Stage is Set for Dramatic Reading of the Mueller Report
A Washington-based theater is planning a reading of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 presidential election.
June 21, 2019 at 03:18 PM
4 minute read
Politicians have debated it, social media has memed it, and the Washington Post even published it in book form. Now, the Mueller Report is headed for the stage.
In an 11-hour production (yes, 11 hours), Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, based in Washington, D.C., will present a reading of the report on the Investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Election at noon on July 11. The theater expects to use more than 300 volunteers, each speaking for about three minutes, to read through the second volume of the report.
The event is in association with actress and activist Jjana Valentiner, and it is meant to be a public, nonpartisan presentation so the general public can read and hear the Mueller Report without commentary and can make up its own mind about the report's findings.
Especially as politicians kick off their campaigns for the 2020 presidential election, the theater's artistic director, Molly Smith, said the event will be an important resource to inform the general public.
“Washington, D.C. has the smartest theater audience in the world,” she said. “In the run up to the election and debates there will be a lot of conversations about the Mueller Report. Let's educate ourselves.”
That will be accomplished, in part, by the handful of attorneys who have already volunteered to read the special counsel's report at the event, which will be live-streamed. Smith declined to identify who has signed up.
Josh Galper, a co-founder of Washington-based Davis, Goldberg & Galper, said a straight reading of the report without additional commentary is an important way for the public to develop their own opinions about the report's findings. Galper, who is friends with a member of the organization's board, will be out of town during the event, but he said it was a great opportunity for Washington-based attorneys to volunteer.
“So many people, in reading the report and commenting on it all over the media, have said that the report speaks for itself, and that the work of the report speaks for itself,” he said. “This is a moment to let the report literally speak for himself. That way, you're not distracted by points of view that may have agenda behind them. You're able to just hear the words and make a true decision for yourself.”
The Mueller report was released in March 2019 and documents the findings of special counsel Robert Muller's 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Volume II specifically addresses potential obstruction of justice by President Trump and his administration.
The redacted report, which was made available to the public in April, is 448 pages long. Smith said the document's length and density has made it less accessible to the average reader.
“We want a simple, clean reading of it,” Smith said. ”If there are any people who would be able to read this clearly, it will probably be lawyers.”
Galper said, via email, that the Washington legal community might be the best place to crowd-source volunteer readers for the event.
“So many D.C. lawyers are actors at heart,” he said, adding, “This is the drama of our time.”
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'Serious Disruptions'?: Federal Courts Brace for Government Shutdown Threat
3 minute readGovernment Attorneys Are Flooding the Job Market, But Is There Room in Big Law?
4 minute readWill Khan Resign? FTC Chair Isn't Saying Whether She'll Stick Around After Giving Up Gavel
Trending Stories
- 1Call for Nominations: Elite Trial Lawyers 2025
- 2Senate Judiciary Dems Release Report on Supreme Court Ethics
- 3Senate Confirms Last 2 of Biden's California Judicial Nominees
- 4Morrison & Foerster Doles Out Year-End and Special Bonuses, Raises Base Compensation for Associates
- 5Tom Girardi to Surrender to Federal Authorities on Jan. 7
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250