Learning from the Past - a conversation with Charles St. Clair, the director of iTheatre Collaborative's THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE NINE

Charles St. Clair

by Gil Benbrook

This weekend, iTheatre Collaborative opens a drama based on actual events that happened fifty years ago.

The play, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, was written by Daniel Berrigan, a Roman Catholic priest and antiwar activist who, along with eight other people including his brother, broke into a draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland and burned hundreds of draft cards to protest the Vietnam war.

Berrigan based his drama on the actual federal court documents from the case where he, his brother and seven others, afterwards known as "the Catonsville Nine," were sentenced for destroying US government property.

But, this group would also find their protest and the attention it received something that would inspire many other anti-draft and anti-military protests.

Director Charles St. Clair, who has directed or appeared in hundreds of theatre, film and video productions and is on the faculty of ASU West where he teaches acting and directing, took a few minutes in final rehearsals for this production to answer some questions about this production and the importance of the historic events in Berrigan's play.

While this play is based on actual events that happened in 1968, I don’t believe the exact details are that familiar to a lot of people today. What can you tell them about the events that happened and this play? 

"I feel the events of 1968 will forever live in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans.  In April of that year, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed; in June, Robert Kennedy was killed; in November, Richard M. Nixon was elected the 37th president; and by December, US troops in Vietnam had reached 549,000 making it the longest War to date. On May 17th 1968, nine people, including two Catholic priests, entered the Selective Service office in Catonsville, Maryland and removed 378 draft cards and burned them in the parking lot with homemade napalm to protest the war in Vietnam. Based on the actual trial transcripts, the play delves into the moral and religious motives of the 'Nine'. The Catonsville Nine gave a new face to activism, civil disobedience, and inspired hundreds."

I know the play is based on the actual court transcripts from the trial. Since some people will already know the outcome of that trial before seeing the play what did you have to to keep the tension high and the audience guessing as to the verdict?  

"The verdict or outcome in the play is well known so there is no guessing.  The motives behind the Catonsville’s Nine actions were at the center of my attention. There is no right or wrong, there just is. The real verdict is in the conscience of the audience."

What can you tell us about your cast for this production? 

"The cast is from all over the Valley.  In casting, I wasn’t as much concerned with finding actors who resemble the actual Nine, as those with the heart and spirit to make the journey back through a time when our country was in tremendous turmoil. Like the gathering of the actual Catonsville Nine,
they came together in pieces."

What type of research did you do to prepare to direct this show?  

"The Catonsville Nine was not new to me, fortunately I have deep roots in the time period and I had the honor of meeting several of the Nine alongside the FBI agents who accompanied them. The research was massive, however the archived materials are so readily available. iTheatre’s Artistic Director, Chris Haines and I began by reading several versions of scripts based on the transcripts of the trial. "

Was there any specific reason that made you want to direct this production? 

"My work of choice has always been to give a voice to the voiceless, even if that voice is from the grave. The message of the play is so relevant today.  I feel so much Hatred instead of Love motivating the actions of those who rightfully protest the unjustly acts of those in power. October 5 – 9, 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the actual trial."

The Vietnam war and the events around the protest that are documented in the play are now fifty years behind us. What do you think we can learn from these events from the past? 

"Whenever we take the opportunity to look back into our past, the future and the actions we must take become clearer. When we witness daily events that rip apart the very treads of society we must take non-violent action. We cannot sit back and say it’s not our problem or expect someone else will fix it.
Social responsibility!"

What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing this production of The Trial of the Catonsville Nine?

"Our younger generations have not heard the stories of Vietnam, have not heard this part of our nation's history, and have not experienced the lessons we must learn from it. We can't forget all those who fought... We cannot forget Vietnam! 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' – Santayana"

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs through November 3rd