World War I took place from 1914 to 1918 but the possibility of peace was evident in moments, including Christmas Eve 1914 when troops in the Western Front halted fighting.
“All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914? from Nov. 10 to 13 at Beverly Arts Center in Chicago shares the true story of British and German soldiers taking part in what is described as a night of camaraderie, music and peace.
“The content of the story is just so beautiful to remind us all of peace,” said Anthony Whitson-Martini, director of “All Is Calm.”
“(With) this omnipresent conflict that’s going on in the world, you could do this every year and it will be relevant toward something that is going on either nationally or internationally but also the prevalent veteran community that is in the different communities in the South Side.
“(It’s) just paying tribute to those who have dedicated their lives in different years of service to the Armed Forces as well as showing how the arts and military communities can join forces in order to tell a beautiful story.”
Whitson-Martini, who is among the ensemble of 10 singing actors for this production, is familiar with “All Is Calm” after performing in three other productions of the show including a 2017 collaboration by San Diego Opera, Bodhi Tree Concerts and the choral group Sacra/Profana.
“The soldiers related to one another with the universal language of music. They sing carols together on Christmas on the front lines and regardless of what language is spoken they were able to recognize that they had these shared experiences,” said Whitson-Martini of Chicago’s North Center community.
“They had shared religion. They had shared family values. They had shared music that they were able to connect on through Christmas carols and other traditional songs so it’s a beautiful story about how peace is at our fingertips.
“It shows also the glorification and the romanticism of war and how easy it is to fall into the pomp and circumstance of wanting to join, and it does show the grim reality as well. It revolves around peace and our ability to try and persist on maintaining peace.”
“All Is Calm,” which features musical direction by Jeff Otto, includes performers from Arlington Heights, Chicago’s Beverly community, Lemont, New Lenox, Oak Park, Tinley Park, Worth and Porter, Indiana.
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“It’s a very intimate production because it’s a cappella so there’s no orchestra. There’s no accompaniment to sustain the show. It shows how reliable the cast members are in the storytelling because they are the underscoring. They are the voices that tell the story,” Whitson-Martini said.
“It’s not to dramatize the sensation of war. It’s to tell the honest story of it and asking the actors to read these real letters, these words that were written by real people out loud in order to maintain how tangible war is. It doesn’t just come and go. It’s not something that’s just in the past.
“These people existed and their words still live on although the people aren’t with us anymore. The cast does an incredible job at juggling being the storytellers and the soldiers themselves — these real-life people that they are bringing back to life onstage with robust singing.”
“All Is Calm” by Peter Rothstein is being staged during Veterans Day weekend, when the traveling art exhibition “Portrait of a Soldier” by Cameron Schilling of Mattoon is displayed at Beverly Arts Center.
The exhibit, which was established by then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn in 2004, recently was in residence at Chicago Public Library’s Mount Greenwood Branch and features graphite portraits of fallen service members who have been killed since the Sept. 11 attacks.
“We want to thank those who gave their lives in service and time and energy toward protecting our country and who are ultimately striving to maintain peace,” said Whitson-Martini, who is also the education manager of school partnerships for Beverly Arts Center.
“All Is Calm” is the second production of the venue’s six-show 2022-23 Bold Voices theater season, which includes the December return of “The Christmas Schooner” and the June 2023 production of “Five Guys Named Moe” codirected by Tony Award nominee Felicia P. Fields of Blue Island and E. Faye Butler.
A six-ticket season subscription flex pass is available for $192 and can be used for one show or spread out across the season.
‘All Is Calm’
When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10-12; 3 p.m. Nov. 12; 2 p.m. Nov. 13
Where: 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago
Tickets: $36-$40
Information: 773-445-3838; thebeverlyartscenter.com
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.