ActorsNET of Bucks County Presents Staged Reading of Romulus Linney's '2' This Weekend

Seventy years after Nazi Germany fell and the horrors of Auschwitz, Buchenwald and other atrocities were revealed to the world, the Nuremburg War Crimes Trial convened. Hitler was dead by his own hand, but other Third Reich leaders were tried by an Allied Military Tribunal for "Crimes against Peace, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity."

ActorsNET of Bucks County is producing a staged reading of Romulus Linney's "2,"which focuses on the trial of Hermann Goering, Hitler's second in command. Script in hand and on a minimal set, a cast of seven will perform a near-fully realized depiction of Goering's attempts to escape conviction and execution. Company cofounder and general manager Joe Doyle of Morrisville directs this weekend's Feb. 13 and 14 production.

"Playwright Linney's script offers an unflinching look inside the mind of the unrepentant Goering. During World War II, Goering was a larger than life figure - charismatic, brassy and bold, beloved by many and rightly feared by all who fell under his boot. At Nuremburg, he steadfastly denied Hitler or he were responsible for any of the war's horrors. During the trial, he attacked the court's authority and, while incarcerated, engaged in a battle of wits with his jailers and his court-appointed legal counsel and the psychiatrist assigned to assess his state of mind."

Curtis Kaine of Princeton, NJ stars as Goering. Barry Abramowitz of Lawrenceville, NJ costars as German defense counsel. Marco Newton of Yardley - who also serves as producer - also costars as the Jewish psychiatrist who tries to understand how a man as obviously brilliant as Goering could have committed and sanctioned such heinous crimes.

Featured players include Jack Petzko of Cranbury, NJ as the prison commandant; Scott Karlin of Plainsboro, NJ as the captain of the guards; Steve Browne of Bensalem as the sergeant who stands watch over Goering as the prisoner confers with counsel and psychiatrist; Mort Paterson of Philadelphia as the presiding President of the Tribunal; Ken Ammerman of Morrisville as American prosecutor Robert Jackson; Dennis McGuire of Levittown as the British prosecutor; Cathy Liebars of Morrisville as Goering's wife and Abby Rose Muzyk of Mount Laurel, NJ as Goering's daughter.

Romulus Linney's '2' is the first of three staged play readings ActorsNET will present this season," Doyle said. "Those receiving staged readings are productions we felt would most likely appeal to a limited audience. Let's face it: In this case, many may be offended by seeing Goering portrayed joking with apparent glee about his predicament and the ghastly crimes of which he was accused. Yet, it happened. The Second World War happened. Millions of innocents - Jews, gypsies, gays, the mentally and physically infirmed - were ruthlessly slaughtered. I chose to direct this because evil exists in the world and, to me, it shouldn't be hidden or not discussed because it makes us uncomfortable. Evil should be exposed and confronted."

"Linney's portrait of Goering shows us not a monster, but a man - a man who did monstrous things," Doyle observed. "We view some of the private man, in exchanges with his wife and young daughter. But, mostly we see him bluster and boast. Realizing the certainty of conviction from the overwhelming evidence against him, he tries to manipulate those around him to escape public execution. He plays mind games with his attorney, the psychiatrist, the American captain and prison commandant and the black sergeant who guards him. He is cunning, he is shameless ... he is Hermann Goering."

"Those who attend should be forewarned that much of the show's language and content is graphic," Doyle continued. "In fact, we will be isolating the child portraying Goering's daughter so she appears

onstage without being exposed to the jarring elements of the show. And, no children's tickets will be sold to this PG-13 production."

Artistic Director Cheryl Doyle of Morrisville will coordinate representative costumes, while Andrena Wishnie of Morrisville will design and operate the show's lighting.

"2" will be presented as a staged reading Feb. 13 and 14 at The Heritage Center Theatre, 636 N. Delmorr Avenue Route 32), Morrisville, PA. Both performances are at 8 p.m. and an optional Talk Back Session with cast and director follows. All seats, $10. For reservations or information, phone 215-295-3694 or visit the ActorsNET web site at www.actorsnetbucks.org. Produced by special arrangement with the Dramatic Play Service, Inc.