Unlike trees, new plays can sometimes flourish in the shadows of their more developed cousins. The trick is getting the opportunity to see a new work in one of these earlier stages, when it’s still being refined by the playwrights.
Luckily, the one of the playwrights behind Salt Lake Acting Company’s current “Too Much Memory” (opening tonight) will be giving local audiences that opportunity. SLAC will be offering a free, full-cast reading of the duo’s “Prophets of Nature” on Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. The play, which is set in 19th century England, chronicles a violent clash between Luddite weavers and factory workers at the height of the Industrial Revolution. In it, playwright Keith Reddin explores the deeper origins of the Luddites’ feelings against technology, their reputations as early terrorists, and the importance of understanding the terrorists of both yesterday and today.
“As Byron actually said to Parliament (about the Luddites), to ignore them or dismiss them is just as dangerous,” said Reddin, a New York-based playwright currently in Salt Lake for “Too Much Memory.” “In order to fight them we must understand the cause for their hate and revenge. That is not to say we can condone their violence, I don't. But we must know them, like the Luddites, to keep our safety and our freedom. To merely fight fear with fear will never completely work.”
Comments