Casting Complete for West Coast Premiere of Weinraub's The Accomplices
By Andrew Gans
09 Jun 2008
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Steven Schub stars as Jewish activist Peter Bergson
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The Fountain Theatre will present the West Coast premiere of Bernard Weinraub's Drama Desk-nominated play, The Accomplices.
Deborah LaVine will direct the production, which begins previews at the Los Angeles venue July 3 with an official opening scheduled for July 12. The limited engagement will play through Aug. 24.
Based on the true story of Jewish activist Hillel Kook (aka Peter Bergson), the cast will feature Steven Schub as Peter Bergson, William Dennis Hurley as fellow Zionist Samuel Merlin, James Harper as FDR, Brian Carpenter as Breckinridge Long, Gregory G. Giles as FDR advisor Sam Rosenman, Dennis Gersten as playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht and Peter Henry Schroeder as Rabbi Wise with Cheryl Dooley, Kirsten Kollender, Stephen Marshall and Donne McRae.
In 1940, press notes state, "Hillel Kook arrived in the U.S. fresh from the underground resistance in Palestine. Changing his name to Peter Bergson, he sought aid for the rescue of European Jews from the Nazis. Shocked to find himself blocked by both the Roosevelt administration and the Jewish establishment, Bergson spearheaded an extraordinary campaign of public rallies, hard-hitting newspaper advertisements and lobbying in Congress that forced America to confront the Holocaust. Figuring prominently in the play are such historical figures as FDR; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long, who had jurisdiction over immigration and refugee problems during World War II; and American Jewish leader Rabbi Stephen Wise who found himself torn between nationalism and cultural/religious identity. The result is a blistering account of Bergson's fight to save millions - and of the conspiracy of silence and inaction that continues to haunt us to this day."
In a statement director LaVine said, "In today's culture, many people don't believe the individual has a voice. Bergson's story shows that the individual can make a difference. The backdrop is the fight to save the Jews during World War II, but it's a story about one man pitting himself against the machinations of the power elite."
The Accomplices will feature set design by Travis Gale Lewis, lighting design by Ken Booth, costume design by Shon LeBlanc and sound design David B. Marling. Props are by Erin Treanor; dialect coach is JB Blanc; and the production stage manager is Jeremy A. Levin. Simon Levy and Deborah Lawlor produce.
Show times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM.
The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles, CA. For tickets call (323) 663-1525 or visit www.FountainTheatre.com.
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