Just in time for Election Day, York Readers Theater presents “Democracy”

Don't miss the York Readers Theater production of "Democracy" on Oct. 24 and 25.
Courtesy photo

YORK - "Democracy" has been hailed by The New York Times, New York Daily News and USA Today as a play that is not to be missed.

And with the upcoming York Readers Theater production scheduled just in time for the Nov. 4 election, local residents have a chance to experience this play firsthand.

"Democracy" is about Willy Brandt, described as one of the most attractive public figures of the 20^th century, who won people's trust and love not only in Germany but all over the world. He first became an international celebrity in the 1950s when, as mayor of West Berlin, he led the city's resistance to the efforts of the Soviet Union to absorb Berlin into the East German state surrounding it, which led to the Berlin Airlift.

Willy's greatest legacy, as chancellor of West Germany, was a policy aimed at improving relations with East Germany, Poland and the Soviet Union. That policy earned Willy Brandt a Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 and has been credited as leading to the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the unification of Germany in 1990.

As that policy was formed, an unimpressive middle-aged man named Gunter Guillaume stood at Willy's side as both his personal assistant and an agent of the Stasi, the East German secret police. That short period between 1969 and 1973, when Willy was reinventing Germany's relations with its eastern neighbors and sharing the most sensitive communiqués from Nixon and other heads of state with Gunter Guillaume, is the subject of "Democracy," written by Michael Frayn, author of "Noises Off" and "Copenhagen."

"Democracy" will be presented by the York Readers Theater on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 1:30 p.m. at the York Public Library. The Oct. 25 performance will be followed by a question-and-answer discussion with Karl Kaiser, director of the Transatlantic Relations Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, who was also a close friend and speechwriter for Willy Brandt. There is no charge for admission to York Readers Theater performances; however, donations are welcome at the door.

York Readers Theater, now five years old and going strong, was founded by David Newman, retired director of the theater program at St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., and Joe Dominguez of the York Harbor Inn to offer thoughtful and polished readings of provocative dramas for discussion and entertainment. York Readers Theater has brought such plays as "Oleanna," "Take Me Out" and "Retreat from Moscow" to local audiences.