New Rep celebrates National New Play Day with a reading of Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom
March 7, 2006
Contact:
Cory Elizabeth Nelson, Artistic Associate
617.923.7060 x204, corynelson@newrep.org
On March 19 at 7:30 PM, New Repertory Theatre will present a reading of the play Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom. Directed by Rick Lombardo, the reading will be followed by a discussion with special guests Nancy Murray, from the ACLU of Massachusetts, and attorney Melissa Hoffer, who has helped to represent six of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The reading will be New Rep’s contribution to National New Play Day, an initiative taking place across the United States to promote the National New Play Network (NNPN). Regional theatres across the country, including New Rep, will present readings of new plays in order to raise money for NNPN. Admission to New Rep’s reading is free, though a donation of $5 is suggested to support the network.
Developed by Victoria Brittain and Gillian Slovo, the documentary play Guantanamo is based on the spoken evidence of prisoners at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay. Combining stories both political and personal, the play explores the concepts of freedom and civil liberty in the age of a war on terror. Following the performance, Rick Lombardo will lead a discussion with the audience, cast, and special guests Nancy Murray and Melissa Hoffer. Ms. Murray is Director of Education at the ACLU of Massachusetts. Ms. Hoffer is a junior partner at the WilmerHale law firm in Boston and, with her colleagues, has represented six of the Guantanamo detainees since 2004.
As part of National New Play Day, the reading serves as a fundraiser for NNPN, an alliance of non-profit professional theatres that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays for the American theatre. In January, 2005, New Rep was invited to join NNPN as the representative Boston theatre. The network sponsors a number of initiatives, including a national showcase of new plays, when artistic directors from every member theatre gather to attend a series of readings; monthly meetings of literary managers, during which scripts are exchanged; and commissions to playwrights nominated by member theatres.
New Rep’s recent reading series, New Plays at New Rep, featured two titles recommended by fellow NNPN theatres. Additionally, during the 2006-07 season, New Rep will participate in an NNPN world premiere when it produces David Rambo’s The Ice-Breaker. Three other NNPN theatres – Magic Theatre of San Francisco, Borderlands Theatre of Tucson, and Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis, IN – will also present the play, effectively giving it a “rolling world premiere” and introducing it to audiences across the United States.
For reservations to Guantanamo, call 617.923.8487. Admission is free, though donations to support NNPN can be made at the door.