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"One does as he is ordered." So argues Confederate captain Henry Wirz, defendant in Saul Levitt's "The Andersonville Trial" (1959), which concludes our series 2001, Survival of the Fittest. Wirz commanded the most notorious prison camp of the Civil War. His 1865 war-crimes trial set the precedent for Nuremberg. A "hell-raising heart searcher" (New York World-Telegram & Sun), "The Andersonville Trial" is "powerful" & "impassioned" (Life), "absorbing" (Nation) & "thoughtful" (New York Post)--"so good that it is almost frightening" (New York Herald Tribune).
We will discuss "The Andersonville Trial" on Wednesday, July 18. Our meeting will feature director Jack Marshall, artistic director of The American Century Theater. At TACT, Marshall recently directed "The Cradle Will Rock" (1999), for which he earned a Helen Hayes nomination, & "I Cry Aloud: The Clarence Darrow Story" (2000), which he co-authored. A Georgetown law graduate, Marshall lectures widely on legal ethics.
Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. & our discussion takes place 7:30-9:30. We will meet at Cafe Midi Cuisine, 1635 Connecticut Ave., NW (202-234-3090), just N of Dupont Circle. After 6:30 you can park on 18th St. near R St., NW, & on R St. on either side of Connecticut Ave.
Make reservations now by calling 202-638-0444 (24 hours/day) or e-mailing [email protected]. We expect a waiting list. "Andersonville" awaits at Backstage Books, 545 8th St., SE; & for a discount at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW; & Olsson's Books & Records, 1307 19th St., NW & 7647 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda. .
At 2:30 p.m., Saturday, July 28, Footlights will attend "The Andersonville Trial" at The American Century Theater, Gunston Arts Center, 2700 S. Lang St., just E of I-395 (exit 7) & just N of S. Glebe Rd. in Arlington. If you need a ride or more detailed directions call 240-669-6300 or e-mail [email protected]. Tickets are $17 & include a post-show cast discussion. Afterwards, we'll have dinner at Formosa Cafe, 2333 S. Eads St., in Crystal City. Send your check by July 18--also the refund deadline--to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852. Robin will distribute tickets in the lobby just before the performance.
When college resumes this September so will Footlights, with a new series: "Arts and Sciences." Starting Monday, September 10, we'll explore the meaning of "art" & of "science," examine their power, & study the lives of their practitioners. "Arts" begins with "'Art'" (1994), French playwright Yasmina Reza's award-winning tale of a pricey all-white painting's impact on a shaky friendship. "Fiendishly clever" (Newsweek) & "richly entertaining" (San Francisco Chronicle), "'Art'" is both "genuinely touching" (London Telegraph) & "quite hilarious" (Washington Post). Our meeting will feature director Jim Petosa. We'll attend Jim's production of "'Art'" at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. (MD-108), 2 p.m. Sunday October 14. Tickets are $19. Mail your check, payable to Footlights, to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852.
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