One Man Play about Thomas Paine, Sunday, November 16, in the Sanctuary, at 1:30 p.m. Thomas Paine is in Ian Ruskin’s  skin in “To Begin the World Again: The Life of Thomas Paine.”

 

Ruskin reminds us that what makes us great as a nation is that  all are equal in the system of justice. At a time when we were all  radicals, more than any other founding father, Thomas Paine  possessed a vision for a democracy based emphatically on  “justice for all.” Paine foreshadowed Martin Luther King, Jr., who 

believed, “the moral arc of history is long, but it bends toward  justice.”

 

In this one-man play Ruskin will show us again the fiery eloquence that made Paine’s “Common Sense,” a best-seller and stirred a nation to revolution. In his “Age of Reason,” Paine  championed man’s abilities and challenged organized religion. When justice seems to be foundering, Thomas Paine speaks to  us again about making our voices heard — not for self-interest but  for the interest of us all. To quote Paine: “The World is my country  and all mankind my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”

 

Recent performances include a two-month run of the play in Los Angeles and at The Organization of American Historians; The American Philosophical Society; the Harvard Law School; and Conway Hall, London, England. Donations will be welcome and there will be refreshments and the sale of books and CDs at 12:45 p.m.