FEATURING BILL PULLMAN and Raymond Lee

The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, written by Daniel Berrigan and directed by Michael John Garcés, will be the first play featured as a Taper Legacy Reading when it returns to the Taper stage for a one-night-only reading on May 18. The play received its world premiere at the Taper in 1971, in a production commissioned and directed by Center Theatre Group Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson. The reading will feature film, television, and Broadway veteran Bill Pullman (The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, Oleanna, Independence Day, The Sinner), taking on the role of the author, Daniel Berrigan, with additional casting to be announced soon.

The Catonsville Nine were a group of Catholic peace activists including Jesuit priest Daniel Berrigan, who put their lives and careers on the line when they broke into the Catonsville, Maryland draft board office on May 17, 1968, took 378 draft folders from the files, and burned them in the parking lot using homemade napalm in protest of the Vietnam War. The incident was one of the most famous of its time and inspired hundreds more anti-war demonstrations—as well as this searing dramatization of the events.

This first installment of the Taper Legacy Reading Series will be presented in an engaging multi-media format with captivating stories and details from the 1971 production, dramatic monologues, and video bringing this landmark play to life in the Taper once again. J writer and editor Gustavo Arellano.

As part of CTG:FWD, an initiative committed to special events, community gatherings, and legacy projects, established last fall by CTG's Artistic Director Snehal Desai, the Taper Legacy Readings were created to honor CTG’s past and share readings from the Taper vault, while also welcoming a new era for the organization.

The next Taper Legacy Reading will take place on Saturday, June 15 with more information to be announced at a later date.

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