Theater Students, Alumni to Perform Scenes from Banned Plays
Seven Buffalo State theater students, four alumni, and one faculty member are helping to raise awareness about script censorship in a unique performance, Wednesday, September 27.
As part of the nationally organized Banned Together: A Censorship Cabaret, the actors will perform scenes from plays that have been censored or challenged at 7:00 p.m. in the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.
The event is sponsored by the Dramatists Guild Legal Defense Fund (DLDF) and co-presented by Buffalo State’s Theater Department and the TR site.
“There will be a wealth of talent in this production that also provides insight into the types of theatrical productions that were the target of bans through the years,” said Anthony Chase, assistant dean for the School of Art and Humanities.
The free performance will feature selections from Cabaret, Chicago, Almost, Maine, Rent, and Angels in America. Other notable works include Drop Hammer, written by Emanuel (Manny) Fried, the late Buffalo actor, union organizer, and prolific playwright who stood up to McCarthyism and served as a champion of the working class.
“Manny groomed the next generation of playwrights at Buffalo State in his role as a creative writing professor from the 1970s through 2008,” Chase said. “It’s exciting for our current students and alumni to be able to perform scenes from one of his signature plays.”
During the week of September 24-30, Banned Together will include performances in 17 cities as part of Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read.
DLDF is a non-profit organization created by the Dramatists Guild to advocate for free expression in the dramatic arts and to educate the public about the industry standards surrounding theatrical production and the protections afforded dramatists under copyright law.
Although the performance is free, donations to the DLDF are welcome. For more information, contact the TR site at (716) 884-0095.