Theater Project to Present RFK Reading at Maplewood Memorial Library, 11/2

JFK, LBJ, MLK, RFK - to millenials, this could mean anything from a cable TV network to some new I-phone app, but for an older generation, these initials conjure the giants of the 20th century. In 1968, the fatal shooting of Robert Francis Kennedy less than 5 years after the assassination of his older brother shook a nation already reeling from the murder of Martin Luther King only two months before. In 2013, the 50thanniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is being observed across the nation. The Theater Project, a professional company in Maplewood, NJ, will honor the Kennedy legacy with a reading and discussion of the play RFK by Jack Holmes. The play uses many of Kennedy's speeches to evoke his persona and present his political views. The event will take place at the Maplewood Memorial Library, 51 Baker Street, at 2 PM, Saturday, November 2. Admission is free.

The play covers the last four years of Robert Kennedy's life. In 1964, Robert F. Kennedy was Attorney General, still in shock and consumed with grief over the assassination of his older brother the previous year. The presidential election was approaching and rumors were flying that LBJ -- President Lyndon Baines Johnson -- would offer a vice-presidential role to RFK. Johnson called Kennedy to the White House to tell him his decision, and the subsequent events of the next and last four years of Robert Kennedy's life are the focus of this play.

The role of Robert Kennedy will be read by Maplewood resident Rick Delaney. Named one of New Jersey's most valuable actors by The Star-Ledger, Rick performs constantly on stages in New York and New Jersey, and in film and television.

The Theater Project, an award-winning New Jersey theater company presenting at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood, is known for presenting outrageous comedy as well as drama with social commentary. Part of The Theater Project's mission is to showcase lesser-known plays on thought provoking topics and create dialogue among the audience in post-performance discussions. In January of 2013, The Theater Project presented stage readings of Irwin Shaw's anti-war play Bury the Dead followed by panel discussions with representatives from New Jersey Peace Action, Military Families Speak Out, and Veterans for Peace. In November of 2012, The Theater Project tackled marriage equality, presenting a one-night-only reading of"Prop 8" by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, with a post-show discussion led by Garden State Equality.

The Theater Project offers classes for kids in juggling, puppetry, musical theater and improvisation, and a workshop for adult playwrights. For further information about any of the company's programs, call (973) 763-4029, or visit the web site: TheTheaterProject.org.

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