WHAT:
The Baluga Theater at Natasha's Bistro presents
'Marx in Soho' by Howard Zinn
Directed by: Natasha Williams
Starring: Edmund Desiato
WHEN:
October 17 - 19th
6:30 - 7:15 pm Seating if also eating dinner
8:00 pm Seating without dinner
Monday 10/18 – Pay What You Can Performance benefits Anne Feeney
Tuesday 10/19 – Student Night after show discussion hosted by UK and BCTC Student Socialist Unions
Wednesday 10/20 – benefit for Seedleaf
Sunday 10/24 – benefit for Kentucky Environmental Foundation
Monday 10/25 – benefit for Kentucky Jobs With Justice
Tuesday 10/26 – benefit for Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless Initiative
Wednesday 10/27 – benefit for Kentuckians For the Commonwealth
WHERE:
Natasha's Cafe
112 Esplanade
Lexington
Click here for map to Natasha's.
COST:
Ticket Price: $15; $10 students. Reservations: call 859-259-2754 or online at www.beetnik.com
DETAILS:
This October a specter is haunting Lexington – the specter of Karl Marx. Marx is back to clear his name and explain himself and his views to our contemporaries. Edmund Desiato will channel him in the one-man show Marx in Soho written by Howard Zinn and presented by the Balagula Theatre at Natasha’s Bistro.
Marx’s and Zinn’s passion for social justice inspired the theatre to offer this production as an opportunity to help the causes these men advocated. Performances will be hosted by and will benefit six different organizations focused on issues of poverty and injustice and a union singer and organizer, who is battling cancer and has no means to pay her bills.
Balagula Theater celebrates National Arts & Humanities Month by partnering with organization focused on poverty and justice.
About The Play
The premise of this witty and insightful "play on history" is that Karl Marx has agitated with the authorities of the afterlife for a chance to clear his name. Through a bureaucratic error, Marx is sent to Soho in New York, rather than his old stomping ground in London, to make his case. In an hour or so that is given to him to make his case to the future, Marx emerges as an earthy, passionate figure, righteously angry about poverty and injustice, a critical thinker, a scholar and a devoted revolutionary, as well as a family man struggling to support his wife and children.
One of the greatest virtues of Zinn’s play is his ability to show that Marx's analyses of capitalism is in fact still incredibly—frighteningly—relevant. Though dealing with complex social issues, the play is amazingly enticing: “Wit, humor, pathos, social analysis are woven together into a seamless and riveting presentation; it's non-dogmatic, well-informed, inspirational.” (Kerry Walters)
In the words of one of the play’s first audience members: “ I attended the first performance of Marx in Soho and was thrilled to find it brilliant, funny and dead-on politically. Those familiar with Marx will be particularly entertained; those new to socialist ideas may find themselves moved to action.” - Dec. 9-11, Chopin Theater, Chicago.
About Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010), a historian and an activist, who wrote more than 20 books including his best-selling A People's History of the United States, a progressive interpretation of history now used in many high schools and universities. Zinn believed traditional education led to passivity because it was based on students’ obedience. His goal was to inspire “a new generation of people who can do away with war, who can do away with racism and sexism”. And this is exactly what he did as a Professor of Political Science through his legendary courses at Boston University from 1964 to 1988. Zinn wrote extensively about the civil rights, civil liberties and anti-war movements. His memoir, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn's life and work.
Organizations to benefited:
Anne Feeney www.annefeeney.com is a political activist, folk musician and songwriter. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Anne Feeney is the granddaughter of an intrepid mineworkers' organizer, who also used music to carry the message of solidarity to working people. After two decades of community activism and regional performances at rallies, Anne took her message on the road. Since 1991 Anne has traveled to the frontlines in 40 states, Canada, Mexico, Ireland and Sweden. Anne is ill. Funds will go to helping her out with expenses.
Seedleaf - www.seedleaf.org The purpose of Seedleaf is to increase the amount, affordability, nutritional value, and sustainability of food available to people at risk of hunger in central Kentucky. We carry out our work by growing food at community gardens, cooking food with both children and adults, sharing food we've grown and cooked, and also by recycling food through a composting program.
Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless Initiative www.ckhhi.org - The mission of the Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless Initiative is to mobilize the nonprofit, public, faith-based and private sectors in our communities in an effort to end homelessness and ameliorate housing insecurity.
Kentucky Jobs with Justice www.kyjwj.org is a broad-based coalition of community groups, faith-based organizations and labor unions united to promote, protect and improve the quality of life of all workers by empowering individuals and organizations to engage in collective action for economic and social justice.
The Kentucky Environmental Foundation (KEF) www.kyenvironmentalfoundation.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to securing solutions to environmental problems in a manner, which safeguards human health, promotes environmental justice, preserves ecological systems and encourages sustainability.
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth www.kftc.org is a community of people taking action for justice. We work with people to organize in their home communities and across the state. We help everyday community members become extraordinary community leaders. We support community leaders as they build effective organizations. Together, we win important issue campaigns.
The U.K. Socialist Student Union and the newly formed BCTC Socialist Student Union educate campuses and community about socialism and left/progressive causes. The UK SSU has sponsored an ongoing speakers' series, movie nights, a rally, and more. They are not affiliated with any particular socialist party or tendency, and everyone, including non-students, is welcome to get involved in either branch of the SSU. Part of the proceeds from the Marx in Soho event will help to send some students to attend the School of the Americas protest ( www.soaw.org ) in Georgia in November, to meet with other student activists and speak out against torture and massacres in Latin America.
SPONSOR:
Natasha's Cafe
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
For Reservations: 859-259-2754
The Justicelist blog and listserv are free services of the Central Kentucky Council for Peace & Justice.
PLEASE NOTE: We limit postings on Justicelist to legislative alerts and announcements of events. The CKCPJ seeks to promote dialogue as a path to peace and justice. Consequently, we may announce events that reflect points of view not necessarily endorsed by the Council.
