The following is the play program for the play "Darwin Remembers", written by Floyd Sandford. With the assistance of a grant from Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the play was performed, at 5 different venues in Eastern Iowa from March to September 2000. In the productions the role of Charles Darwin was acted by Mr. Sandford. The play, a living history reenactment for one actor, includes a 6-minute recreation of the historic debate at Oxford in June 1860 between Bishop Samuel Wilberforce and the biologist Thomas Huxley, with the actor portraying both roles. The production which occurred at the Dows Fine Arts Theatre on the campus of Coe College on the evening of April 20, 2000 was videotaped and 3 short segments from the performance are available by clicking here:

Arranging for a performance of the play

Booking a performance:

The author/actor, is interested in bringing a production of "Darwin Remembers" to interested audiences. Fees are modest & negotiable, according to circumstances. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Mr. Sandford for more information or details.

The play:

The play program for the premiere performance at Coe College in April 2000 follows:

First page:

Darwin Remembers

Recollections of a Life's Journey

April 19 and 20
8:00 p.m.
Dows Theater
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

(2^nd page):

Darwin Remembers

By Floyd Sandford

Charles Darwin ................................................................ Floyd Sandford

Synopsis of Scene

The study of Charles Darwin at Down House near the small village of Downe in Kent, England, 16 miles South of London in the late morning of a day in October 1881

Acknowledgements

The author/actor is greatly appreciative of all the persons who assisted in this production. The production was supported by a grant from Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition Mr. Sandford expresses his appreciation to the following persons for their assistance, advice and/or encouragement: Coe College, Academic Dean Laura Skandera-Trombley, Candace Pufall, Micheal Pufall, Randy Susevich, Jean Newkirk, Ann Struthers, Sharon Sandford, Susan Sandford, Tiffany Edleblute, Leo and Lorrene Sheumaker, Lee Schneidermann, Jim Miller, Marsha Evenson, Diane Bradbury, Amy Wheeler, Rich Adkins, and Carole Butz.

A special note to the audience

During the debate between Wilberforce and Huxley in Act. II, the actor encourages the audience to imagine themselves transported back to the scene of the debate - a crowded meeting room in Oxford in the year 1860. Before and after the debate audience members are encouraged to make "audience sounds" and at appropriate times during the debate, are encouraged to cheer, applaud, express their displeasure or disagreement, etc. should they feel the inclination to do so.

(3^rd page):

Program Notes

In addition to the comments following, a separate page of program notes with information about the life and work of Charles Darwin is available for persons interested in knowing more. You are welcome to keep these pages of additional information if you wish but if you don't want to take them with you, please help promote the wise use of resources by placing these program notes (along with the play program as well) in the boxes provided so that they can be re-used by others.

With the exception of the flashback to the Wilberforce-Huxley debate, the information presented in this play is factual. Much of the information was derived from Darwin's autobiography, edited and published shortly after his death by his son Francis.

The flashback is an attempt to reconstruct events during the final hour of the historic confrontation at Oxford in 1860, between Samuel Wilberforce, the Bishop of Oxford and the biologist Thomas H. Huxley, Darwin's most loyal and vociferous defender in public forum and debates. Darwin himself was not at the meeting. Much has been written about this meeting, but no verbatim transcript exists of the actual dialogue that occurred between Wilberforce and Huxley. The actual exchange between the two men lasted about an hour, much longer than the brief 6 minute exchange in the play. A recollection by Huxley written years later, which also includes personal narratives of several other persons who were at the meeting, is the nearest and most complete accounting of the events that occurred. Huxley's memoirs give a good accounting of his actual statements but unfortunately the actual and vital words spoken by Wilberforce are lost to time. The factually-based dialogue in the flashback, spoken mainly by Huxley, is taken from information available in Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley, Vol. 1, edited by his son Leonard Huxley, and published in 1900.

Floyd Sandford

(Back of Program):

The Books and Monographs of Charles Darwin

1839
Journal of Researches into the Natural History etc .... (The Voyage of the Beagle)

1842 The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs

1844 Geological Observations on Volcanic Islands

1846 Geological Observations on South America

1851 A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia

1851 A Monograph of the Fossil Pedunculated Cirripeds of Great Britain

1854 A Monograph of the Sessile Cirripeds

1854 A Monograph of the Fossil Sessile Cirripeds

1859 On the Origin of Species

1862 On the Var. Contrivances by which British & Foreign Orchids are Fertilized by Insects

1868 The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication

1871 The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex

1872 The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

1875 Insectivorous Plants

1875 The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants

1876 The Effects of Cross- and Self-Fertilization in the Vegetable Kingdom

1877 The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species

1880 The Power of Movement in Plants

1881 The Formation of Vegetable Mold through the Action of Worms

Performances of the play "Darwin Remembers"

Date

Place

March 2, 2000 Coe College Thursday Forum

1. April 19 & 20, 2000 Dows Theatre, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
First two public performances.

2. July 1, 2000 Granger House, Marion, IA

3. Sept. 22, 2000 University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Genetics PhD Program Fall Retreat

4. October 12, 2000 Kirkwood Community College, Iowa City, IA

5. March 30, 2001 Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
Midwest Political Science Students Convention

6. April 21, 2001 Annual Meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science
Hotel Fort Des Moines, Des Moines, IA

7. June 25, 2001 Lakes Art Center, Okoboji, IA

8. October 1, 2001 Simpson College, Indianola, IA

9. October 17, 2001 Peru State College, Peru, NE

10. October 22, 2001 University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

11. October 25, 2001 Mt. Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, IA

12. November 27, 2001 Ripon College, Ripon, WI

13. February 11, 2005 Cleveland Natural History Museum, OH
[Museum Explorer of the Month]

14. January 24, 2006 Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, IA

15. April 1, 2006 Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA

Audience comments Performance at Coe College
Thursday Forum, March 2000

"Best historical performance I have ever seen"
"The character of Darwin came alive" "a masterful job of writing and acting"
"A great introduction to Darwin. The actor was fantastic"
"A first-rate script and an excellent performance"
"I enjoyed and learned from the production. An excellent performance" - Dr. Jean Sweat
"An outstandingly conceived and delivered performance"- John Stuhr

Performance at Univ. of Iowa, Sept. 2000

"A tremendous production" "afterwards I went home and had a long discussion about Darwin and his remarkable career with my family" -
Dr. Henry Paulson

Performance at Iowa Academy of Science, April 21, 2001

"Outstanding performance" "many in the audience felt in the presence of Darwin" - Dr. David McCalley, Executive Director of the Academy
"The production of Darwin Remembers was outstanding" -
Dr. Wayne Anderson