Theatre of the Poor is thrilled to be collaborating with Stage III and the Fort Caspar Museum Association to bring to Casper a unique theatrical experience: a production of The Senator by David D. Lloyd and Sydney Rosenfeld. First staged in 1890, the play was a Broadway hit and toured nationally, with the actor William H. Crane in the role of Senator Hannibal Rivers. The character of Rivers was based on the real life senator from Kansas, Preston Plumb, who also represented the Wyoming territory and who captained a regiment stationed at Ft. Caspar in the 1860s. Under the direction of William Conte and funded by a grant from the Joint Powers Board, the production reproduces the performance conditions and acting style of the late 19th-early 20th century theatre, and will be staged in the Natrona County High School auditorium in a lavishly appointed production designed to transport the audience to the world of the play. The rediscovery of this lost play, which fell into obscurity along with Senator Plumb over a century ago, is important to the history of theatre, as it opens a view onto the end of the time when theatre was the main form of mass entertainment. We are staging theatre history itself, even as we make theatre history with this unprecedented production of a play that has been lost for over a century, despite being a widely popular success in its day.

Below you will find some fascinating artifacts from the lost play, The Senator. These items are of significant historical interest and along with the play were discovered by historian Johanna Wickman during the course of her research on Senator Plumb, “the Forgotten Senator” who is the subject of this long forgotten melodrama. Performances are scheduled for September 15, 16 at 7:30 PM and September 17 at 2:00 PM. Admission is free but tickets must be reserved by visiting www.stageiiitheatre.org. Also, visit the Fort Caspar Museum, where an exhibit dedicated to Preston Plumb and the 11th Kansas Regiment is on display until February, and get your copy of Johanna Wickman’s book, The Lost Senator, by clicking the link here.