ETHICS AND WAR READING SERIESAt Church Street Theater, 1742 Church Street NW Monday nights at 7:30 pm. Pay-What-You-Can Co-produced by Theater J and Journeymen Theater Ensemble. Discussions to follow
What do we consider “ethical behavior” during a time of war? What is our responsibility as citizens to make sure those standards are upheld by our nation? Is it ethical to stand by and allow our young men and women to risk their lives for a conflict that many don’t believe we should be involved with in the first place? Journeymen Theater Ensemble, in conjunction with its production of As American As, and Theater J, in conjunction with its production of Honey Brown Eyes, have collaborated to present an inter-faith reading series dealing with issues of Ethics and War at this crucial time in our nation’s history.
'Ethics and War'Backstage, Washington PostBy Jane HorowitzOctober 22, 2008
To view article click here, scroll half way down
October 27: DEPOSITIONS ON WATER-BOARDING: From the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel Testimony Before the House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil LibertiesDirected by Jeffery Sichel
This theatrical reading is taken from the transcript of testimony given by Steven Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the office of legal counsel before the House committee. This examination of the legality of the practice of waterboarding is fascinating, illuminating and frightening.
Featuring:
Ensemble
Eli Sibley
Brian MacDonald
November 3: THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE NINE By Daniel BerriganDirected by Rahaleh Nassri
Based on transcripts of a historical event, Daniel Berrigan adapted this play from the edited transcript of his trial—along with his brother Rev. Philip Berrigan and seven others—for removing records from a Selective Service office and burning them to protest the Vietnam War. After they were convicted and sentenced, Berrigan memorialized the trial in this award-winning play, first produced at the Mark Taper Forum in 1972 and later made into a feature film. The New York Times described the play as “positively riveting.”
November 10: BENEDICTUS: An Iran-Israel-US Collaboration Written by Motti Lerner. Created by Mahmood Karimi-Hakak, Motti Lerner, Roberta Levitow, Daniel Michaelson and Torange YeghiazarianDirected by Daniella Topol
With the clock ticking down the final 72 hours before a scheduled U.S. attack on Iran, two estranged childhood friends, one Jewish and one Muslim, agree to a secret meeting at a Benedictine monastery in Rome to find an alternative to the pending war. Benedictus examines the ties that bind us: family, friendship and duty to country. Which will hold and which will break?
Journeymen Theater Ensemble entered the Washington, DC theater scene in 2004, as a mission-based professional theater company that was founded on and guided by Christian principles and is dedicated to producing plays that address issues relevant to today’s audiences which will promote discussion and hopefully produce change. Journeymen Theater is dedicated to providing a nurturing environment for theater professionals to create art that addresses social and moral issues that challenge and inspire its artists and audiences. They have been looking for a time to collaborate with Theater J and are pleased that this engagement could happen at this critical time in our nation’s history.