A Soldier's Tale a Collaborative Between Students in the School of Theatre, College of Music and School of Dance

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Soldier's Tale a Collaborative Between Students in the School of Theatre, College of Music and School of Dance A Soldier's Tale A collaborative between students in the School of Theatre, College of Music and School of Dance Production Description: Igor Stravinsky's famous musical play, A Soldier's Tale (L'Histoire du Soldat), premiered in World War I-era Switzerland as a folk tale about a violin- playing soldier who makes a pact with the devil to receive a book that foretells the future. In an updated version with substituted text by Kurt Vonnegut (but retaining the original score by Stravinsky), this theatrical work which is meant "to be read, played, and danced" is based on the true story of Private Eddie Slovik, a soldier who was drafted into World War II and subsequently became the only American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion; General Eisenhower signed the execution orders. As an exciting collaborative project between students in the School of Theatre, School of Dance, and College of Music at Florida State University, this production will challenge its audiences to consider the folly of war by weighing the price of personal sacrifice against the need for allegiance to one's country. The story comes to life with vibrant contributions in drama, dance, and music, all of which are used to tell this compelling story collaboratively. Performance Details: Performance Dates: Friday and Saturday, January 27th and 28th, 2012 Time: 8:00pm Venue: Opperman Hall * Free admission Production Team: Director: Steven Higginbotham (MFA Candidate in Directing for the Theatre) Choreographer: Jade Treadwell (MFA Candidate in Dance Choreography and Performance) Conductor: Bill Tackett (MM Candidate in Orchestral Conducting) Costume Designer: Christina Marullo (MFA Candidate in Costume Design) Lighting Designer: Luther Frank (BA Candidate in Theatre) Stage Manager: Kat McLeod (BA Candidate in Theatre) .
Recommended publications
  • Federal Files on the Famous–And Infamous
    Federal Files on the Famous–and Infamous The collections of personnel records at the National Archives available. Digital copies of PEPs can be purchased on CD/DVDs. include files that document military and civilian service for The price of the disc depends on the number of pages contained persons who are well known to the public for many reasons. in the original paper record and range from $20 (100 pages or These individuals include celebrated military leaders, less) to $250 (more than 1,800 pages). For more information or Medal of Honor recipients, U.S. Presidents, members of to order copies of digitized PEP records only, please write to pep. Congress, other government officials, scientists, artists, [email protected]. Archival staff are in the process of identifying entertainers, and sports figures—individuals noted for the records of prominent civilian employees whose names will personal accomplishments as well as persons known for their be added to the list. Other individuals whose records are now infamous activities. available for purchase on CD are: The military service departments and NARA have Creighton W. Abrams, Grover Cleveland Alexander, identified over 500 such military records for individuals Desi Arnaz, Joe L. Barrow, John M. Birch, Hugo L. Black, referred to as “Persons of Exceptional Prominence” (PEP). Gregory Boyington, Prescott S. Bush, Smedley Butler, Evans Many of these records are now open to the public earlier F. Carlson, William A. Carter, Adna R. Chaffee, Claire than they otherwise would have been (62 years after the Chennault, Mark W. Clark, Benjamin O. Davis. separation dates) as the result of a special agreement that Also, George Dewey, William Donovan, James H.
    [Show full text]
  • The Example of Private Slovik
    The Example of Private Slovik Of the thousands of American soldiers court­martialed for desertion in World War II, Eddie Slovik was the only one put to death. One of the judges who convicted him looks back with regret. by Benedict B. Kimmelman When Private Eddie Slovik was executed on January 31,1945, he became the only American put to death for desertion since Lincoln was President. After his death he became the subject of a book that sold in the millions, numerous magazine articles, a television special, a play or two, and several public campaigns that made his case an issue and still keep it alive. I saw Eddie Slovik for most of one morning, no more, and he never said a word to me. 1 cannot say for certain whether it is his face I remember or a photograph in a magazine article based on William Bradford Huie’s best seller The Execution of Private Slovik. But I sat on Slovik’s court­martial, as one of the nine officer­judges who unanimously voted the death penalty. In August of 1944 Eddie Slovik was a twenty­four­year­old replacement trucked up one day in a group assigned to an infantry line company in France. Encountering shellbursts and heavy fire for the first time, he knew at once that he could never make it on the line. With a buddy he hid out, and on the following day they turned themselves in to Canadian military police who were passing through. Not under arrest, they made themselves generally useful for the next six weeks, until the Canadians returned them to American military control on October 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Elson, Rev. Edward L. R
    DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY ABILENE, KANSAS ELSON, EDWARD L. R.: Papers, 1947-1992 Accession: A16-9 Processed by: VJA Date Completed: April 2016 The papers of Edward L. R. Elson were deposited in the Eisenhower Library by Eleanor Elson Heginbotham in December 2015. Linear feet: 0.3 feet Approximate number of pages: 170 Eleanor Elson Heginbotham, Beverly Elson, Mary Faith Suarez, David Elson signed an instrument of gift for the papers on December 10, 2015. Literary rights in the unpublished writings of Edward L. R. Elson in this collection and in all other collections of papers received by the United States government have been donated to the public. Under terms of the instrument of gift, the following classes of items are withheld from research use: 1. Papers which constitute an invasion of personal privacy or a libel of a living person. 2. Papers which are required to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy, and are properly classified. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The Reverend Dr. Edward L. R. Elson (1906-1993) was a Presbyterian minister and Chaplain of the United States Senate. Elson was born in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. He studied at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, and went to University of Southern California where he received a master's degree in theology. He married Frances Sandys in 1929. He was ordained in 1930 and served at the La Jolla Presbyterian Church in La Jolla, California. He attended the American Seminar in Europe and Russia touring Europe in the summer of 1936. Shortly after returning he married Helen Chittick.
    [Show full text]
  • Secretary of the Army President of the United States
    REQUEST FOR COMMUTATION OF DEATH SENTENCE ____________________________________ In the Matter of: PRIVATE DWIGHT J. LOVING ____________________________________ Addressed to: Secretary of the Army and the President of the United States ________________________ JOHN H. BLUME TERESA L. NORRIS Cornell Law School Center for Capital Litigation Myron Taylor Hall P.O. Box 11311 Ithaca, NY 14853-4901 Columbia, South Carolina 2911 (607) 255-9653 (803) 765-0650 COUNSEL FOR DWIGHT J. LOVING. Table of Contents Statements of Facts and History of this Case. ...........................................2 Reasons for Commutation ..........................................................6 I. The Military Death Penalty for Peacetime Non-Military Offenses Does Not Promote Justice and Is Unnecessary to Promote Good Order and Discipline in the Military Establishment. .............................................................6 II. The Administration of the Death Penalty in the Military Shows Racial Inequities in its Application. ..............................................................11 III. In Light of Recent Legislation, Loving’s Death Sentence Cannot Be Approved Without Discriminating Between Him and Those Proceeding to Trial in a Capital Courts-Martial Now. ...................................................................17 IV. The Cox Commission Report Reveals Numerous Shortcomings in The Military Justice System That, in the Context of this Capital Case, Amount to Fundamental Unfairness and Require That Loving’s Sentence Be Commuted to Life Imprisonment. ..........18 A. The Scope of The Convening Authority’s Powers Under the U.C.M.J. Is Inconsistent With Due Process, Is an Invitation to Corruption of The System, And Was Apparently Exercised in a Biased Manner in This Case. ............20 1. Racial and Gender Discrimination in the Selection of the Panel. ........21 2. The Court-Martial Panel’s Illegal Voting Procedures. ................22 3. Conclusion.
    [Show full text]
  • Death Penalty Cases in WWII Military Courts: Lessons Learned from North Africa and Italy
    Death Penalty Cases in WWII Military Courts: Lessons Learned from North Africa and Italy by Professor J. Robert Lilly School of Law [email protected] and Associate Professor J. Michael Thomson Political Science Department [email protected] Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY 41099-6103 A paper presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences March 10-13, 2004. Las Vegas, NV. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © This is an academic paper presented at a professional conference and this intellectual property is copyrighted to Drs. Lilly and Thomson. While reference to our ideas is encouraged, re-printing or use of data from this paper is prohibited without our express permission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. ABSTRACT This paper continues our investigation surrounding World War II military justice but with a focus on the Mediterranean (MTO) and North African (NATO) Theaters of Operation. This paper will first review the history and background of military justice in America. Then, it will focus on World War II military justice and the lessons learned in the Europe (ETO), most notable in Britain. Then the paper turns to its more immediate focus - the 27 deaths associated with the North African and Italian campaigns. This paper then concludes with lessons learned that may be applied to today’s military justice system. II. HISTORY Current capital punishment literature is overwhelmingly concerned with civilian executions. Overlooked is capital punishment by the non-civilian sector - the military. While the use of capital punishment is rare in military courts in recent years, capital punishment has long been used as a disciplinary tool. Capital punishment is also part of the more inglorious aspects of U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Eddie Slovik Was the Only American Executed for Desertion During World War Two
    Eddie Slovik was the only American executed for desertion during World War Two. This week in 1945, a firing squad assembled in the French village of Sainte-Marie- aux-Mines — sont MAH-ree oh MEEN-uh. The firing squad was made up of mem- bers from the U.S. Army during World War Two. But these soldiers were not there to kill anyone from Germany, Japan, or Italy. They were there to kill an American soldier named Edward Slovik. He was the only American to be executed for desertion during World War Two. Eddie Slovik grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His family was poor, and he was not very interested in school. As a kid, Slovik was often in trouble with the law for stealing, drinking, and ruining property. By the time he was 20 years old, he had already been in jail twice. He described himself as a “born loser.” After getting out of jail, Slovik got a job and got married. As an ex-convict, he was not supposed to be drafted into the military. But when the Army needed more people to fight, the rules changed. He was called up to basic training in 1944 and then Private Eddie Slovik was sent to France as part of an infantry unit. The infantry consists of troops that march on foot, rather than travel in vehicles. Slovik arrived during a fierce battle. He and another soldier became separated from their unit. They found a Canadian Military Police unit and stayed with them for several weeks. During this time, Eddie Slovik was reportedly very helpful and polite.
    [Show full text]
  • Top of the Hill
    Top of the Hill T HE BRIDGEWATER OFFICE OF ELDER AFFAIRS COLE-YEATON SENIOR CENTER 10 WALLY KRUEGER WAY, BRIDGEWATER, MA 02324 December 2013 PHONE: 508-697-0929 FAX: 508-697-0945 [email protected] Director’s Notes: HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!! HATS OFF !! We would like to give a huge Thanks to I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday! It seems The Bridgewater Police Department and to creep up on us quicker each year. With 3 small grandchil- all of their volunteers. dren and another one on the way in February (a little girl), the For their wonderful generosity hosting Holidays are so very special to me. It is also a great time to The Annual Thanksgiving Dinner reconnect with family and friends. I do not have a Facebook For Our Seniors. It was great time for all! page so yes I am a Dinosaur but I love to still send out ―handwritten‖ cards with updated photos! Thanks to all of our special volunteers and my wonderful and outstanding staff. They are the greatest! Sincerely, Lorraine Carrozza Please Note: All Town Offices will be closed: Wednesday, December 25th & Wednesday, January 1st --BRIDGEWATER FAMILY DANCE SERIES-- AN EVENT FOR ALL AGES* SUNDAY AFTERNOONS—2:00-4:00 p.m. JANUARY 26 FEBRUARY 23 MARCH 23 Enjoy circle dances, mixers, dances from other countries, New England square and contra dances. All dances instructed, suitable for all ages, and appropriate for adults and children dancing together! Bridgewater Senior Center Admission: $3 per child, $5 per adult, $10 per family (three or more) Join us for: MILES OF SMILES, FAMILY FUN, THE JOY OF RHYTHMIC MOVEMENT.
    [Show full text]
  • Military History Anniversaries 16 Thru 31 December
    Military History Anniversaries 16 thru 31 December Events in History over the next 15 day period that had U.S. military involvement or impacted in some way on U.S military operations or American interests Dec 16 1773 – American Revolution: Boston Tea Party - Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act. The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor Lithograph Dec 16 1826 – Benjamin Edwards and his brother Haden ride into Mexican-controlled Nacogdoches, Texas, and declare the area the Republic of Fredonia. The short lived Republic was the first attempt by Anglo settlers in Texas to secede from Mexico. Dec 16 1864 – Civil War: In the 2 day Battle of Nashville, Union forces under George H. Thomas almost completely destroy the Army of Tennessee under John B. Hood. Casualties and losses: US 3.061 – CSA Approx. 6,000. Dec 16 1907 – The American Great White Fleet begins its circumnavigation of the world. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with various escorts. Dec 16 1916 – WWI: At approximately 8 o’clock in the morning, German battle cruisers from Franz von Hipper’s Scouting Squadron catch the British navy by surprise as they begin heavy bombardment of Hartlepool and Scarborough, English port cities on the North Sea. Dec 16 1917 – USS F–1 (SS–20) sunk after collision with USS F 3 (SS–22) off San Diego, California. 19 died. Dec 16 1941 – WW2: Japanese forces occupy Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo.
    [Show full text]
  • Military Executions.Pdf
    U.S. Army Military History Institute Collections Division 950 Soldiers Drive Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5021 26 Sep 08 MILITARY EXECUTIONS A Working Bibliography of MHI Sources CONTENTS Pre-Civil War-General Sources.....p.1 First Execution, Continental Army…..p.2 Civil War…..p.3 20th Century-General Sources…..p.4 European Theater, WWII.....p.5 Foreign Executions......p.7 PRE-CIVIL WAR-GEN/MISC Elliott, Charles W. Winfield Scott: The Soldier and the Man. NY: Macmillan, 1937. p. 149. E403.1S4E6. Describes execution of 4 deserters during War of 1812 and the sham execution of a fifth deserter spared because of his youth. Macomb, Alexander. The Practice of Courts Martial. NY: Harper, 1841. pp. 10-11. UB853M18RareBook. Explains why and how to execute the death sentence. Miller, Robert R. Shamrock and Sword: The Saint Patrick's Battalion in the U.S.-Mexican War. Norman, OK: U OK, 1989. 232 p. E409.8M54. Parton, James. Life of Andrew Jackson. 3 vols. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1866. E382P272. See Chap XLVII, Vol. 1, and Chap XXII, Vol. 2, on militiamen Jackson executed for deserting during Creek War and the War of 1812. Van Doren, Carl. Mutiny in January. NY: Viking, 1943. 288 p. E255V26. Mutiny and/or desertion executions: James Coleman, 11th PA, 26 May 1780 at Morristown; two NJ soldiers, Jan 1781 at Pompton; four men of Pennsylvania Line, 22 Mar 1781 at York. Wynn, Dennis J. "The San Patricios and the United States-Mexican War of 1846-1848." PhD dss, Loyola, 1982. pp. 157-161. E404W95. Details on executions of the renegade soldiers.
    [Show full text]
  • Former Stalingrad) Oblast
    CURRENT SURVEY the Volgograd (former Stalingrad) oblast. In this oblast the number of unsupervised and neglected children has not decreased since 1959. Defi- ciencies are noted in providing employment for 15- and 16-year old adolescents. The Volgograd Executive Committees and Soviets are ordered to work out and to implement measures necessary to prevent the neglect of children and adolescents. The last two sections of the journal deal with reports of cases before the Supreme Courts of the USSR or the Union Republics or the State Arbitration Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/3/2/186/335724 by guest on 25 September 2021 —a department attached to the Council of Ministers of the USSR dealing with legal disputes between state enterprises. EXECUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES 1961 • TERENCE MORRIS NATIONAL Prisoner Statistics just issued by the United States Department of Justice show that in 1961 the figure for civil executions was the lowest on record since 1930 when statistics were first collected by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In 1961 twenty whites and twenty-two negroes were executed compared with the 1930 figure of ninety whites and sixty-five negroes. The peak figure of the period was in 1935 when 199 persons, of whom seventy- seven were negroes, suffered the capital penalty. In all states which have retained the death penalty since 1930 the average annual figure of executions has fallen since 1954—in the north-eastern states from twenty-five a year to two, and in the southern states where death is the penalty for rape, from an average of twenty-four a year to eleven.
    [Show full text]
  • Eddie Slovik)
    Last Words by Dorothy Bryant Deserted (EDDIE SLOVIK) Deserted EDDIE SLOVIK (1920-1945) Private Eddie Slovik 36896415 U.S. Army, 28th Div. St. Marie aux Mines, France Supervisor H. Dimmick Ionia Juvenile Reformatory Ionia, Michigan January 30, 1945 Dear Mr. Dimmick, When you said you hoped to never see me again, you gave me your address so I could write and tell you how I’m doing. I wrote it down in the little book I been carrying for a year ever since they put me in the army. But I never got around to writing to you until the verdict came down and they started moving me around trying to figure out where to do it. I guess I was waiting for things to get better so you wouldn’t be disappointed in me, but they only got worse, so here I am finally writing, just in time to make you feel bad, because now you’ll really feel like I let you down. I just want to make you feel not so bad. I want to tell you that I tried real hard and for more than a year you’d of been proud of me. I didn’t break my word to you. They broke their word, they took me after they said they didn’t want me, 4F they said, no use to the army, then all of a sudden I was 1A. After they took me, the only letters I wrote were to Antoinette. Oh, and the one to General Eisenhower. He never answered, but Antoinette answered near all of my letters.
    [Show full text]
  • COTA, NORMAN D.: Papers, 1912-1961
    DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY ABILENE, KANSAS COTA, NORMAN D.: Papers, 1912-1961 Accessions 69-31, 74-28, and 75-12 Processed by: RS Date completed: March 1977 The Papers of Major General Norman Daniel Cota, Assistant Division Commander of the 29th Infantry Division and Commander of the 28th Infantry Division during World War II, were deposited in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library by his wife, Alice Cota, in February 1969, March 1974, May 1974, and June 1975. Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 1.75 (.55 meters) Approximate number of pages: 3,500 Approximate number of items: 1,200 An instrument of gift for these papers was signed by Mrs. Cota on March 22, 1974. Literary property rights are retained by the donor until her death. At that time such rights pass to the United States. Under terms of the instrument of gift the following classes of documents are withheld from research use: 1. Papers relating to the family and private business affairs of Norman Cota. 2. Papers relating to the family and private business affairs of other persons who have had correspondence with Norman Cota. 3. Papers relating to investigations of individuals or to appointments and personnel matters. 4. Papers containing statements made by or to Norman Cota in confidence unless in the judgment of the Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library the reason for the confidentiality no longer exists. 5. All other papers which contain information or statements that might be used to injure, harass, or damage any living person. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE May 30, 1893 Born, Chelsea, Massachusetts 1910-1913 Attended Worcester Academy, Massachusetts 1917 Graduated from the U.S.
    [Show full text]