Exposed, Premiering in Utah, Gives Voice to Those Downwind of U.S. A-Bomb Tests
By Kenneth Jones
19 Oct 2007
Deadly nuclear fallout from atomic tests on U.S. soil is the subject of Mary Dickson's docudrama, Exposed, getting its world premiere Oct. 19 in Salt Lake City, UT. The run is nearly sold out.
According to Plan-B Theatre Company, the resident Equity troupe known for its provocative and socially relevant plays, "Exposed combines oral history, personal experience and powerful documentation to show the human toll of four decades of nuclear testing."
The work is "based on declassified government documents, including portions of Atomic Energy Commission minutes, as well as public testimony, interviews, conversations and, more importantly, personal memoir that puts a much needed human face on a painful chapter of history."
The cast features Joyce Cohen, Teri Cowan, Teresa Sanderson, Kirt Bateman, Mark Fossen and Jason Tatom. Plan-B artistic director Jerry Rapier directs.
According to production notes, "The U.S. government exploded 928 nuclear bombs — most of them far more powerful than those that leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki — on American soil. From 1951 to 1962, the government dropped more than 100 nuclear bombs on the desert of Nevada. When atmospheric testing was banned in 1962, tests continued to be conducted underground until 1992. More than half of the 828 underground tests leaked radiation into the atmosphere."
Utah playwright Mary Dickson is "a Downwinder with a compelling personal story to share, a journalist who has spent years chronicling the effects of testing, and an educator who has worked to increase public awareness on these issues."
Exposed grew out of a book-length manuscript she wrote during a writing residency at the Mesa Refuge.
Artistic director Rapier told Playbill.com, "As we open Exposed, we've already met our box office goal and the run is nearly sold out. This is our third consecutive season opening with a new work by a Utah writer — bodes well for new work in our community."
Exposed will play to Nov. 4 at the Studio Theatre, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Plan-B's home in Salt Lake City. Post-show discussions will be held Oct. 21 and Nov. 3.
The production team includes Jacquelin Cintura Bryce (costumes), Cheryl Ann Cluff (sound and projections), Jennifer Freed (stage manager), Randy Rasmussen (set), Jesse Portillo (lighting), Cory Thorell (props) and Ross Thorell (crew).
Tickets are $18. For information visit www.planbtheatre.org.
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Since 1991, Plan-B "has provided unique theatrical experiences for both audience and artist by producing theatre that is socially and politically conscious; explores cultural heritage and diversity; presents well-known texts in new ways; and/or fosters the creation of new work," according to the troupe.
Plan-B brought the family drama, Facing East, about a Mormon family grieving over a gay son, to Off-Broadway and San Francisco earlier in 2007, following a run in Salt Lake City.
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Joyce Cohen as Mary and Kirt Bateman as Preston Truman in the world premiere of Mary Dickson's Exposed.
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| photo by Jennifer "Z" Zornow |
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