THE BATTLE NOT BEGUN by NPR's Jack Beatty comes to The Modern Theatre

"On Point" news analyst Jack Beatty's play "The Battle Not Begun" is coming to the The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University as part of the Ford Hall Forum, as a staged reading on Thursday, March 10, 6 p.m. for one performance only followed by a panel discussion with Beatty and Chris Mauriello, Ph.D. of Salem State University.

At the brink of war, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain flew to Germany to save the peace. His three meetings with Adolf Hitler in September 1938 culminated with the Munich Agreement which allowed Germany to extend its territory into parts of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain proclaimed "peace for our time." But peace lasted only a year, ending in September 1939 with Hitler's attack on Poland.

"The play has a contemporary resonance," said playwright Beatty, "it lights up deeper issues - - the conflict between democracy and autocracy, the drive for territorial conquest through war - - that resonate today, when democracy is threatened by authoritarian populism here and Russia is poised to seize Ukraine as Hitler did to independent countries across Europe."

"Working on 'The Battle Not Begun' with Jack feels urgent and important," said Myriam Cyr, artistic director, Punctuate4 Productions. "The play speaks to the fragility of the world in the hands of the earnest, the vain, the volatile, and the greedy." It is an intense project for the actors. Professional actor Ken Bolden of Pittsburgh portrays Hitler and international actor Malcolm Ingram of Gloucester, Mass. takes on the role of Chamberlain.

Bolden appreciates the role of Hitler because "everyone knows the character, but not the man. The challenge is to bring humanity to a character that has become such symbol of evil."

"Portraying Hitler dramatically instead of scholarly, deepens his character and makes him more compelling," said Beatty.

Ingram, who was born during World War II in London, has always been fascinated with the pre-war period.

The staged reading is presented by Punctuate4 Productions, The Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University, the nation's oldest continuously operating free public lecture series, and the Suffolk University Theatre Department.

Following the reading the panel discussion will focus on the erosion of democracy with Beatty and Mauriello who is a history professor and director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Salem State University.

"Ford Hall Forum is honored to partner with Punctuate4 Productions and Suffolk University's Theatre Department to bring this powerful and absorbing staged reading to Suffolk's historic Modern Theatre," said Susan H. Spurlock, the forum's executive director. Spurlock continued, "Beatty's play delivers lessons that still need learning, as we in our nation and the world grapple with the current existential threats to the foundations of our democratic institutions."

Tickets for the March 10, 6 p.m. performance at The Modern Theatre, 525 Washington St., MA are free but seating is limited and reservations are required and available at https://tinyurl.com/FHFBattleNotBegun.

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