Playhouse on Park Hosts Panel Discussion: 'Shared Gestures of Goodwill: The Christmas Truce of 1914'

Playhouse on Park is presenting a panel via Zoom on Sunday, December 27 at 4pm ET. The discussion will center around the historical Christmas Truce between the Allied troops and German Soldiers in 1914 during WWI. This panel is inspired by Playhouse on Park's main stage production ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914, currently streaming online for $20, through January 3. The live panel discussion is sponsored by West Hartford Community Interactive (WHCi). Advanced registration is required to watch the live panel discussion. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JE7S_qT7RWeKOnbyJA9veA. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The panel will be moderated by West Hartford's own Chuck Coursey. Special Guest Panelists include American Folk Music Star John McCutcheon, All is Calm creator Peter Rothstein, CT's own WWI Aficionado Christine Pittsley, and Sam Kassow; a leading historian of Polish Jewry and the Holocaust. This discussion will be recorded by West Hartford Community Interactive (WHCi) for future viewings on their YouTube channel.

John McCutcheon is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He wrote "Christmas in the Trenches," a song about the historical Christmas Truce of 1914. John has been at the forefront of American folk music since the late '70s, covering a wide variety of traditions including Appalachian dulcimer and fiddle music, topical protest songs, and children's albums. Peter Rothstein works extensively as a director of theater, musical theater, opera and new work development. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da, and the creator of ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914. Christine Pittsley has been the Project Director for Connecticut State Library's award winning World War One programs, including the Digging Into History trench restoration project and the Remembering World War One Digitization program. Sam Kassow was born October 3, 1946, in Stuttgart, Germany, to his parents Celia and Kopl and spent his first three years in a displaced persons camp in Wasseralfingen. He grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and is today a leading historian of Polish Jewry and the Holocaust.