being taken over by the Crown back in England, Penn needed to cross the ocean again in 1701.  He hoped to return to Pennsylvania quickly, but he never saw America, or Pennsbury, again.  Political machinations, Pennsylvania-Maryland boundary quarrels in England, increasing poverty, bad health, and general old age kept Penn away.  The only Penn to live at Pennsbury after 1701 was Penn’s son, William Penn, Jr. who arrived there in February 1704, but only remained for about a year.  Penn’s wife Hannah and daughter Letitia had insisted on returning to England with Penn in 1701.  In 1711, William Penn had his first stroke.  The following year, he had 2 other attacks and soon became incompetent.  He died on July 30, 1718, at the age of 73.  In 1792, after the United States was established, Penn’s heirs sold the family estate along the Delaware.

“[At Holly Nights,] we have a big bonfire, and there’s free cider, … and the pathways and buildings are lit by candlelight, so people can roam about and see all the wonderful things on those evenings,” said Dardes.

“There will also be 17^th-century Mummers present,” said Dardes.  “They’re role players who do little skits, giving people [a visual demonstration] of what went on in the 17^th-Century.  It’s just another little thing to see and do.”

Stringing Cranberries at Holly Nights

“I love [Holly Nights] because, … obviously, I work here, but there are people who have been coming for years, and who now bring their kids—kicking off the season,” said Dardes.  “They return every year and say, ‘We look forward to this year-after-year’.  It’s nice to hear the people are so fond of it.  They say, ‘We’re making it a tradition’.  And new people who attend say they’ll be coming back.”

“It’s an absolutely wonderful event!” said Dardes.  “And it’s a rain or shine event.  We’ll be here regardless.  But since it is an outside event, people should dress appropriately.”

“[The Holly Nights are] the only time you can come [to see Pennsbury Manor] at night,” said Dardes.  “It gives you a different feel and air about the place.  It’s a special and festive event.”

So, why not come experience William Penn’s home along the Delaware in much the way he would have known it this holiday season—at Holly Nights on December 9^th and 10^th.

* Photos of Docents & Craftsmen at Pennsbury Manor, Courtesy of Pennsbury Manor, Administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC).

© 2010 by Catherine J. Barrier.  All rights reserved.

A Traditional Christmas Love Story, the Walnut Street Theatre Presents Irving Berlin’s Holiday Classic WHITE CHRISTMAS

By Catherine J. Barrier



Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin was born Israel Baline in the town of Tyumen, the first Russian outpost in Siberia, Eastern Russia, in 1888.  His very strict Jewish family immigrated to the U.S. in 1893, and after his father died, Berlin began to help support his mother and family on the streets of New York City at the age of 8. He later became a singing waiter.  He only went to school formally for 2 years, and it was while working as a waiter that he began to write songs.

Although Berlin never learned to read and write music, he was a prolific writer.  He wrote more than 900 songs, 19 musicals, and 18 movies.   His first world-famous hit song was “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911), from his musical of the same name.  The song became internationally popular almost over night, and it got people enthusiastically dancing.  But Berlin also created simple and romantic ballads based on his own life and sadness, such as the sadness he felt after the death of his first wife, Dorothy Goetz, who died less than a year after they were married.  He later married the Catholic heiress Ellin Mackay—in 1926—and the couple had 3 daughters.

Among his many songs are numerous patriotic songs, such as “God Bless America”, introduced to the public on the 20^th Anniversary of Armistice Day 1938, by Kate Smith, and “This is the Army, Mr. Jones” from his morale-boosting WWII-era musical This is the Army (1943).  Some of his other well-known classic tunes include: “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, “Angels of Mercy”—written for the American Red Cross, “Easter Parade”, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, and of course, “White Christmas”. 



Julie Reiber as Betty Haynes
--Photo by Mark Garvin--

 “I think people come to see the show partly because of the season (Christmas), . . . and because of the White Christmas movie—the iconic movie that’s brought to life on stage,” said Julie Reiber, who plays Betty Haynes, one of the leading female characters.  “A lot of people have sentimental connections to the movie, and I think that will bring some of them to the show.”  The 1954 movie White Christmas starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen and was directed by Michael Curtiz.

“Many people come with their families,” said Reiber.  “The story just brings out feelings, and love, and helps the connecting with family.”

“I saw White Christmas in New York at the Marquis [Theatre], and I saw the tour [last year], and I went after the rights right after I saw it,” said Bernard Havard, the Walnut Street Theatre’s President and Producing Artistic Director, when asked how and why White Christmas was chosen to be part of the Walnut Street Theatre’s season this year.  “The rights became available when the tour closed.”

“One hallmark of our work is honesty,” said Havard.  “We strive to be very honest with the piece, and there are 3 love stories in it, and it has a happy ending.  It’s about the holiday.  I saw it and liked White Christmas, and I thought the audience would like it as well.  So far, I’ve been proven to be right.  The show has broken 2 [ticket sales] records already.”  Early in the third week of November the show set a record for weekly ticket sales and then set a daily ticket sales record shortly thereafter.

Now, through January 9^th, The Walnut Street Theatre, now in its 202^nd season, presents Irving Berlin’s White Christmas on its Mainstage.  The Walnut, the oldest theatre in America, is located at 825 Walnut Street (at 9th), in Philadelphia (19107).  The intimate venue provides excellent acoustics and good views from virtually every one of its 1,100 seats, all of which are within 80 feet of the stage.  Tickets: $10-$95 (prices vary by performance); Premium tickets are available for $130 and include a tax deductible donation.  For dates and times of specific performances, or for additional information, including parking, see www.walnutstreettheatre.org.  For tickets, call (215) 574-3550 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (10 p.m. on performance nights), 7 days a week, or Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787.  Tickets are also available at the Walnut Box Office or online at the Website.  The ticket price includes a $2.50 historic facility fee, and the show runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

The holiday classic White Christmas is full of song, dance, and romance, and is set in a Vermont lodge owned by the leading male characters’ former Army commander, General Henry Waverly.  Bob Wallace (Jeffrey Coon) and Phil Davis (David Elder), two former war buddies are now a successful entertainment team and become romantically interested in a two-sister act, that of Betty Haynes (Julie Reiber) and her sister, Judy Haynes (Vanessa Sonon).  This production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is a musical based on Paramount Pictures’ 1954 film of the same name, which was written for the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama, and Melvin Frank.  Its incredible score contains songs, such as “Blue Skies”, “I Love Piano”, “How Deep is the Ocean?”, and of course, the title song.  Of this last number, Berlin once said, “[It is] the greatest song I have ever written.”

“I’m one of the sisters, the eldest, in this show,” said Reiber, who acted in her first show at 12 and has been acting professionally since she got out of college.  “I play the part that Rosemary Clooney played in the movie [version] (Betty Haynes).  Betty’s given up on love and is all business.  The whole story’s about Bob and Betty and about how these 2 people have given up on love, but how they find they need each other.  It’s about how they can find love again.”

“My first experience at the Walnut Street Theatre was in Curtains, their previous show, and I just had a great time doing that, and I was asked to stay on, so I did,” said Reiber, who played Niki Harris in that previous production. Reiber has lived in New York for some time and has been involved in 3 Broadway shows to date, most recently playing Elphaba in Wicked, and previously appearing as Natalie in All Shook Up and as Brooklyn in Brooklyn.  “[Working at the Walnut Street Theatre is] a great gig when you’re out of the city (New York City).  I felt like part of the family there.  Now, with this show,. . . it’s a great role, . . . and there are great tunes.  I like the holidays, and I was happy to stay on and have another experience with the Walnut.”

Vanessa Sonon, David Elder, Jeffrey Coon & Julie Reiber
and the Cast of White Christmas at the Walnut Street Theatre
--Photo by Mark Garvin--

“I love this character—of Betty—because she’s a little close to me,” said Reiber.  “She has an ‘edge’ to her, and she’s a little sassy at times.  I like her realism, the fact that she’s grounded in the reality of the world.  But love loosens her up, and she gets to sing some great songs, such as “Love You Didn’t do Right by Me”, a type of nightclub number in the show, like in the movie.  This production does something a bit different though.  In this show, there’s a combining of that song with [the character Bob] singing ‘How Deep is the Ocean’.  [And then we get to do] the whole classic Christmas thing at the end.  We wear read dresses and sing.  It’s really a feel-good role I get to play.”

“And the audience is jumping to their feet [during the performances] and singing along,” said Reiber.  “They seem to be having a wonderful time.  Around the holidays, with this music, you just can’t help but feel good.

“And vocally, it’s a nice break from some more challenging roles I’ve done.  It’s more traditional, and I can have fun with it,” said Reiber.

“Psychologically, it’s good to laugh, and this show will definitely put you into the holiday spirit if you aren’t in it already,” said Havard, who has been in theatre all his life and who, during a nationwide search, was headhunted out of Georgia, where he was the Managing Director at The Alliance Theatre, to become the Walnut’s Artistic Director.  This past November 15^th, he celebrated his 28^th year at the Walnut. “Seeing the show is a good way to get into the Christmas spirit.”

“It makes me very proud [to be the Artistic Director of the State Theatre of Pennsylvania],” said Havard.  Pennsylvania House Resolution No. 197, passed by the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, made the Walnut Street Theatre the State Theatre of Pennsylvania a number of years ago.

The Walnut Street Theatre opened on February 2, 1809, with its first theatrical production: Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals.  In 1964, the Walnut Street Theatre was designated a National Historic Landmark.  The Walnut became a self-producing, non-profit regional theatre when Havard arrived in 1982, founding the Walnut Street Theatre Company.  Its Mission Statement is “. . . to sustain the tradition of professional theatre and contribute to its future viability and vitality”. Over the years, the Theatre has undergone a number of renovations, including a remodeling of the Mainstage area in 1998.  Today, the Walnut currently has more than 56,000 subscriptions annually, more than any other theatre in the world, and is the most active theatre company in the region.

The Walnut is a non-profit (501)(c3) institution, relying on contributed income to reach into the community.  It does 5 productions each season on its Mainstage and is one of only a few remaining “hemp houses” in the country, which means the theatre uses the original grid, rope, pulley, and sandbag system used 200 years ago.

“We’ve been challenged technically [with this production],” said Havard.  The show requires a revolve and a lift (elevator), as well as snow machines.  “But we’re getting everything to work.”

Most known American actors of the 19^th- and 20^th-centuries have played at the Walnut, actors such as the Barrymores, George M. Cohan, Will Rodgers, Fanny Kemble, Lilly Langtry, The Marx Brothers, Helen Hayes, Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Audrey Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Lauren Bacall, Robert Redford, Julie Harris, and Edwin Forrest, after whom the Forrest Theatre is named, just to name a few.  The curtain call, now a regular theatre tradition, started at the Walnut Street Theatre with the post-play appearance of noted 19^th-century actor Edmund Kean.

This production of White Christmas’s creative team includes the multi-award-winning Director and Choreographer Marc Robin, who is the current Artistic Director of the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, PA, and Vocal Director Douglass G. Lutz, who has been involved with a number of Walnut productions in the past few years.  The show’s designers are: Scenic Designer Robert Andrew Kovach (Curtains, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Producers, Hairspray, Peter Pan); Lighting Designer Paul Black (The Producers, Hairspray, and Peter Pan); Costume Designer Colleen Grady (a recent Barrymore Award Winner for Fiddler on the Roof) and new-to the-Walnut Sound Designer Ray Nardelli.  Moreover, most of the members of the supporting cast and the ensemble have either strong ties to Broadway and/or to the Walnut Street Theatre.

“We create a family relationship [at the Walnut], and everyone is made to feel very much at home,” said Havard.  “We house all the actors at The Windsor [Suites], at 17^th and the Parkway, and we have what I call our ‘floating ensemble’.  For example, Jeff Coon is creating his 19^th role with us [in White Christmas], and this is the 6^th role with us for David Elder.  So, the audience recognizes the actors.  [The actors] have had a long relationship with us.  It’s like a family getting together for the holidays, and the fun and feelings that exist backstage flow out to the audience during the performances.”

But the Walnut Street Theatre is not just about theatrical performances.  It also has a Theatre School and is involved in numerous community outreach programs.

“I founded the Theatre School at the end of the second year I was at the Walnut (1984),” said Havard.  “And it’s non-accredited for a reason.  I wanted to hire actors, stage managers, professional workers to teach young people.  I also wanted to surround myself with artists, and many of the teachers have been with us for the whole time.  Then when we hire kids for [our productions, such as] Peter Pan or Oliver, which we did last year, many of them we’ve trained ourselves.”  Last year, enrollment in the School was up to 1,200.

“The School is very much a holistic approach to theatre,” said Havard.  Students at the Theatre School get involved in every area of theatre—working behind the scenes, as understudies, and in small parts.  “There’s a continuity; they move from one thing to another in the theatre,” said Havard.  “There’s the idea of a family.  There are lots of children at the Walnut.”

Courses are normally offered evenings and weekends throughout the year:  Fall Session – September to December; Spring Session – January to April; and Summer Session—May to August.  Weekday classes begin January 31^st and weekend classes on February 5^th.  For more information, or to register online for the Spring 2011 Session, go to www.walnutstreettheatre.org or call (215) 574-3550, ext. 510 or 511.

“Our community outreach is very important to us,” said Havard.  “As you know, the schools in Philadelphia are stressed financially, and many of the students are African-Americans or people of color.  The school audience is very important to us.  We’re going into the schools and providing programs for the students, and our instructors are from a mixture of races.”

“The programming has a lot to do with overcoming conflict,” said Havard.  “We’ve addressed that issue and take it into the schools, and our work’s been well received there.  One of our programs is about bullying, which has, as you know, reached catastrophic proportions.”

“We adopt a school every 2 years; currently, we’ve adopted the [small, K-8] Chester A. Arthur School, [located in Southwest Philadelphia (19146)]” said Havard.  “Theatre is integrated into every course in the school, and we get tangible results for attendance.  The attendance rises when we’re there.  Havard would like to believe that academic performance is improving as well but admits that assessing that accurately is somewhat harder to do at this time.”

“And we have several requests for scholarships,” said Havard.  “One of the programs helps identify a challenged youth, and we offer him/her a scholarship to attend the Theatre School.  The scholarship is made possible from an endowment fund.  One young girl in our Theatre School died tragically, and her parents started the endowment fund at the Theatre.”

“There’s another aspect of White Christmas I’d like to mention—the men and women in the Armed Forces,” said Havard.  “The timing of White Christmas is 1944, and there’s a scene with the soldiers and the general celebrating Christmas, and then another [scene, from several] years later, when the soldiers have a reunion, so our Armed Forces are ‘included’ in the celebration.”

“And there’s an audience sing-along in the show, as if [the members of the audience] were members of the Armed Forces,” said Havard.  “It’s amazing to have hundreds of voices singing in the theatre.  It’s really great!”




Edwin Forrest in 1836

The Walnut’s Edwin Forrest Award was established in 1990 and is awarded in recognition of a long-term significant contribution to American theatre by an individual or organization.  It was named in honor or Edwin Forrest (1802-1872), who is often described as America’s first great tragedian.  Forrest made his debut in 1820 at the Walnut Street Theatre and later did much to encourage the development of a truly American theatre.

“I hope people will come and have a good time; I can almost guarantee [them] a wonderful time,” said Reiber.

During his lifetime, Berlin wrote incredible music.  He also supported not only Jewish charities and organizations but a lot of other charitable work, and he raised millions of dollars for both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts.  He died in his sleep in 1989, at the advanced age of 101.  His music lives on, and Christmastime is an ideal time to enjoy it—perhaps by attending a performance of White Christmas at Philadelphia’s own Walnut Street Theatre.

* Photos of Walnut Street Theatre White Christmas cast by Mark Garvin, Courtesy of the Walnut Street Theatre

© 2010 by Catherine J. Barrier.  All rights reserved.