Execution of Justice:
[by Emily Mann: A Review

lExecution of Justice was performed on
‘ March 25-29 at St. Michael’s College in
i Colchester. According to Director Peter
‘ Harrigan, the play was picked by the Fine
Arts Department for several reasons. Its en-
[ semble format allowed the involvement of
- the entire cast and crew, rather than fo-
, ct/sing on two or three lead characters. The
themes of the play met the educational
needs and aims of the St. Michael's com-
munity at large, with it's messages about
. human rights and all marginalized groups,
not just gays.

The production played to capacity crowds
‘ four out of five performances. The Pres-
ident, Dean, and Vice President of the Col-
lege all attended the opening night per-
formance and were very supportive of the
performance and activities surrounding it.
Harrigan visited a number of classes on
‘ classes in journalism, sociology, history
and political science prior to the per-
formance, and in several cases, professors
required students to see the play and write
about it. The documentary, The Times of
Harvey Milk was shown on campus several
times in conjunction with the play.

Harrigan, who graduated from St. Mi-
chael's in J 983, returned to take a position
as Assistant Professor in the Fine Arts De-
partment last fall. He feels the production,
and the positive response it received is a re-
flection of the college's efforts to teach stu-
dents how to relate to other people and
learn about the world.—Deborah Lashman.

Moira

With a collection of actors and crew mem-
bers that numbered more than a hundred,
this multi-media theater event was quite
Spectacular. It is a tribute to both the di-
rector Peter Hanigan and the entire cast
for the ease with which this large pro-
duction worked.

I have felt_ in these still dark times, that the
more positive the visual images that the
83)’/lesbian community can offer, the
m9f6 hope there is of diminishing prej-
U_d1ce. This production, with the air of cu-
riosity and interest that it stirred on the St.
Michael’s campus, as well as the sur-
gtltlldlng community, will attest to this

I attended the sold out performance on
opening night. Programs handed out at at
the door included both the history and
events leading up to the shooting of Mayor
George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey
Milk, and the subsequent trial of Dan
White. Looking around at the very mixed
crowd I was struck by the seriousness of
the audience, most of them carefully read-
ing the playnotes.

The play, written by Emily Mann, is a
combination of live stage action, videos,
taped voices and music. There is a video
camera on stage projecting its image onto
large screens throughout the performance.
The creative use of lighting, stage direction
and simple moving props keep this highly
emotional piece working. This is theater at
its best.

The entire script comes from the trial tran-
scripts, reportage and interviews. How
they weave together, echo, and dramatize
is what makes this real life story art. It is
also what makes a startling, powerful state-
ment to the audience. We hear quite plain-
ly Dan White was guilty of murder. That
point was not disputed. It was because of
the homophobic fever the defense stirred
that Dan White was only convicted of vol-
untary manslaughter rather than first de-
gree murder. After all, he was very de-
pressed, or at least that was what his
defense convinced the jury. However, once
he was in prison it was decided he did not
require psychiatric treatment.

Seeing some of the live footage of Harvey
Milk and hearing his very prophetic words
in the political will he left sent a chill
through me. The courage of this man, the
first to run for and win elected office as an
openly gay man is apparent, as is that of
Mayor Moscone’s support.

The injustice that took place in that San
Francisco courtroom is as obvious to us
now as the present day inequalities against
the gay and lesbian community. It is pain-
ful when we still have to fight for our basic
rights to hold jobs, obtain housing, adopt
children, or license our marriages. Strength
must be found in what we have ac-
complished since 1978, as well as in our
growing collective voice. It is a tribute to
all the brave people who have come out
before us that work like this can be offered
in our community, even at a small Ver-
mont college. This gives me hope. V

15

May 1992