Direct email inquiries
to TPF, Inc. Secretary, Martha
Spiegelman,
or by telephone:
413-253-7934
|
|
2009 CELEBRATION EVENTS
UNITED STATES -- CALIFORNIA
- The Thomas Paine Society of Pasadena presents scenes from The
Real Tom Paine, written by award-winning Philadelphia
playwright, Larry Loebell, in a 2009
VIDEO. A staged
reading of the Thomas Paine Society's new play will be performed
at the Tom Paine 200 Festival at Thetford, England - June 4-6,
2009.
UNITED STATES -- FLORIDA
- May 2 -- Joyce Chumbley will address members of the Humanist
Society of the Suncoast on "Thomas Paine: Still Relevant and
Revolutionary." The
Humanist Society
is located in the Tampa Bay, Florida area
UNITED STATES -- ILLINOIS
"On the Eve of His Execution: A Play About Thomas Paine runs
for four weeks only, from April 21 through May 13 and plays Sunday
and Monday nights at 8:00 pm at WNEP Theater, 3209 N. Halsted in
Chicago. Tickets are $12.00. For reservations for all show dates,
group sales or more information, please call (773) 878-7785 or
email to karin@tripaway.org. Written and performed by Chicago
playwright Henry Andrew Caporoso.
UNITED STATES -- NEW JERSEY
- April 24 thru 26 -- Morris County is holding a three-day
celebration of the region's significant role in the nation's
colonial period. Executive Director of the Morris County Tourism
Bureau, Leslie Bensley, interviewed by the Parsippany Daily
Record, described the origins of this celebration as follows:
"One of
the keys for a successful destination is having annual events.
When something happens on an annual basis, you tend to get
repeat visitors. In Trenton, they have Patriots Week, which is
George Washington crossing the Delaware.
It's not new, but we've never had anything like that. Now that
Congress has created the Crossroads of the Revolution Heritage
Area, of which we are one of the anchors, we decided we needed
to do our own effort. So, we have created this new weekend. It
kicks off with a naturalization ceremony at Washington's
Headquarters. Here now, we (will) have some of the newest
Americans being sworn in -- in what we call the Crossroads of
the Revolution. Then, we have a tea, and then there's
storytelling, and an encampment, and something that I'm in
charge with is this Thomas Paine dinner at the Morristown Club.
We've got this wonderful little template. We hope to have about
2,000 people."
Thomas Paine Friends is contacting Ms. Bensley for more
information, which will be communicated to our members and added
here as soon as we have additional details.
UNITED STATES -- NEW YORK (New York City)
- Saturday, June 6, 2 pm. TPF, Inc., is co-sponsoring with
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation a lecture
about Paine by historian, J. Ward Regan. It will be at the
Jefferson Market Branch of the Public Library, 425 Sixth Avenue at
West 10th Street. After the lecture, we plan a short walking tour
to nearby 293 Bleecker Street (Herring Street in 1809), one of
Paine's New York City residences, and then will proceed to the
site where he died, now Marie's Crisis Café at 59 Grove
Street, where there are two intriguing art works relating to
Paine. Research librarian, Mariam Touba, of New-York Historical
Society, is helping to construct a small tour map with historical
notations, which we will print as a memento. We will have a
historian as a guide.
- Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m., James Kaplan will be giving a walking
tour sponsored by the Fraunces Tavern Museum in commemoration of
the 200th anniversary of Thomas Paine’s death. Call
212-425-1778 for tickets. The tour leaves in from Broadway and
Murray Streeet in front of City Hall park.
- Monday, June 8, 11:30-1:30. Thomas Paine Friends, Inc., is
sponsoring a commemoration in Thomas Paine Park, at Foley Square
in lower Manhattan (it's opposite the courts, and is a tree-shaded
triangle bound by Worth, Centre, and Lafayette Streets), on
Monday, June 8, 2009, being the 200th anniversary of the death of
Paine.
- Monday, June 8, at 2:30 p.m., James Kaplan will be doing a special encore presentation
of his walking tour for attendees at the Thomas Paine Park Rededication, although anyone will be welcome.
The talk is free with a small donation to the Museum. Also, Paine enthusiasts are encouraged to
stay for dinner at the Fraunces Tavern Museum afterward for continued reflection and conversation about
this memorable day.
- MORE INFORMATION ON EVENTS
IN NEW YORK CITY
UNITED STATES -- NEW YORK (New Rochelle)
- Sunday, June 7, 1 pm. In New Rochelle, we will hold a
commemoration at Paine Monument, on North Avenue near Paine
Avenue. With TPF, the City of New Rochelle and the local
historical organization, Huguenot & New Rochelle Historical
Society, are sponsoring, and H&NRHS and will host the memorial
observance. We expect some comments about Paine's burial, the
original gravesite, and subsequent history of the gravesite and
Paine's remains. Following the memorial, the H&NRHS is holding
a fund-raising gala lawn party on thegrounds of Paine Cottage only
a few steps from Paine Monument. Tickets are $45 each and the
funds are for restoration of the Cottage. Information at
914-633-1776 or PaineCottage@optonline.net.
- MORE INFORMATION ON EVENTS
IN NEW ROCHELLE
UNITED STATES -- PENNSYLVANIA (Philadelphia)
A series of educational events presented as “
Thomas Paine: The Forgotten Founding Father”
are being co-sponsored by Moonstone, the Office of Accelerated
Education of the Philadelphia School District, The Historical Society
of Pennsylvania, The Thomas Paine National Historical Association, the
Thomas Paine Society (UK), and the Henry George School. This project
is made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council
and additional support from the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Barra
Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
- February -- A biographical overview of Paine
- March -- An exploration of Paine’s Common Sense
and The Crisis during revolution-era America
- April -- A discussion of Paine in Europe and The Rights of
Man, Age of Reason, and Agrarian Justice
- May -- A study of Paine and the promise of America
- June 8 -- Our Paine scholars will also come together to present
a free public panel discussion on Paine on the 200th anniversary
of his death, June 8, 2009. The panel discussion on June 8th will
also include a special feature – the two winning authors of
our high school writing contest. In addition to attending the
monthly lectures on Paine, students may participate in the
Thomas Paine Writing Contest by
either composing an essay on Thomas Paine’s influence and
relevance to today’s America, or by writing an appeal in the
spirit of Paine on any social or political issue about which they
are passionate. Students participating in the writing contest will
also have the opportunity to share their work at local
Philadelphia libraries as part of the selection process. Finally,
in order to ensure that students are supported in their study of
Paine, we will sponsor an ACT 48 credit presentation for teachers
on teaching Paine by Jack Fruchtman in February.
The possibilities for this project are endless. “Thomas
Paine: The Forgotten Founding Father” brings the high
school curriculum – revolutionary America, the Enlightenment, the
philosophical foundation of Democracy and individual liberty. These
events will cross generations, demographics, disciplines, and dogmas,
and most importantly, will open avenues of thought and expression on
positive socioeconomic and political change by putting a pen in the
hands of our youth. For more information, visit the project website --
Forgotten Founding
Father.
UNITED KINGDOM -- LONDON
- October 2008 thru March 1 -- A program described as "Taking
Liberties: The Struggle for Britain's Freedoms and Rights,"
at the British Library, London. Henry Porter at the Guardian
said: "One suspects that the curators are making a point-that
so much of what was fought for by people like John Wilkes, Tom
Paine, John Stuart Mill and the Chartist Ernest Jones is
threatened by this government's attack on constitutional rights."
An
Online
Exhibition remains available.
- February 28 -- The Convention on Modern
Liberty, offered in London and across the country. For more
information go to the website for
Modern Liberty. Thomas
Bingham lamented that today "People … haven't been
brought up to cherish liberty."
- March 28 -- The 200th Anniversary Meeting of the
Thomas Paine
Society, with Speakers Gregory Claeys and John Keane, at
Conway Hall, sponsored as well by the
South Place Ethical
Society, the Freethought History Research Group, and the
Socialist History Society
LISTEN
to the addresses delivered by Gregory Claeys and John Keane!
- August 29 through October 9 -- "A
New World: A Life of Thomas Paine," the World Premiere
of a play by Trevor Griffiths at
Shakespeare's Globe
Theatre, London
UNITED KINGDOM -- LEWES
- July 4 thru 14 -- Thomas Paine & Lewes: "Revolution
& Reason" in Lewes. For more information see
Thomas Paine and
Lewes
UNITED KINGDOM -- SALFORD/MANCHESTER
- Date to be announced -- Thomas Paine Collection from the
Working Class Movement Library Salford/Manchester. A Special
exhibition beginning in the fall. For more information see:
Working Class Movement Library.
UNITED KINGDOM -- THETFORD
- June 5 thru 8 -- Tom Paine 200 Celebrations - "The
Man, The Place, and The Age" during the Thetford -
Bicentenary Weekend, with a lecture series continuing in the fall.
For more information see TomPaine200
- June 6 -- A readathon of famous author and
revolutionary Thomas Paine's works is planned at Thetford. The
24-hour marathon is being held at St Peter's Church as part of the
town's Tom Paine 200 celebration, starting at 11.15am, continuing
overnight and finishing on Sunday morning. The celebration is
commemorating the bi-centenary of his death. Volunteers are being
sought to take part in the readathon and are invited to book their
slot with the event co-ordinators. No knowledge of Paine's works
is required and participants can volunteer for however long they
wish. To register your interest, call Mandy Davis on 07952918430,
or Vince Gregory on 07861003248.
|
