Theater community unites for special anti-censorship podcast

NEW YORK (AP) - The theater community is banding together for a special podcast to combat censorship that features performances from plays and musicals under threat and appearances by Bryan Cranston, Raúl Esparza, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Richard Kind.

The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund's 'œBanned Together: An Anti-Censorship Podcast'ť has readings, scenes and snippets from works including Tony Kushner's 'œAngels in America,'ť Jonathan Larson's 'œRent'ť and Eve Ensler's 'œThe Vagina Monologues.'ť It is available to download now through Sept. 24 in conjunction with Banned Books Week.

'œBoldly putting this art out there is really important,'ť said Tony-winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa Kron, who is twice represented on the podcast. Her song with Jeanine Tesori 'œChanging My Major'ť from 'œFun Home'ť is heard, and Kron also performs a scene from 'œThe Vagina Monologues.'ť

Other plays featured include Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' 'œAn Octoroon,'ť Paula Vogel's 'œIndecent,'ť Alice Childress' 'œTrouble in Mind,'ť Moisés Kaufman's 'œThe Laramie Project,'ť Nilo Cruz's 'œAnna in the Tropics'ť and 'œMy Name is Rachel Corrie'ť by Rachel Corrie.

Highlights include Cranston playing lawyer Roy Cohn and Kind playing his doctor in a scene from 'œAngels in America,'ť Keenan-Bolger doing a monologue from 'œMy Name is Rachel Corrie'ť and Esparza reading a devastating section from 'œThe Laramie Project.'ť The Stonewall Chorale performs 'œSeasons of Love'ť from 'œRent.'ť

The podcast makes clear that producers and schools sometimes face local pressure to avoid or scrap plans for plays and musicals that explore race and sexuality.

'œEvery time there have been steps forward in terms of widening civil rights, enfranchisement, the American promise that involves a multiracial, multi-gendered, full enfranchisement and much fuller democracy - every single time that's happened, there has been a violent backlash. And that's happening right now,'ť Kron said.

Kron also fears that theater creators will start to pull their punches in anticipation of what could happen. 'œOne of the insidious ways this kind of censorship moves is in self-censorship,'ť she said.

The podcast is hosted by Dramatists Legal Defense Fund board members Lydia Diamond and Cheryl Davis. Greg Jarrett serves as music director.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits