The Newnan Community Theatre Company had a plan.
Then they got a playwright -- and a philanthropic gift to make their plan a reality. Members of the local theater group have been dreaming for years of having a play version of the John Wallace murder trial that could be staged locally -- possibly at the historic Coweta County Courthouse.
Wallace's actual trial took place in the majestic upper floor courtroom of the building in 1948.special valentines day flowers ideas
Last week it was announced that Jeff Bishop, a staff writer for The Newnan Times-Herald, has been selected to write the script for the play. The entire project got a monetary boost when the Charter Foundation of CharterBank awarded matching grant money to the non-profit.
In June 2010, the Charter Foundation breathed life into the project to create a play about the murder with an initial grant of $5,000. Now The Charter Foundation has donated an additional $11,294 in matching funds. The theater group has also received grants from the Newnan Cultural Arts Commission, Newnan Utilities, the Coweta Community Foundation and MainStreet Newnan.
There also have been donations from individuals.
In 1948, Wallace, a prominent Meriwether County landowner, was convicted of murdering a former tenant farmer, William Turner.
The 1904 courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse underwent an extensive restoration and renovation in 2009-2010.
It is envisioned that the play will become a signature annual event for NCTC, Newnan and Coweta County, with a goal of bringing tourists to downtown Newnan. The project's Citizen's Posse is planning trips to Colquitt to view "Swamp Gravy" and to Monroeville, Ala., to see "To Kill a Mockingbird" to observe how those local productions have become so successful.
Three dozen hopeful playwrights responded to a call for ideas for the play.
Bishop is a journalist and historian, having published around 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles. He is currently a graduate student at the University of West Georgia, and a candidate for an advanced degree in public history.
"I couldn't possibly be more excited," said Bishop, upon learning the news. "What a wonderful gift this is -- the chance to bring this one-of-a-kind story to life on the stage in my hometown, hopefully in the courtroom where it all took place."
The first act will focus primarily on Wallace and the events leading up to the murder. The second act will center on the investigation by Sheriff Lamar Potts and the key roles played by the two African-American farmhands whose testimony, it was asserted at the time, could never lead to the conviction of a white landowner on a murder charge.
The current schedule anticipates the first full production of the play to be presented in 2013.
The Charter Foundation provides grants anywhere CharterBank has retail branches in order to enhance the quality of life in the community. The foundation primarily makes grants in the areas of community and economic development, human and social needs, environmental protection and cultural and artistic projects. Last year, more than $373,000 was awarded by the foundation.
Ashley Schubert, local CharterBank regional president, took part in a presentation ceremony with Caroline Abbey, NCTC board chairman, and Dave Dorrell, the theater group's managing director.
The Wallace trial was the basis of a best-selling 1976 book, "Murder in Coweta County," by Margaret Anne Barnes. A television film -- starring Johnny Cash and Andy Griffith -- was based on Barnes' book.
Several other books have explored aspects of the Wallace case. Alabama author Dot Moore has written biographies of Wallace and of Mayhayley Lancaster, a Heard County fortuneteller who testified against Wallace.
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