Culture Project's Rebel Voices Brings U.S. History to Radical Life | Playbill

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News Culture Project's Rebel Voices Brings U.S. History to Radical Life The Culture Project will present a stage adaptation of Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's book "Voices of a People's History of the United States."

Entitled Rebel Voices, the production "is an important testimony to the strength of the individual voice, as told through first-hand accounts from people who have shaped the course of U.S. history, often struggling against seemingly insurmountable odds. The Rebel Voices include Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X as well as lesser-known figures like Maria Stewart, a pioneer Black abolitionist from the early 1800s; Stella Nowicki, a union organizer in the 1930s; and such contemporary voices as Iraq war resister Camilo Mejía and Patricia Thompson, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina," press notes state.

Rebel Voices will begin performances Nov. 10 with an official opening scheduled for Nov. 18. The production is currently scheduled for performances through Dec. 16.

Zinn's popular book "A People's History of the United States" is heralded for challenging and "correcting" the limited scope of U.S. history included in textbooks and most historical publications, by providing factual events without what many consider to be an American "imperialist" perspective of our nation's history.

It is with this in mind that the Culture Project describes the urgent need to adapt Zinn and Amove's work for the stage. The talent already confirmed to raise their voices include poet Staceyann Chin and acclaimed musician Allison Moorer, who will lead the permanent cast of Rebel Voices, as well as a rotating cast featuring Wallace Shawn, Lili Taylor, Ally Sheedy and David Strathairn.

The Culture Project stands with Zinn, "asserting that the world is topsy-turvy and that things are all wrong. That the wrong people are in power and the wrong people are out of power, and that civil disobedience is not only necessary, but required. At a time when voices of dissent have been relegated to 'free speech zones' and diminished in the mainstream media, Rebel Voices brings to life inspirational and challenging stories of protest from U.S. history – and today. The play seeks to combat hopelessness by igniting the forces responsible for arousing change and celebrating the indomitable human spirit," the Culture Project said in a statement. Culture Project artistic director Allan Buchman said in a statement, "[Rebel Voices] takes an important place in our mission to bear witness to injustice, to maximize artistic resources to stimulate challenging conversation about the most profound and urgent matters of our time, and to convert interest, energy and engagement into a motivational demand for progressive change."

Rebel Voices will play Saturdays at 9 PM, Sundays at 5 PM and Tuesdays at 8 PM.

Tickets are available by calling (212) 352-3101 or by visiting www.cultureproject.org.

 
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