Bren Rapp decided to produce a one-man show about legendary news broadcaster because she thought his words of warning about politics and the media were so prescient.
鈥淚f I were to hand you the script with the names and dates redacted, you would think I was talking about now, which is kind of shocking and terrifying,鈥� says , a Southern Methodist University theater graduate who co-founded the now-defunct children鈥檚 company in Dallas and has produced plays in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Written by about a decade ago, " is receiving its second professional production as part of the of locally made work.
It stars and is being directed by , a Dallas native who has performed and directed extensively around here. In two acts, Greco directly addresses the audience, mainly using Murrow鈥檚 own words.
The first act deals with his radio career, when he famously broadcast from London rooftops during the and from the during its liberation.
The second act focuses on his confrontation with , who was leading Congress鈥� hunt for American Communists. George Clooney covered the same period in the 2005 film "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Beyond what鈥檚 in the public record, Vitale gained access to other material, including love letters Murrow wrote to his wife.
鈥淭he reason why Murrow ended up being Murrow is because of what he witnessed during World War II, what happens when you take away that free flow of information and it gets replaced with propaganda,鈥� Rapp says. 鈥淗e was beholden only to fact. Ten years ago, I would鈥檝e thought, 鈥楾hat goes without saying. We should have factual journalism. It鈥檚 part of democracy.鈥� But now, well, maybe it鈥檚 gone without saying for too long.鈥�
She thought of Murrow on June 1, 2020, and held up a Bible in front of a church for a photo op after police had used riot tactics to clear out racial justice protesters from the area.
鈥淚 remember going through all the channels, watching the coverage,鈥� Rapp recalls. 鈥淲hat I saw was a politician completely manipulate the media, and the media completely manipulate us. This was right in the middle of lockdown, and I remember feeling very defeated. I was like, 鈥業f I ever started producing theater again in front of a live audience, what would I even want to say?鈥� And it was Murrow鈥檚 voice that came to mind. 鈥� He clearly saw where it was all headed.鈥�
Where it was all headed was a divided country in which many people only seek information that supports what they already believe, Rapp says. To eliminate any perception of bias, she has not taken on any sponsors for the show.
鈥淧eople ask, 鈥榃hat side is it for?鈥� The low-hanging fruit of filling seats would be to speak out against one side or the other,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where people鈥檚 mentality is. I didn鈥檛 want to do that. But can you even sell unbiased fact to people nowadays? I鈥檝e been very careful in my marketing not to invoke any type of us versus them, left versus right, because this message is for everyone. We鈥檙e all media consumers. We鈥檙e all a part of this.鈥�
She thinks the one-man format has a chance of breaking through. To provide context, "Murrow" includes historical projections on a screen behind Greco.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something very personal about it,鈥� Rapp says. 鈥淚f done correctly, it鈥檚 a guy having a conversation with a roomful of people, somebody who鈥檚 commanding your attention for 80 minutes, talking with you, not at you.鈥�
Details
April 11-21 in Hamon Hall at Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. $29.50. . .
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and 四虎影院.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and 四虎影院 retain full editorial control of Arts Access鈥� journalism.
