ABSTRACT
Zelda fulfills a lifelong dream when she travels with Arena Stage to the Soviet Union and presents rapturously received productions of Our Town, directed by Alan Schneider, and Inherit the Wind which she directs herself. In Moscow, the entire Arena company is feted by members of the Sovremenik Theatre in a party that lasts until 2 a.m. In Leningrad, Zelda is toasted for her “high artistic aims,” and responds by expressing her happiness in being able to speak without self-consciousness about her belief that theater has the potential to change people’s lives. Although young company actor Dianne Wiest gets herself and Arena in trouble when she smuggles a microfilm given to her by persecuted Soviet Jews back into the US, the trip overall is a resounding success. Narrators include Dianne Wiest, Wendell Wright, and Terrence Currier.
