Fire in the Night Season: The Trial of Philip Partridge

Fire in the Night Season: The Trial of Philip Partridge is a docudrama celebrating the freedom fighter spirit in all of us. As part of the America 250 Celebration in Highland County, Susan Banyas and Rainee Angles retell the story of the trailblazing County Engineer, Philip Partridge, who stood trial for burning down the Lincoln School in Hillsboro, Ohio.

In May of 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling declared racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. In Hillsboro, the white children went to Washington or Webster elementary, while the Black children attended the Lincoln School, a school badly in need of repair and improvements. However, voters had passed a levy to upgrade the two white schools, and this motion placed integration on the back burner indefinitely. Enter Philip Partridge, July 5th 1954. At 2:00am, he lit the match that forced integration in this small, rural town.

The play weaves lyrical passages of The Hillsboro Story, written by Susan Banyas, with a dramatic staging of Mr. Partridge’s trial. Rainee Angles will be directing the play, with a one-night-only performance on July 17th at the Edward K. Daniels Auditorium, Southern State Community College, Hillsboro Ohio. The performance begins at 7:00pm. Admission is free.

This production is being presented in part by the generosity of the Paul and Mae Jane Pence Trust Patron of the Arts Fund through the Southern State Foundation and the America 250-Ohio Commission. Fire in the Night Season kicks off Highland County’s weekend celebration of America’s 250th anniversary of our independence.