Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament

backtalk Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament Florence Falk On April 5, 1982, Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament (P.A.N.D.) held its inaugural meeting at Symphony Space, New York. The timing for this new organization was obviously right, since the 900-odd seat house was filled to capacity and another 1500 people had to be turned away. P.A.N.D.'s members include all those who make the performing arts happen : musicians, dancers, and actors; playwrights, composers, screenwriters , and choreographers; producers and directors; designers, critics, technicians, and administrators-united in an effort to bring about worldwide nuclear disarmament. P.A.N.D. is one of the many grassroots constituencies that have formed during these last months in response to the Reagan administration's progressively harder sell for First Strike capability and "limited" nuclear war, and to the nonchalance, even cavalier, way it shrugs off the threat of extinction . In the words of Thomas K. Jones, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Theatre Nuclear Forces, whose enthusiasm for a new approach to civil defense knows no bounds, "Dig a hole, cover it with a couple of doors, and then throw three feet of dirt on top. Everyone's going to make it if there are enough shovels to go around." Like many other groups, and unlike the more generalized grassroots mobilization in the sixties, P.A.N.D. has organized itself according to its professional skills and talents. It is a coalition of every category of performance -dance, film, theatre, video, music-each category in service to the whole, and the whole to each of its parts. P.A.N.D. includes the famous, near-famous, and not-so-famous; the unemployed, underemployed, and 110 over-employed; off-off Broadway, Hollywood, and everything in between. In effect it seeks political strength through unity and summons its powers of persuasion through performance. P.A.N.D. thus endorses a broad spectrum of political responses to the disarmament issue (everything from writing letters to members of Congress, to appearing on talk shows, to engaging in non-violent civil disobedience actions), but at the same time recognizes that its unique offering is to work through performance. Laying the foundation was stage one. Stage two began with the inaugural membership meeting and the call for members to choose from a wide range of performance options. P.A.N.D.'s immediate task is to support the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament (June, 1982) and to work for the National Freeze Campaign. Activities related to the Special Session include a children's rally for disarmament-"Future Generations"-dance performances at P.S. 122 and The Kitchen, a Festival for Life (indoor/outdoor theatre, dance, film), Disarmament Nights (all performance spaces dedicating their current event to disarmament and announcing the Special Session), Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and accompanying TV show "Let Your Voice Be Heard," and many more. Longer term goals include setting up a performance/speakers' bureau, educational workshops for performing artists, a cross-country film-theatredance caravan, third-world community outreach programs, and a newsletter with events listings, up-to-date news, referrals, and contacts. P.A.N.D. is meant to be local, national, and international. Anyone interested should write to: P.A.N.D., P.O. Box 775, Cooper Station, New York, N.Y. 10276, or call (212) 477-0822. Florence Falk, director, actress, and critic, is the President of P.A.N.D. 111 ...