October is Elder Abuse Prevention Month, a nationwide effort designed to shed light on a very serious but little-known (and often unreported) problem facing too many of our elderly citizens today. William Mapother has been very active in supporting the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), and has recorded several public service announcements (available here) in the hope of drawing attention to this crisis. Please take a moment to check out this article for more information and to find links to additional resources on the subject, and join William in his efforts to spread knowledge and awareness of the problem.
Tonight William will be at Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema in support of Mountaintop Removal, a documentary he narrated at the beginning of this year which explores the enviromnental, social, and economic repercussions of a controversial coal mining process.
If you think coal is an inexpensive energy source, consider the price paid by the people of southern Appalachia. For two years, filmmaker Michael O’Connell documented the struggle between West Virginia activists and coal companies over the mining practice known as mountaintop removal, during which explosives are used to remove 1,000 vertical feet of soil and rock. The process chokes the air and creates pools of toxic sludge, as the people of the region use every means of non-violent protest at their disposal––including a sit-in at the governor’s office––to save both their land and their lives.
Last April William took part in a radio play through L.A. Theatre Works titled Boats on a River, written by Julie Marie Myatt and starring Gregory Itzin, William Mapother, Jane Le, Emily Liu, Elizabeth Pan, Michelle Ongkingco, and Keo Woolford. This Saturday, September 27th L.A.T.W. will be airing the production on 89.3 KPCC at 10 p.m. in Los Angeles!
American expatriate Sidney Webb and Sister Margaret, his British colleague, work tirelessly to rehabilitate Cambodian children from the nightmare of prostitution. After a surprise raid on a brothel, three liberated girls begin the inspirational process of recovery under the loving watch of their new protectors.
This broadcast also features an interview with playwright Julie Marie Myatt.
If you miss this recording, you can stream it for one week on KPCC’s website. You can also catch it the following week on XM Satellite Radio’s Sonic Theatre Channel and on other major stations around the country (Seattle, Bay Area, Chicago, etc…the LA Theatre Works website has a listing of stations).