Mark and I flew to Chicago over the weekend to attend the Mercy for Animals Celebrating Compassion Gala at the Chicago Cultural Center. Mark’s son, Nathan, founded MFA in 1999 at the age of 17 proving once again the power of commitment, passion and vision no matter one’s number of years on earth. The Gala was a top shelf event from the second floor Rotunda setting with Tiffany studded patterned walls to views of Grant Park where Barak Obama addressed hundreds and hundreds of thousands on election night. Chicago, with all its wind, snow and ice blazed with warmth and compassion thanks to the politicians, writers, students, contributors, actors, musicians, volunteers and other activists who graced the hall that night in support of animal rights. Although I didn’t meet any playwrights there, I did talk to the director and see the trailor for a documentary about MFA that has been entered in several film festivals and will be released sometime next year. MFA played a major role in the passing of Proposition 2 (Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act) in California this past November. Way to go! I’m surprised I haven’t read any plays on the topic. Not just Proposition 2 and the cruel acts that prompted it, but the audacity of vegetarianism itself! What about the huge controversy over Senator Roy Brown, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the beef-eating state of Montana and the untrue, vicious rumor that he was vegetarian? (I’m being facetious here if you hadn’t noticed.) Jay Leno picked the grit out of his teeth with it during one of his Tonight Show monologues. Surely a talented playwright could chomp on it. See what one of you can do and I’ll look forward to reading it.
