Faculty Member Pens Play for Local Library Exhibit
Philip W. Hoke, a lecturer in the Department of Communication, was pleasantly
surprised when the San Antonio Library asked for permission to present his
one-act play, "Joice Heth: The Nurse of Giants," in conjunction
with its George Washington exhibit.
Hoke, who has been at UTSA since 1991, teaches acting, oral interpretation
and communications courses. He is also known for his performances as Buffalo
Bill and other historical personages for the popular "Saturday Readings"
program at San Antonio Library’s Hertzberg Circus Museum.
Hoke did research for the play using a number of historical records, including
biographies of George Washington. The one-woman performance will feature Anne-Marie
Moore, a UTSA English alumna.
Joice Heth, a slave and a featured performer in P.T. Barnum’s circus
in the late 1800s, claimed to be 160 years old and a nurse for President George
Washington. Some historians say Barnum believed Heth was the genuine article,
although the doctor who performed the autopsy immediately after her death
said she wasn’t a day over 80. Poverty and deplorable living conditions
marked Heth’s last days.
The playwright said the goal of his play is to make the audience consider
whether Heth was really Washington’s nurse maid or not. "The character
does not defend herself, but raises questions about the historical record
of her life and leaves the answers up to the audience," said Hoke.
"Joice Heth: The Nurse of Giants" will be performed July 14, 1 p.m., at the Carver Branch Library, 3350 E. Commerce. Admission is free and open to the public with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Seating is limited to 75. For more information, call (210) 225-7801.
The play is being presented as part of the San Antonio Library’s exhibit of "The Great Experiment: George Washington and the American Republic."
© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2001