Noah's Ark - A Play about the Assassination of JFK

Inspired by activist, theologian, writer James Douglass' book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why he Died and Why it Matters," Noah's Ark sails the rough waters of the Kennedy presidency -- its Bay of Pigs, the summit with Khrushchev in Vienna, a line in the sand in Berlin, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the prelude to Vietnam -- to reveal the depths and shallows of humanity, drama, fears, and passion at the heart of these world events.
 
The reading of Noah's Ark at Oakland Community College on November 8 occurs in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. Royal Oak, Michigan is one of seven cities where readings of Noah's Ark readings will take place in November, including New York City; Erie, Pennsylvania;  Pittsburgh, Pa; Birmingham, Alabama; Glen Falls, New  York; and Dallas, Texas, where actor Martin Sheen will participate.

The president is dead and Colonel Benson, the consummate military White House insider, is tortured by the thought that he may have been unwittingly complicit in the assassination.

Determined to redeem himself, Benson journeys into his past, where he must confirm or deny his loyalties, patriotism, and faithfulness. Has he betrayed his values? Can he live in peace with his choices?

About Ginny Cunningham: As a founding member of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre Playwrights in 1995, Pittsburgh native Ginny Cunningham wrote a series of ten-minute and one-act plays before undertaking the full length On Earth a Little Space, which was featured in City Theatre's Four x Four new play festival at the Hamburg Theater in 2001. While maintaining a career as a communications consultant to non-profits throughout the U.S., as well as free lance magazine and newspaper writing, Cunningham continued to churn out plays. Mere Woman, the third in a series of plays that dramatized the lives of Catholic nuns who challenged sexist and racist practices in their Church and society, has had multiple readings in the Pittsburgh region. Noah's Ark has been in development for three years. Cunningham resides in Pittsburgh with her husband Pat Fenton.

Do not miss a reading of Noah's Arc featuring OCC faculty, staff and students at at 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 8, at the Royal Oak Campus Theatre.

The play is preceded by a 4 p.m. lecture by JFK assassination expert James Douglass, author of JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters. Douglass will explain his belief that JFK was murdered due to the change in his position on the Cold War and increasing support for peace in the world.

Tickets for both events may be purchased online by clicking here and between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at OCC’s Royal Oak Campus Bookstore.