By Kara Baskin
noteworthy
Suffolk University Theatre Professor Wes Savick never expected to find inspiration in his mother’s basement—until he discovered the “Handbook of Civilian Defense.” The government-issued pamphlet is a relic from World War II, designed to teach everyday Americans how to brace for catastrophe.
Savick found the advice eerily resonant. Alarmed by today’s political strife, he adapted its contents to create Handbook of Civilian Defense (What Every Loyal American Can Do to Help the United States Win the War), a word-for-word musical re-creation of the original.
In August, Savick fulfilled a longtime dream when the play with music was selected to debut at Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of the world’s foremost venues for experimental theater.
“As a theater practitioner, this is like going to Mecca,” he says.The 50-minute satire features alumni actors with Suffolk’s professional theater company, Juvenilia, which Savick created in 2016.
The play was enthusiastically embraced by Edinburgh Fringe crowds; the company actually had to turn people away for the final sold-out performance.
Juvenilia plays, typically staged at Suffolk’s Modern Theatre and exclusively featuring Suffolk-affiliated personnel, tackle hot-button issues. For example, Waters Rising used Greek tragedy and musical comedy to explore global warming.
“I’m not aware of any other university in the country that has anything quite like this,” Savick says. “Suffolk should be very proud.”
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Photograph courtesy of Wes Savick
| Fall 2022
