On May 17th, 1968, two Catholic priests, and seven Catholic activists including a nurse, a nun, an artist and four others all walked into the selective service office Local Board 33, located in the Knights of Columbus building in Catonsville, Maryland, grabbed hundreds of 1-A draft files and burned them with homemade napalm in protest against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The publicity and news coverage from the ensuing trial was instrumental in galvanizing the American anti-war movement. "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine" is Daniel Berrigan's free-verse drama based on the actual records of the trial in which he and eight other defendants were convicted.

Jon Kellam, who directs a new production that will run at The Actors's Gang in Culver City February 14 through March 21, asks: "Is there a difference between breaking the law and committing a crime?

"Civil disobedience is an inherently American and truly patriotic act," says Kellam. "The Catonsville Nine were sentenced to a collective 18-20 years in prison for a crime that caused a little more than $100 in damage. We claim to be a world leader of moral ideals and human rights, but in what ways have we allowed economic and corporate interests to overshadow that responsibility? These are some of the compelling questions that this play inspires."

Jesuit priest, teacher, poet and activist Daniel Berrigan is the author of many books of poetry and prose, including Time without Number, America is Hard to Find, and Night Flight to Hanoi. Influenced by Dorothy Day and the pacifist Catholic Worker Movement, as well as by his experience with the worker-priest movement in France, Berrigan became an early voice of opposition to the war in Vietnam. He was a sponsor of the National Catholic Peace Fellowship and co-founder of Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. In 1968 he traveled with Dr. Howard Zinn to North Vietnam to escort home three American prisoners of war. Seeing the effects of bombing and napalm on the Vietnamese people further motivated his antiwar activity, including his participation in the Catonsville Nine event. After Catonsville, Berrigan spent several months underground and after his capture, 18 months in prison. Berrigan has continued peace activism as a member of the Plowshares movement and has been arrested frequently for his protest actions. He lives today in Manhattan where he continues to teach, write and work for peace.

As a kick-off event for their 27th season (The "Season of the Power Plays"), Theatre of NOTE announces the 14th Annual Performance Marathon! Featuring: CULTURE CLASH!, THE DARK BOB!, ROCHELLE FAB!, JOHN FLECK!, PHRANC!, FRANK MOORE'S CEROTIC ALL-STARS!, TEN WEST!, Live-wresting and much, much more! The 16 hour event has become a Hollywood performance institution, an always impressive and eclectic mix of performance art, song, dance, spoken word, multi-media and the undefineable! A single ticket price lets you come and go throughout the entire event! Don't miss it this year!

The best "dam" musical in town! The hilarious and tragic retelling of "A Christmas Carol" with DWP water baron William Mulholland as Scrooge–from the building of the aqueduct to the collapse of the St. Francis Dam!

Co-Produced by Sacred Fools and Theatre of NOTE

Extended through December 21

"Gem of the Ocean" is the play that begins it all - the first chronological installment in August Wilson's unprecedented decade-by-decade cycle that dramatizes the African American experience in the 20th century. Ovation and NAACP Award-winner Ben Bradley (Joe Turner's Come and Gone) directs Wilson's haunting tale about freedom and the power of redemption.

Slavery is still a living memory in "Gem of the Ocean", which is set in 1904 in Pittsburgh's Hill district. Newly arrived from Alabama, Citizen Barlow appears at the home of legendary healer and ''soul-cleanser" Aunt Ester on the eve of her 287th birthday. He is seeking solace and guidance, and Ester sends him on a magical journey across history and time that leads to startling discoveries.

Irwin Shaw's timeless classic

Six soldiers killed in battle rise up to tell the world about the dishonesty and brutality of war in Bury the Dead by novelist Irwin Shaw. Shaw's timely and timeless anti-war classic runs at The Actors' Gang August 16 through September 13. Two low -priced previews take place on August 14 and 15.

Set "in the second year of the war that is to begin tomorrow night," Bury the Dead is the story of six dead soldiers who doggedly refuse to be buried - thereby creating a national crisis that is at once sad, moving and wickedly funny. Shaw's first play was written in 1935 before he became a world-famous novelist.

Performances of Bury the Dead take place Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, August 16 through September 13. The performance on Friday, February September 5 will be sign-language interpreted for the hearing impaired. Two preview performances take place on Thursday, August 14 and Friday, August 15 at 8 pm. Reserved seating is $25.00 Thursday through Sunday, except Opening Night (Saturday, August 16) for which tickets are $50.00 and include a catered post-show reception with the cast; $20.00.for students, seniors, members of the military and veterans; and $15.00 for previews. Pay-What-You-Can "Rush" tickets are available to all performances at the door, 30 minutes prior to curtain, subject to availability.

The Actors' Gang is located in the Ivy Substation at 9070 Venice Boulevard (near the intersection of Culver and Venice Blvds.) in Culver City. Two hours free parking is available throughout downtown Culver City; the Ince Parking Lot (corner of Culver and Ince) is directly across the street from the theater. In addition, several restaurants (Italian, French, Thai, Japanese, and more) are only a few blocks' walk from The Actors' Gang and offer a variety of dining options before and after the theater. The Ivy Substation is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call The Actors' Gang Box Office at 310-838-GANG (310-838-4264) or go to www.theactorsgang.com.

Extended due to popular demand!

Rogue Artists Ensemble re-opens its world premiere production of "The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch" ("a triumphant fusion of text and technology" - LA Times) adapted for the stage from the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman (Stardust) and Dave McKean.

"Mr. Punch" is a dark fable in which the innocence of childhood and the pain of adulthood collide in the oft-fragmented recesses of memory. A man’s memories of his boyhood at his grandfather’s failing seaside arcade are full of talking badgers, crocodiles, car accidents, mermaids and murder - or could that just have been the Punch and Judy show? Told through the eyes of the man’s younger self, Mr. Punch explores the twisted nature of memory, the cruelty of adults and the beauty of simple kindness.

The Rogues bring Gaiman’s semi-autobiographical story and its illustrations by celebrated artist McKean to vivid life through an innovative hybrid of theater traditions, puppetry and digital media. American Radio Network calls Mr Punch "a feast for the eyes," and chose it as Critics Pick of the Year. LA TImes’ Kathleen Foley says, "The amazing design elements set a new standard for sub-99-seat theater." For a taste of the graphic novel and the Rogue’s stage production, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I25mgB4rvow.

"Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, and War is Peace...Big Brother is Watching!" The Actors' Gang's critically acclaimed production of George Orwell's "1984" returns to Los Angeles as part of an extensive national and international tour that has traveled to cities across the U.S. and to Hong Kong, Melbourne and Athens. Directed by Academy Award-winning actor and Actors' Gang artistic director Tim Robbins, "1984" tells of a world where people fear that their opinions cannot be expressed freely, where citizens are monitored at the government's discretion, where leaders are not held accountable for their deceptions, and where perpetual war is waged against an unseen enemy. (Note: Brief partial nudity and strong language.)