How do you measure 200 years of a city’s history in a two-act play? The question is top of mind for the creators of “Blimpulse,” a new outdoor drama created in honor of Akron’s bicentennial.
“Being someone that was born and raised here, there’s so many stories and things I heard or experienced growing up that stuck out,” said director Katie Beck. “Of course there were things like the founding of AA and the canal building that were more obvious. But then it was like, how do we look more carefully at that?”
As the co-artistic director of Gum-Dip Theatre, Beck is known for staging works that spotlight Akron stories. Some of her past productions include “Brokers without Borders,” which dramatizes the experiences of the city’s refugee community, and “Into the Mold,” a variety show about the history of Firestone Park.
Three years ago, Dave Lieberth reached out to Beck about staging an outdoor production for Akron’s 200th year. Lieberth is Akron’s de facto historian and is on the board of the Akron 200 commission.
“The first thing he said to me is, ‘Well, it’s an outdoor drama. So that means there can be live animals and pyrotechnics,’” Beck recalled. “I said, ‘You had me there. I’m in.’”
Lieberth gave Beck a copy of Karl Grismer’s “Akron and Summit County.” The book is an account of the city’s founding and early history. It served as a jumping off point for Beck, who spent the past couple of years researching Akron’s history. The result of that work is “Blimpulse,” which will premiere Thursday at Waters Park. Additional performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Admission to all shows is free.
Stories of Sojourner Truth, John Brown featured in outdoor drama
With “Blimpulse,” Beck and co-writers Tessa Gaffney and Jeff St. Clair take a critical lens to important moments in Akron’s history. In looking at the building of the Ohio and Erie Canal, the play recognizes the Native Americans who were displaced. In highlighting the city’s rubber industry, it delves into the exploitative business practices of the powerful men in charge.
“There are all these incredible events that happened in our past,” St. Clair said. “We are kind of putting a spin on them, but we’re examining them. We’re taking them out, playing with them in a very creative way.”
Moments of pride and triumph in Akron’s history also feature in “Blimpulse.” Sojourner Truth (played by Roschelle Ogbuji) makes her famous “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention in Akron. John Brown (played by Justin Hale) gives his final remarks as he awaits execution in Virginia.
With “Blimpulse,” the audience is invited into Akron’s history and encouraged to explore how the past affects the present.
“We say something at the end, like, ‘If you’re from Akron, I hope that you’re proud and only a little embarrassed,’” Gaffney said. “I want you to really know what the place is that you live in, and where it’s come from, and really think about where it’s going.”