By Rose Emrich
r-emrich@onu.edu
The Freed Center for the Performing Arts will present “A.H. (Before he Changed History),” a one-man show about the life of Adolf Hitler. Beginning with Hitler’s early days and childhood, and ending with his death, the show will illustrate not the just the monster history knows, but the real man behind it.
Returning to the project are two ONU alumni, Bryan Beckwith and Lindsay Esser, who have been involved with the show since its Israeli director, Yagil Eliraz, decided to bring the show to America.
After a successful European run, Eliraz knew that he wanted to adapt it for American audiences, and, after having worked with Beckwith and Esser as their guest director in 2007, he knew he would accept no other creative team with which to launch the project.
“I’m very proud to be working on the project,” says Beckwith, “It’s definitely something Yagil was very passionate about, and the opportunity to bring this complicated character to life has been a challenge I’ve embraced.”
“Getting to work with Yagil and Bryan on this project is an amazing opportunity that I can’t wait to start on again,” agrees Esser.
Beckwith, a 2007 graduate with a B.A. in Theater, has been living in Chicago for the past two years, honing his creative skills, auditioning for shows, and working what jobs he can to pay the bills.  
“Its not easy,” he admits, “But I can’t think of doing anything else but this profession.”  After working an internship in the TP&R casting Agency, Beckwith also became very involved in commercial work and Chicago’s hottest theatre attraction, improv.
Esser, a 2008 graduate with a B.A. in Theater, has found similar success with her degree from Northern. Working at Imagination Stage, a non-profit children’s theater organization in Washington, D.C., she believes that she’s found a true passion.
“I love everything about it. From working with a great group of kids that happen to have developmental disabilities, to stage managing shows, to running a sound board, to working on fundraising, everything that I could ask for is in the non-profit world.”
Both agree that their education from Northern was invaluable in their decision to remain in the professional theater world.
“I love what I do and completely felt prepared for it from my experience at Northern,” says Esser. “Working for the Freed Center was never really like working for an educational institution.”
The show promises to be a complex one in which both of the alumni will be challenged. Beckwith was responsible for the development of no less than 9 fully developed characters, which appear throughout the show.  To prepare for such an endeavor, both Esser and Beckwith came back for an intense workshopping process in July, and are now back on campus preparing for the Ada performance.  
Taking the show on the road to the Theater Building in Chicago is where the next challenge lies, but it is one that both alumni are looking forward to.
“Working with Northern and everyone at the Freed Center is wonderful, and I can’t wait to be back there calling a show and calling a professional show tour in Chicago,” says Esser.
Now that the Ada performance is rapidly approaching, and what started as an idea has become a reality, both alumni are proud of the accomplishments that they’ve achieved with this project.
When asked what he thought the audience would get from the show, Beckwith replied, “I think the audience will see that history needs no confirmation.
“Instead, the show reveals true aspects of the human nature. They’ll see the story of how Adolf Hitler, an unhappy child, became the most hated and feared man in history. It’s an emotional journey, and a real one. And it’s one I’ve been so fortunate to have been able to be a part of.”