Submitted by ATI
“History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” – David McCullough, historian
Many Americans faced perilous times in 2020. Not only did a pandemic alter our way of life, but issues of racial injustice were pushed to the forefront. In 2020, many people had their eyes opened to the evils of prejudice and injustice in our country.
That’s why The Actors Theatre of Indiana felt the time was right to bring back their show Alabama Story in order to expose people to the unsung heroes of history.
In 1959, an Indiana native, who became state librarian of Alabama, found her life and livelihood at risk when a controversial children’s book crossed her desk. The innocent tale of a white rabbit marrying a black rabbit angered politicians in the Civil Rights era. Some wanted the book burned, but State Librarian Emily Reed, a forgotten hero of free speech, decided to fight for what is right. This fact-inspired, highly theatrical new American play had its Indiana premiere in 2019 and was launched as a Streaming-On-Demand presentation on Monday, Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Those who saw the show in 2019 agree that it’s relevant to today’s times.
In her review on PlaysWithJohnandWendy.com, Wendy Carlson writes that, “This show is important to give you context as to this country’s history and what our future could be again should we glorify the past instead of learning from it.”
On the theatre blog A Seat on The Aisle, reviewer Ken Klingenmeier called ATI’s production, “an important story, showing the attitudes, the conflicting ideas and ideals.” He urged people to share this show with young people. “It might just cause some interesting conversation,” he writes.
Sam Acre, a Realtor/broker for F.C. Tucker and Broadway investor who saw the 2019 production, said he plans to watch the show again with his son.
“This immensely touching, true story is full of humor and humanity,” he said. “Actors Theatre of Indiana has brought cutting edge theatre to our city.”
Frank Basile, a longtime patron of the arts, said he was giving a speech last year at the grand opening of the building housing the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. At the event, he told the crowd, “I have long enjoyed the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the principles he advocated, along with his satire and sense of humor. Among other things, I liked his stand against literary censorship and in favor of social justice. In connection with literary censorship, coincidentally, the current production by Actors Theatre of Indiana is the play Alabama Story, which very effectively addresses this issue with an incident from 1959 in Montgomery, Alabama. The casting and acting are superb, and the story is compelling. I strongly recommend that each of you in the audience attend this play.”
Audiences can enjoy our pay-per-view stream now through Feb. 14. Tickets are $35 and details are available at ATIstage.org.