Barney Frank to speak at Huntington Forum 1/23

In conjunction with the Huntington Theatre Company's production of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, Lynn Nottage's Ruined, Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank, Democrat from the 4th District, will speak about the legislative efforts being taken to eliminate the sale of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The demand by international technology companies for coltan -- used as a high-charge conductor in mobile phones, digital games, microprocessors, and more -- fuels the violence depicted in Nottage's powerful drama.

Representative Frank is the co-sponsor of the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (H.R. 4128), a bill that would create a system to identify "conflict minerals," making it easier to prevent their sale. He is also the co-author of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, requiring companies whose products contain conflict coltan to disclose its source and to articulate the measures they have taken to avoid sourcing these minerals from DRC armed groups. The bill also requires that all information disclosed be independently audited.

In 2004, playwright Lynn Nottage traveled to East Africa to interview Congolese women fleeing the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "I was fueled by my desire to tell the story of war, but through the eyes of women, who as we know rarely start conflicts but inevitably find themselves right smack in the middle of them," explains Nottage. "I was interested in giving voice and audience to African women living in The Shadows of war. I knew their stories weren't being heard. I wanted to understand who they were beyond their status as victims. I was surprised by the number of women who readily wanted to share their stories, and by the end of the interviews, I realized that a war was being fought over the bodies of women. Rape was being used as a weapon to punish and destroy communities."

In Ruined, savvy business woman Mama Nadi knows how to survive in the midst of the Congo civil war: don't take sides. She sells beers and girls at her bar and brothel to any man who'll leave his gun at the door, shrewdly keeping the peace among the warring sides. Miners, merchants, and government and rebel soldiers drink, dance, and choose from her women, many "ruined" by rape and torture before they were pressed into prostitution. The good-time atmosphere of the canteen and Mama Nadi's sharp wits can't always protect her and her girls, but their courage, humor, and hope live on as they seek a path to the future in this gripping drama.

Barney Frank represents the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts. He has served as Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, which recently passed in the House what the Washington Post has called "the most sweeping overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system since the Great Depression." Frank began his career in the Massachusetts State House, where he served for eight years before winning a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1980. Although he is widely-recognized for his work on national issues, Frank has also fought to help New Bedford fishermen, to bring commuter rail to the Southcoast, to provide affordable rental housing, and to support many local organizations and businesses.

Local scholars, aid workers, journalists, and other experts will co-facilitate Huntington staff-led post-show conversations on the issues raised in Nottage's important work following most performances. Scheduled speakers Edouard Bustin, professor and director of Francophone Africa Research Group, Boston University; Dimitry Anselme of Facing History and Ourselves; staff from Congo Action Now and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; and faculty from Boston University's Department of African Studies, Dartmouth College's department of English, and UMass Boston. A current schedule of speakers is available below and will be updated online at huntingtontheatre.org/ruinedevents.

The Huntington Theatre Company starts 2011 with Ruined by Lynn Nottage (Intimate Apparel, Crumbs from the Table of Joy), directed by South Africa native Liesl Tommy. The ensemble cast features Tonye Patano (Showtime's "Weeds") as Mama Nadi. Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Ruined was extended multiple times Off Broadway and earned an Obie Award and the Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics' Circle, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play (Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodman Theatre). The Huntington's Grand Patron is Boston University. The 2010-2011 Season Sponsor is J. David Wimberly. Production sponsors are Mitch and Jill Roberts. Ruined is a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

More information and tickets at huntingtontheatre.org/ruined or 617 266-0800.

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