banned Books Week PERFORMANCE
OCTOBER 9
"Tales from the
Comic Book Crackdown"
The new musical about the comic book controversies of the 1950's will hold a very special workshop performance during Banned Books Week
at the Mark Taper Auditorium at the
Show starts at 5:00pm
(Doors open at 4:30)
Los Angeles Public Library
Mark Taper Auditorium
Central Library
630 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles CA 90071
This is a FREE event.
Reservations are encouraged, but not required. This event will be seated on a first come, first served basis.
Registration does not guarantee a seat.
Register Here at Eventbrite
Parking: https://lapl.org/branches/central-library/parking
The Central Library provides parking validation for the Westlawn Garage at 524 S. Flower Street. Parking validation is available at the library's Information Desk (first floor), patrons can obtain validation upon presenting a valid library card. With library validation, visitors who enter the garage after 3 pm and exit before the library closes at 8 pm, will pay a validated flat rate of $1. The weeknight market rate (4 p.m. - 8 a.m.) is $4.00 every 10 minutes with a maximum of $10.00 per day.
Tales From The Comic Book Crackdown
A New Musical about the 1954 Comic Book Hearings written by Ben Dickow and Ray Hedgpeth
Tales From the Comic Book Crackdown is a new musical that brings to life the dramatic Senate hearings on Juvenile Delinquency of April 21, 1954, which were designed to bring down the comic book industry as a whole. These hearings resulted in years of censorship and repression of the comic book industry.
One man stood up for comics and free expression. 32-year-old Bill Gaines, the most successful comic book publisher of his day, was the sole witness to come forward and testify on behalf of comic books. Despite his best efforts, the authorities carried the day, and Bill almost lost everything.
This forgotten American story is brought to life in a major new musical, complete with show-stopping tunes, projections of classic EC Comics' art, and a real life twist ending.
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About Tales of the Comic Book Crackdown
Mr. Beaser: Is there any limit you can think of that you would not put in a magazine because you thought a child should not see or read about it?
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Mr. Gaines: My only limits are the bounds of good taste, what I consider good taste.
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Sen. Kefauver [alluding to the cover illustration for Crime SuspenStories #22]: This seems to be a man with a bloody ax holding a woman's head up which has been severed from her body. Do you think that is in good taste?
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Mr. Gaines: Yes, sir, I do, for the cover of a horror comic....