Professional actors took part in the cold read of the "Sons & Daughters of Thunder"
screenplay at the Curtainbox Theatre Co. The reading was organized and hosted by
Curtainbox director and actress Kimberly Furness.
Sons & Daughters of Thunder came to life on Sunday, August 14, 2011 when a group of fifteen professional actors gathered at the Curtainbox Theatre Co. rehearsal studio in Davenport, Iowa to do a cold reading of the screenplay. The event was organized and hosted by actress/producer/director Kimberly Furness. Thunder director Kelly and producer Tammy Rundle, and producers Kent and Earlene Hawley also attended.
Thunder Producers Earlene and Kent Hawley.
Based on the critically-acclaimed play by Earlene Hawley & Curtis Heeter, Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.
The first public debates about the abolition of slavery were undertaken by students of Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1834. Organized by Theodore Weld, one of the architects of the abolitionist movement, the shocking discussions sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher Stowe to the horrors of slavery. When school trustees slapped a gag order on the "Lane Rebels," most of the students left the school in collective protest. Years later, Harriet's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was the second best-selling book in the world after the Bible.
Actors gathered in the Curtainbox Theatre studio and were assigned characters to portray. Following the two-hour reading, most of the actors participated in a discussion about the screenplay.
Actors that took part in the reading: Daniel Sheridan read Theodore Weld; Mike Schulz read Lyman Beecher and Frederick Douglass; Jessica Sheridan read Harriet Beecher; Kimberly Furness read Catharine Beecher; Tom Walljasper read Henry Biggs; Louis Hare read Judge Wright; Dee Canfield read Older Harriet; Daniel Rairdin-Hale read Calvin Stowe; Tom Taylor read Professor Morgan and William Allen; Joe Goodall read Student James Thome; Joseph Maddox read Student James Bradley; Tyson Danner read Augustus Waddles and Student Streeter; Jessica Denney read Student Robinson; Don Abbott read Student Ruggles; and Corinne Johnson read Mrs. Beecher and camera/stage directions.
"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" director Kelly Rundle, Curtainbox Theatre Co. director and actress
Kimberly Furness and "Thunder" producer Tammy Rundle.
Fundraising for the film project continues. Location shooting in Ohio is scheduled for fall 2011. Casting for the film is anticipated to take place in the spring of 2012 with the majority of production slated to begin in autumn 2012.
Our sincere thanks goes out to Kimberly Furness and the Curtainbox Theatre Co. for organizing and hosting this memorable event. We are also grateful to the actors who brought the pages to life. Thanks also to playwright and producer Earlene Hawley and producer Kent Hawley for attending.
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