The award-winning play, Soldier, Come Home, at the GreenMan Theatre, Elmhurst, Illinois, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. (photo by Ken Beach)

Historic Wicks family Civil War letters were the inspiration for  Soldier, Come Home. 

“An amazing, intimate view of history – a rare glimpse into the Civil War. This is a theater experience not to be missed.”

Welcome

To mark the observance of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, Soldier, Come Home, a play by Frank W. Wicks based on his family’s Civil War letters, is available for productions by theater companies, schools, historical societies, Civil War visitor centers, libraries, and community groups throughout America. You may purchase and download a copy of the play right now.

Recent performances have taken place in Kenosha, Wisconsin (including a live radio broadcast which won the 2012 First Place Award of Excellence from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association), Elmhurst, Illinois, Etowah,

The Gem Theatre, Etowah, Tennessee, where a production of Soldier, Come Home took place in 2012 and was presented again in 2013. According to the Gem Player’s director, “This production is just too good not to run again.”

Tennessee, and by the Falcon Theater Company in Newport, Kentucky.

The play brings to life the Civil War letters of Mary Luke Pringle, her husband, Philip W. Pringle, and family members, and is adapted for the stage by Frank W. Wicks, great-grandson of Philip and Mary Pringle.

Wicks, a founding member of the Long Wharf Theater and a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, transformed the letters into a play, weaving the story of one family through the events of the Civil War. Mary Pringle wrote to her husband from Armagh, Pennsylvania, while Philip and other family members corresponded from several major

Ashley L. Froy in Soldier, Come Home at the Summit Theatre, Bluefield, WV

Civil War battle sites, including Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, the Siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox.

In 1950, the long-forgotten letters, written from 1859 -1865, were discovered in a shoe box in the attic of the home of Wicksʼ grandparents, John S. Wicks and Sadie Pringle Wicks, in South Fork, Pennsylvania. Wicksʼ father, Frank Wicks, Sr., began to transcribe the letters. After his fatherʼs death, Wicks continued the project and began work on Soldier, Come Home.

John S. Wicks and Sadie Pringle Wicks surrounded by the Frank Wicks family, circa 1942.

Philip W. Pringle

“I was struck from the beginning by the powerful content of the letters,” Wicks said. “They were filled with complicated relationships, humor, and struggles for survival. I felt that the energy of the letters, plus their historical importance, would make an interesting dramatic presentation.”

• Soldier, Come Home premiered in Brunswick, Maine in 2002. The play, now celebrating its 10th anniversary of productions, has been performed throughout America, including an Off-Broadway presentation in New York City. For the opening performance, critics said, “Soldier, Come Home played to enraptured audiences. The script, plus the acting, staging, lighting and music produced an amazing, intimate view of history. This is a theater experience not to be missed.”

The play is performed as reader’s theater by five actors playing eight different characters using minimal sets, lights and costumes. The play may also be presented simply – in an open space. Soldier, Come Home runs approximately one hour with no intermission.

The script of Soldier, Come Home may be purchased for $10.00. To purchase and download a PDF file of the play, click the “Buy Now” button on the sidebar under “Purchase Play.”  When the payment is made you will be on the payment receipt page. Please read carefully: In order to download the play, you must click Return to Dance in Maine Fdn. on the bottom of the payment receipt page. Thank you.

If you decide to stage a production or reading, contact the author for royalty information.

May 4, 2013 award ceremony, Madison, Wisconsin. First Place Award for Frank Wicks’ Soldier, Come Home - “Best Significant Community Impact.” To arrange a performance in your community, email wicksfrank@yahoo.com

Upcoming performances of Soldier: 
April 25 – Historic New Richmond, Ohio – performed by the Falcon Theater Company, 7:30 p.m.
April 26 – May 5 – Six performances (dinner theater) by the Summit Theater Company, Bluefield, West Virginia
June 29 – Two performances at the Tullahoma, Tennessee Civic Center, 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (150th anniversary commemoration of the Tullahoma Civil War Campaign)