Speak Truth to Power Staged Reading

Trinity Episcopal Church PROGRESSIVE  INCLUSIVE  CREATIVE  DOWNTOWN

Speak Truth To Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark 





Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 7:00pm

Trinity Episcopal Church Welcome

The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray, Trinity Rector

Musical Prelude The music offered tonight has been chosen in hopes of setting a mood, a tone, a posture of openness. To hear the stories of those who have been courageous defenders of human rights and dignity is both inspiring and, often, difficult and painful. We believe these are the stories that help shape and inspire our lives. May this music prepare you for just that- as well as bring you deep joy.

Out There

from Hunchback of Notre Dame Will Floss, Tenor

Danza De La Moza Donosa

Alan Menken

from Danzas Argentinas Alberto E. Ginastera Nathanael Leonard, Pianist Ethyl Smyth

On the Road Chelsie Cree, Soprano

Trinity Episcopal Church and Actors Collaborative Toledo present:

Speak Truth To Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark

By Ariel Dorfman Tonight’s performance will be a staged reading lasting approximately an hour and without an intermission.

Following the performance all are invited to stay for both a short discussion with the cast, director and Trinity’s rector, The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray and an informal reception.

2

Cast & Direction Tonight’s Reader’s include: Barbara Barkan Darrell Cousino Juliette Morgan Quinlan Lisa Pengov Natalie Brown Bostelman

Mark Owen Matt Goebel Charles Crockett Jason Raynor

Directed by Jeffrey Albright (Founding Member of ACT and Trinity Member)

Director’s Notes Speak Truth To Power is a project of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. This a multi-faceted global initiative using the experiences of courageous defenders from around the world to educate people about human rights, as well as a call to action. Issues range from slavery to environmental activism from religious selfdetermination to political participation.

Tonight we will hear the voices of over 50 defenders of freedom, in their own words. These defenders will be voiced by local actors that I have had the pleasure of working with as an actor or director in various projects, as well as some of my students from the acting class that I teach.

The cast is a mix of seasoned performers and others who are just starting their journey into the performing arts.

I have always believed that the role of theatre is not only to entertain an audience but also to educate and affect change in the world. From its earliest roots in Greek Theatre, theatre was used to teach lessons and to hold a mirror to society. It is my hope that you can see yourself in at least one of these defenders of freedom and gain the courage to speak up against injustice.

Do what you have to do, it’s that simple. Anything else will taste like ashes.

-Jeffrey J. Albright, Director 3

Some of the Voices FROM Speak Truth to Power Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel survived a deportation by Nazis to the Auschwitz death camp when he was fifteen, and has devoted his life to ensuring that the world does not forget the atrocities of the Nazis. For his literary and human rights activities, he has received numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama inspires people worldwide to embrace their beliefs and hold fast to their dreams, demanding that we view all people as human beings deserving of forgiveness and compassion.

Desmond Tutu Outspoken against the evils of apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was vilified by many yet through patriotism and commitment to humanity he persevered. After South Africa’s first democratic, nonracial elections in 1994, ending 80 years of white minority rule, the new parliament appointed Tutu as its head to lead the country in an unwavering confrontation of the brutality of the past.

Helen Prejean Prejean is a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Her first experience in 1982, serving as the spiritual advisor to a man on death row, gave Prejean greater insight into the process involved in executions, for the convict, families, and others in the prison, and she began speaking out against capital punishment. At the same time, she founded Survive, an organization devoted to counseling the families of victims of violence.

4

Van Jones Van Jones, founding director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which challenges human rights abuses in the U.S. criminal justice system. The EBC and Jones are committed to stopping police misconduct and protecting victims of abuse by combining advocacy with public education, community organizing, and establishing civilian oversight to require transparency and accountability within disciplinary proceedings.

VACLAV HAMAL Czechoslovakia’s leading playwright and a perennial victim of state repression under Communist rule, Hamal is celebrated for his compelling texts on repression and dissent, and through his leadership, political savvy, and moral persuasion helped bring Communism to its knees and negotiated a peaceful transition to democracy.

MARINA PISKLAKOVA Pisklakova is Russia’s leading women’s rights activist who established the first women’s crisis center in the country and today operates a network of 170 crisis centers across Russia, not only combating the scourge of violence against women, but also human trafficking.

KA HSAW WA Ka Hsaw Wa is the founder of EarthRights International, an NGO that filed a precedentsetting lawsuit against a U.S. corporation for torture committed by its agents overseas. Ka Hsaw Wa’s work continues in the jungles of Burma, in defense of human rights and the environment.

5

Juliana Dogbadzi Enslaved in a shrine in her native Ghana under a custom known as Trokosi, she was forced to work without pay, food or clothing, and to perform sexual services for the holy men. Her daring escape 17 years later and her subsequent efforts to denounce the system, the Trokosi practice was banned in Ghana.

Harry Wu Wu attended Beijing College of Geology in the 1950s amid a Communist purge relegating Wu to 19 years in the Chinese gulag, surviving physical and psychological torture. Wu now works on documenting conditions in prisons and labor camps and speaking with student groups and heads of state to make this present-day horror become a past memory.

Kek Galabru Galabru played a key role in opening negotiations leading to the ending the Cambodian civil war in 1991. She founded the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, which promotes human rights, with a special emphasis on women’s and children’s rights.

Muhammad Yunus Yunus founded the Grameen Bank, the world’s largest microcredit institution, best known for transforming clients lives: from powerless and dependent to self-sufficient, independent, and politically astute.

6

Thank you Special thanks to Nate Leonard and the Trinity musicians for the prelude music.

Special thanks to Kim Tucker-Gray for Audio-Visual and technical support.

There will be a free-will offering to support the work of Episcopal Relief and Development.

Tonight’s performance is made possible with permission from The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Remaining Services of Trinity’s Holy Week Whether you have been to church lately or never, we invite you to consider joining us for a service. We are committed to being unapologetically clear in our welcome and our desire to be the church we want to see- open, progressive, inclusive and downtown. We need you to be all of who we could be!

April 18 - Thursday, 6:00pmMaundy Thursday: Feast of Friends (Mediterranean Meal) April 19 - Friday, 12:00noon & 7:00pmGood Friday Stations of the Cross April 21 - Sunday, 10:00amEaster Service with glorious music and welcoming all!

7

Trinity Episcopal Church PROGRESSIVE



INCLUSIVE

 CREATIVE



DOWNTOWN

Vestry Leadership Alice Todd, Senior Warden Darrell Cousino, Junior Warden Greg Shumaker, Treasurer Jamie Paul, Asst. Treasurer Roberta Durham, Clerk Becky Roth, Administration Commission Chair Dennis Degnan, Property Commission Chair Robert Meeker, Finance Commission Chair Jeffrey Albright Jill Hunt Donna Steppe

Parish Staff The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray, Rector Nate Leonard, Director of Music & the Arts Heather Meyer, Director of Operations and Community Development Lynzi Miller, Next to New Manager & Communications Coordinator Jane Bueche, Parish Accountant Amy Saylor, Seminarian Elizabeth Cousino, Special Projects Coordinator Nick Zurawski, Sexton

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH PROGRESSIVE  INCLUSIVE

(419) 243-1231

8