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LA Weekly said
FERGUSON "made for a
riveting spectacle and comes as a reminder both of the adversarial dramatic power that is inherent in any courtroom testimony and how even the dry language of a legal transcript can come alive when placed in the hands of skilled actors." ... "
an incendiary evening of theater."
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Friends,
What a 24 hours it has been! Thank you so much. Yesterday I received the shocking news, reported in the Los Angeles Times, that five members of the FERGUSON cast were walking out because of my "conservative" politics and their desire to rewrite the script. I won't rewrite the truth.
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But then you stepped up and sent donations and offers of support. Last night we hit our $93K target, but even more important we've had offers of help from actors across the country. One actor offered to fly himself in from Chicago--at his expense--so he could perform in this important work.
I'm going to be honest. The cast leaving is a crisis. It's tough and stressful, and I had a two hour meeting with the remaining cast members last night--as others were threatening to leave. I don't know how many more walkouts there will be, but I'll let you know as soon as I hear.
But rest assured: the FERGUSON Play will have its world premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Obviously these last minute walkouts have been incredibly disruptive, so I need your help again to ensure the show goes on. I need $8,000 more to meet the extra costs. It's not easy to rework an entire show at the last minute.
Please buy a ticket or make a donation. With your help the play will be performed on Sunday night and the world is going to know the truth about Ferguson.
Thank you,
Phelim
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Hi,
Thanks for having a look at the FERGUSON play. I think this is one of the most important projects I've ever done. I have an opportunity to bring to the stage the truth about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri the morning police officer Darren Wilson shot dead Michael Brown. The truth is full of shocks and surprises, but it is unbelievably compelling. Below I have answered some of your questions. Please let me know all your other questions through the Indiegogo comments section.
Thank you,
Phelim
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The purpose of FERGUSON is to reveal the truth about what really happened on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, MO and to look at why and how the Grand Jury came to the decision they did. FERGUSON is a staged version of the Grand Jury testimony exactly as they heard it. But this time the audience gets to be the Grand Jury. The performances in Los Angeles will be dramatized staged readings with interactive voting. Every night the audience will decide who's telling the truth, decide who's lying, and decide if they would indict Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown. How will you vote?
FERGUSON
A guest production at the Odyssey Theatre
2055 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. (World Premiere)
Monday, April 27 at 8 p.m. (Second Night)
Tuesday, April 28 at 8 p.m. (Third Night)
Wednesday, April 29 at 8 p.m. (Final Night)
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A lot of people lied about what they saw that day. They lied to support both sides. They lied to the media, they lied online, and they lied to investigators. Many admitted this to the Grand Jury, but the media never corrected the record.
Most people don't know what the Grand Jury heard and most people don't know that a lot of what alleged witnesses told the media was later withdrawn or proven impossible by evidence uncovered in the Grand Jury room.
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FERGUSON shows there were lies on all sides of the story. It will show how prosecutors AND the jury asked tough questions of all sides and revealed layer by layer the truth of what happened that morning.
I am a journalist. I'm only interested in what really happened. This is a story that deserves to be told. And FERGUSON shows the audience something the media won't: The Truth. You get to decide what you would do with that information.
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"Verbatim drama, at its best, is aesthetically indistinguishable from high art. " - Michael Billington, Chief Drama Critic for The Guardian. Britain's longest serving drama critic.
The format of FERGUSON is based on the Verbatim Theatre movement centered around the Tricycle Theatre in London UK. They pioneered the idea of writing plays based on the exact testimony from public inquiries or court cases.
There have been a number of high profile Verbatim Dramas, particularly BLOODY SUNDAY: Scenes from the Saville Tribunal and GUANTANAMO: "Honor bound to defend freedom."
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We are a GUEST PRODUCTION at the Odyssey Theatre and are renting their theatre in Los Angeles, but the show won't go on without your help. When you make a contribution and claim a perk, you're helping guarantee that this story gets told.
Right now we're planning to have four performances in LA, April 26-29, 2015. But eventually, we want to bring the show to more cities and we even want to have performances in Ferguson itself. Even if you're not local to Los Angeles, you can be a HUGE part of bringing this show to communities everywhere.
The performances will be:
Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. (World Premiere)
Monday, April 27 at 8 p.m. (Second Night)
Tuesday, April 28 at 8 p.m. (Third Night)
Wednesday, April 29 at 8 p.m. (Final Night)
A recording of one of the performances will be on YouTube for FREE if we reach our funding goal.
