Finches and Freedom: The Twin Spirits of Lincoln and Darwin

What happens when timelines and legacies entwine? How does one pull them apart or find a way to grow from them? This is especially true when the shadow of greatness looms large. Shakespeare once wrote that “What is past is a prologue.” But a prologue to what? To what we are or………hope to be? This show is about learning from a past that inspires.

Were there two more influential men in the 19th Century than Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin? Both were amazingly impactful— and in quite different ways. Lincoln and his striking words became a signpost of the Freedom struggle, the beacon of hope for millions of the enslaved. Darwin? He found new ways to open eyes to scientific discoveries, carefully ‘reading the public’ and presenting fundamental ideas in a fashion that attracted growing receptivity. The concept of our very origin at stake.

As remarkable as the stories of these two men are, equally stunning is the fact that they were born on the very same day, February 12, 1809, within hours of each other. Lincoln in a small, rustic Indiana Cabin, while Darwin was born to affluence in England. They admired each other and their works. Did they ever meet? No. But, what if they had? Perhaps at the very height of their influence? Imagine such a meeting of minds….

It is February 12, 1865, a few weeks after the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, was passed in congress. On a Sunday afternoon Charles Darwin and his exceptional wife, Emma, make a visit to the Lincoln White House. Neither of the men realize this is their mutual 56th birthday. Their wives, however, do---surprising these great men with their hard-to-believe concurrence of births.

It is the back and forth between these two historic figures, between their wives and each other, though, that will capture the audience. Emotions and humor swing into Abe’s stories, awe into Darwin’s big ideas. Questions run through Mary and Emma, along with pain and laughter, as they seek to figure out their complex partners. Audience members will be as intrigued by the timing of these eventful lives as they are by the drama of the time. Add heartfelt compassion, and attendees will come away with a memorable experience.

Thomas Carlyle, a noted scholar from the 1840s, posed the question, “Is it the times that makes the man? Or is it the Man who makes the times?” As our characters grapple with this unknown, so will our viewers. Just one of the many questions they’ll have to consider and reflect upon.