By Kristopher Karcher
Fourth of July is different for
everyone. For me, it's always been a family affair. It gets a bit harder each
year for us all to come together, but I have fond memories of many past
independence days. I would usually spend some time at the community pool, then
head over to my grandparent's house for dinner and fireworks. While burnt
charcoal wafted through the air mixing with marinated steaks, burgers, and hot
dogs, my cousins and I would wait patiently playing card games, jumping in the
bay, or, as everyone got older, enjoying happy hour. But amongst all the Jell-O
shots and red, white, and blue streamers, it is imperative that we as citizens
of the United States remember why we celebrate this beautiful day of freedom.
Because on July 4, 1776, a bunch of sweaty guys hunched up in a small building
in Philadelphia signed a Declaration that they were tired of the Brit’s taxes
and wanted to be their own country, with their own taxation system to fight
over for the next couple hundred years.
Philadelphia, my home city, is
now considered one of THE historical centers for early America. Here’s a few
fun facts about my beautiful home city of brotherly love (with their citations
of course):
1. The Philadelphia Phillies are
the best team in all of major league baseball, unless of course, they’re losing
(my father).
2. Will Smith is from Philly…
which is like… a total win (IMDB)
3. You haven’t had a real
cheesesteak until you’ve had one made in Philly (literally everyone).
 |
| Dickens |
 |
| Poe |
Here’s another interesting fact
about historic Philadelphia. In 1842, two incredible authors met in the city
for a chat, but mysteriously, no one knows what they talked about or what came
of it. The authors in question were Mr. Charles Dickens and Mr. Edgar Allen
Poe. So of course how could a writer come across this story without wanting to
write his own version of their conversation? Playwright Mike Perrie surely
couldn’t resist. His play The Raven Doesn’t Talk, part of this
year’s Strawberry Theatre Festival, features the two writers at a pub on that
fateful day in 1842. Mr. Perrie navigates their relationship through clever
dialogue and gives a few ideas as to why no one knows what happened, such as:
1. Why did they never speak of
their meeting?
2. Is it possibly something
spooked them? Something perhaps paranormal? and
3. Did the meeting spark an idea
for their next book?
The Raven Doesn’t Talk is a great play for any
literary fans, anyone interested in historical fiction, or (as with the rest of
the plays in the Strawberry Theatre and One Act Festival) just anyone who
enjoys good theatre. Be sure to check it out it will be performed on Sunday,
August 24, 2013 at 7:30pm and Monday, August 25th at 8pm at the
Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46th Street, NYC. For tickets go to www.therianttheatre.com
What do you do each Fourth of
July?
AND
What
two authors would you love to explore a conversation between? What would they
say? Comment and Tweet us @RiantTheatre
Listen to the interview with playwright Michael Perrie, Jr.
Listen to the interview with playwright Michael Perrie, Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment