“Emma: The Matchmaker” in the c. 1794 General Edward Hand Mansion

Historic Rock Ford is pleased to present “Emma: The Matchmaker,” a one-act play adapted by Historic Rock Ford Executive Director Sam Slaymaker from the classic novel by Jane Austen.

The play will be presented in the candlelit rooms of the circa 1794 General Edward Hand Mansion, with scenes taking place in each of the four parlors on the main floor and in the central hallway. All of the rooms in the mansion are period furnished with a variety of local Lancaster, Philadelphia, and English decorative arts to mirror Edward Hand’s inventory after his death from 1805. Two specific examples would be a pianoforte circa 1810 made by local Lancaster craftsman John Wind and a portrait of Dorothy Hand Brien done by Jacob Eichholtz in 1819. Edward Hand was Anglo-Irish, and an adjutant general to George Washington during the Revolutionary War, so the period rooms reflect a very American English and Federal style.

Performances will run approximately one hour. The production was previously presented in 2019 and 2021 to sold-out audiences.

Performances: November 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 at 7 PM and 8:30 PM. Limited to 15 guests per performance.