CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGEThe play is about the FBIÕs attempts to infiltrate Isaiah House, a peace community in Baltimore, Maryland, whose residents are affiliated with the 'Plowshares' movement. The Plowshares are peace activists who take literally the admonition of the Biblical Prophet Isaiah to 'Turn Swords Into Plowshares'. Since 1980, there have been over 60 'Plowshares' actions worldwide, with over 160 activists going to prison for 'disarming' military weapons (primarily nuclear weapons or their delivery systemsÑbombers, submarines and ships).
In The Blood of Lambs, the FBI director of counter-terrorism, Jack Rogers, has watched in dismay as three women activists from Isaiah House have successfully penetrated security at Norfolk Naval Air Station in a Christmas Day 'Disarmament' action of a nuclear attack submarine. Furious at his agency's inability to prevent these acts of sabotage, Rogers enlists Mary Swallow, a newly-graduated FBI agent whose specialty is profiling, to write a 'profile' of the movement and its leaders. Of particular interest to Rogers is Isaiah House founder Paul Merton. Merton, a defrocked priest with a long history of civil disobedience, was Rogers' teacher in the 1960's when Rogers was a seminarian. Rogers was forced out of the seminary in 1968 when a Merton-organized protest against the Vietnam War went badly.
Too young to remember the struggles over Vietnam, Mary Swallow immerses herself in study of the Plowshares movement. In the course of her interviews, she finds herself wondering whether she is on the right side of the debate over AmericaÕs Nuclear Empire. And she sees the worst end of the criminal justice system as a courtroom observer of the trial of the three women Plowshares activists.
The Blood of Lambs is about the need for activism in the face of nuclear weaponry. It is about the way that committed people interact with those who are not committed to a line of action. The Blood of Lambs is also about the need for openness and honesty in community--about the call for forgiveness that echoes through the actions of these activists.
The Blood of Lambs was written by Daniel Kinch and is directed by Veronica Garvey. It features Rick Randig, David Blanton, Lindy Rogers, Charlotte Hampden, Ben Roberts, Stephanie Barton-Farcas, Noelle Dupuy, Stuart Brooks, and Tom Wilson.
Veterans Opening Night: In honor of November 11 (Veterans Day), Kairos Theatre will offer $6 (half-price) tickets to American Veterans (bring an old ID card, 'dogtags', uniform items or medals, whatever). Veterans groups will receive special group rates for five or more tickets. Contact our box office at (212) 615-6668 for more information.
Plowshares Benefit: On November 12, there will be a special performance to benefit the work of Kairos/Plowshares New York, a peace community committed to nonviolent direct action to oppose injustice, militarism, and the continued deployment of nuclear weapons. There will be a reception and informal discussion after the play.
About Kairos Theatre: Kairos Theatre Company is a ministry of Washington Square United Methodist Church. Kairos is about creative process in the context of a revolutionary Christian Community. It is Theatre with the specific intention of promoting social justice, peace, and non-violence.
Copyright © 1999, Daniel Kinch