|
|
Arthur Miller's The Crucible March 1
The play got mixed reviews when it opened in 1953. It is now Arthur Miller's
most universally performed work and has even been transformed into a
Pulitzer-winning opera (Robert Ward). From McCarthy to the Patriot Act-The
Crucible's subject matter makes the Salem Witch Trials as timely today as it
was 51 years ago. USA Today said: "Miller's work was written partly
as a condemnation of McCarthyism. But the questions it raises about the
vulnerability of intellectual freedom and the dangers posed by self-appointed
moral crusaders could be applied in assessing any number of dilemmas, past and
present." And from the New York Times: "[T]he play is a
cautionary tale of astounding immediacy. Its themes include the pathology of
rumor, the arrogance of the religiously righteous, the dangers of private panic
in the face of public terror, and the individual's difficulty in acting
rationally in the face of mob hysteria."
Our guest speakers embody a very different perspective, in that none of them was
alive in 1953. Meet them on Monday, March 1 at our dinner-discussion at Casa
Fiesta-the director of the upcoming Keegan Theatre production of The Crucible,
Susan Marie Rhea, dramaturg Trudi Olivetti and Keegan Theatre artistic director,
Helen Hayes nominee and playing John Proctor, Mark Rhea. Longtime Footlighter
Betty Byrne will moderate our discussion. Make reservations with Mark Gruenberg
now!
See The Crucible
Footlights will attend the matinee performance of The Crucible Sunday,
March 14, at 2 p.m. at the Keegan Theatre, being performed at the Clark St.
Playhouse, 601 S. Clark St., Arlington, VA (Crystal City), with post-show
discussion included. Tickets are only $13! Directions to the Clark St. Playhouse
may be found on www.keegantheatre.com. Contact Robin to offer a ride to others
or to request a ride.
August Wilson's Fences
On Tuesday, March 16, again at Casa Fiesta, we meet to discuss August Wilson 's Fences.
The powerful, stunning dramatic work that won Wilson critical acclaim and the
Pulitzer Prize, portrays the frustrations of Troy Maxson, a former Negro League
baseball player who had to settle for work as a garbage man before the Major
League color barrier was finally broken. His hard-working strength and pride
support his family during the early days of the civil rights movement, but the
changing times and his own unrealized potential make him distrust opportunities
offered to his son.
Our guest speaker is Dr. Sandra G. Shannon, Professor of Drama in the Department
of English at Howard University. She has written extensively about August
Wilson. In The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson she wrote: "I read Fences
in 1987 and...felt that this man had somehow peeped into my own past to
reinvigorate a part of my life that had for years lain dormant in my
memory." Footlights members Ruth and Frank Pierce are moderating the
discussion. Contact Mark Gruenberg for reservations after 9:30 p.m. on March 1.
Fences at Round House Theatre
We'll see Fences at Round House Theatre in Bethesda on Sunday,
April 18 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $31. Contact Robin Larkin for ticket information.
April 2 is the deadline for payment.
Reservations!
For dinner-discussion meetings: To attend either of our March
dinner-discussions, call or e-mail Mark Gruenberg (202-898-4825 & [email protected]).
Please be considerate of fellow Footlights members. Call Mark to cancel if you
cannot make the meeting, so someone else can attend.
For theater tickets: Call or e-mail Robin Larkin (240-669-6300 & [email protected]) for information and reservations. Send your check for the amount of the ticket(s), payable to "Footlights," to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Tickets are distributed by Robin at the theater just before the performance.
Location for dinner-discussion meetings: Our meetings are held at Casa Fiesta, 4910 Wisconsin Ave., NW (202-244-8888), one block south of Fessenden St. on Wisconsin Ave. and two and a half blocks south of the Jenifer St. exit (elevators only) from the Friendship Heights Metro stop. Street parking is generally available. We meet for dinner at 6:30 p.m.; the discussion starts at 7:30 and ends at 9:30. Please pay for your dinner at the time you place your order.
Copies of Plays: Check with "our" bookstores-Backstage Books, 545 8th St., SE (202-544-5744), Politics & Prose (offers a special Footlights discount), 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW (202-364-1919), and Olsson's Books & Records, 1307 19th St., NW (202-785-1133), and 7647 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda (301-652-6399).
About Footlights
To get Footlights updates on-line, send any message-even blank-to [email protected].
Subscribers can post to our on-line list by sending brief messages to [email protected].
Visit our website at www.footlightsdc.org.
Address all inquiries to Mark Gruenberg.
Please support Footlights, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. Send your tax-deductible contributions to "Footlights," c/o Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852.
Now You Too Can Be a Star... At Least on the Footlights Stage
Thanks to Robin, Jerry, Debbie, the Pierces, Rosalind, Heather, Susan and many more coming up, we've had a successful season with volunteers stepping forward to arrange our programs for 2003-04. But now it's time to start thinking about next year, and that's where we need your help.
Beatrice Rouse and Mark Gruenberg are already planning our lead-off program for next September, but after that the floor is open. We're looking for volunteers who want to lead discussions of a particular modern drama, preferably one that will be playing in the area. You arrange the speaker-often the director...preferably before or during rehearsals; between you, select the date. You provide a short intro and a few questions before throwing it open for discussion. We do the rest.
Then you get your time in the sun as the discussion leader, basking in the applause . . and noshing on your Footlights-paid-for dinner! Interested? Call or e-mail Mark Gruenberg.
Unlike Shakespeare, We Won't Kill the Lawyers
Shakespeare's famous line from one of the history
plays-"First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."-doesn't apply
to Footlights. What does apply is that we need a pro bono lawyer to make sure
we're kosher with the forms we must fill out. It will probably take a few hours
every quarter-year. Please step forward and help, by calling Mark.
Attracting Younger Members
We've got a nice mix of people at Footlights-all different occupations, locations and interests. But what we lack, in common with many arts groups, is a younger cohort. So here's a call for our youthful members, especially those online: What would you like to see from our intellectual drama discussion group, in the way of programs, plays, playwrights or trips? Send your ideas, or better yet, volunteer to help figure out how to attract your peers, to Mark at [email protected] or call him at 202-898-4825.
Calendar:
Monday, March 1, 6:30 p.m.,
Dinner-discussion at Casa Fiesta: Arthur Miller�s
The Crucible
Sunday, March 14, 2 p.m.
Performance of The Crucible at Keegan Theatre (Clark St. Playhouse) � ticket price tba
Tuesday, March 16, 6:30 p.m.,
Dinner-discussion at Casa Fiesta:
August Wilson 's Fences Sunday, April 18, 3 p.m.
Performance of Fences at Round
House Theatre