New Oxford, PA – The New Oxford Area Historical Society (NOAHS) and Community Media of South Central PA (Community Media) have embarked on a year-long project to create a series of local history cultural heritage ‘extended feature’ and ‘historical moment’ videos to celebrate the anniversary of the War for Independence and birth of this nation – America 250. The project is made possible by a grant from The Robert C. Hoffman Charitable Endowment Trust and presents opportunities for community involvement in various ways. In particular, at present the project team announces the commencement of ‘digital auditions’ for individuals to represent the voice of characters that will appear in the video productions.

To back up some, the videos being produced feature a collection of stories and narratives about some of the people, places, events and outcomes that transpired across present day eastern Adams – western York County; what we call Pennsylvania’s South-Central (Middle) Frontier. The productions will help to illustrate our region’s history and heritage immediately before, during and after the Revolution.

The productions will feature an assortment of knowledgeable authorities and feature the locations, talents and treasures that exist in our region which illustrate the following periods and scope.

• Early 1760s: Colonial Life in York County’s Western Frontier
•  Mid-1760s to Early-1770s: Unrest Builds Across the Colonies and Pennsylvania’s Frontier
• 1775-1781: Call-to-Arms – War Across the Colonies Unfolds
• 1781-1790: Britain is Defeated and the Men Return Home
• 1770s-1790: Forging a New Nation and Local Governance

The Opportunity
The videos being produced will include various ‘voice overs’ that are central to the telling of the stories. Some will be for fictional characters, some for real persons from the era, and one or two narrator(s) telling the tales and providing continuity and consistency across the production pieces.

Both male and female voices representing a range of ethnic and socio-economic profiles will be needed though more male voices will be needed given the subject and period. Thus, voice auditions for any combination of the following hypothetical, regional characters are being sought, as example:

• Tavern/Inn Keeper – male or female; English, Scot-Irish or German/Dutch
• Minister – male; English, Scot-Irish or German/Dutch
• Soldier/Militia/Associator/Loyalist – male; English, Scot-Irish,or German/Dutch
• Frontier People – male or female; Scot-Irish or German/Dutch
• City/Town’s Person- male or female; English, Scot-Irish or German/Dutch

Digital Auditions
To broaden our reach across the region and provide an opportunity for community involvement, ‘digital auditions’ will be conducted with the goal of engaging a range of local actors, trained voices, reenactors or simply an interested person. To participate, individuals are asked to record their reading of the script provided (see pgs 3,4) for the character(s)/role(s) they wish to represent and submit their file(s) in .wav or .mp3 format.

Submissions should be sent to: NOAHS17350@gmail.com. Please indicate which character(s) you are auditioning for and include your name, address, email address and phone number (cell preferred), so we can then contact you. Questions can also be sent to the same address and we will get back to you at soon as possible.

Audition clips are sought through March 16th to allow individuals sufficient time to respond. A member of the production team will be in contact once the team has had a chance to review your submission but no later than March 30th. Scripts and readings for the productions will begin to be made available in May and recordings will take place during the spring and summer, with all being completed by the end of September.

We believe this represents an exciting opportunity for members of our region’s community to be a part of this production that celebrates our country’s 250th anniversary of its founding! Thank-you.

Your Production Team,

For New Oxford Area Historic Society – Michael Schen, Robert Wilson, & April Majka

For Community Media of South Central PA – Raymond Gouker, Mark Wherley, & Shawn Garrett

Character Readings
America250: Pennsylvania’s South-Central (Middle) Frontier

Tavern/Inn Keeper
“He shall not suffer to have any playing at cards, dice, tally, bowls, nine pins, billiards, or any other unlawful game or games in his said house… Nor shall he suffer to remain in his house any person or persons, not being his own family, on Saturday night after dark, or on the Sabbath days… Nor shall he entertain as lodgers in his house any strangers men or women, above the space of forty-eight hours, but such whose names he shall deliver to one of the constables of the town… ”

Minister
“The Husband should endeavor, that his Wife may have Food and Raiment suitable for her. He should contrive prudently and work diligently, that his Family, and his Wife particularly, may be well provided for. He is ever to be esteem’d the Superior, the Head, and to be reverenc’d and obey’d as such. Furthermore, a good husband condemns those that are Idle, and men who are Heads of Families should not be out late and unseasonably from their families.”

Soldier/Militia/Associator/Loyalist
“I, [YOUR NAME], do affirm that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Britain, his heirs and successors, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a free and independent state, and that I will not at any time do or cause to be done any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and independence thereof, as declared by Congress…”

Frontier People
“As I was at this time unacquainted with this mode of firing and yellin of the savages, I concluded that there were thousands of Indians there, ready to receive General Braddock; but what added to my surprize, I saw numbers running towards me, stripped naked, excepting breech-clouts, and painted in the most hideous manner, of various colors, though the principal color was vermillion, or a bright red; yet there was annexed to this, black, brown, and blue….”

City/Town’s Person
“The frontier of any dominion being attack’d, it becomes not merely “the cause” of the people immediately affected, (the inhabitants of that frontier) but properly “the cause” of the whole body. Where the frontier people owe and pay obedience, there they have a right to look for protection. No political proposition is better established than this. It is therefore invidious to represent the blood and treasure spent in this war, as spent in the “cause of the colonies” …”