FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Larry Horne at 212-807-6222 x17 or lhorne@ncac.org

Wilton, Connecticut Students to be Honored in Free Speech Gala Event

New York, NY – On November 6, 2007, as part of its 4^th annual Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders, The National Coalition Against Censorship will honor Wilton High School theater arts teacher Bonnie Dickinson and her students, for their courage and determination to write and perform “Voices in Conflict,” a play about the war in Iraq.

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) organized a group of prominent playwrights (Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, John Weidman, Marsha Norman, Doug Wright, John Guare, John Patrick Shanley, and other members of the Dramatists Guild) and free speech advocates to oppose the banning of the school play by the Wilton High School principal. School administrators had objected to the students’ use of media sources and personal letters, claiming that the play was not a balanced view of the war in Iraq. In a public letter to the school administration, NCAC urged Wilton High School to reinstate the performance of “Voices in Conflict,” which had its public performance in the spring at The Public Theater in New York City.

NCAC’s gala event, which will be held at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York City, will bring together leaders in the arts, legal, media, and advocacy fields to recognize the students and other honorees. The evening also includes a screening of the winning shorts in NCAC’s annual nationwide youth film contest. For more information, visit www.ncac.org or call (212) 807 – 6222.

Founded in 1974, the National Coalition Against Censorship is an alliance of over 50 national non-profit organizations, including artistic, religious, educational, labor, and civil liberties groups. NCAC works with its participating organizations and concerned members of the general public to oppose censorship and to promote and defend the First Amendment values of freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression.

NCAC is especially active in its efforts on behalf of students through legal channels (such as the organization’s amicus brief in the recent Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick), media outreach, and grassroots organizing to oppose censorship of books in schools and libraries, and to promote student theater, journalism, and First Amendment education.

Click here for more information about Voices In Conflict.

Technorati tags: The National Coalition Against Censorship, Wilton High School, Bonnie Dickinson, Voices in Conflict, Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, John Weidman, Marsha Norman, Doug Wright, John Guare, John Patrick Shanley, Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders