“WE WILL NOT BE SILENT”: Mile Square Theatre Presents Free Reading of Play Highlighting German Civil Disobedience in WWII — TUESDAY

Join Mile Square Theatre (MST) for a free reading at MST of a new play, “We Will Not Be Silent”, by David Meyers (“Broken”, Off-Broadway), on Tuesday, December 6 at 7:30 pm.

“We Will Not Be Silent”, tells the true story of Sophie Scholl, a German college student who led the only major act of civil disobedience during the Second World War. The play examines the role ordinary Germans played in the rise of Adolf Hitler, as well as the strength and clarity that led a group of German students to risk their lives for a righteous, albeit hopeless cause. The reading is directed by Margarett Perry and the cast includes Alex Sunderhaus and Matthew Lawler.

“This reading was in the works a couple months ago,” says Lawler. “I got to know the writer and I liked the play. I asked if MST would do a reading.”

The White Rose Movement, as it became known, stood in non-violent yet visibly active opposition to the policies of the Nazi Party.

“This is a very important event in German history,” says Lawler. “It’s a great story about young people sacrificing their lives for the freedom of the human spirit.”

He adds, “[The reading] is not being done as a result of the election, but of course it will feel very resonant right now.”

Sophie Scholl (center) with her brother Hans (left) and friend Christoph Probst (right)—founders of the White Rose Movement.

David Meyers is a New York-based actor and playwright. As a writer, his plays have been read and performed off-Broadway and regionally. He has been published by Applause, Smith and Kraus, and Indie Theater Now—which included his mass shooting play “Broken” in their Best of the Year anthology. David previously worked in the White House and in the U.S. Senate. www.DavidActs.com

Margarett Perry is an award-winning director of new plays and an Artistic Fellow at The Lark. She is the Resident Director at the Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca where she has directed numerous world premieres. Most recently, she directed the world premiere of “Seared” by Theresa Rebeck at San Francisco Playhouse and is in development with Center Theatre Group on Brian Dykstra’s hip-hop play, Used to Was (Maybe Did). www.margarettperry.com

Alex Sunderhaus is a New York City based actress with a BFA from Wright State University. Most recent credits include; the World Premiere of “Seared” by Theresa Rebeck at San Francisco Playhouse, “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding”, and Lewis Black’s “One Slight Hitch”. She is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.

Matthew Lawler has made a living as an actor for twenty years having appeared on Broadway, in films (including the upcoming Chappaquiddick with Ed Helms and Bruce Dern), and TV (last season he played Agent Gabe Clements on the ABC series “The Family” with Joan Allen). Most recently seen on the MST stage in Circle Mirror Transformation.

Matthew Bretschneider is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he trained with the Atlantic Theater Company. Regional theatre credits include “Peter and the Starcatcher”, “The House”, and “Seminar” (Kitchen Theatre Company), “Dead End” and “Ah! Wilderness” (Huntington Theatre Company) “Hamlet” and “All’s Well That Ends Well” (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) and “Macbeth” (Public Theatre Boston). TV: “Law & Order Special Victims Unit.”