Monday, July 6th, 2009
at the Manny Fried Playhouse
 a
one-night-only staged reading of
DANTON'S DEATH
by Georg Buchner
Directed by Donn Youngstrom
Monday, July 6th @ 7:30pm
ADMISSION FREE/DONATIONS WELCOME!
Subversive
Theatre is proud to present a one-night-only staged reading of Georg
Buchner's classic political theatre piece DANTON'S DEATH under the
direction of local professor/actor/director Donn Youngstrom featuring the
acting talents of: Peter Jaskowiak*, Luke Wager, Donald Capers,
Virginia Brannon*, Stephanie Dale, Eve Everett, Steve Hubbard, Dan Morris, Tom
Scahill*, Megan Townsend, Kevin Dennis, Nick Casey, J.R. Finan, Tony Busch,
Kara Ashley, and Stephen Busch.
Written in 1835, DANTON'S DEATH is set amidst
Robespierre's "Revolutionary Terror" and follows the final days of
Georges Danton -- a leading figure of the French Revolution of 1789 who would
ultimately be betrayed by the very government he help create.
A breath-taking and incisive work, DANTON'S DEATH is
considered by many to be the first political play of the modern era.
In a letter to his parents on the publication of DANTON'S DEATH,
Buchner writes:
"I
beg you to consider, before you judge it, that I was compelled to True to
History and to show the men of the Revolution
as they were; bloodthirsty, dissolute, vigorous and cynical. I regard
my play as an historical painting, which must be like the original."
With its focus on corruption, hypocrisy, and abuse of power, DANTON'S DEATH
remains stunningly relevant to today's world.
Born in 1813, German refugee-revolutionary-turned-playwright Georg Buchner
authored three plays -- DANTON'S DEATH, LEONCE AND LENA, and WOYZECK
-- before his untimely death in 1837 at the age of just twenty-three.
Although writing during the Romantic Period, Buchner's work is considered
powerfully ahead of its time bearing striking similarities to the Naturalistic
and Expressionistic Movements that followed him.
This reading is presented at Subversive Theatre's regular performance venue, The
Manny Fried Playhouse on the third floor of North Buffalo's Great Arrow
Building, located at 255 Great Arrow Avenue. Admission is free with donations
gratefully accepted before and after all shows. Seating is on a first-come,
first-served basis with doors opening half an hour before the performance.
For more information, give Subversive Theatre a call
at 716-408-0499.
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