Feb 03 2012
Pentagon Papers: The Play
After the close of a two-day hearing in London this week, the co-founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website, WikilLeaks, Julian Assange now waits to hear if he is either to be freed after over a year of house arrest in Britain or extradited to Sweden on sex assault charges. Regarded a champion for open government by publishing information from whistleblowers, including classified U.S. military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Assange continues to draw loyal support. He denies any wrong doing and insists the claims against him are politically motivated.
One of Assange and Wikileaks’ early supporters has been Daniel Ellsberg, a man once dubbed “The Most Dangerous Man in America” for his key role in exposing classified U.S. documents on the Vietnam War in 1971. In an attempt to help end the war, Daniel Ellsberg secretly copied and dispersed thousands of pages of damaging evidence that the New York Times later described “demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration had systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress, about a subject of transcendent national interest and significance.” These documents, known as the Pentagon Papers, humiliated all those involved in the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations and were later linked to the Watergate burglaries.
With this year marking the 40th anniversary of the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation, writer-director J-Powers brings to the stage “the hidden story of the Vietnam War” with his premiere of Pentagon Papers. Powers’ fresh look at the U.S. involvement in the war beyond what was revealed in the courtroom draws from the recently declassified Pentagon Papers. Inspired by Daniel Ellsberg’s belief that “the truth will set you free,” Powers and his cast of actors seek to motivate a new generation of Americans to continue demanding “honesty and transparency from leaders.”
GUESTS: J-Powers, writer, and director, Mark Jacobson and Amanda Martindale, two of the cast members of Pentagon Papers
Pentagon Papers will play for eight weeks only, Sundays at 3:30, February 5 through March 25, 2012. Santa Monica Playhouse is located at 1211 4th Street Santa Monica, CA. For reservations and information visit www.SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com or call 310-394-9779 ext. 1.
One Response to “Pentagon Papers: The Play”
The actors and myself had an enjoyable experience with Ms. Kolhatkar, and we greatly appreciated the opportunity to share our work with the community.
The program staff and facility of KPFK-FM were thoroughly professional, and they are a great asset to all of us.