During the summer months in the 1870s at Fort Abraham Lincoln, enlisted soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry and the laundresses had few entertainment options.

So they created the Fort Abraham Lincoln Dramatic Association.

During evenings at the fort, the soldiers and laundresses would perform songs and melodramas for the other soldiers, officers, and Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his wife, Libbie.

The fort was officially abandoned in 1891.

In 1998, the late Mark Kenneweg, a historic interpreter at the reconstructed fort south of Mandan, revived the dramatic association and the melodramas. That year they performed the fort's very first play, "That Rascal Flat."

After Kenneweg died in 2005, Scott Larkin took over as director.

Each summer weekend, young historic interpreters working at the state park perform on the rustic stage for audiences inside the Granary Theatre.

"It's an historic experience for the audience," said Larkin. "It's something you won't get anywhere else."

Now playing is the Victorian age comedy "Box and Cox" and the "Punch and Judy" puppet show. Next month the melodramas will be "A Marriage Proposal" and "A Pair of Lunatics."

"It's fun and the language has a bit of a rhythm to it," said actor Seth Eberle, staying in his character's British accent. "The language is a bit more formal. It's fun to be on stage and see the people's reactions."

The melodramas run at 7:30 p.m Fridays and Saturdays, and at 1 p.m. Sundays through July 26.

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