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With help from a few props – a bed, a trunk and small desk – and a soundboard, Indianapolis actor Mark Goetzinger brings the true story of Samuel Moser’s shocking 1900 murder trial back to life in Phoenix Theatre’s one-man play “And I Will Follow,” running March 21 through April 7. 

In the small town of Goodfield, Illinois, Moser made headlines in 1900 after confessing to the brutal murder of his wife, Hannah, and their three young sons following his banishment from the Amish order after an alleged disagreement with his minister. The story of Moser’s trial, his 21-year conviction and events that unfolded afterward are told through the recounts of fictitious Chicago newsman Joseph Werner. 

Throughout the 90-minute play, Goetzinger jumps between nine characters, including  Werner, a newspaper editor, two lawyers, a police deputy and two relatives of Moser. There are no costume changes throughout the play, leaving Goetzinger reliant on props, music and sound effects and slight changes in tone and voices to convey the characters he’s portraying and their surroundings. 

[Whether rehearsed or not, the performances of Indy Actors’ Playground delight.]

Throughout his acting career, which has spanned over four decades, Goetzinger has performed in roughly 100 shows at the Indiana Repertory Theatre and a few dozen at Beef & Boards and Phoenix Theatre. “And I Will Follow,” however, is close to home for the actor.

Goetzinger is originally from Goodfield and grew up with two of Hannah Moser’s nephews. His great-grandfather’s brother, Rev. Rudolph Witzig, was responsible for Moser being ostracized from the Amish church, a ruling Moser claimed to be the motive for the murder of his wife and three sons.

Goetzinger didn’t know this family lore until he read Amy Kinzer Steidinger’s book on the murders, “So Many Fragile Things,” during the pandemic. He brought the story up to Indianapolis playwright Bennett Ayres, who wrote the script with Goetzinger in mind for the lead role of Joseph Werner, a fictitious Chicago reporter recounting his memories of the trial. Ayres, who has worked with Goetzinger in the past, said knowing the local actor’s abilities helped shape the script.

“You have portions of the play where he’s kind of the storyteller around the campfire where he’s literally, with his words, painting the picture for the audience,” Ayres said. “Other times, he can be doing the traditional dramatic monologue … and times where he has to be two people speaking to each other. I knew he could do that.”

For Goetzer, jumping from character to character is the fun part. What poses a bigger challenge as one actor playing multiple characters, is knowing the motivations of each character – and himself as an actor – to bring the story to life.

[The Fonseca Theater Company has been enriching the westside since 2018.]

“You sort of have to be familiar with what you’re capable of, and what you feel confident doing,” Goetzer said.

“One scene that involves interviewing the lawyer, that was really hard to learn because you have a thought process going on that gets interrupted [when he jumps between two characters], so that was tough,” Goetzinger said. “It’s basically a 90-minute monologue, so you have to really learn the flow of the show and where to put specific beats to help you on to the next part. Tying those pieces together can be a challenge.”

Beyond the true crime story and historical aspects of the play that drew him in, Ayres also found the parallels between the events of 1900 and modern America a fascinating draw to the story. 

“If you’re talking about a time when a lot of people seemed to have the answer to what God is, what true religion is, what real Americans should look and sound like, that sounds pretty familiar to what we’re hearing now,” Ayres said. 

“And I Will Follow” runs through April 7. For more information, click here. 

Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Contact her at breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @BreannaNCooper.

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Shocking 1900 murder trial back to life in one-man play

by Breanna Cooper, Mirror Indy
March 21, 2024

<h1>Shocking 1900 murder trial back to life in one-man play</h1> <p class="byline">by Breanna Cooper, Mirror Indy <br />March 21, 2024</p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15857" data-id="15857" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_008-1024x682.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15869" data-id="15869" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_001-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Director Tim Ocel (right) talks with crew members during a rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15863" data-id="15863" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_004-1024x682.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Director Tim Ocel (right) talks with crew members during a rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Director Tim Ocel (right) talks with actor Mark Goetzinger during a rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15860" data-id="15860" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_002-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Director Tim Ocel (right) talks with actor Mark Goetzinger during a rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Stage manager Danielle Buckel looks at a screen during rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15864" data-id="15864" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_006-1024x682.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Stage manager Danielle Buckel looks at a screen during rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Director Tim Ocel (right) talks with actor Mark Goetzinger during a rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15866" data-id="15866" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_005-1024x682.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Director Tim Ocel (right) talks with actor Mark Goetzinger during a rehearsal for “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play is a one-character production written by Bennett Ayres.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15865" data-id="15865" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_003-682x1024.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-15858" data-id="15858" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_007-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel.</figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> <p>With help from a few props – a bed, a trunk and small desk – and a soundboard, Indianapolis actor Mark Goetzinger brings the true story of Samuel Moser’s shocking 1900 murder trial back to life in Phoenix Theatre’s one-man play “And I Will Follow,” running March 21 through April 7.&nbsp;</p> <p>In the small town of Goodfield, Illinois, Moser made headlines in 1900 after confessing to the brutal murder of his wife, Hannah, and their three young sons following his banishment from the Amish order after an alleged disagreement with his minister. The story of Moser’s trial, his 21-year conviction and events that unfolded afterward are told through the recounts of fictitious Chicago newsman Joseph Werner.&nbsp;</p> <p>Throughout the 90-minute play, Goetzinger jumps between nine characters, including&nbsp; Werner, a newspaper editor, two lawyers, a police deputy and two relatives of Moser. There are no costume changes throughout the play, leaving Goetzinger reliant on props, music and sound effects and slight changes in tone and voices to convey the characters he’s portraying and their surroundings.&nbsp;</p> <p><em><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/theatrical-strange-unexpected/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">[Whether rehearsed or not, the performances of Indy Actors' Playground delight.] </a></em></p> <p>Throughout his acting career, which has spanned over four decades, Goetzinger has performed in roughly 100 shows at the Indiana Repertory Theatre and a few dozen at Beef &amp; Boards and Phoenix Theatre. “And I Will Follow,” however, is close to home for the actor.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/And-I-Will-Follow-Phoenix-Theatre_012-1024x682.jpg" alt="Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel." class="wp-image-15862" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mark Goetzinger rehearses the role of Joseph Werner in the one-actor production “And I Will Follow” on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The play, written by Bennett Ayres, is being directed by Tim Ocel.</figcaption></figure> <p>Goetzinger is originally from Goodfield and grew up with two of Hannah Moser’s nephews. His great-grandfather’s brother, Rev. Rudolph Witzig, was responsible for Moser being ostracized from the Amish church, a ruling Moser claimed to be the motive for the murder of his wife and three sons.</p> <p>Goetzinger didn’t know this family lore until he read Amy Kinzer Steidinger’s book on the murders, “So Many Fragile Things,” during the pandemic. He brought the story up to Indianapolis playwright Bennett Ayres, who wrote the script with Goetzinger in mind for the lead role of Joseph Werner, a fictitious Chicago reporter recounting his memories of the trial. Ayres, who has worked with Goetzinger in the past, said knowing the local actor’s abilities helped shape the script.</p> <p>“You have portions of the play where he’s kind of the storyteller around the campfire where he’s literally, with his words, painting the picture for the audience,” Ayres said. “Other times, he can be doing the traditional dramatic monologue … and times where he has to be two people speaking to each other. I knew he could do that.”</p> <p>For Goetzer, jumping from character to character is the fun part. What poses a bigger challenge as one actor playing multiple characters, is knowing the motivations of each character – and himself as an actor – to bring the story to life.</p> <p><em><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/near-westside-fonseca-theater-indianapolis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">[The Fonseca Theater Company has been enriching the westside since 2018.]</a></em></p> <p>“You sort of have to be familiar with what you’re capable of, and what you feel confident doing,” Goetzer said.</p> <p>“One scene that involves interviewing the lawyer, that was really hard to learn because you have a thought process going on that gets interrupted [when he jumps between two characters], so that was tough,” Goetzinger said. “It’s basically a 90-minute monologue, so you have to really learn the flow of the show and where to put specific beats to help you on to the next part. Tying those pieces together can be a challenge.”</p> <p>Beyond the true crime story and historical aspects of the play that drew him in, Ayres also found the parallels between the events of 1900 and modern America a fascinating draw to the story.&nbsp;</p> <p>“If you’re talking about a time when a lot of people seemed to have the answer to what God is, what true religion is, what real Americans should look and sound like, that sounds pretty familiar to what we’re hearing now,” Ayres said.&nbsp;</p> <p>“And I Will Follow” runs through April 7. For more information, click<a href="https://www.phoenixtheatre.org/2023-24-season" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> here</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Contact her at </em><a href="mailto:breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org</em></a><em>. Follow her on X </em><a href="https://twitter.com/BreannaNCooper" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>@BreannaNCooper.</em></a></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/and-i-will-follow-phoenix-theatre-opening-night/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=16196&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/and-i-will-follow-phoenix-theatre-opening-night/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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