AOF Activities & Events
Take two on this event: Sean O'Brien, performance artist and drama maven, will regale us with a revised take on the life of Robert Green Ingersoll. Previously planned for March, then cancelled due to venue problems, AOF now hopes to bring this one-man show to you in May.
You know Robert Ingersoll, of course -- if not, present your hand while we look for a ruler. "Bob" was the most eloquent 19th Century freethinker, America's top orator in a day when public speaking was a bog of mediocrity wherein carbon minds floated in a syrupy sluice of their own making. In other words, he was the envoy, the radical, the bleeding edge of freethought; and he often bled for it. You won't want to miss this one-man show. So mark your calendar.
Our kind performer, Sean O'Brien, provided this background:
I chose “Bob” as the title of my show because Ingersoll was, in his time, warmly referenced by that appellation. And, apart from his agnosticism, he was well known for his dedication to “hearth and home” and the warmth of his family life was the single thing that so frustrated the clergy in their attempts to attack the man and not the idea, which has so often been the tack of religious bigotry and it’s response to rational argument. At present, “Bob”, is a compilation of Ingersoll’s speeches from which I have edited what I believe are his most compelling arguments; however, I am working on expanding my one-man show into a much larger two act drama with multiple characters for the stage.
Since I retired from teaching and directing Theater Arts in secondary schools from New York City,, Virginia, Montana and California, I have focused on my own performance in local theaters, such as: Big Idea Theatre Company, the Sacramento and Davis Shakespeare Festivals, Chautauqua Theatre and The Art Theatre of Davis. I perform “The Portable Poe Show” in the public schools when they are open and “Bob” for regional humanist and free thought associations. I also have a singing and guitar act that I perform in Old Sacramento during tourist season and pubs when we are not in the throes of a pandemic.
This is an in-person event. Please plan accordingly.