Professor of English and Music Melanie Blood is the director of “Civil War Letters: Love and War,” which will be performed Friday, February 13, 8 p.m. at the newly renovated Riviera Theater in Geneseo.
From the Riviera’s Facebook page:
On FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13th, the Livingston County Historical Society will present a staged reading of a collection of Civil War love letters penned in 1862 by Colonel John Rorbach & his wife Elizabeth Vance Rorbach, from Geneseo, NY. Directed by Dr. Melanie Blood and performed by Noah Pfeiffer and Christina O’Shea, this program will be sure to make the Civil War, and a beautiful love story, come to life.
Thanks to the generous funding of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Leicester Town Historian Tom Roffe, along with assistance from intern Rob Terreri, recently scanned and transcribed a collection of Civil War letters and photos owned by descendants of the Rorbach/ Vance family. A sampled reading of these letters, from the home front and from the battlefield, reveal a love story between a colonel and his beloved wife amidst a war of national significance.
The performance will take place at the recently renovated Riviera Theater, 4 Main Street, Geneseo, at 8:00pm. Those with patron tickets will be invited at 6:45pm prior to the performance to enjoy a wine and cheese tasting. Museum Administrator, Anna Kowalchuk promotes this event as the premier performance at the Riviera Theater. “Those who pay a patron ticket price will have preferred seating and a first glimpse at the amazing work completed by proprietor Don Livingston-all while enjoying a wine and cheese tasting in brand new community venue.”
General admission is $15.00 ($18 after 2/7/15) and patron tickets are $25 and are available on line at www.livingstoncountyhistoricalsociety.com or at local Geneseo Main Street Merchants, David Mann’s Jewelers or the Not Dot Shop. Public parking available and the theater is handicapped accessible.