Letter from John C. Picardi,  the Playright of "The Sweepers"

Dear Italian American Friend: 

      My name is John C. Picardi I am an Italian American playwright and my play 
The Sweepers was recently produced off-Broadway this spring by Urban Stages, 
a theater company established 18 years ago. Because The Sweepers has received 
such positive critical acclaim by the NY Times and by popular demand, Urban 
Stages founder and Artistic Director Frances Hill has decided to mount the 
play again this autumn. We feel this is a great victory for Italian American 
theater. The Play will be opening in October around the 19th and closing 
sometime in December.

      I am asking all Italian American Groups to please come support positive 
images of hard working Italian Americans. Since the popularity of the TV show 
The Sopranos, sadly, more shows of that nature are being produced and it is 
up to us to change these images and work together in showing society the 
truth of who we are as people. We need to support one another! 

      Urban Stages wants to organize Italian American groups to come to this play 
and would like to plan this event with you as soon as possible. If you like, 
I will make myself available to speak to your group after the show. We can 
also arrange for a small wine and cheese cocktail hour before the show in the 
theaters lobby and rehearsal space.

      The Sweepers, was critically acclaimed by the New York Times, America Oggi 
and other newspapers. This play takes place in the last months of World War 
II and revolves around three Italian American women in Boston's North End. 
The Sweepers: gives focus to the changes in America brought on by the end of 
the war, and highlights the struggles of Italian-American: their roles in the 
family, their sexual oppression and the class conflicts they endured in 
multicultural cities.

       I am currently working on a cycle plays series of ten plays, one for 
each decade in the 20th century that will focus on the Italian American 
experience. The Sweepers is the first in that series representing the 1940’s. 
Each play will encompass a larger political issue that ultimately affects the 
small insular world of an Italian neighborhood or family. The settings for 
the plays will be in different social class stratums.

       The purpose of these plays is to help transform the negative images of 
Italian American people generated by the 20th century media into positive 
images for the 21st century. My goal is to portray Italian Americans as hard 
working citizens who have contributed to the growth of this country 
throughout the 20th century. I want to demonstrate, through drama, that we 
are people with strong moral, religious, and family values, and that we are a 
people who love this country and continue to support it despite the negative 
media condemnations and negative preconceived notions of our wonderful 
heritage. 

      To let people know this truth about the Italian American experience is the 
most gratifying experience for me and I hope for you as well. I want to hear 
your experiences as well.

Please call Frances Hill at 212-421-1380 to discuss group rates or ideas, if
Frances is unavailable you may call me personally or e-mail me, my number is
617-479-8332 or JohnnyPicardi@aol.com   

If you have any ideas about getting Italian Americans to come see this show 
please share. 

John C. Picardi
===========================================
Review of The Sweepers"
By James J. Periconi, JD via H-ITAM 
 -------------- 
I saw "SWEEPERS" last night. It is playing only through Saturday, tomorrow,  
May 18 (Urban Stages Theatre, New York City) and was extended once or twice. 
For portrayal of Italian American sensibility of its time - the end of World  
War II - it was superb.  Sensitively wrought characters and terrific acting. 
I spoke with John Picardi, the playwright, who was in the audience, during  
the intermission.  He intends this to be the first of a series of plays, a la August  
Wilson for the African American community, each reflecting IA sensibility  
during various post WWII decades.  If The Sweepers is typical of what he can  
do, we are all in for a treat.   

The audience, by the way, seemed equally non-IA and IA, which is just right,  
because both the rest of the world and we ourselves all need to be educated or 
reminded of the complex sensibility of IAs.  I hope The Sweepers can get 
produced again at some time in the near future. 

[Any Theatrical Impressarios in Chicago, San Francisco, etc, interested??] 

(The artistic director thanked the Calandra Institute for its assistance 
on historical research.)