Stage Aurora Theatrical Company is hosting a full schedule of virtual events now through Nov. 14. For details, go to www.stageaurora.org.
Stage Aurora was awarded a Big Read grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. To celebrate veterans and all who have served, the company is presenting Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, the story is based on O’Brien’s personal experience in the Vietnam War. The event also includes book discussions, panels, a reading of the musical, 2000 Nickels: A Vietnam Legacy and a musical celebration, Broadway Celebrates Veteran’s Day. All events will be conducted virtually.
“A requirement for the NEA Big Read is to partner with a library in the selection of a book from the NEA’s and Arts Midwest list of books,” said Darryl Reuben Hall, Director and Executive Director of Stage Aurora. “As an organization that thrives on diversity and serving underserved audiences, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried focused on veterans of the Armed Forces, a celebrated group of warriors that need more celebration for their duty to the USA. I knew that I could generate and create a wide variety of activities that would showcase the themes of the book: war, family, peace, love, etc.” The events include:
Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 pm – Panel discussion: Women in Uniform – Her: Why? Hosted by Veteran Deloris (Dee) Moton Quaranta, Founder and Executive Director of Northeast Florida Women Veterans, with panelist Jacqui Rivera
Monday, Nov. 2 at 2 pm and 6 pm – Performance: 2000 Nickels: A Vietnam Legacy. An original dram written by Margaret Brochu and music and lyrics by John Brochu.
Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 pm – Musical performance: Broadway Celebrates Veteran’s Day. Starring Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Angela Robinson (The Haves and The Have Nots), Natasha Yvette Williams (Broadway-Waitress, The Color Purple), and more.
Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 pm – Panel discussion: Women in Combat: New Ground. Hosted by Deloris Quaranta with panelist Jann Clark.
Sunday, Nov. 8 at 5 pm – Musical Performance: The Music of Vietnam
Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 pm – Panel discussion: The Evolution of Military Women. Hosted by Deloris Quaranta with panelist TBA.
Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 pm – Book discussion: Fiction and Reality of the Vietnam War with Rutgers University Professor Shaun Illingworth.
Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2 pm – Closing event: NEA BIG Read/The Things They Carried. Hosted by Darryl Reuben Hall, Stage Aurora Theatrical Company
