The Heavens Are Hung in Black
In 2009, David Selby portrayed Abraham Lincoln in The Heavens Are Hung in Black, a world premiere play by James Still commissioned by Ford's Theatre to mark the grand reopening of the facility following renovations as well as the bicentennial of the birth of President Lincoln. The Heavens Are Hung in Black ran from February 3 to March 8, 2009.
The play focuses on the five-month period between the death of Lincoln's son, Willie, and the delivery of the Emancipation Proclamation.
On February 11, 2009, a special reopening gala was attended by President and Mrs. Obama. On behalf of the Ford's Theatre Society, David, who was in costume as Abraham Lincoln to perform a scene from The Heavens Are Hung in Black, presented the President and First Lady with an illuminated manuscript of the Gettysburg Address.
David returned to Ford's Theatre in June 2011 to participate in their annual gala. He played Abraham Lincoln for a second time at Ford's Theatre in 2012 in the world premiere production of Necessary Sacrifices.
The slideshow below feature photos and video clips related to The Heavens Are Hung in Black as well as the grand reopening event.
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