Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

THE F* WORD

FREEDOM. In particular FREEDOM of INFORMATION. Powerful people and organizations, seeking to impose their ideas upon the rest of the world, have always sought to restrict the expression of ideas contrary to their own. Can it happen to us?

When: Monday April 11, 2005 at 7:00
Where: *ROOM 4-5*
What: THEY BURNED THE BOOKS by Stephen Vincent Benet, & OUR TIMES by Hank Blakely
Who: UUCPA Thespians
Why: To compare today's PATRIOT ACT with the 1933 Nazi book burning.

In 1933 the Nazi's began a systematic burning of books which in their minds might undermine the "New Order". In 1942, the American poet Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a powerful radio drama on the subject. THE BURNING OF THE BOOKS is not a documentary. Rather it is a poet's word-picture of the significance and possible consequences of the act. He invokes the ghosts of Schiller and Heine among others, and he poses the question, "What would life in the United States be like under the Nazis?"

I suspect we may be a bit emotionally drained when we finish reading that, so we'll have a short break for tea and cookies before plunging into the all-too-realistic OUR TIMES.
Blakely mostly shows us ordinary people in an ordinary small town. But he too invokes some "ghosts" near the end. Only, these are ghosts of living people, American citizens and would-be citizens who have fallen afoul of the Patriot Act.
The"Stage Manager" has the chilling last words:

"Like I said, there's nothin' here to concern you folks. Even if somethin' like that was to happen it wouldn't affect you-- not most a' you, anyway. 'Sides, why worry about what might happen? Remember: the day is today! The hour is now!
And tomorrow...(Pause)...Tomorrow has yet to come."

Think you can stomach something this strong? If so, show up in Room 4-5 at 7 pm on Monday April 11. If not, come to our reading on May 9 for a much lighter farce featuring humor, sex, murder, and time-travel.

Send me an email: thespians-info@uucpa.org or call me if you'd like more information.
Let me know you're coming - or just show up.

UUCPA Thespians
Philip Hodge, Chair of Thespians

p. s. Note that this month we will meet in Room 4-5. We return to the Fireside room in May.