Modesto's Prospect Theater: ‘Man’ a layered look at obscure Civil War issue

A Civil War drama may not seem on its surface like the usual Prospect Theater Project fare.

But with its layered take on freedom, choice and identity, “The Whipping Man” fits seamlessly into the downtown Modesto theater company’s independent vision.

“You know, in one sense it’s a good Prospect play. It is rich in its ambiguity; nothing is exactly as it seems,” said Prospect founding artistic director Jack Souza. “The overall theme regards the relationship of choice and freedom. In a way, all of these plays this season are about people who feel they are trapped by their circumstances, by things beyond their control.”

In “The Whipping Man,” from American playwright Matthew Lopez, an officer in the Confederate army returns home at the end of the Civil War to find two of his family’s former slaves still there. The three men, who were all raised Jewish, then celebrate Passover together – the holiday commemorating the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt.

The actors in the three-man play said the piece offers an interesting perspective on the Civil War era. Modesto theater regular John Ervin as Simon, the patriarch among the slaves, also has taught African American culture and history classes at Modesto Junior College. But the story of Jewish Southern families was one he had never encountered before.

“The irony of this story is about Jews celebrating Passover and being freed from slavery by Moses, and yet they owned slaves. And now the fall of slavery in America is happening at the same time,” Ervin said. “It is another part of the history that hasn’t been told traditionally.”

Modesto actor Adam Torrian plays John, the younger of the two former slaves who was also taught to read.

The actor, who was last seen in the Prospect production “Next Fall,” said John was raised to feel like more of a part of his owner’s family. But now that he is free, he struggles with what it means to make his own decisions.

“Being free means your life is in your own hands, but that is also scary. No one is planning things for you,” Torrian said. “I think it offers different perspectives on the concept of freedom.”

California State University, Stanislaus, theater student Luke Gonzales plays Confederate Capt. Caleb DeLeon, whose family owned slaves. In his first Prospect play, Gonzales said he was intrigued by the story’s still-topical look at race and culture, as well as its examination of free will.

“Although it is set in the Civil War, a time of the greatest divide in country, I think there are still a lot of leftover tensions yet to be resolved in terms of equality,” he said.

For Ervin, the play took on even deeper meaning with the recent discovery that he had two great-great-grandfathers who both fought in Union Army during the Civil War. He became interested in his family genealogy last year and discovered the connection.

“Knowing that I’m in a play that is set in the same time period they were serving on the Union side as soldiers resonates with me,” he said. “My family was a part of bringing down the institution of slavery. So the struggle for equality really hit home for me.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Modesto's Prospect Theater: ‘Man’ a layered look at obscure Civil War issue."