Community Media of South Central PA
Gettysburg, Pa. —During the week of the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, on Friday, July 5, 2024, join the Gettysburg Foundation for A Historic Evening with Stephen Lang and Jeff Shaara. Award-winning stage and screen actor, playwright and author Stephen Lang and The New York Times bestselling author Jeff Shaara will appear for a special evening of live performances, dinner, Q&A and more at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center.
The evening features a live performance, poetry readings, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Killer Angels—and a surprise or two—including a performance by Bassist and New York Philharmonic Principal Bass Timothy Cobb. Guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages during the opening reception at 4:30 p.m. while they anticipate Lang and Shaara’s live performance in The Kinsley Theater. Dinner accompanied by Q&A with Lang and Shaara, moderated by Gettysburg Foundation Board member Janet Morgan Riggs, will follow the performances. Lang and Shaara will sign books at the close of the evening, and guests will receive complimentary books courtesy of the Gettysburg Foundation.
A longtime advocate of all things Gettysburg, Gettysburg National Military Park, the Gettysburg Foundation and the town of Gettysburg itself, Lang received the inaugural Kinsley Award (2019) presented by the Gettysburg Foundation for exemplifying Abraham Lincoln’s vision of a humble, civil and inclusive society. Lang is known for his roles on Broadway as Colonel Jessup in A Few Good Men, Happy Loman in Death of a Salesman and a Tony-nominated performance as Lou in The Speed of Darkness. An award-winning playwright, Lang is known for his performance documentary Beyond Glory, which tracks the ten-year odyssey behind his acclaimed solo performance piece about eight Medal of Honor recipients. Lang’s many films include Last Exit to Brooklyn, Tombstone, Gods and Generals, Public Enemies, Don’t Breathe, Avatar and an unforgettable performance as Major General George E. Pickett in the 1993 film Gettysburg. Lang reprised his role as The Blind Man in Don’t Breathe 2 and his starring role as Colonel Quaritch in James Cameron’s Avatar sequels.
The New York Times bestselling author of 19 novels that cover American history from the Revolutionary War through Korea, Shaara is a four-time recipient of the American Library Association’s “William Young Boyd Award” for Excellence in Military Fiction for Gods and Generals, To The Last Man, The Frozen Hours and The Eagle’s Claw. His American Civil War novel Gods and Generals was the basis for the major motion picture of the same name, released 2003. Jeff’s novel The Old Lion (May 2023) covers the life of Teddy Roosevelt. In May 2024, Shaara’s 20th book, The Shadow of War, a novel dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis, will be released.
Bassist Timothy Cobb joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Bass in May 2014, after serving as principal bass of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra since 1989. He has appeared at numerous chamber music festivals worldwide. A faculty member of the Sarasota Music Festival, Cobb is helping to launch a new bass program for the Killington Music Festival in Killington, Vermont. He also serves as principal bass for Valery Gergiev’s World Orchestra for Peace, an invited group of musicians from around the world who donate their time biannually and perform to promote international harmony. Cobb has been designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace from his affiliation with the World Orchestra. Cobb serves as bass department chair for The Juilliard School, as well as on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Purchase College and Rutgers University. Cobb has an ongoing collaboration with Lang, for whom he recorded a solo bass soundtrack for Lang’s animated short film The Wheatfield depicting a human drama from the Battle of Gettysburg.
“We are excited to host this very special evening with Stephen Lang and Jeff Shaara,” said David Malgee, Interim President and CEO of the Gettysburg Foundation, the official non-profit partner of the National Park Service at Gettysburg. “The event is a rare Gettysburg exclusive that area residents, visitors to Gettysburg and our Friends of Gettysburg members will be excited to attend. Stephen Lang and Jeff Shaara will be performing exclusive material not previously seen from them. We are looking forward to welcoming Stephen and Jeff back to the Museum & Visitor for what promises to be a truly special and memorable evening here in Gettysburg,” added Malgee.
A Historic Evening with Stephen Lang and Jeff Shaara program schedule:
• 4:30 p.m. | Reception | Event Tent, Front Lawn
• 5:30 p.m. | Live Performances | The Kinsley Theater
• 7:30 p.m. | Dinner | Main Lobby
• 8:15 p.m. | Dinner Program with Q&A | Main Lobby
• 9:15 p.m. | Book Signing | Main Lobby
Ticket reservations for A Historic Evening with Stephen Lang and Jeff Shaara on July 5 are required and now available. Ticket purchases for this event help to provide a lasting connection to our nation’s next generation while supporting the Gettysburg Foundation’s mission of preservation and education in partnership with the National Park Service at Gettysburg. Ticket reservations close June 14, 2024, or when sold out. Seating is limited for this one-of-a-kind event at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center located at 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Individuals are encouraged to transact early when purchasing tickets. To purchase tickets for A Historic Evening with Stephen Lang and Jeff Shaara, call our Guest Relations team at 877-874-2478 or 717-334-2436 or visit GettysburgFoundation.org.
