SOMERS POINT – Stage Company, the Jersey Shore’s original theater company, will produce “The Missileman of Peenemünde,” written and directed by SPQR’s Artistic Director Bill Sterritt, Nov. 14-15 and 21-22, at Studio;Space, 112 Woodland Ave. across from The Crab Trap.
“The Missileman of Peenemünde” refers to the life and career of German American aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun, who early in his career worked in Nazi Germany’s rocket development program. He was the lead engineer responsible for the development of the V-2 rocket at the Nazi research center in Peenemünde during World War II and oversaw a project that was synonymous with both technological advancement and incredible human suffering. The German town of Peenemünde, where von Braun helped develop the V-2 – the world’s first long-range ballistic missile also known as a Nazi “vengeance weapon” – exemplifies the complicated and sometimes brutal history behind technological progress.
Following the war, von Braun played a pivotal role in the U.S. space program. He is seen by many to have escaped justice for his knowledge of Nazi war crimes, based solely on the desire of the U.S. to beat the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Sometimes dubbed the “father of space travel,” toward the end of his life von Braun advocated for a mission to Mars.
“This true-life story captivated me,” said Sterritt, who refers to his play as “Lord of the Rings” meets the Space Age. “It encapsulates the enormous amount of drama that one man’s life can hold – scientific ingenuity and creativity, living within a world war, life and death decisions, and, potentially, getting away with murder due to a nation’s greed and desire to triumph over another country. Von Braun wrestles with the good that his inventions will do for mankind and the destruction that they will cause to men.”
NYC-based actor Jacob Trnka plays the historical “Missileman” von Braun, who represents the complexities of technological progress during an historical moment in the early days of space exploration. Meredith Bishop, a graduate of Rider University’s BFA acting program, performed in SPQR’s “Freezing Antarctica,” “Derby Day” and “New Works.” She portrays the rocket’s pin-up girl who comes to life, symbolizing von Braun’s dream of space exploration. Vincent John trained at the Actors Studio in NYC and plays the doctor who seeks to stimulate von Braun’s conscience, and Michael A. Green, who studied at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Croatia, plays von Braun’s rocket team colleague Thiel who is obsessed with German folklore and von Braun’s place in it.
“The Missileman of Peenemünde” runs for 1 hour. Performances will be held 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 14, 15, 21, and 22, and 2 p.m. matinees Saturdays, Nov. 15 and 22.
Tickets are $20 at the door or at Eventbrite.com. For reservations, email [email protected].
