Dear Friend,

            I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Erik Ehn, Head of Playwriting at Brown, for the past 7 years or so. Erik’s practical and idealogical commitment to weaving theater, teaching and social justice has inspired me and so many other people in the theater community.

Erik’s upcoming project, Soulographie: Our Genocides is a performance cycle of 17 plays currently being produced around the country and in Uganda that will converge at La MaMa in NYC this fall. It is a vital project that I have vowed to support and I would like to encourage you to do so as well. I’ve committed to getting 100 of my friends and family members to donate just $10 each. For most of us, $10 is a very small amount. But imagine the impact our $10 can make when we reach out to our wide network of friends and family.

Since 2010, independent companies and artists throughout the nation and in Uganda have been producing readings and workshops of these plays, featuring 16 directors across 10 cities. In November 2012, the 17 productions converge at La MaMa in New York for two weeks of marathon performances, workshops, teach-ins, panel discussions, and education-installations.

     Soulographie is Theatre of Genocide – an engaged art, intended to bring audiences closer to historical periods of violence through the dynamics of performance, creating a frame for loss and remembrance.  It is a communal activity in socio-political and self-recognition.  In order to free people, to free memories, to free ideas, we must give them voice.  It asks the question: whose voice are you willing to carry?

     This epic event will cost more than $150K, and we still have a long way to go. We ask that you join us today by becoming a Soulographie Sponsor. Your $10 (or more) donation will go a long way to see the fulfillment of this vital project. And, we’ve made it very simple for you to contribute. Just click on the link below to my page on the Soulographie Stay Classy campaign and enter in your information. You can also see the progress I’m making toward fulfilling my commitment and encourage others to contribute as well.

 Through Soulographie, we hope to confront genocide, recognize its nature and its growth so that we may collectively combat it.  In performance, we learn to recognize it.  In discussion, we learn to deal with it.  And in perpetual audience engagement, we learn to remember – the most important step towards prevention around the world.

Thank you!

Gary