For the past month, a group of community members have been gathering at the stage in Bryan Memorial Park twice a week to rehearse their roles in a live show as part of the Salem Area Historical Museum’s 100 Years After Scopes event. The show uses a shortened version of the script of “Destiny in Dayton,” a reenactment of the trial performed every year at the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee, where the real trial took place. According to Jim Koehler, this will be the first time the show has been performed outside of Dayton. “Destiny in Dayton” authentically recreates key moments in the trial with dialogue taken mostly from the court transcript.
The two lead roles of William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow are played by Salem Community High School teacher Matt Donoho and local defense attorney Matt Wilzbach respectively. Bryan and Darrow were both nationally known figures, and their planned face-off in the Scopes Trial drew attention from around the world.
Donoho said that portraying William Jennings Bryan as the trial’s special prosecutor has taught him a lot about both Bryan and the trial.
“This has really been an eye-opener,” Donoho said. “I have lived in Salem all my life and driven by the park I don’t know how many times, and seen the statue and known the name. This has been an eye-opening, educational experience for me, learning about a role Bryan played during his life. I had heard about the Scopes Trial, always knew the basics, but this has been really educational, and of course, fun.”
Wilzbach said that as a defense attorney, he has enjoyed playing famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow with the help of experienced local actors.
“It’s been a great experience,” Wilzbach said. “I was familiar with the Scopes Monkey Trial, or at least I thought I was, but I’ve learned a lot more about it. I’ve been appreciative of everyone involved, because most everyone has been heavily involved in the theater community and I’m not, so this is a new experience for me. It’s an interesting twist for me as a former prosecutor and current defense attorney, stepping into a historical defense attorney considered the greatest defense attorney of his age. It’s been fun to step into that role and those shoes and play with it some.”
Visitors to the stage in Bryan Memorial Park on Saturday will have two chances to see the show, with start times at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. While cuts were made in the script to accommodate a smaller cast and stage, the show still lasts over an hour. In addition to watching the show, audience members can enjoy food vendors, merchandise, and historical displays as part of the larger event in the park.
