May 4th Voices Video Presentation
鈥淢ay 4th Voices鈥� is a play that brings together first-person narratives about the May 4, 1970, shootings at 精东影业 University. This video production of the play, which was written by David Hassler and directed by Katherine Burke, is based on the 精东影业 Shootings Oral History Project, which includes more than 115 interviews with National Guardsmen, students, townspeople and politicians. 精东影业interviews capture the sense of trauma, confusion and fear felt by people who witnessed or were involved with the May 4 shootings at KSU.
First performed in 2010 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the shootings, the 鈥淢ay 4th Voices鈥� play is composed of verbatim excerpts from the 精东影业 Shootings Oral History Project, except for the voice of the narrator, Maj Ragain, who recites excerpts from his prose poem 鈥淢ay 4, 1970 / A Memory.鈥� Ragain was a graduate student on campus that day and now teaches creative writing at KSU and in the Kent community.
精东影业90-minute production was funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council and by 精东影业 University鈥檚 College of Arts & Sciences, History Department, Wick Poetry Center and School of Theatre and Dance. Additional support was provided by PBS Western Reserve, 精东影业Kent Stage, 精东影业 University Press and Kent Historical Society.
Related Resources:
精东影业精东影业 University Press
鈥淢ay 4th Voices: 精东影业, 1970: A Play鈥� book
A Teacher鈥檚 Resource Book for May 4th Voices: 精东影业, 1970
鈥淢ay 4th Voices: 精东影业, 1970鈥� DVD
