The East Side Freedom Library, Frank Theatre, and the On Stage Project invite you to

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui: Play Reading and Discussion (featuring Wendy Knox and Maria Asp)

Monday, October 19, 2020, 7 – 8pm

UPDATE: This event will be live on Zoom (click here to join). It will be recorded and viewable on ESFL’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Join us for a stimulating theater presentation and discussion led by local actors and teaching artists. Local actors will read two scenes from The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, a play that Frank Theatre hopes to produce in the near future. Frank Theatre last produced Ui in 2001. The readings will be followed by a discussion of the themes, tying in current events, personal values and narratives, and stimulating critical thinking. Written by Bertolt Brecht. When an economic slump provides prime conditions for the rise of a small-time thug (strikingly similar to Al Capone) to take over the vegetable trade in 1930’s Chicago, a parallel is set up for the story of another thug who is rising to power on the world stage in 1941, Adolf Hitler. UI is a viciously funny “parable play,” written but rarely performed in the United States.

On Stage is a fiscally sponsored program through Springboard for the Arts, and is designed to strengthen community support by reaching a wider “non-traditional” theater audience. This program aims to give participants a new perspective on the possibilities of live theater and in dramatic literature in general. Discussions touch on important ethical and civic questions, as well as other themes developed in the chosen works. In addition to community events, On Stage holds discussions in a variety of college and high school classes in an effort to get a younger audience to see live theater. Since Covid hit in March, On Stage has launched a new education experience for students and community members. This new online program, OnStage/OnLine, is a series of discussions based on plays that are ‘in the works’ to be produced and performed in the Twin Cities in the future, designed to: stimulate an interest in live theater, examine the cultural context of a play, and, of course, to have fun!

On Stage has arranged for discount tickets to participants for when Ui eventually hits the stage.

Free and open to all

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