Raoul Wallenb erg: Lett ers From Y oung M en

A solo performance by David F. Chapman

The overlaps are unmistakable. Raoul was born 70 years before me, 100 years ago next August. When Raoul was 18, he moved to the Midwest for college. When I was 18, I moved from the Midwest to attend college in North Carolina. When Raoul was in his late twenties, he started making trips to Hungary. When I was 22, I also went to Hungary, where my grandmother was born (but who had already left for America before he could have possibly met her). In Hungary, I rented an apartment in a beautiful building that had a courtyard with an enormous tree that reached up higher than my sixth floor balcony. The address? Number 2, Raoul Wallenberg Street...

Ra oul Wa lle nberg: Lett ers from Young M en is a performance that combines theater, memoir, and history. Interweaving selections from a recently published archive of Wallenbergs letters and the authors own childhood diaries, Letters from Young Men humanizes the myth of the Holocaust hero and challenges us to live our own lives with greater purpose. Letters from Young Men was originally commissioned by the Swedish American Museum in Chicago (Karin Abercrombie, Executive Director), with additional support by the American Jewish Artists Club (Bob Fields, President). The play was first performanced at the Swedish American Museum on August 11, 2011.
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Davi d F. Chap m an is a director, writer and performer based in New York City. He has worked around the US as well as in Hungary, Vietnam, France, the UK, Canada, and Cambodia. As a solo performer, he has created four shows, including The Bisexual Alphabet (Camden People's Theatre - London, Edinburgh and Montreal Fringe Festivals), Quintessential Hamlet (Shakespeare and Philosophy Conference, Budapest), and Raoul Wallenberg: Letters to Young Men (Swedish American Museum of Chicago). As a director, his work has been seen around New York in venues such as 59E59, Theatre Row, the Kraine, Cherry Lane Studio, FringeNYC, Ars Nova, and the Lark. He has also directed at the Ho Chi Minh City College of Stage and Cinema and at London's Old Vic Theatre as part of the TS Eliot Exhange. He has also assistant directed extensively on and off-Broadway and regionally. David's writing has appeared in publications by the Hungarian Fulbright Commission, the International Theatre Institute, and elsewhere. He is a member of the Civilians R&D group, DirectorsLabChicago, Studio 42, and Old Vic / New Voices. He has received awards, commissions and grants from the American Jewish Artists Club, the Burch Foundation, the Asia Foundation, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. He has received the Jonathan Alper Directing Fellowship, the Drama League Fellowship, a Henry Luce Scholarship to Vietnam, and a Fulbright Scholarship to Hungary. He graduated with Highest Honors from the University of North Carolina.

Intern ational Arts Consul ting and Excha nge www.up-up-away.org contact@up-up-away.org / +33669654488

La ngua ge: English

Le ngt h: 50 minutes + Q&A

The m es: Heroism, Righteous Gentiles, Living History, Resistance Movements, Humanitarianism, Courage, Justice, Self-Sacrifice, etc.

Tec hnica l Re q uir e me nts : A podium, lectern, or a desk with a chair Sound amplification (depending on the size of performance space) The performance has an optional video component. If possible, the ability to project still images is useful. In this case, the performer needs to be able to control the projector via laptop or remote control

Co nt act and bo o ki ng: Eglantine de Boissieu : eglantine@up-up-away.org / +33669654488

Intern ational Arts Consul ting and Excha nge www.up-up-away.org contact@up-up-away.org / +33669654488