Set in 1851 just after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, WADE IN THE WATER is Henry's story about his journey, as a boy of 12, with his mother, an enslaved woman from Kentucky. They traveled north to Pittsburgh and freedom along the rivers and wooded trails of the Underground Railroad. Along this emotional journey, they meet two rival teen-agers - the daughter of the editor of Pittsburgh's white-owned abolitionist newspaper and the son of a leading African-American businessman. Both teenagers compete for the leadership of the Pittsburgh Anti-Slavery Society until a local merchant discovers their "safe house" (just as Henry and his Mother, the escaping slaves arrive). Now they find they must join forces to persuade him not to reveal their secret and save the lives of Henry and Vina.

While the play's plot and characters are fictional, many of the details and events are based on true stories of the Underground Railroad and of the activities of the abolitionists, both white and black, in Pittsburgh.

The play's title refers to the spiritual that arose among the slaves in the Deep South and became a secret anthem of the Underground Railroad. Heading the play's cast is the allegorical North Star, a singer of spirituals whose constant presence gives advice and guides the escaping slaves.

WADE IN THE WATER is appropriate for young people from 5th grade thru high school, adults and senior citizens. The show will include gospel singing before and during the show. There are two 16-year-old actors and one 11-year-old actor in the show. The drama, music and victories in this production will touch all ages.

WADE IN THE WATER is being produced in our new home, the Hazlett Theatre on the Northside of Pittsburgh. This is the former home of the Pgh Public Theatre. See directions on our location page.

Through our partnerships with The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and The Book Trunk you can get books on the subject to read before coming to the show. You can also contact Bethel A.M.E. Church on Webster Avenue in the Hill District (412-683-2160) or Washington County Historical Society at the LeMoyne House at (724-225-6740).

Local playwright, Lynne Conner has been commissioned by Prime Stage to write WADE IN THE WATER. Dr. Conner received her Ph.D. in Theater History and Performance Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. She is very experienced in creating successful plays based on the human accounts of significant moments in the history of our nation. She was the Director and Resident Playwright of The Stages in History Program for the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional Historical Center. Currently she is the Resident scriptwriter at Carnegie Mellon University for their Interactive Theatre Program. She is the recipient of several grants including The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Humanities Council, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Howard Heinz Endowments.

I am a storyteller. I look for stories everywhere … Often I find my stories in history books I love to read and in the music that I enjoy. This is surely the case with the creation of WADE IN THE WATER. I first encountered the beautiful spiritual of the same title as a teenager when I heard Paul Robeson's astonishingly beautiful recording of it. Only later, however, when I was researching the history of the Underground Railroad, did I learn the song's subtext. "Wade in the Water," along with many other well-known spirituals, is a song of resistance and defiance - a song designed to help lead enslaved Africans to freedom by offering advise on when, where and how to travel north to "Canaan," the Biblical land of freedom that symbolized Canada.

I know as I research and write this play about the struggle to abolish the institution of slavery, that racism continues to be a force in American life. I also know that individuals of all backgrounds and beliefs still work together to fight that force. For me the story of the Underground Railroad chronicles a triumphant moment in time when black and white and young and old - Americans every one of them - came together to fight for a common cause and a universal good. It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to continue to tell the story of the Underground Railroad.

Call Pro Arts at 412-394-3353, or view our TICKET INFORMATION page to order online.

Yes, We recommend the James Street Tavern. They have special dinner packages for Prime Stage patrons. Call (412) 323-2222