Bleeding Green
THU 4/8
Anthony Swofford was one of the few.
There’s a legend that the nickname “Jarhead” was coined after the Mason Jar Company stopped making jars to make helmets for Marines in World War II. That’s a negative. Author Anthony Swofford traces the term to the high and tight haircuts that make Marines’ heads look like jars. Swofford should know; he spent the first Gulf War as a scout and sniper. Swofford’s book recounting his experiences, Jarhead, was an international best seller — the first four pages of the paperback edition are crammed with praise for Swofford’s honest account of the torrid life of an infantryman. For the most part, Swofford writes, the life isn’t about glory but rather about maintaining sanity for the civilian afterlife.
Gulf War II is no different. Thousands of young men are going to be struggling with personal battles that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Jarhead offers a deeply personal account of how war affects its participants. Swofford reads from his Gulf War memoir at 7 p.m. Thursday at Rockhurst University’s Mabee Theatre in Sedgwick Hall, 1100 Rockhurst Road. Admission is free. For details, call 816-501-4895. — By Luke Echterling
Streets Smarts
A senior project develops into a benefit play.
SAT 4/10
For his senior thesis, Avila University theater student Jeremy Lillig interviewed about 75 homeless people in and around Kansas City. The resulting play, Whispers From the Streets, will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Westport Coffee House (4010 Pennsylvania) as a benefit for the Holy Family Catholic Worker House. Lillig says his research lent itself to composite characters: a working mother of four who frequents soup kitchens; a repeat offender who lives by the adage “I’d rather be in jail, because at least I have a roof over my head”; and two characters who represent what the playwright calls “apathetic society.”
Lillig, who calls his new group “The Social Theatre,” says future projects will address issues such as the Patriot Act in a liberal and humanitarian way. For tickets, which are $10, call 816-756-3222 or e-mail socialtheatre@hotmail.com. — Steve Walker
Talk On
KCMO 710 is looking for
big mouths.
SAT 4/10
If yelling at the idiots on the radio is how you spend your drive time, just like us, you might be the future winner of KCMO 710’s Talk Radio Idol. This Saturday at Crown Center (2450 Grand), blabbermouths and know-it-alls will be lining up to win a two-hour guest seat on the George Woods Show and $1,000. With a lineup that includes Dr. Laura and Sean Hannity, you probably don’t have to be smart or logical to win, just able to form pleasing syllables related to the news, entertainment or your own life. Participants can sign up at www.710kcmo.com until April 9; the contest runs from noon to 2 p.m. Call 816-274-8444 for more information. — Christopher Sebela
Good Karma
THU 4/8
Kansas City artist, educator and writer Hugh Merrill presents a lecture and performance about his recent community artwork endeavors. The presentation, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Chameleon Arts and Youth Development (2025 Tracy, 816-221-7529), where Merrill is director, includes readings and videos from his community projects in Columbia, Roeland Park and Guatemala. Merrill’s studio will be open before the lecture. — Annie Fischer
