Area history returns as a stage play http://www.gazette.net/stories/09102009/entepri120148_32521.shtml
'The Trial of the Catonsville Nine' kicks off Clarice Smith season by Elahe Izadi Sept. 10, 2009 The fall season at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts kicks off next Thursday and includes a diverse array of productions that will both entertain audiences and challenge them to reflect on serious questions. Paul Brohan, associate director of artistic initiatives at CSPAC, said this season is one of the strongest he's helped put together. He and his colleagues began identifying themes that tied the fall productions together, Brohan said, adding that they usually begin planning seasons two to three years in advance. "One of those that started to resonate with us was a very simple and loose theme on place and being," he said. "What does place mean to you and how do you 'be' in whatever situation you find yourself in?" Many of the performances include other events, such as artists' talks and film-screenings, which will further educate and encourage audiences to discuss the works. Pieces like "The Laramie Project" will recount how a community grappled with the murder of gay university student Matthew Shepard in 1998. The season-opener, "Trial of the Catonsville Nine," will also take a look at an actual event. The courtroom drama follows the 1968 trial of two Catholic priests and seven Catholic activists who protested the Vietnam War by burning draft records in Catonsville. Los Angeles-based The Actor's Gang will present the two-hour long play as part of the University of Maryland's semester on peace. The fall semester will focus on activities, events and courses related to peace on campus. Director Jon Kellam said performing the play in Maryland, where the historical events occurred, should make the Clarice Smith performance of the play more exciting than others. "I think the actors doing it will have an extra 'umph' at their tail as they're trying to depict the courageous act of these people," he said. "It'll certainly have more relevancy to the community there than it has here [in L.A.]." Kellam said the Catonsville Nine trial was part of the beginning of an era in which Americans openly protested the Vietnam War. Such themes are all the more relevant today, Kellam added, as the United States is again engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "[The play] is about people who were very courageous and did this act to uphold a moral value system, and so I hope it helps people reflect on their own moral value system," he said. ... -- E-mail Elahe Izadi at [email protected] . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
