Did you ever wish you could have lived in the 1800’s? Did you ever wish you could have seen a posse chasing a group of bank robbers? Would you have like to have sight a fight between settlers and Indians? Maybe you would have like to have seen the action–but from a safe distance? In Xenia, Ohio (about 10 miles west of Dayton, Ohio, and 50 miles north of Cincinnati), every year you can see an outdoor drama scheduled every year in the summer that depicts the struggle between the Shawnee Indian tribe and white settlers–Blue Jacket. This is the 26th season for the play.
If you attend a show you will get to see Native Americans ride thundering horses in the epic 2 ½ hour drama as the action comes to life in the outdoor Xenia, Ohio, drama. You will see the riders shoot flaming arrows on the outdoor stage. The drama is about Shawnee Chief Blue Jacket and the Native Americans protecting their homelands in Ohio from encroaching frontiersmen. The play was written by W. L. Mundell and is based on the assumption that Chief Blue Jacket was originally a Dutchman named Marmaduke Van Swearingen who was taken by the Shawnees as a baby. Some historians dispute that claim, however.
Jo Anna Stevens, business development manager, said people should see the play, because everyone can learn from history. She said everyone learns something different by watching, and “it gives off such a wonderful feeling that makes you want to keep it with you forever.”
Chief Blue Jacket helped his men defeat U.S. frontier armies twice. The Shawnees participated in the battles 200 years ago.
Tracy Leake, Chief of Operations for First Frontier, Incorporated, said the outdoor dram depicts an “epic” time in history. She added that the “theatre stands on land where most of the characters actually lived, fought, and died.” She said that makes the play even more “beautiful” to watch.
Even though there are some violent scenes in the outdoor drama in Xenia, the performers try to keep the scenes toned down, in consideration of children in attendance. According to reports about the play, it contains something everyone will enjoy.
Blue Jacket contains 19 horses, blazing canons, intense combat, and a storyline described in press reports as “beautiful.” It also reportedly displays a love for the land and a love for the culture of the day.
The Ohio Journal of Science recently reported that DNA testing showed that Chief Blue Jacket was a full-blooded Shawnee and not Van Swearingen. The testing was done from the DNA of living descendants of Blue Jacket’s son and Van Swearingen’s brother and two uncles. Regardless, according to press reports, viewers have enjoyed the play no matter what nationality Blue Jacket was.
Those who attend the show need reservations. A 45-minute tour is given before the show at 5:00 p.m. by actors in the play. Those who take the tour get to learn more about the combat, costumes, props, black powder weapons, history on the show and land, and interesting facts about the drama.
After the backstage tour, visitors can have a delicious dinner with a different entrée each evening catered by The Little Miami River Catering Company. Reservations are required for the meal. For those who don’t want a full meal, hot dogs and hamburgers are served from 5:30 until intermission. The meal is served in a screened-in pavilion, frontier style.
The shows will continue this year. They may or may not continue in future years, because of financial difficulties, so those who want to see the play should attend this year.
The show begins at 8:00 nightly. There is a 20-minute intermission. If you want to see the old west come to life in the outdoor Xenia, Ohio, drama, you can get tickets by calling 1-877-465-BLUE. You can also get tickets online. Tickets are $11 each for adults, $10 each for seniors or students, and $8 each for children.
In the same theatre, you can see The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from September 6 to September 30.
