Parade – Recommended Reading List
By Sally Ollove, site Literary Manager
Parade is based on the true story of the trial of Leo Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan. There are a number of great resources if you want to learn more, but be warned: these resources all contain spoilers! Don’t worry, this list will still be here after you see the production.
Websites:
- A good overview of the case from the American Jewish Historical Society
- A very in-depth website from the University of Missouri in Kansas City which features newspaper articles from the time as well as the trial transcript.
Please be aware that some anti-Semitic individuals have also written about the case. Some have published their own conspiracy-theory centered information online, often dressing up misinformation with facts to seem legitimate. One such site to avoid is leofrank.org, which is, unfortunately, a top search engine hit for Leo Frank.
Books:
- The production used The Dead Shall Rise by Steve Oney extensively. The book contains a complete and in-depth account of the case and its aftermath as well as the societal shockwaves the trial sent through the country.
- The Leo Frank Case, by Leonard Dinnerstein, first published in 1968 has been updated in several editions, most recently in 2008. Dinnerstein provides a very readable overview of the case in a fair and balanced appraisal of the facts. If you want a shorter read, Dinnerstein wrote an article for American Heritage, “The Fate of Leo Frank”
Documentaries:
- PBS Documentary: “The People v. Leo Frank” which premiered in 2009
In Person:
- In addition to exploring the Jewish-American experience, the National Museum of American Jewish History at 5th and Market has an exhibit dedicated to Leo Frank.
If you have a ticket to see our production of Parade, save your stub and you’ll receive $3 off admission to the museum from September 26-November 15.
Parade runs September 26 – November 3 at Arden Theatre Company
My wife and I saw the show today. I left the theatre with two emotions. We are Jewish and our emotions were high. Your production was magnanimous.
We saw Scottsboro Boys a couple of years ago and the theme is the same as Parade. That show was at the Phila Theatre. We don’t think we will ever forget this wonderful experience.
Good luck to the Arden
Spoilers! You’re protecting the audience from spoilers?
This reminds me of an Oscar Wilde story: At University he is required to translate from the Greek one of the Gospels. After he goes along competently for a while, the examiner says, Okay, that’s enough. You passed. And Wilde says, Oh, do let me go on! I want to know how it ends.
After attending the performance this afternoon, I will add “Parade” to the long list of Arden productions that have thrilled and moved me for the past 20 years.
Regarding one of the final scenes of the play: There has been so much publicity, recently, about technical malfunctions in the theater. As the lynching scene was unfolding, my fears for the physical safety of the actor caused me to leave the world of the play and focus on the mechanics of the staged hanging, praying that all harnesses were properly attached. Has there ever been a debate about the on-stage depiction of that particular form of death?
[…] their last production, Parade, are similar in tone, offering more history, biographies, and even a reading list. (They warn that many of these posts are intended for audiences to read after the show – in […]