Hilliard: Firstly, I'd like to commend you on a marvelous job on bringing Marx's theories and ideals to life. Secondly, I'd like to ask a few questions of you, as I'm writing a story on the presentation for our school newspaper,
Hilliard: How were you personally introduced to Marxism?
Weick: In 1999 A friend gave me the script saying "this would be a great role for you". But at that time I wasn't interested in a one man show as an actor, and I wasn't sure how I felt about Marxism/Communism/Socialism as a citizen. I just didn't know much about it. Although I casually followed politics
I was never involved much in any particular movement or party nor did I feel compelled to get involved at that time.
Hilliard: How were you offered the part of Marx? Through Zinn personally or via other means?
Weick: The events of the 2000 election, followed by the tragedy of 9/11, followed by the bombings in Afghanistan and pre-emptive invasion of Iraq led me to study history to help me make sense of the world. I was pained and saddened by the state of politics and war in our world and wanted to research how things got this way.......Among other books I read some writings by Howard Zinn that my daughters told me about [ "The peoples history of the United States" ] , and then I picked up the Marx in Soho script and began to research the ideas presented in the play. I decided I wanted to contribute something to the current dialogue. I wanted to get involved in the issues of the day. As an actor, performing this play and bringing to the community was a way for me to contribute.
I spoke with John Doyle of Iron Age Theatre about the script. They were willing to produce the play in Philly if I would play the role of Marx. We agreed to work together. [Iron Age theatre is an incredible Theatre company based in Norristown. Go see their work if you get the chance]
I then contacted Mr. Zinn for performance rights , which , after an audition of sorts, he granted.
Hilliard: What motivates you in this role? What serves as inspiration?
Weick: The motivations are many.....but to be brief: to encourage young people, all people in the audience actually, to "think" , to question, to be open to possibilities beyond what we are told in the media and from Washington. To be better informed than I was...You know Kayla, we are an imaginative, creative people. I think we as a country can do better than we are doing now. Ultimately I am opposed to war on pragmatic and ethical grounds. It has become my belief that war must be rejected as a political tool. War, in my view and in the view of many, is a form of terrorism. If we learn nothing else from history I hope we learn that violence only begets more violence and war begets more war. There must be a better way. Hope in a better world though education and social justice is my most powerful motivator.
I am inspired by such people as Dorothy Day, John Dear, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Jesus, all of whom have shown us a better way....and also my wife and daughters teach me daily what it means to love- they are a constant inspiration. And of course I'm inspired by Howard Zinn. He's a fascinating , courageous individual with a big heart. Read " You Can't be neutral on a moving train", if you have time....it's a biography of Zinn's life.
Hilliard: How long have you been playing Marx?
Weick: This is my third season.....and I will continue the tour through the 2006 - 2007 school year. We'll see after that.....hopefully for many years to come.
Hilliard: What message do you hope to convey to youth concerning capitalism, communism, etc?
Weick: Well I alluded to this above but let me use a line from the show : " Lets not talk about capitalism and socialism. Lets just talked about using the incredible wealth of the world for human beings. Give people what they need - food, medicine, clean air, pure water, trees, grass, pleasant homes to live in - Don't ask who deserves it. every human being deserves it" - As they say, If you want to live in peace you have to work for economic justice - so the message is, lets be creative and thoughtful. lets put our heads together and come up with a better way. Some people assume we have achieved the "ultimate society", that we are the greatest ...when I look around and see so many living in poverty, the homeless, the crowded prisons, the rich richer and the poor poorer etc...well, I'm not so sure that we do live in the greatest country.....What truly makes a nation great Kayla?...it is a big question ...it becomes a question of what we really value in life.
Hilliard: What symbolism did the music playing in the beginning have? I mean, the Pink Floyd and the whiny modern punk rock that played before you entered?
Weick: Whiny modern punk!? Haha...Well, varying tastes aside, the idea was, first of all, to add some energy - and to convey the idea that the play is not a stodgy lesson in history but a vibrant relative performance dealing with today's world. The lyrics of the songs also tie into many of the ideas of the play. Some of the old rock and roll protest music I grew up with is there and some new music that was recommended to me by my daughters and John Doyle's daughter..... [ stuff I never heard before but have come to enjoy believe it or not!]
Hilliard: Where else have you performed this piece?
Weick: A number of theatres in Philadelphia, The Theatre Outlet in Allentown [ go see their work !],Other high schools and colleges in the Lehigh Valley, 2 shows in New York City and schools around the country : Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Vermont, Mass., Florida ...I am hoping for an invitation to Hawaii next winter!
Hilliard: I'd heard that the actual performance was longer than the version we viewed; what did you eliminate?
Weick: The edits were originally forced on us by time limits in the original Philly production...we cut out about 10 minutes and did some minor alteration and updating of the original script. We have since added back some lines ...Howard approved the changes and the show you saw is the one I've been doing everywhere since the new year.
Hilliard: Who has played Marx before you? Any predecessors?
Weick: Yes there were and are others doing the show . I met one fellow in N.Y., Brian Jones. He's been at it for 5 years I think....the more the merrier.
Hilliard: In your opinion, what Marxist philosophies were Zinn-ified in this piece?
Weick: Hmmmm. interesting question - well by necessity Zinn had to make up some stuff...the most interesting being that Marx returned from Heaven to clear his name. This imaginative tool helped bring the play to "here and now". Marx considered himself an atheist . [Although as I read Marx, his rejection of exploitation,his ideas of sharing the weath of the planet, his ideas of caring for the poor line up with many people of faith.] I'll have to check with Howard but I think Marx may have accepted the use of force to attain social change more readily than Howard Zinn might..... And of course Zinn has the benefit of hindsight. But all in all I believe Mr. Zinn stayed true to the vision that Marx gave to the world.
Hilliard: Do you think Marx himself would be happy with your performance/ the play in general and the message it conveys?
Weick: I hope so! And, I believe so. He wouldn't be happy with the state of the world today - they say he was an opinionated man who did not suffer fools well and didn't like his ideas being challenged or disorted. I think he would welcome the opportunity to make it clear that what happened in the Soviet Union was not his idea of true communism. This play does that. The play also reinforces the idea that unchecked free market capitalism is dangerous and that the real battle is not between capitalism and communism, but between capitalism and democracy [ see Benjamin Barber's book "Jihad vs. McWorld] . He opposed the oppression of working people and the excessive consumption of the rich. That form of injustice, that we see so present in our society today, resonates throughout the play. He would again call for the workers of the world to unite. It's still a good idea.
I think Marx would really enjoy the scene with Bakunin [ who he never actually met but who he knew and who he didn't care for!] And I think he'd like the music and the beer!
Hilliard: Any other spare tid-bits/ anecdotes would be most welcome.
Weick: I would like to offer this encouragement : History is important! remember 'knowledge is power' and if you don't know history it is if you were born yesterday....and you'll believe anything you are told. Think for yourself.
And there are many good people and organizations in the world working for peace and justice. Help them if you can. Help them if you care. Can there be more important work to do? And never give up hope that the world can be changed for the better!
Iron Age Theatre
