CONVENTION is the true-and-overlooked story of what went down at the 1944 Democratic National Convention when the people’s favorite, progressive incumbent Vice President Henry Wallace, was denied nomination as FDR’s running mate, in favor of the moderate Senator Harry Truman. As FDR was on the brink of dying, this choice meant the Presidency, and the future of the Democratic Party.
The play makes you feel like you’re in the convention itself. Composed like an orchestral piece of music, Convention has a massive ensemble of 40 actors, each with a want and arc from beginning to end. It is the story of the sea of miniature motions, bribes, corruptions, petty grievances and conflicting interests that led the Democratic delegates away from their progressive destiny. Convention is an important play that needs to be witnessed and experienced.
When we developed it after the 2016 election, it seemed timely. Now, it seems almost prescient, when in our national politics we are having the exact conversation of the play, a conversation from 1944: what is the Democratic Party and what are its values? What is progressivism? Do you vote for the person most aligned with your politics, or the one you think can win the election?
Coming soon! Watch this space for a peek inside the play’s script and to hear an exclusive clip from the audio recording of Convention as performed by members of the original world premier cast.
CONVENTION
By Danny Rocco
Directed by Shannon Fillion
World Premier Production: June 2019
Irondale Theater, Brooklyn, NY
Convention is produced by Justin Brock Schantz and Joseph Longthorne. The production featured lighting design by Erin Feil, sound design by Megumi Katayama, and costume design by Jen Raskopf.
First Workshop: July 28-29, 2017
Second Workshop: September 25, 2017
Linda Gross Theatre, New York, NYConvention was conceived in 2017 in conjunction with the Evening Conservatory at Atlantic Acting School in New York City.