WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Tony Award-winning Broadway producer’s inspiration for her latest work came from something of an unexpected source. Fran Kirmser, famous for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Hair,” was watching C-SPAN when an idea hit her.
Why not stage a script that comes directly from our government officials’ mouths? Suggesting that Wyoming schools have guns to “protect from potential grizzlies” is pretty good drama in itself, after all.
Kirmser set off to present a dramatic take on C-SPAN’s mission: inform the public on what was said without any influence. Her latest presentation focused on the confirmation hearing of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Kirmser and co-producer Chris Burney put on the play “The Confirmation Hearing for the Secretary of Education” on Monday as a part of “American Scorecard,” a series of dramatic readings by actors of congressional transcripts.
“We often hear of politics referred to as theater,” Kirmser said, according to the Washington Post. “Why not use the platform of theater…to get to know the issues on the table and how government works?”
The production, which was on Monday at Washington’s Arena Stage, lasted about an hour—cut down from the three-plus hour confirmation hearing DeVos endured. They gave about equal time to Republicans’ and Democrats’ scripts.
“We work really hard to make it so it’s not a cartoon or lampoon, but so that everyone who’s involved and every voice that’s heard is respected, so hopefully then people can find what do we share in common,” said Burney.
“This is what was spoken, these are the words that were spoken, now that you know what the facts are, how do you engage with them?” Burney said of the production, the Associated Press reports.
Cellphones were not allowed in the theater, so “you’re not isolated in front of a screen,” Kirmser said. “The beauty of that is that you’re just getting the words and the voices and the language of our leaders without a slant or an opinion or a staged interpretation.”
See all of the American Scoreboard productions here.
C-SPAN spokesman Howard Mortman said his channel was flattered, according to the Post. “This is the first theater production I know of inspired by our coverage of congressional hearings. What a unique application of C-SPAN,” he said. “That’s exactly what we’re there for — put people in the room and let them think for themselves.”
In perhaps the most comedically cringeworthy exchange of the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine asked DeVos to specify whether she supports equal accountability standards for all schools that receive federal funding. Here’s the transcript via NPR.
Kaine: “But I’m really interested in this, should everybody be on a level playing field? So public, charter or private K-12 schools, if they receive taxpayer funding, they should meet the same accountability standards?”
DeVos: “Yes, they should be very transparent with the information. And parents should have that information first and foremost.”
Kaine: “And, if confirmed, will you insist upon that equal accountability in any K-12 school or educational program that receives federal funding whether public, public charter or private?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Equal accountability for all schools that receive federal funding.”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Okay, is that a yes or a no?”
DeVos: “That’s a, ‘I support accountability.’ “
Kaine: “Do you not want to answer my question?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
After the hearing, DeVos nearly didn’t get the job. Half of the Senate—including two Republicans—voted against her. Vice President Mike Pence had to make the tie-breaking vote, ushering in DeVos to the position.
See the full hearing on C-SPAN:
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Top photo: Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Secretary of Education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill January 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. DeVos is known for her advocacy of school choice and education voucher programs and is a longtime leader of the Republican Party in Michigan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)