THE PLAYWRIGHT: Ariel Dorfman

ARIEL DORFMAN is the author of numerous works of fiction, plays, poems, and essays in both Spanish and English. His books have been translated into over thirty languages. He is a Chilean expatriate who lives with his family in Durham, North Carolina, where he holds the Walter Hines Page chair at Duke University.

Dorfman's books include the novels Hard Rain, The Last Song of Manuel Sendero, and Mascara; the story collection My House is on Fire; the nonfiction books How to Read Donald Duck, The Empire's Old Clothes, and Some Write to the Future; and Last Waltz in Santiago, a collection of poetry. His plays include Death and the Maiden, which won England's Olivier Award for Best Play, was produced on Broadway and was made into a feature film. Most recently, he is the author of the novel The Nanny and the Iceberg and the memoir Heading South, Looking North.

Dorfman was inspired to write a theatrical presentation based on interviews in the book by Kerry Kennedy that features more than fifty human rights activists from around the world. The resulting play, Speak Truth to Power: Voices from the Dark, was presented at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in September 2000, and broadcast as part of PBS's The Kennedy Center Presents. In the essay found on the SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER web site, the playwright describes how these long suppressed voices came to be heard.

The play has been performed at theaters across America and around the world, including Geneva, London, Helsinki, Athens, Madrid, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, Florence, New York, Sydney, and Doha...and soon Derry, New Hampshire.

THE BOOK'S AUTHOR: Kerry Kennedy

KERRY KENNEDY began working in the field of human rights in 1981 when she investigated abuses committed by U.S. immigration officials against refugees from El Salvador. Since then, her life has been devoted to the fight for equal justice, to the promotion and protection of basic rights, and to the preservation of the rule of law.

She is the author of SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER, a book of profiles of fifty human rights defenders from around the world. She has led forty human rights delegations to twenty-seven countries and continues to strive tirelessly to give voice to those who might not otherwise be heard.

"In a world where there is a common lament that there are no more heroes, too often cynicism and despair are perceived as evidence of the death of moral courage. That perception is wrong. People of great valor and heart, committed to noble purpose, with long records of personal sacrifice, walk among us in every country of the world." -Kerry Kennedy

Kerry Kennedy is a Founding Member and an active Board Member of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. The RFK Home Page features a vignette of SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER PSAs (also available on YouTube).

We are pleased to bring the stage adaptation of Kerry Kennedy's work to New Hampshire.

CAPPING OUR SHOW: deSoL

We're happy to announce that the Nationally Recognized Artists deSoL will close our evening with their inspirational and uplifting music.

• Albie Monterrosa – Lead Vocals/Guitar – Albie's acoustic guitar playing seamlessly mixes the singer/songwriter flavor of his writing with the heavy rhythmic accents of the traditional Latin music he absorbed growing up. His singing takes the best elements of story telling and the emotion in these styles to create his own unique style.
• James Guerrero – Vocals/Percussion – performs passionately using many types of percussion. He incorporates rhythms and vocal styles that are fusions of his Mexican heritage and Hip-Hop & Rock influences from his Queens, NY, neighborhood. His on-stage antics are a show highlight.
• Andy Letke – Vocals/Piano/Organ – Andy’s background in Classical and Jazz piano and talent for music composition and arranging is an integral part of deSoL’s sound. A natural diplomat, Andy uses his magic beard to quell conflicts.
• Chris Guice – Vocals/Bass Guitar – has a love of pop music & culture, a knowledge of many musical styles and a strong melodic, rhythmic and arranging sense that helps bind the American and Latin elements of the band.
• Chris Stone – drums/rhythm – A true child of classic rock, Stone has been playing the drums since age three. His powerful, passionate style is the anchor of the deSoL rhythm section.
• Dori Erickson – Back-up Vocals – A choreographer and director who is highly trained in Jazz and R.A.D. ballet, Dori works in many levels of concert/event production and as a talent adjudicator for Starbound National Talent.
• Deseree Spinks – Back-up Vocals – has adored music since she was a child. A self-taught pianist, guitarist, and bassist who then studied music in college, she is the vocal director at the Monmouth County chapter of the School of Rock.
• Jimmy Farkas - Guitar - A lifelong musician with a gift for getting the crowd going, he has spent years mastering his craft, in Rock, Jazz, Fusion, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin and Avant-Garde. New to the group, Jimmy looks forward to bringing the groove to audiences everywhere with the infectious sounds of deSoL….

INTRODUCING OUR PRODUCER, DRAMATURGE, & DIRECTOR: Dana Biscotti Myskowski

Dana is an award-winning screenwriter and adjunct professor at New England College and at UNH-Manchester, where she won the 2009 Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. She chairs the NH Film & Television Office Screenplay Competition, which features readings at Red River Theatres, and served as a judge in this year's first New Hampshire 48-Hour Film Festival.

Dana penned BREATHING SPACE, a multi-media show on global climate change for the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, and the short film THE LEMONADE STAND, and has produced PSAs and ads for radio and TV. Her latest short script, THE PROVIDER, is in pre-production with a DGA Director.

Her plays have been performed or read at the 2009 Boston Theatre Marathon, the New Works Festival of the NH Theatre Project in Portsmouth, the Audi in Concord, the New Hampshire Technical Institute, the Alchemists Workshop, and at Goddard College.

The winner of the 2009 NH Literary Idol Competition sponsored by the NH Writers' Project, Dana can be found online at her blogs: Media Writing & at Poetry in Motion Pictures.

MEET OUR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Rachel Follien Kennedy

Rachel Follien Kennedy works at the Northern Forest Center, a non-profit that supports conservation and sustainable communities in the Northern Forest region. Before working at the Center she worked as a stage manager for the Palace Professional Productions and directed Palace Professional Productions for Children at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH.

She is one of the four co-founders of Theatre Kapow, a theatre company that explores the truths of human experience through the passion and electricity of live theatre. She most recently directed David Ives's "The Death of Leon Trotsky" and "The Philadelphia." Rachel lives in Warner, NH, with her husband Brian and her daughter Charlotte.

Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

OPENING OUR EVENING: Lisa Jane Lipkin

From the New Jersey Shore to Madrid, Spain, and many places in between, the music of Singer/Songwriter & Recording Artist Lisa Jane Lipkin has captivated audiences with poetic lyrics, irresistible melodies & her exquisite voice.

A spirited performer, Lipkin has opened for Dar Williams, Shemekia Copeland, Garnet Rogers, & others. She has been a featured performer at countless venues including Mamapalooza NYC, the Tupelo Music Hall, & more.

Her debut recording, “Raise the Honey,” was hailed as “a body of truth & emotion” and features “Jayme’s Song” written for Jayme’s Fund for Social Justice. Her second recording, “A Prayer for Peace,” reveals Lipkin’s spiritual side with original prayers, chants & songs in Hebrew and English.

Lisa is currently working on her forthcoming CD, “Follow the Moon,” with Grammy Nominated Producer/Composer/Arranger Paul Avgerinos; it is due to be released later this year.

THIRD VOICE: Albie Monterrosa

Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Multi Instrumentalist Albie Monterrosa is the founder of deSoL, the Asbury Park, New Jersey-based rock band with a Latino soul. Born and raised in Hollis Queens, N.Y., by immigrant parents from El Salvador, Albie founded the band deSoL in 2000 with the intention of mixing two worlds together—his Latino heritage and Rock-n-Roll.

deSoL has toured nationally, sharing marquees with bands like R.E.M., Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, The Legendary Wailers, Los Lonely Boys, Los Lobos, Joan Osborne, and more. deSoL has appeared at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Langerado, The All Good Festival, SXSW, and Austin City Limits. In late 2006 deSoL was asked to spend a month in the Middle East performing for U.S. Troops in five different countries.

Four of deSoL's radio singles have charted nationally at the Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) radio format; their 2006 Christmas single "Little Drummer Boy" was the highest debuting Adult Contemporary radio single in Billboard history.

INTRODUCING OUR MC: Mike Morin

Mike Morin’s love of radio since fifth grade has led him to a 38-year career as a radio personality in Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston, and New Hampshire. Career highlights include working at the nation’s first all-comedy station in Washington, and broadcasting from the Grammys in L.A. in 1993 and in New York in 1994.

Since 2002, he has co-hosted the Granite State’s highest-rated morning show at 95.7-WZID in Manchester. In addition to radio and nine years of TV, Mike writes humor columns for the Nashua Telegraph, New Hampshire Business Review, and New Hampshire Magazine. He also contributes feature stories to Around Concord magazine and Boom! New England magazine.

Mike’s also been a stained glass enthusiast/artist for 30 years and has just learned how to bake artisan breads.

SIXTH VOICE: Katrina Swett

Katrina Swett, Ph.D, serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, which she established in 2008 to carry on the work of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos. She teaches a course on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy at Tufts University and taught the same subject at the University of Southern Denmark during her husband’s term as Ambassador to Denmark.

While living in Copenhagen, Katrina led a successful advocacy effort to convince the Danish government to take action against illicit trafficking of women and children through Denmark. Katrina previously worked as a Legislative Assistant and then as a subcommittee Deputy Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She currently serves on the New England College Board of Trustees.

As SIXTH VOICE, Katrina will be reading the part previously read by the Actor Sigourney Weaver in both Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Richard Backus Reading as THE MAN

Complimenting Rebecca Rule’s role as THE WOMAN is Actor Richard Backus who will be reading the equally dark character, THE MAN (or the oppressor). It’s a challenging part that has been read by Actor Alec Baldwin in Washington, D.C.

Richard Backus began his career as an actor, working mostly in and around New York City where he appeared on Broadway in Ah, Wilderness!, Camelot, You Never Can Tell, Butterflies Are Free, and Promenade All!, for which he won the Clarence Derwent Award and Theater World Award. He also appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions and at such regional theaters as The Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Conn., and New Jersey’s McCarter Theater and Paper Mill Playhouse, along with Washington’s Kennedy Center, among others.

New Hampshire audiences may have seen him at the American Stage Festival in Milford, N.H., where he appeared in The Importance of Being Earnest, Rhymes With Evil, and Postmortem.

His television and film credits include Law & Order, Remington Steele, Spenser For Hire, Deathdream, Secret of My Success, Bare Essence, Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac, Beyond The Horizon, Ryan’s Hope, Another World, and As The World Turns. In the late 80s Mr. Backus turned to writing for daytime serials, working on As The World Turns, Days of Our Lives, Another World, All My Children, and One Life To Live.

FOURTH VOICE: Gloria Reuben

Most television viewers will remember Actor, Singer, and Social Activist Gloria Reuben as the health care professional Jeanie Boulet who dramatically battled HIV/AIDS in the NBC-TV hit series ER. Reuben has recently finished filming the second season of the hit TNT series Raising the Bar.

She is also an accomplished stage actress. Most recently she starred with Aidan Quinn, Brian Dennehy, and David Strathairn in Richard Nelson’s Conversations in Tusculum. Her portrayal of Condi Rice in David Hare’s Stuff Happens garnered her a 2007 Lucille Lortel Best Actress award.

She speaks across the country on behalf of HIV/AIDS, the environment, and human rights. She serves on the Leadership Council for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, is an ambassador for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and she is a Vice Chair for the Board of Trustees for Waterkeeper Alliance—Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Water Protection and Preservation Organization.

EIGHTH VOICE: Maxine Kumin

In addition to reading the part EIGHTH VOICE, which was read by Lynn Redgrave in Atlanta, Maxine Kumin will also read three of her poems during the evening's "Opening Act"--from her collection Still to Mow and from her 17th poetry collection, forthcoming in the spring of 2010, Where I Live: New and Selected Poems 1990-2010.

Maxine Kumin is also the author of a memoir, Inside the Halo and Beyond: Anatomy of a Recovery, about a nearly fatal carriage-driving accident; an animal rights murder mystery, Quit Monks or Die!, and Always Beginning: Essays on a Life in Poetry.

The former US Poet Laureate’s awards include the Pulitzer and Ruth Lilly Poetry Prizes, the Poets’ Prize, the Aiken Taylor Award and the Harvard Arts and Robert Frost Medals. She and her husband live on a farm in Warner, New Hampshire.

SEVENTH VOICE: Woody Woodland

Woody grew up in Garden City, New York, and graduated from Boston University with a BA in History, after which he attended Andover Newton Theological School, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1971. He was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister and served as Associate Minister at the First Presbyterian Church in Meadville, Pennsylvania for eight years. There he also began his career, announcing Allegheny College Football and Basketball.

Since moving to New England, Woody has hosted radio news, sports talk, and political talk shows. He co-hosted a sports talk show in Nashua with the great Johnny Most. He has presented political talk shows in Nashua, Manchester, Derry and currently on WCAP in Lowell. His political affiliations extended to the campaign trail when in 1984 he became the State Coordinator for George McGovern’s Presidential Primary Campaign. Recently he accompanied Senator McGovern on several of his stops to promote the Senator’s latest book throughout New England.

Woody lives in New Boston with his wife, Barbara, and their three grandchildren, where he is enjoying his 27th year as the Minister of the Community Church of New Boston.

SECOND VOICE: Virginia Prescott

Virginia Prescott has worked in public and community radio for almost 20 years. She is currently host of Word of Mouth, NHPR’s daily digest of emerging trends, new ideas and under-reported stories from viral and pop culture. She began in radio at WWOZ in New Orleans, and later joined WNYC in New York, where she launched and directed the Edward R. Morrow Award-Winning interactive media team.

Prescott was editor and producer for the nationally syndicated programs On Point, Here & Now and the Peabody Award-winning series Jazz from Lincoln Center series with Ed Bradley.

Throughout her radio career, Virginia helped set up independent radio stations in developing countries in Southern and West Africa, and has trained journalists in post-conflict zones from Sierra Leone to the Balkans. Her commitment to the power of sound and community story-telling inspired her to create audio installations in Houston, Texas; Watertown, Massachusetts, and at MIT. She was awarded a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University In 2001.

In a role that has been read by Actor Alfre Woodward, Virginia Prescott will read the voices of four Human Rights Defenders.

Photo by Andrew Walsh.

FIFTH VOICE: Dylan Mahalingam

Dylan Mahalingam founded the organization Lil’ MDGs to leverage the power of the Internet to educate, engage, inspire, and empower children to help meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Lil’ MDGs was most recently recognized by the United Nations as the best practice in e-content and technological creativity, demonstrating young people’s potential to create outstanding digital content and serving as a platform for people from all UN member states to work together to meet the MDGs.

A first-year student at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire, the 14-year-old Dylan lives in Derry with his parents, his older sister Ammu (when she is not at college), and his beautiful three-year-old chocolate Labrador Nestlé. Dylan’s online résumé can be found at his website.

In a role that has been read by Actor Giancarlo Esposito in a previous production of Speak Truth to Power, Dylan will read the voices of six Human Rights Defenders.

THIS JUST IN: Dylan has been named a 2009 Nestle Best in Youth Winner. As a result, Nestle will be making a generous donation of both cash and product to Jayme's Fund for Social Justice for the Speak Truth to Power reading! Congratulations, Dylan!

Rebecca Rule reading as THE WOMAN

The indomitable and fun Rebecca Rule has agreed to tackle the challenging role as THE WOMAN, the female oppressor in the play, one of two oppressors written into the piece by Playwright Ariel Dorfman (the other--THE MAN--will be read by Actor Richard Backus).

Rebecca's good-natured attitude and commanding voice talents made her, if not a natural choice for the role, a gratifying fit for the formidable character. While Alec Baldwin has read both oppressor roles as the sole villain, Rebecca may be the first female actor to agree to read as THE WOMAN; we are pleased to present her in this intriguing role in the New Hampshire Premiere Reading of Speak Truth to Power.

About Rebecca Rule:

Rebecca gathers and tells stories in New England. Her books include The Best Revenge: Short Stories; Could Have Been Worse: True Stories, Embellishments, and Outright Lies; and Live Free and Eat Pie: A Storyteller’s Guide to New Hampshire.

You can always catch up with Rebecca and hear about her adventures through her blog, Travels With Becky, and via her website. She also hosts the NH Authors Series on NHPTV.

FIRST VOICE: Andre Dubus III

Andre Dubus III is the author of a collection of short fiction, The Cage Keeper and Other Stories, and the novels Bluesman, House of Sand and Fog, and The Garden of Last Days, a New York Times bestseller, released in hardcover in June 2008 with W.W. Norton and in paperback in June 2009. His work has been included in The Best American Essays of 1994, The Best Spiritual Writing of 1999, and The Best of Hope Magazine.

He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for fiction, The Pushcart Prize, and was a Finalist for the Rome Prize Fellowship from the Academy of Arts and Letters. An Academy Award-nominated motion picture and published in eighteen languages, his novel House of Sand and Fog was a fiction finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Booksense Book of the Year, and was an Oprah Book Club Selection and #1 New York Times bestseller.

A member of PEN American Center, Andre Dubus III has served as a panelist for The National Book Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and has taught writing at Harvard University, Tufts University, Emerson College, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell where is a full-time faculty member. He is married to performer Fontaine Dollas Dubus. They live in Massachusetts with their three children.

In a role that has been read in previous performances by Actor Martin Sheen, Dubus will read the voices of seven Human Rights Defenders.

Photo by Marion Ettlinger.

Introducing our Incredible Cast!

It's almost here: the October 17th stage reading of Multi-Award Winning Chilean Playwright Ariel Dorfman's "Speak Truth to Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark," adapted from the book by Kerry Kennedy, with photos by Pulitzer Prize-Award Winning Photographer Eddie Adams. At Derry's Stockbridge Theatre. Tickets, $10 - $25, with $5 student discounts available for all seats. Brought to New Hampshire by Jayme's Fund for Social Justice.

Our incredible cast to date, in no particular order, includes:

- Actor & Singer Gloria Reuben ("Raising the Bar," "Nick of Time," "E.R." and more)

- Novelist Andre Dubus III ("House of Sand & Fog" & "Garden of Last Days")

- Actor Richard Backus ("Ryan's Hope" and more)

- Musician Albie Monterrossa (of the band deSoL)

- New Hampshire Public Radio Host Virginia Prescott ("Word of Mouth," Noon-1:00 Mon.-Thurs.)

- Humorist Rebecca Rule ("Live Free and Eat Pie" and more)

- Poet Maxine Kumin (former U.S. Poet Laureate, "Still to Mow" and so many more collections)

- Award-winning Teen Activist Dylan Mahalingam, one of three founding members of Lil' MDGs

- Minister and Radio Host Woody Woodland

OUR NEWEST CAST MEMBER TO JOIN US IS:

- Political Activist Katrina Swett (more information soon!)

- And Master of Ceremonies Mike Morin (Morning Host, WZID radio)

Information on our incredibly talented crew coming soon!