A one-man play about Jonathan Alder, the Central Ohio pioneer captured by Shawnee as a child in the 1780s, opens Friday, Oct. 9, at the Abbey Theater of Dublin.
"Path of the Pioneer" runs three performances: Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Oct. 11. The 200-seat theater is inside the Dublin Community Recreation Center at 5600 Post Rd. The show is recommended for ages 10 and up.
Playwright and director Daniel Rodriguez Hijo, vice president of theatre for the Plain City Music, Arts & Theatre Society (PCMATS), wrote the show after years of working in the Jonathan Alder Local School District. He has directed productions there for 12 years, including the fall play, and serves as acting coach of the musical.
The school district's namesake sparked his curiosity.
"I was drawn to him because a lot of school mascots are things," Hijo told WBNS. "They're, like, a bobcat or a shamrock. And then this school in Plain City was just a guy and that was endlessly intriguing to me."
Alder was born in New Jersey in 1773 and moved with his family to Virginia. Alder was captured in Virginia as a child in 1782 and taken to a Mingo community in Ohio, where he was adopted. He lived among Native Americans for years before settling into farming near Plain City, becoming one of the first Euro-American settlers in Madison County.
The play, based on surviving historical accounts, is staged as Alder recounting his life from inside his cabin. Veteran actor Verne Hendrick performs the solo role. Hendrick's credits include the Wisdom Bridge Theater in Chicago, Theater at Monmouth in Maine and Taper 2 in Los Angeles, along with local work at Columbus Civic Theater and Available Light.
Hijo said in a Sept. 16 BroadwayWorld announcement that audiences resonated with Alder's story during the earlier run, and the Dublin performances aim to share it with more people.
Tickets are available online, at the door or by calling 614-410-4550.
Coming up at the Abbey Theater: "Finding Nemo Jr. & Finding Nemo Kids" runs Nov. 19–22.
