The Actor's Gang Showcasing Play About the Great Depression

The Actors’ Gang, a theater group based in Culver City, is now showcasing a new virtual play about life during the Great Depression and lessons for COVID recovery.

Called “We Live On,” it runs through September 6. It is based on Studs Terkel’s book “Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.” The play explores 30 different accounts — those documented by Terkel and original stories from cast members.

The play is directed by the great actor Tim Robbins, who has spent the last 40 years as co-founder and artistic director of The Actors’ Gang theater company. He’s also known for his award-winning roles, including Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Robbins said the stories in “We Live On” serve as reminders of the strength and resilience of those who made it through the Great Depression. He urges audiences to use those stories as guides in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robbins referred to Studs Terkel as “the great chronicler of the anonymous in America,” and mentioned that Terkel’s stories of the Great Depression are all too similar to what we experience today.

 

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