The Great Society: A Play (Books That Changed the World)

By: Robert Schenkkan

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Synopsis: This drama about LBJ’s 1960s War on Poverty “shines a bright, clear light on a pivotal moment in American history” (Charles Isherwood, TheNew York Times).The tumultuous beginning of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency that Robert Schenkkan presented in the multiple Tony-winning All the Way continues in part two, The Great Society, which had its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in July 2014, directed by Bill Rauch and starring Jack Willis. In the years from 1965 to 1968, President Lyndon Johnson struggles to fight a “war on poverty” even as his war in Vietnam spins out of control. Besieged by political opponents, Johnson marshals all his political wiles to try to pass some of the most important social programs in U.S. history, while the country descends into chaos over the war and backlash against civil rights. In the tradition of the great multi-part Shakespearian historical plays, The Great Society is an unflinching examination of the morality of power.“A taut political thriller…Schenkkan’s writing shines…a vital study for all those who wish to learn from the past in order to gain some idea of what we might do in the present.”?Austin American-Statesman