The WNET Group Presents World War I Docu-Musical All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 from Theater Latté Da This Holiday Season on PBS
Premieres nationwide beginning November 27 on PBS (check local listings)
Streams beginning December 15 at pbs.org and the PBS Video app
NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence comes a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man's Land singing "Stille Nacht," thus, beginning an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music and peace. A remarkable true story told in the words of the men who lived it, the new docu-musical All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 relives the moment when Allied and German soldiers laid down their arms to celebrate the holiday together during World War I. The WNET Group presents All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, premiering nationwide beginning Friday, November 27 on PBS (check local listings). The special will be available to stream beginning Tuesday, December 15 at pbs.org and the PBS Video app. In the New York metro area, All Is Calm premieres Sunday, December 20 at 12 p.m. on THIRTEEN.
Created by Theater Latté Da's Founding Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, All Is Calm is a hybrid of documentary theater, weaving a capella period songs and firsthand quotes and letters from 30 World War I figures brought to life by 10 actors. Through a partnership with Laura Little Productions and Theater Latté Da, All Is Calm was filmed on location at The Ritz Theater, home of Theater Latté Da in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The production features WWI patriotic tunes, trench songs, medieval ballads and Christmas carols from England, Wales, France, Belgium and Germany, with musical arrangements and vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach.
"All Is Calm beautifully captures an overlooked moment in World War I history," said Diane Masciale, Vice President & General Manager of WLIW21 and Executive Producer of Local Productions for The WNET Group. "We are pleased to bring this inspiring story of peace from Theater Latté Da into homes across the country this holiday season."
"As our world continues to reel from unprecedented disruption and division, examples of our shared humanity are more important than ever," said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "All Is Calm is a healing reminder that even in our darkest times, there is more that brings us together than sets us apart."
"For decades the Christmas Truce was considered fiction, a romantic fable. I wanted to give legitimate voice to this remarkable moment that had been denied its rightful place in history. It is beyond gratifying to see the story of these heroic men, told in their own words, reach new audiences across the country," shares All Is Calm writer and director Peter Rothstein.
Rothstein conducted research for two years to develop the production. Since premiering in a live broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio on December 21, 2007, All Is Calm has enjoyed global success and critical acclaim, winning the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for its off-Broadway run.
All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 is a Theater Latté Da production in association with WNET. Written and directed by Peter Rothstein. Vocal arrangements and music direction by Erick Lichte. Additional vocal arrangements by Timothy C. Takach. Produced by Theater Latté Da. Directed for television by W. J. Lazerus. Laura Little and W. J. Lazerus are executive producers.
Original production funding for All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
About Theater Latté Da
Theater Latté Da is an award-winning Twin Cities-based musical theater company that combines music and story to illuminate the breadth and depth of the human experience. The company creates new and impactful connections between story, music, artist, and audience—exploring and expanding the art of musical theater. www.latteda.org
About WNET
WNET is America's flagship PBS station: parent company of New York's THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its new ALL ARTS multi-platform initiative, its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each month. WNET produces and presents a wide range of acclaimed PBS series, including Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, and the nightly interview program Amanpour and Company. In addition, WNET produces numerous documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings, as well as multi-platform initiatives addressing poverty and climate. Through THIRTEEN Passport and WLIW Passport, station members can stream new and archival THIRTEEN, WLIW and PBS programming anytime, anywhere.
SOURCE THIRTEEN/WNET New York
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