RISE!  The Life Story of Abraham Lincoln

Update - June 10, 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 23 to 25 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.

A fifth draft of the script has just been completed.  It will likely go through some tweaking before getting to a Staged Reading, but is largely in shape for that next step. I am working with a writer's groups at Paper Kite Arts as well as engaging multiple dramaturgs to improve the script over time. Actor staffed Table Reads occurred in Dallas and Tucson from April to early June this year. I would especially like to connect with a director and/or music 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 - or 1 strong production at the regional 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, but the music is set for the staged reading phase. 

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 16 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.
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  1. 1
    Billy's Barbershop 2:42
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  2. 2
    Get to Work! 3:25
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    Headin Out In Style 3:49
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    I Just Wanna Be Free 4:04
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    Wrasslin Man 2:39
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    Springfield Bound 3:45
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    Smart 3:26
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  8. 8
    The Lost Speech - Rise! 3:35
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  9. 9
    The People's Cry (1858) 3:24
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  10. 10
    Grow That Beard! 3:17
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  11. 11
    Farewell Springfield/Created Equal/Secession 9:21
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  12. 12
    Save the Union 2:58
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  13. 13
    Bloody Mess 3:51
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  14. 14
    The General Who Won't Attack 1:53
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  15. 15
    If There Were Something I Could Do 2:33
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  16. 16
    Emancipation Proclamation 2:32
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  17. 17
    Go and Get This Thing Done 3:33
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  18. 18
    Time Is On Our Side 2:29
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  19. 19
    Atlanta Is Ours 3:24
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    With Malice Toward None 3:12
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