Phelps Kilborne Tracy can honestly say that no one has been enjoying the Barnstormers Theatre longer then he has. Phelps was a patron of the theatre in 1931 for their first production,The Ghost Train, and 75 years later he returns for opening night of that very same play. "We are very excited and so is Dad," exclaims his daughter, Eleanor. She and her husband, Dr. Farish A. Jenkins, Jr, will be attending the theatre on Tuesday evening, August 16th, with Mr Tracy.
Phelps' mother, Bertha Tracy, came to NH and built her home on Winter Road in Tamworth in 1929. Bertha loved the community and so did her family. A big fan of theatre, no one was more excited than Bertha when The Barnstormers open their doors for the very first time in the summer of 1931. At that time the troupe preformed in a large hall called the Tamworth Gardens, that used to feature wrestling and boxing exhibitions, located behind the Tamworth Inn. Phelps, 23 years old at the time, remembers it well. "My cousins all used to go to the Cape Playhouse in Dennis and then The Barnstormers started up. It was the beginning of the summer theaters where new actors could try their wings and work with seasoned actors," said Phelps. "Oh we would all go with Mother. It was in a real barn then. She would go early and reserve seats and us kids (he and his brother were recent college graduates) would be running around until time to be seated. I remember that Mrs. Cleveland (Francis' mother) was collecting the tickets. You know she was married in the White House."
Vital to the start of the Barnstormers was Francis Cleveland's mother, Frances Folsom Cleveland. She had a great love of the theatre and encouraged her son in his interest. He and his wife Alice, and their friend Edward P. Goodnow founded the Barnstormers. The troupe consisted of young actors, graduates from Harvard, Wellesley, Radcliffe, Amherst, and other colleges. The first director, Edward Goodnow, was a graduate of Harvard and George Pierce Baker's Theatre 47 Workshop.
The Ghost Train was not only the first production on stage at The Barnstormers Theatre but also their hallmark production, now gracing their stage for the tenth time in 75 years. Back in the summer of 1931, a cadre of college performers took to the dusty back roads of New Hampshire and Maine in a caravan of open touring cars and a second-hand truck to herald their first theater season with Arnold Ripleyıs six-year old thriller. The road trips ended in1935 when the Clevelands purchased Kimball's Store, across from the Tamworth Inn, and transformed it into a theatre. In 1998 the theatre was transformed into the year round cultural center we all enjoy now.
When asked what he remembered about The Ghost Train, Phelps replied, "Well, I remember that the play was about, well it was during prohibition, you know, a train ............oops, there is a surprise end to it. I could tell you but you might not want to spoil the ending for those coming to the theater."
At the age of 97 years, Phelps Tracy not only has a great memory but a photographic memory. He still lives in Foxboro, Massachusetts, in the house he and his late wife, Eleanor, bought in 1941. He stays young by staying active, both mentally and physically. He still mows his own lawn, loves to go rowing in his boat and traveling is a passion of his. Reading and listening to Mozart are two of his favorite pastimes. He especially enjoys the Boston Globe and his bourbon totty. According to his daughter, Eleanor, his curiosity is never satisfied, which might lead him into a bit of mischief from time to time. Enjoying a great thriller like The Ghost Train is right up there on his list of enjoyments. With the true star of the play being the train itself with its thunderous roar of sound and light, rattling the windows of the nearby houses on Tamworthıs Main Street, Phelps will put his sharp mind to work, as will all the other theater-goers. They are trying to figure out the secrets behind the train; secrets passed down through generations of backstage crew since the first Barnstormers production in 1931.
The Ghost Train is Arnold Ripley's best-known written work. (He was best-known as the character of Private Godfrey in Britain's Dadıs Army for which he was awarded an OBE [The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire] for his services to the British theater in 1982.) Ripley crafted the play after he found himself stranded for several hours on a deserted platform at Mangostfield Station on a trip from the British Midlands.
Tickets for the play are $25 for orchestra and $20 for balcony each night. Matinee tickets are just $12 and offer a great opportunity to introduce younger people to the thrill of live theater and to the chill of The Ghost Train. Group rates are available and tickets are already on sale for the seasonıs last play, The Fantasticks, which is being directed by Dan Rubinate, who celebrates his 50th year with The Barnstormers. Call (603)-323-8500 for tickets today as the play is sure to sell out.
For more information:
Donna Woodward
207 935-3959
