Performance Lectures

MILLER AND HEMINGWAY
ON WAR AND TRAGEDY:
“To call war the soil of courage and virtue is like calling debauchery the soil of love”
 (Santayana, The Life of Reason:  Reason in Society)

Performance/Read:  Michael Guastella

We are facing the onerous task of selecting leaders to guide our nation!  Those we vote for must possess the knowledge and awareness to address critical issues leading us to WAR or PEACE.  This knowledge comes through study, personal experience and a study of GREAT LITERATURE dealing with topics of WAR and TRAGEDY.  In this Special Performance/Read, Michael Guastella will present great authors who studied and wrote about war and tragedy.  Arthur Miller’s “Incident at Vichy” and sections of Ernest Hemingway’s anthology, “Men at War,” will be performed and discussed  -- T.E. Lawrence, Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Stendahl, Winston Churchill are also included.

Students sorting through Presidential candidates should not miss this class!
They will be exposed to war, crisis, stupidity and horror leading them to a more enlightened use of their voting power that may result in a more peaceful world. 

Biographical Information:Michael Guastella’s  “vast experience in theatre as an actor, director and playwright, as well as his love for theatre arts, are conveyed to his students with contagious enthusiasm,” says Martha H. Sneed, Blue Ridge Community College, Office of Continuing Education.
Mr. Guastella has his B.A. from State University of New York; and an M.A. in English and an M.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State University. He has received “Best Director” awards for Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Price and the Father.  He also received “Best Actor” for his portrayal of Nicols in JB.