Vancouver – The Activist City

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre and Pacific Theatre present
Re:Union Oct 20 – Nov 12.

Alongside the production, HHG Theatre presents The Activist City, a series of community events on political activism, community responsibility and anti-militarism. As part of the City of Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary, The Activist City reflects our city’s long and proud history of activist leadership.

Re:Union is a work of fiction, based on real events. On Nov 2, 1965, Norman Morrison drove to The Pentagon with his infant daughter, a jug of kerosene and a box of matches.  With U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara looking on, the young Quaker carries out a final act of witness against the horrors of the Vietnam War. Thirty-six years later, in the wake of 9/11, his daughter returns to confront the aging McNamara, the memory of her father, and the costly legacy of sacrifice.

As the artists behind both Re:Union and The Activist City, we can’t help but see the parallel between 31 year-old Quaker Norman Morrison’s act of self-immolation that catalyzed a citizen’s revolt in 1960’s United States, and the self-immolation of 26 year-old Tunisian street-vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, which not only resulted in the unseating of the Tunisian regime, but set in motion an unprecedented chain of events across the Arab World. Even more recently, the ongoing Occupy Wall Street campaign mirrors the citizen-led uprising the Morrison’s act of witness catalyzed. Accordingly, the various themes and subjects that we wish to incorporate into this outreach series include topics such as current global trends in citizen activism, spirituality in activism, government-initiated threats to activism, and finally, Vancouver’s role as an activist city.

The Activist City / Event Details (subject to change)

Artist Talkbacks / Cast & Playwright
Fri Oct 28 / Fri Nov 4 / Fri Nov 11
Pacific Theatre / After the 8:00 pm performance

Poetry Reading & Special Guest Lecture:  Dr. Jerilynn Prior
Wed Nov 2 @ 5:30 pm (8:00pm performance to follow) / Pacific Theatre / A reading of poems inspired by or dedicated to the memory of Norman Morrison on the Anniversary of his death  / Special guest speaker Dr. Jerilynn Prior (Vancouver Quaker Meeting of Friends) will give a talk on “The Spiritual Activist: A Contemporary Quaker talks about Conscientious Refusal to Pay Military Taxes” 

Panel Discussion: The Activist as Extremist / Moderator: Camyar Chai 

Sat Nov 5 @ 5:30pm (8:00pm performance to follow) / Pacific Theatre / Panelists include Jane Cutter (ANSWER Seattle); Derrick O’Keefe (StopWar.ca); Peter Prontzos (Political Science Professor at Langara College) / Suggested donation $3

Special Guest Talk: Gail Davidson
Thu Nov 10 @ 5:30 pm (8:00 pm performance to follow) / Pacific Theatre / Special guest speaker Gail Davidson (Lawyers Against The War) will give a talk on “Lawlessness at the State Level:  The Activist Response” / Suggested donation $5

Panel Discussion: The Activist as Occupier / Moderator: Marcus Youssef 
Nov 12 @ 5:30 pm (8:00 pm performance to follow) / Pacific Theatre / Panelists to be confirmed soon / Suggested donation $3

Artists-in-Schools / Student Discussions / Cast & Playwright
Wed Nov 16 @ Trinity University

For tickets to Re:Union, please visit:
http://pacifictheatre.org/boxoffice/tickets or call 604.731.5518.