About Our May Day Performance Series
 How
Subversive Theatre celebrates
MAY DAY!
We at Subversive Theatre feel it is both
our privilege and our duty to do our small part to help keep the spirit of May
Day alive. For the last six years now, we have commemorated May Day by
holding staged readings of a wide variety of plays that address issues of
workers' power and the struggle against oppression. This annual event
has become a mainstay of our troupe and a central part of our identity.
How It Began.
One of the first ever Subversive Theatre
productions, our May Day Performance Series began on a very
humble scale in 2002 with a staged reading of KARL MARX IN ALLENTOWN (this
was a significantly adapted version of Howard Zinn's one-man play MARX IN SOHO).
This performance was held at Rust Belt Books, was directed by Subversive
Theatre's Founder & Artistic Director Kurt Schneiderman and starred Keith
Elkins.
2003.
On May 1st, 2003 -- the very day George W. Bush
triumphantly declared victory over Iraq -- we felt there could be no better
time for a staged reading of Irwin Shaw's anti-war masterpiece BURY THE DEAD.
Also performed at Rust Belt Books and once again directed by Kurt
Schneiderman, this presentation featured a long list of progressive actors
including Joe Giambra, Kevin Costa, Jon Elston, Josh Canfield, Jamie Todd
Hamilton*, Keith Elkins, Betsy Bittar, and Monica Karwan.
2004.
For May Day 2004, outraged by the Patriot Act and the
growing attack on American Civil Liberties in general, we chose to hold a  staged
reading of Eric Bentley's all too true docu-drama on the investigations of the
House on Un-American Activities' (HUAC) ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN.
Performed at the Squeaky Wheel Media Arts Center (at their old Elmwood Avenue
location), this presentation grew into a massive event drawing a
standing-room-only crowd and featuring many of the best of Buffalo's acting
talent. The cast included Neil Garvey, Jason Trost, Kathleen Betsko,
Phil Knoerzer*, Willie W. Judson, Jr.*, Tom Zindel, and even Buffalo's own
formerly blacklisted actor/playwright Emmanuel Fried.
2005.
In 2005, we got back to basics with a staged reading of
Bertolt Brecht's theatrical adaptation of Maxim Gorky's revolutionary novel THE
MOTHER (the opening scenes of which are set exactly one hundred years
before -- May Day 1905). Performed at TheaterLoft, this production
featured many Subversive Theatre regulars such as Jamie Todd Hamilton*, Tom
Scahill*, and Keith Elkins. But this production also brought aboard
several new performers who would become very valued members of the Subversive
Theatre Collective -- such as Katie White*, David Granville*, and Mary
Moebius*.
2006.
For May Day 2006 we held a staged reading of the most
famous play dedicated to the power of the working class, Clifford Odets'
Depression Era Classic WAITING FOR LEFTY. Directed by Diane
Cammarata and performed in the social hall of Buffalo's Unitarian Universalist
Church, this play's multitudinous cast was filled by a long list of
progressive-minded actors including Richard Lambert, Dana Block*, Joe DiCesare,
Dan Walker, Kelly Beuth*, Bill Schmidt*, Bob Grabowski, and many others.
2007.
Most recently, for May Day 2007 we held a staged
reading of Ariel Dorfman's powerful docu-drama SPEAK
TRUTH TO POWER. Adapted from the book of the same title by Kerry Kennedy, this roughly
hour-long play called upon eight actors to perform the testimonials of
over fifty different human rights activist from all over the world --
including Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, Sister Helen Prejean, and
many, many others.
Performed at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, this
production featured many of Subversive Theatre's tried-and-true favorites like
Keith Elkins*, Patricia Armstrong* and Dana Block*, but also added in some
newer faces like Lara Haberberger* and Hasheen DeBerry*.
What's to Come?
Our May Day Performance Series has grown from very humble
beginnings into a strong and proud annual event. We look forward to
carrying this tradition into the future for many years to come.
* = indicates members of the Subversive Theatre
Collective
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