INTERVIEW: 50th anniversary of Kent State shootings remembered in Zoom theater production
Photo: Days of Possibilities, which is a documentary-style play about the Kent State shootings, will be live-streamed on Zoom. Photo courtesy of New Circle Theatre Company / Provided by press rep with permission.
The creativity of theater makers during this coronavirus pandemic is inspiring and has gone a long way to helping people understand the world, its communities and how everything seems to be changing on a daily basis. One of the more poignant projects to emerge in these difficult times is Days of Possibilities, a play by Rich Orloff that remembers the shootings at Kent State University 50 years ago.
This historic event, which was a flashpoint during the peace protests of the Vietnam War, inspired Orloff to pen a documentary play that features stories and commentary based on interviews with college-aged students during the Vietnam era. The killing of these four students at the university, and the iconic and unbelievable images that shocked the nation, are still emblazoned in the memory of many people who lived through the ordeal.
To experience Days of Possibilities, audience members are asked to join a live-stream Zoom event Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m. EST. That’s when participants can watch a production of the play by New York City’s New Circle Theatre Company, featuring 20 actors and directed by David Kronick, according to press notes. (For those who cannot tune in at 7 p.m., the production will be accessible after the live-stream.)
Adding to the commemoration are several other theater companies around the United States who will live-stream their own productions, giving audience members a few choices to tune in and catch these important lessons. Each virtual event is free and open to the public.
As of press time, Orloff and company had gathered the talents of the Ensemble Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Silverthorne Theatre Company in Massachusetts; Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro, California; and Endangered Species Theatre Company in Maryland. Rincon High School in Tuscon, Arizona, will present an abridged version of the play.
Days of Possibilities has its origins in the 1980s, when an earlier incarnation of the piece was presented at Oberlin College. Throughout its history, it was also known as Vietnam 101: The War on Campus.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Orloff, a playwright whose previous shows include Chatting With the Tea Party, Romantic Fools and Big Boys. Questions and answers have been edited slightly for style.
What can audiences expect from this Zoom-friendly adaptation?
Audiences can expect an engaging, historically accurate depiction of one of the most turbulent periods in the last 50 years, as experienced by the students on one college campus. Since the stage play is presentational in style, with the characters directly addressing the audience, the play was a good fit for the intimacy and directness of Zoom and similar video platforms.
How long did it take to develop and create Days of Possibilities and its predecessor, Vietnam 101: The War on Campus?
Ironically, the play was originally titled Days of Possibilities when it was first produced at Oberlin College in 1989. I spent six intense months gathering the material that is the core of the play and shaping it into a viable and vivid piece of theater. The play was so well received that the college decided to remount it at commencement in 1990. This gave me a chance to work on it even more, expanding and reshaping the material more, learning lessons from the first production.
When Playscripts decided to publish the play, we agreed to change the title to Vietnam 101: The War on Campus. I like the title Days of Possibilities much better, as it captures the essence of the play.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of documentary-style theater?
The challenge I gave myself in this play is that I couldn’t make anything up! Every scene and every thought in the play comes from the letters I received and interviews I conducted with students who attended Oberlin during the Vietnam War years. Shaping that material into a dynamic piece of theater taught me more than I’ve learned writing any other play. I had to find the core journey in the play. I realized during rehearsals that the main character was the entire college community, and the story was how it evolved in response to the escalations of the war.
Do you believe the lessons of Kent State are still important to hear in 2020?
Yes! Although, on the surface, our current political problems are quite different than the ones during the Vietnam War years, what remains timely is our need to find creative and effective ways to fight for a more honest and responsible government. The fight hasn’t ended, and it never will, but the need to fight is as true today as it ever has been.
What most surprised you from the students you interviewed?
What I appreciated was their vulnerability. Folks admitted their mistakes and their flaws. They shared not only what they learned but the scars they still had. Their college experiences shaped who they became and how they spent their adult lives, and they were able to look back on this period and themselves with stunning honesty.
When did you first fall in love with theater?
I wrote my first play when I was 11, so I’m not sure there’s ever been a time I wasn’t in love with theater. Sometimes it’s been a tempestuous relationship, but I think it’s miraculous that I write down words on a piece of paper or on a computer, and actors and directors bring those words to life for a shared experience with the audience. Even using new technologies like Zoom, theater is still an exciting and intimate form of connection. After a half-century writing plays, I’m still very much in love.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Days of Possibilities, by Rich Orloff, will be live-streamed by a number of theater companies, including New Circle Theatre Company in New York City. Click here for more information.
