Ruskin Group Theatre (Santa Monica, CA)
Ruskin Group Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Mutiny at Port Chicago, written and directed by Paul Leaf. It tells the riveting, rarely-heard story of a 1944 explosion in San Francisco's East Bay, which left over 300 people dead and fifty soldiers imprisoned for mutiny. Leaf's historical dramas have won him two Peabody Awards.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last date listed for Mutiny At Port Chicago was Sunday August 9, 2009 / 2:00pm. (view all dates)
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Hard working cast -- but the crux of the conflict was played out in the second act - the trial. I believe the whole first act could have been scrubbed in order to focus in greater detail on the conflicts and drama of the trial.
For example, there is no first act in "12 Angry Men" where we see the trial of the boy -- only the jury room where the drama plays out.
The whole first act here is setting. It is not essential to the drama.
Very nice theater. Great location. We'll return for future productions.
Interesting tale, well acted with impressive staging. I recommend it.
During WWII at Port Chicago near San Francisco, Black enlisted men in the Navy were forced to load ships with deadly weapons even after 320 men were killed in an explosion.The men were willing to fight in the war, but the Navy was racially biased not allowing the Black men in combat. A dramatic trial reveals the prejudice of the Naval officers. Only during the Clinton administration, we were told, were the three living survivors pardoned of the crime. Acting and direction excellent. One narration at end seems out of character.
The actors were excellent. The story was informative and followed the real-life facts.
This play is a great vehicle to promote activism
around this event. I want to see the survivors
cleared and have made it known to my congress person.
Very intimate venue with excellent staff.
An extremely intersting afternoon. The acting and production were great as was the discussion afterwards with the writer. Recommended
I had a great time. This was my first Goldstar event. The play was great. It was very educational. It was great learning about an historial event that I felt was hidden. I did get emotional. I recommend it to friends.
Well acted theatre - the cast was excellent and gave it their all.
This is an interesting piece of California history that many people are unaware of.
interesting theatre. the play was worth seeing.
thanks to the cast.
wonderful screenplay. 2nd half of play riveting. a few of the actors were superior and a few just mediocre. overall really enjoyed the experience.
I really enjoyed this play! It is very well done, the script, the direction and the actors, everything. It is important history too. I had seen a PBS documentary about the black navy men who were courtmartialed, some years ago now. I'm glad it was featured on goldstar.
Play was well written. Great cast. Ruskin Theatre is small theatre, amazing what they did the set.
Interesting subject matter about Port Chicago and the Munity.
Excellent portrayal of the frame up of these black soldiers at Port Chicago. The cast used the actual testimony from the naval records of the court martial which was very powerful. The play has been extended to the end of August.
Great performance! We did not know what to expect at this small theatre. We got a pleasant surprise!
Staging and pacing was perfect. Some of the actors flew above the others, but still overall an extremely touching, informative and emotional play.
I would highly recommend this event. The acting and story were riveting. It is a small intimate theater with plenty free parking. It is well worth attending
great acting, interesting story
This was my second time going to see this play. It is aa gripping tale of one of our nation's biggest secrets. I encourage everyone to see this the writing is excellent, and the actors do a outstanding performance.
Wonderful depiction of a little known historical event that conjured up my emotions. Excellent acting. Enjoyed the intimate setting. Will recommend to friends.
Excellent play. Very well done
This little play housed in an out of the way but well put together little space at the Santa Monica Airport is a revelation! I actually saw the play twice! It's a slice of American history everyone should know about, well written and well acted by a multiracial cast. Bravo to everyone!
Great! I was drawn in and felt like I was there during this tragic time. It was amazing!
My father was in the Navy and stationed in the Port Chicago area at the time of the explosions. He told me about it and that aroused my desire to know more. I then read Robert Allen's account in his book the "Port Chicago Mutiny" so I was really interested in seeing the play. I found the performance to be compelling and engrossing. All of the actors were very good. J. Teddy Garces was particularly outstanding as Seaman Edward Little. The actors playing the white officers were remarkably believable and accurately depicted the virulent racism of that time. A staggering 15% of black war casualities occurred at Port Chicago! Kudos to Paul Leaf for bringing this shameful episode in American History to the stage. I liked the intimacy of the Ruskin. The sight lines were great from everywhere in the theater. Parking was convenient and free. I highly recommend seeing this performance.
Well staged and acted. Beautiful black men! A great evening out and a lesson on an incident that many have likely never even heard of. See it!
The content, accuracy, and presentation of this historic event is EXCELLENT. 5 Star. The actors were excellent. I will be going again and taking more people with me.
This is an important piece of theater - it tells one of the many forgotten stories of America's past. There are some great performances, and you will come away with a new perspective on what 'service to your country' can mean.
This is a true story of a 1944 explosion in the San Francisco bay area at an ammunitions loading area during World War II. It follows the actions, arrests, and courtmartial of 50 black seamen. The entire production should be required attendance by history buffs, actors, directors, and any public who enjoys find theatre. We may even go again and take friends with us. Great!
This new play is about true events that occured during World War II. Given the very limited stage and the fairly large cast I thought it was very well-done. There were some excellent performances. I have a couple of caveats. One, I thought there was some miscasting. Second, In the first act there were a large number of scene breaks where the stage went completely black. I had some difficulty determining when the first act actually ended until lights came back on to show and empty stage.
Excellent acting in this interesting play about a little known tragedy of WW2. Small theater makes for an intimate setting and powerful experience.
Superb job. Acting was Great. Very nice venue. Great story well told and Dramatic. Thank you for entertaining and educating me.
This was a powerful play, very good acting and quite moving. it was educational and theatrical as i didn't know about the event. i brought my 12 year old twins as they are interested in navy history, and despite the foul language (which only added to the play), they were quite captivated and understood it. i highly recommend this.
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The Ruskin School of Acting has created a non-profit theatre in the Santa Monica Airport. Actors, directors, writers, musicians, and other artists will gather to explore, perform, and celebrate contemporary plays, classic pieces and neglected works of the past in order to provide the community with world-class, ground breaking theatre.
The theater is an intimate 56 seat venue.
Website: http://ruskingrouptheatre.com/mainstage.html
Jolted in the night, San Francisco’s East Bay residents attempted to shield themselves from shattering windows as the sky blazed. 320 people were killed, 400 more were injured, and everything within a one mile radius was destroyed in a flash. 50 survivors were imprisoned for mutiny. If you have not heard about the worst home front military disaster in our history, you will now know why. If you had already known about it, you will find out that there is still much more to the story.
Ruskin Group Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Mutiny at Port Chicago, written and directed by Paul Leaf.
Paul Leaf (Director) is a multi-award winner (Peabody Award for Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys and for his production of Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force). He has directed numerous productions, receiving recognition for his work as a screenwriter and producer as well. On Broadway, Paul has worked with Moss Hart and Elia Kazan, and Off-Broadway/regionally he has worked with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, NY Shakespeare Festival, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Guthrie Theater, and Goodspeed Opera.
