Ben Butler at Theatre 40

Theatre Forty will present a play-reading via Zoom of the historical drama Ben Butler by Richard Strand on Wednesday, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. PST. John Leslie directs a cast that includes Martin Thompson, Shawn Savage, Tony Williams and John W. Combs.

This play is based on an actual historical incident. In 1861, three escaped slaves turn up at Fort Monroe in Virginia. General Benjamin Butler is faced with an impossible moral dilemma - should he return the slaves to their owner or make a move that could alter the course of history?

About the playwright: Richard Strand's career as a playwright began in 1976 when he wrote his first play, Harry and Sylvia, which was eventually adapted into the full-length version called Clown. Two of his plays, The Bug and The Death of Zukasky, published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc., premiered at The Actors Theatre at Louisville's Humana Festival. He currently lives in California with his wife, Mary Lynn. He is a professor, technical director, and set designer at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, where he teaches Stagecraft, History of Theater, and Playwriting.

This event is FREE. To attend, use this Zoom link on FEBRUARY 17 at 7:00 p.m.:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87897651657?pwd=Tit0dkVyTVpGZTJiaFpxakNrMXB1dz09

While the event is free, Theatre Forty is a non-profit arts organization, so any donation you might care to make in support of our activities will be gratefully accepted at http://theatre40.org