Overview
Summer 1962, and Dwight Eisenhower, two years out of office, discovers that The New York Times has published the first historians’ ranking of American presidents in order of greatness—relegating him to the “Mediocre” class. Furious, but fearful they may be right, he looks back on the lessons of his Kansas youth, his military life, and his presidency, to question their definition of political and American greatness—and his own. A human and often humorous solo drama, EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND is a highly entertaining piece of theatre, and a compelling reminder of what lies at the heart of democracy.
Casting & Production
Casting
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER — 71. General of the Army and former President of the United States
Setting
Place
The sun porch of the house at the Eisenhower farm, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Time
August, 1962. Late morning.
Reviews
“A thoroughly convincing, passionate, and captivating embodiment of Eisenhower… EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND is not just an illuminating view of the man, his background, and his presidency, it’s an indicator of the moral principles that guided him in his dedication to doing what he believed was right, and a valuable lesson in the importance of compromise, both then and now, in our deeply divided country.”
—DC Theater Arts
“EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND will win you over… a beautiful portrait of a man who explains not only what it was like to be the leader of the free world, but also what it meant to be an upright, decent human being who did the best he could to make right choices. Hellesen’s script not only gives us a lens into the Presidency, but it gives us hope for our current democracy.”
—Manhattan Digest
