RISE!  The Life Story of Abraham Lincoln

Update - April 22, 2026: This is an update page for the musical I am working on titled ‘Rise!’ The play is the story of Abraham Lincoln. It will have 22 to 24 songs and will be in two acts - one covering Lincoln growing up and before the Civil War and one that is (mostly) set during the Civil War.

The script has gone through four plus drafts (currently labelled Version 4.31) and will likely go through another one or two before getting to a Staged Reading. I am working with a writer's groups at Paper Kite Arts as well as engaging multiple dramaturgs to improve the script over the coming months. Table Reads are occurring in Tucson in early May and early June. Once these are complete and after the next round of dramaturgical feedback, I will be hoping to move the show to a Staged Reading during the fall/winter of 2026. I would especially like to connect with a music director and/or director in the Seattle and/or Tucson areas (or perhaps in Illinois) to try to coordinate a staged reading for the second half of 2026 (there would be some compensation for this). Once the Staged Readings are complete and appropriate revisions have been made, a Full Production is targeted for late 2027 (or at least to get scheduled during 2027). A budget is available to fund the Staged Readings and 1 or 2 Full Productions at the community theater level.

All of the songs have a formal Piano/Vocal score that can be used for rehearsals. There may be some revisions in the future, but the vast majority of the music is complete. The final songs obviously depend on the final script. 

Demos of songs from the show are posted below. These vary in quality but give a pretty good idea of the feel of the show. If you want to listen to the songs that have the best production value right now, try The Lost Speech/Rise!, Billy's Barbershop, or Brother Abraham.

Disclosure Note: All songs/lyrics/script have been written by myself (organically), but some of the demos below use a ‘Cover’ version done using Suno in order to give a better idea of what the song should sound like if fully orchestrated. Even these are not final versions but some get pretty close. I believe they will be useful for guiding the orchestration process when that stage arrives (probably late 2026 or 2027).

It has now been about 15 months in the development process and I feel like a good deal of progress has happened and is ongoing. I will post updates on show progress and any new demos on this page.  If you would like a short deck (9 pages) or even the script as it stands, please contact me at ajaske@aol.com.
0:00/???
  1. 1
    Billy's Barbershop 2:42
    0:00/2:42
  2. 2
    Get to Work! 3:25
    0:00/3:25
  3. 3
    Headin Out In Style 3:49
    0:00/3:49
  4. 4
    Wrasslin Man 2:39
    0:00/2:39
  5. 5
    Springfield Bound 3:45
    0:00/3:45
  6. 6
    Smart 3:26
    0:00/3:26
  7. 7
    The Lost Speech - Rise! 3:35
    0:00/3:35
  8. 8
    The People's Cry (1858) 3:24
    0:00/3:24
  9. 9
    Grow That Beard! 3:17
    0:00/3:17
  10. 10
    Farewell Springfield/Created Equal/Secession 9:21
    0:00/9:21
  11. 11
    Save the Union 2:58
    0:00/2:58
  12. 12
    Bloody Mess 3:51
    0:00/3:51
  13. 13
    The General Who Won't Attack 1:53
    0:00/1:53
  14. 14
    Emancipation Proclamation 2:32
    0:00/2:32
  15. 15
    Go and Get This Thing Done 3:33
    0:00/3:33
  16. 16
    Time Is On Our Side 2:29
    0:00/2:29
  17. 17
    Atlanta Is Ours 3:24
    0:00/3:24
  18. 18
    With Malice Toward None 3:12
    0:00/3:12
  19. 19
    Ashes/With Malice Toward None Reprise 4:14
    0:00/4:14
  20. 20
    He Belongs to the Ages 2:42
    0:00/2:42