For Immediate release:
ALL EVENTS ARE ONLINE/VIRTUAL AND FREE
STAGE AURORA THEATRICAL COMPANY
Awarded BIG READ GRANT from the
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
As they partner with the QUEENS PUBLIC LIBRARY to celebrates those that have Served in the United States Armed Forces by presenting a Six-Week Event
Including a presentation of TIM O’BRIEN’S Pulitzer Prize Finalist
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Book Discussions, Panels,
a reading of the musical 2000 NICKELS: A VIETNAM LEGACY
and a Musical Celebration Featuring Broadway Stars in
BROADWAY CELEBRATES VETERAN’S DAY
October 3 - November 14, 2020
(All Events will be conducted virtually. We are accepting donations to benefit Stage Aurora )
Queens, New York— Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, theatre that enlightens, will celebrate our military veterans and those that have served in the United States Armed forces as they partner with the Queens Public Library and present Tim O’Brien’s Pulitzer Prize finalist The Things They Carried along with other programing. This presentation is made possible by a Big Read Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The celebration will begin October 3-November 14, 2020.
Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried is considered one of the finest books about the Vietnam War. Far from a combat story of pride and glory, it is a compassionate tale of the American soldier, brimming with raw honesty and thoughtful reflection. The book's narrator follows a platoon of infantrymen through the jungles of Vietnam. We see them trudge through the muck of a constant downpour, get hit by sniper fire, pull body parts out of a tree, laugh while they tell their stories to each other, and fall silent when faced with making sense of it all—both in the moment and twenty years later.
The celebration will kick-off on October 3 beginning with keynote speaker General Robert Dees’ ‘Leaving Behind The Things They Carried.’ Over the course of the six week commemoration will include several book discussions each exploring a different theme hosted by Prof. Shaun Illingworth, Director, Rutgers University Oral History Archives and Queens Public Library; panel discussions hosted by Veteran Deloris (Dee) Moton Quaranta, Founder and Executive Director of Northeast Florida Women Veterans, musical and theatrical performances by celebrity Broadway artists in Broadway Celebrates Veteran’s Day, a reading of the 2017 NYMF selection 2000 Nickels: A Vietnam Legacy by Margaret ‘Peg’ and John Brochu, and a 60s-70s musical concert ‘The Music of Vietnam’.
“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. 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.”
Darryl Reuben Hall, Director and Executive Director of Stage Aurora.
The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Additional information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts and videos, may be obtained at arts.gov/neabigread.
Due to Covid19, these events will be conducted virtually from any location at the allotted time. For a full schedule of events and participation guidelines, please visit www.stageaurora.org and/or www.queenslibrary.org.
Schedule of events:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 at 2PM – KICK-OFF EVENT
Speakers include: Darryl Reuben Hall, (Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc.)
General Robert Dees’ keynote address "Leaving Behind the Things They Carried"
Professor Shaun Illingworth, Rutgers University to introduce, Tim O'Brien's “The Things They Carried”
Deloris Quaranta, Northeast Florida Women's Veterans of Jacksonville
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 at 7PM
Book discussion with Rutgers University’s Professor Shaun Illingworth (Introduction to Text)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 at 7 PM
Book discussion with Rutgers University’s Professor Shaun Illingworth (Theme Exploration)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 at 2 PM
Book discussion with Rutgers University’s Professor Shaun Illingworth (Compare Oral History and Fictional Accounts)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 at 2PM
Book discussion with Rutgers University’s Professor Shaun Illingworth (Author and fictional characters)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 at 2 PM
Panel Discussion: WOMEN IN UNIFORM - HER: WHY?
Hosted by Deloris Quaranta with Panelist: Jacqui Rivera
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 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, NOVEMBER 8 at 2 PM
Panel Discussion Number: WOMEN IN COMBAT: NEW GROUND
Hosted by Deloris Quaranta with Panelists: Jann Clark
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 at 5 PM
Musical Performance The Music of Vietnam
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 at 7 PM
Panel Discussion Number: THE EVOLUTION OF MILITARY WOMEN
Hosted by Deloris Quaranta with Panelists: TBA
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 at 7 PM
Book discussion with Rutgers University’s Professor Shaun Illingworth (Fiction and Reality of the Vietnam War)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
Veteran’s Day Parade
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 at 2 PM
Closing Event: NEA BIG Read/ The Things They Carried
Hosted by Darryl Reuben Hall, Stage Aurora Theatrical Company