December 2, 2020

Sidney writes this to the Guggenheim people:

Dear Guggenheim Fellowship Committee:

There is no finer candidate to document the panorama of American history than the brilliant David Hopes. This is not hyperbole. This is my own experience. I had the wonderful opportunity to direct THE LOVES OF MR. LINCOLN for Sunnyspot Productions at the June Havoc Theatre in New York. It was an event of unparalleled joy for me. The play covers Lincoln from his arrival in Springfield through his assassination at Ford’s Theatre with a focus on some his deepest interpersonal relationships, Joshua Speed, Mary Todd, Ulysses S. Grant, George McClellan, and his valet, Tobias. The play is delicately seasoned with songs from the Stephen Foster Songbook. The collaboration with David on this project is one of the high points of my life. His dedication to the storytelling meshed beautifully with my own. His knowledge of and enthusiasm for his subject; his tireless work ethic; his committed listening; his strength tempered with sensitive adaptability among so many other gifts that make him such a fine playwright, all provided impetus for magical accomplishment. Frankly, I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of FATHER ABRAHAM, his trilogy on Lincoln and WASHINGTON PLACE, an intimate and expert telling of the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

I highly recommend David for a Guggenheim Fellowship. The boost this would give him to create and refine his deep grasp of American history into terrific theatre would be a boon to us all.

Feel free to contact me early and often. It is easy to be articulate about the talent of this man.

Thank you.

Yours,

Sidney J. Burgoyne

I don’t know what the Guggenheim people are looking for, but I’d give me the fellowship on the basis of this kind and thoughtful recommendation. 

Zoom rehearsal for Christmas music. More useful than I would have supposed.