On the stage of the Frances Marion Brown Theatre at the Oswego Players, a veritable Titanic “museum” is being assembled to present their July production of Luke Yankee’s play “The Last Lifeboat”.
The play explores the life and memory of J. Bruce Ismay, owner of The White Star Line. An upper-crust Englishman who always did what was expected of him, Ismay went to the best schools, married the right society girl (even though he was in love with someone else) and vowed to his staunch, unfeeling father on his deathbed that he would take over the family shipping business and build the biggest, most opulent ship the world had ever seen: the RMS Titanic.
The production, part of the Oswego Players’ 85th anniversary season, will run weekends July 14 through July 23 at the Frances Marion Brown Theatre in Fort Ontario Park, Oswego, NY. Friday and Saturday night curtain times are at 7:30PM, with Sunday matinee times at 2PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Reservations may be made by calling 315-343-5138 or going to https://oswegoplayers.org.
While the Last Lifeboat centers on the sinking of the Titanic and its aftermath, it does so through the memories of Ismay and those who lives crossed paths with him. To bring this to the stage, guest director William Edward White’s vision for the production is a Titanic Museum filled with images and memories. The walls of the theater are coved by real newspaper headlines and photographs of the victims and survivors of the sinking.
To further create immersion of a Titanic museum, the lobby of the Oswego Civic Arts Center is graced with items from a local Oswegoian’s collection.
The Rev. George DeMass retired is an Oswego Town native and is currently Historian of the Town of Oswego. He has been a member of the Titanic Historical Society for many years. The Rev. DeMass has officiated at Titanic Memorial services in Denver, on the Queen Mary at Long Beach, CA, Pigeon Forge, Boston, Springfield, Mass. and Lake George. He knew two of the survivors including the youngest and last survivor, Millvina Dean (d. 2009) of Southampton England.
Rev. DeMass is letting the Oswego Player’s display various objects from his personal collection. One of the items is a Washington Times front page featuring the two Navartil brothers from France. They were kidnapped by their father and were on their way to America. Navartil’s father did not survive and the boys were reunited later with their mother. Another item is a photo of Daisy Irvine inscribed by her. This English songstress helped in the fundraising efforts to support the survivors of the sinking. A third object being borrowed is a large photo of Titanic signed by survivor Jack O’Dell.
DeMass will be attending the Sunday, July 16th matinee to do an audience talkback about the Titanic immediately following the performance.
The Oswego Players has also partnered with H. Lee White Maritime Museum. The director William Edward White got permission to do a promotional photoshoot at the museum. The museum will offer $1.00 discount ticket to the play and the Players will offer a $1.00 to the museum. Just save your ticket stubs.
The Oswego Players’ production of “The Last Lifeboat” is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection.
CAPTION: The Rev. George DeMass, current Historian of the Town of Oswego and Millvina Dean, the last survivor of The RMS Titanic, at her home in Southampton, England in 1997. The play runs weekends July 14 – 23.