Howard Zinn's "Marx In Soho" (10/08/05 and 10/09/05)
2005-10-08 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Jerry Levy presents Howard Zinn’s one man play, Marx in Soho, which portrays the return of Marx. Embedded in some secular afterlife where intellectuals, artists, and radicals are sent, Marx is given permission by the administrative committee to return to Soho London to have his say. But through a bureaucratic mix–up, he winds up in SOHO in New York. From there the audience is given a rare glimpse of a Marx seldom talked about; Marx the man. The play offers an entertaining and thorough introduction to a person who knows little about Marx’s life, while also offering valuable insight to students of his ideas. Author of A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn humanizes the man behind the ideas in Marx In Soho; casting a divergent light from the totalitarian movements his theories have often been associated with.

Responding to the fall of the Soviet Union and the conventional perception that Marx’s ideas are dead, Zinn resurrects this controversial historical figure, embraces democracy and passionately rejects the ideological rigidity of many of his followers with the phrase “I am not a Marxist.” Instead we come to know Marx as a complex character struggling to survive with his family as an impoverished immigrant in London. Marx returns to clear his name and tell us about his life with his wife, daughters, friends and enemies. In a poignant, funny, and intimate narrative, Zinn convinces us not only that Marx is not dead but rather his critique of capitalism is more than relevant today. Howard Zinn’s Marx alone occupies the stage. “Marx has different voices. The actor has to show Marx’s outrage at social injustice, express the pedantic Marx, the vindictive Marx, Marx the loving family man, Marx as a humorist, and a Marx that can laugh at his enemies.” A benefit for the Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center & Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. The play will be staged on October 8th and 9th, 2005.

"The Abortion Diaries" with Filmmaker Penny Lane
2005-10-20 20:00 - 22:00
A free screening of The Abortion Diaries (2005), a new documentary by Sanctuary co-founder, Penny Lane. Introducing you to 12 women who want to share their abortion stories with you. They think you should hear them.

"Still We Ride" with Filmmakers Andrew Lynn and Elizabeth Press
2005-10-27 19:00 - 21:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Fresh from their European tour, filmmakers Andrew Lynn (creator of Troy Bike Rescue) and Elizabeth Press (aka EP, producer at Democracy Now!) present Still We Ride, a documentary film that takes an up-close look at New York City’s ongoing attempts to squash the monthly free-forming Critical Mass bike ride. The screening is a fundraiser for Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center.

On the last Friday of each month, cyclists around the country come together to participate in a monthly community bike ride called Critical Mass. The ride, which originated in San Francisco in 1992, has since spread throughout the world and has existed for more than 6 years in New York City. A new documentary called Still We Ride, produced by In Tandem productions, takes an up-close and personal look at the city¹s ongoing attempts to squash the free-forming event.

The story begins on Friday August 27, 2004 in New York City, just days before the start of the Republican National Convention, when 264 people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and parading without a permit during the monthly bicycle celebration. But unlike the majority of the RNC-related arrests, which have been dismissed, bicycle-related arrests and bike seizures at monthly Critical Mass rides have persisted. In March of 2005, there were 37 arrests and an even greater number of bike seizures. The monthly pattern of confrontation has forced the bike community into a legal battle with the city and has politicized the once celebratory ritual. The city believes that the event, which has no leadership organization or planned route, must apply for a permit in order for cyclists to assemble andride through the streets. “You¹re blocking traffic,” says the assistant chief Smolka, in one scene. A cyclist replies, “I am traffic! What do you mean?”

Lawyers on the cyclists’ side recognize that selective enforcement of such laws represent not only a threat to cyclists¹ rights to the road as legitimate vehicles, but to peoples’ First Amendment right to assemble freely in parks and other public spaces. In the words of an interviewee who was arrested on the night of August 27, “I saw my experience not so much as something that happened to me, but as a window of opportunity for greater suppression of rights in this country.”

For five months, a small team of producers has been gathering hours of footage from independent videographers who have been documenting the ongoing harassment of Critical Mass. The resulting video is a collage of sound and imagery that is often raw and gritty and sometimes absolutely beautiful. It illustrates the most striking stories from the ongoing saga and condenses them into a continuous narrative. Still We Ride is directed by former Troy residents Andrew Lynn (Troy Bike Rescue, Whirl Mart) and Elizabeth Press (aka EP, Democracy Now!), both of whom have played key roles with the Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center.
