Hugh Pratt and Anne Paris want to bring a theatrical production to downtown Buffalo. The outdoor drama is called Clinton’s Ditch: The Story of the Building of the Erie Canal. The couple has been busy writing the treatment of the story, which is an accurate play-by-play of the drama that unfolded when thousands of workers dug the Erie Canal. It’s the story of the grueling labor, and the real life drama that the immigrants experienced. It’s akin to Greek theatre with good and evil, and heroic characters and the suffering of different classes of people… and it took place here and in other places around NY State.
There could be no better time for a theatrical drama like this to come to Buffalo. Hugh and Anne were hoping to find a one-acre location somewhere in the area of the Erie Canal Terminus to host the production. So far there has not been overwhelming interest from the different parties surrounding that site, and that’s OK, because the land is still being designed and parceled off for different uses. That’s why Hugh and Anne have started to look off-site for dedicated land. You see, this would not be a one-night performance… or one week… or even one month. They are looking for a plot of land where the production could run continuously, sorta like Shakespeare in the Park… just dedicated to the story of the building of the Erie Canal.
It was suggested during this podcast that the couple look at Peg’s Festival Park, which will begin construction this coming spring. This park could be the perfect spot, at the perfect time, for such a performance, and it’s in the heart of Erie Canal historic land.
Bill Zimmermann
Bill runs Seven Seas Sailing school, and is a staunch waterfront activist. He is also heavily involved with preserving, maintaining, and promoting the South Buffalo Lighthouse. When Bill first started writing for Buffalo Rising, he wrote an article a day for 365 days - each article coincided with a significant historic event that happened in Buffalo on that same day.