“Our story begins, as these stories often do, with an up-and-coming politician. He’s a member of the conservative party. He’s completely single-minded and has no regard for the political process. The more power he obtains, the more obvious is his zealotry, and the more aggressive his supporters become.”
This is from V’s voiceover explaining the rise of the authoritarian high chancellor, Adam Sutler, who, while spreading misinformation, delegitimizing the press, and imprisoning Muslims and other ethnic/sexual minnorities, creates an atomphere of fear, insisting that the country stands on the edge of oblivion from which only he can save us. Sound familiar? Alan Moore aimed his graphic novel at Thatcher, the Wachcowski brothers at Bush, but it’s painfully obvious this post-apocalyptic cautionary tale has even more in common with the current news cycle.
FUNDRAISER: all proceeds will be divided equally between the ACLU and The Human Rights Campaign. 100% of your contribution will be conveyed to these two organizations.
PRESENTED BY: Circle Players, CoLab Arts, and Raconteur Radio.
DONATION: Our suggested donation is $20.00, but, naturally, feel free to donate more (or less). This is a pay-what-you-can event; allowing for occupancy limits, no one will be turned away. Check, cash, or cc (prior & during).
RALLY: signs will, of course, obstruct audience sight lines, so, instead ,we encourage audience members to wear white t-shirts Sharpied with protest slogans.
ACTION: Prior to the program proper, from 7:00 – 7:30, Circle Players will organize and host an action. TBD. Postcards or phone calls.
FORTHCOMING: This is our second such event. Our first fundariser (at Highland Park’s Pino’s) raised well over $2,000 for the ACLU & Free Press. Our hope is to reprise the program throughout the year (and, indeed, the term) all over the state, always as a fundraiser for both a local charity and one of the many national charities whose important work has never been more necessary: the ACLU, the IRC, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Sierra Club, etc. To find out how you or your organization can host a V fundraiser, e-mail raconteurbooks@gmail.com.
FEATURING: Laurence Mintz, Danielle Illario, Jason Jackson, Michael Jarmus, Jeff Maschi, and Alex Dawson.
WITH: theatrical lighting, fog effects, costumes, Golden Age radio equipment, audience participation, and, of course, hundreds of sound effects.
PLUS: jazz vocalist Danielle Illario sings Julia London’s “Cry Me a River” from V’s jukebox.
RATING: Suitable for 10 and up. Our program is based on the movie (not the graphic novel); it’s not as dark as the source material (esp. the comic book) and, indeed, falls somewhere between PG & PG 13.
RUN TIME: 1 hr.
THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION (ACLU): is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose stated mission is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.”
THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: is the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization; it’s a 501(c)3 charity that advocates for anti-discrimination legislation and support for people with HIV/AIDS.
CIRCLE PLAYERS: Circle Players is known for its unique, intimate space. But it didn’t start as a building. Circle began as a community of people who loved theater, and decided to do whatever it took to put more of it into the world.
COLAB ARTS: engages artists, social advocates, and communities to create transformative new work, facilitating creative conversation through innovative programs and artist infrastructure, connecting artists with community partners and mentors, and executing productions that challenge perceptions and inspire action.
RACONTEUR RADIO: stages theatrical presentations of vintage radio plays, classic works of literature/film, and pop culture parodies for live audiences at traditional and improvised venues throughout the Tri-State area. They’ve been called “family friendly guerrilla theater” by the New York Times, one of “the 7 best things to do in NJ” by the Newark Star-Ledger, “innovative and entertaining,” by the Home News Tribune, and “a radio show on steroids,” by the Courier News. As well as “epic!” by Lev Grossman (of Time Magazine), “amazing!” by Kyle Hartzell (of NPR), “dazzling!” by Megan Ryan (of wNYC), “spellbinding!” by Tom Lynch (of Theatre World), “awesome!” by Stephen Segal (of Weird Magazine & Geek Wisdom), “thrilling!” by Barry Monush (of The Museum of Television & Radio), and “outstanding!” by Lee Pfeiffer (of Cinema Retro Magazine). For more info, visit www.RaconteurRadio.com
WAIT, WHAT IS THIS? A radio play or audio narrative, what some call an “ear movie,” is a story told through dialogue, sound effects, and music. We add costumes, colored spots, a fatboy Elvis mic, and, sometimes, a fog machine and/or a strobe light, then perform it for live audiences at a range of traditional and improvised venues throughout the Tri-State area.