Events

ENGAGING EXPERIENCES FOR ENGAGING PEOPLE

L. Frank Baum

Solo performance about the creator of Oz

Trying to make a new start in the early beginnings of  Hollywood, Baum shares his 1912 story Sky Island while offering glimpses of his varied life.

 

Amy Lowell

Solo performance of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

The writer invites guests into her bedroom at her luxurious estate Sevenels to try out material for her up-coming tour about the “New Movement” in poetry

The writer who created the West as we envision it looks back on his early struggles to succeed and his breakthrough in 1912 with the novel Riders of the Purple Sage.

Zane Grey

Solo performance of the renowned Western novelist

Mother Jones

Solo performance of the labor activist

At the age of 75, this tireless advocate for workingmen and their families begins her greatest challenge in the 1912 coal war of Cabin Creek, West Virginia.

 

Jared Sidney Torrance

Solo performance of the incomparable businessman

The most important figure in Southern California history recalls his successes and struggles.

 

Actor Casey Kramer in performance as poet Amy Lowel, photo by PowerPlayzActor Penny Orloff in performance as labor activist Mother Jones, photo by PowerPlayzActor Mike Campbell in performance as businessman Jared Sidney Torrance, photo by PowerPlayzActor Jim Senti as Zane Grey, photo by PowerPlayzActor Mark Colbenson as L. Frank Baum, photo by PowerPlayz

O.J. Simpson Trial

The jurors got it right

Adaptation of the most galvanizing moments of the “trial of the century.”

Court Martial of William Calley

A nation examines its conscience in the midst of war

Adaptation of the most infamous court-martial of the Vietnam War.

McMartin Preschool Trial

Can we really believe these children?

Adaptation of the longest and most expensive criminal trial in American history.  

Trial of Lenny Bruce

When the profane becomes sacred

Adaptation of the comedian facing his toughest audience—a prosecutor with the zeal to bring him down. 

Watergate

Words have power

Dramatizes Oval Office conversations leading up to the monumental Presidential crisis.  

Anita Hill - Clarence Thomas Hearings

He said, she said!

Adaptation of the Senate hearing to investigate Prof. Anita Hill's allegations of prior sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, 

Army - McCarthy Hearings

“At long last, have you no shame?”

Portrays the hearings when anti-communist crusader Sen. Joseph McCarthy dueled with attorneys representing the U.S. Army.

The Examination of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson

The devil with the blue dress on

Dramatizes the actual trial of a Puritan mother accused of crimes against the government.  

Los Angeles

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s path to victory

Dramatizes the key events leading up to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 California Presidential primary win.

 

Memphis

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last crusade

Traces the events and people that drew King to the city overlooking the Mississippi River in March and April of 1968

 

Chicago

Democracy in the streets

Contrasts four national leaders as they try to influence the direction of America’s destiny in 1968 .

Follows world-class sprinter Tommie Smith from when he first comes to national prominence on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine to the 1968 Olympics victory pedestal in Aztec Stadium. 

Mexico City

Journey with one of the greatest athletes of his generation

Adaptation of The 9/11 Commission Report begins with bin Laden's declaration of war in 1998 and climaxes with the execution of the “planes operation” in 2001.  

 

9/11

The inside story

An original story about HARRIS and JENNIFER AMES after he enlists in the Army and goes off to fight the bad guys in Afghanistan.   “Recommended” by six published theater critics including the LA Times.

 

@HEART

Love letters in the shadow of 9/11

Wedded: Nixon and the Pentagon Papers

Witness a President at his heights make a crucial decision

Adaptation of Nixon’s conversations with key administration officials soon after the secret history of the Vietnam War was published in the New York Times. 

 

Pentagon Papers

Because the truth will set you free

Adaptation of the hidden history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Drawn from the four-volume Sen. Gravel edition of the Pentagon Papers.

Cast of 9/11 in performance, photo by PowerPlayzActors Jessica McClintock and Mike Myers in performance of @Heart, photo by PowerPlayzCast of Wedded: Nixon and the Pentagon Papers, photo by Andy ShengActor Bill Wolski in performance of Pentagon Papers, photo by PowerPlayz

PowerPlayz

Create your own event. All of the subjects shown below can be explored by you, your friends, and life-long learners. Take several subjects of your choosing and create a unique event for a day or a weekend. For example, learn about the Pentagon Papers by reading selections from the entire document and discussing this provocative information in the comfort of your home. Or another example, select a combination of famous trials and hearings that reveal much about the American character in the relaxed atmosphere of your neighborhood meeting place. All of these theatrical works were created with the intention of people like yourself reading them aloud and discussing their past and current relevance with other thoughtful adults.

John Powers will facilitate these events and provide the easy-to-read scripts for the group...scripts that the participants may keep for future reference. Contact him to find how you can easily create a memorable and one-of-a-kind educational experience. These works have been presented to great acclaim from live-long learners at UC Riverside Extension, Rosenberg Cultural Center, and other communities.