Dennis Trainor Jr.’s virtual theater piece reflects on electoral politics, the 2016 race.
“Manifest Destiny’s Child,” a solo show, written and performed by Dennis Trainor Jr., delivers a sharp, honest, and direct commentary on the two party political system in America, while providing a barbed critique of American Exceptionalism. The production, presented by Acronym TV, will premiere on October 23 and will include a talk back, following the screening. The show, which was originally developed as a memoir, follows Trainor’s experience serving as communications director for Jill Stein’s 2016 presidential campaign. Trainor brings life to the highs and lows of this journey, while also describing his involvement with the Occupy movement and the Standing Rock protests.
“It’s a powerful feeling, filled with beauty and with terror, to know that radical change is possible,” said Trainor, in the show, “that it won’t come at the ballot box and that you might actually have a role to play in it.”
The provocative performance comes well timed, preceding the pivotal 2020 presidential election. By reflecting on the 2016 race, the virtual theater piece asks us to examine the question of how we got to where we are.
Trainor is a Boston-based actor, writer, director, and multimedia storyteller. In Boston, he has worked with SpeakEasy Stage Company, New Repertory Theater, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Gloucester Stage Company, Company One Theatre, and North Shore Music Theater. He has also developed the films “Legalize Democracy” and “American Autumn,” as an activist and media maker.
Watch “Manifest Destiny’s Child” here:
World Premiere event: Friday, October 23 730 pm https://acronymtv.
Steaming on demand, October 24 – November 8 https://acronymtv.org/mdc/
Shira Laucharoen is a reporter based in Boston. She currently serves as the assistant director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. In the past she has written for Sampan newspaper, The Somerville Times, Scout Magazine, Boston Magazine, and WBUR.
