Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "An Arsenal for Democracy"

Join us at Bernardsville Public Library on Tuesday, March 27 at 7:00 pm for "Franklin Delano Roosevelt: An Arsenal for Democracy," an exciting first person interpretation by actor Neill Hartley.

The date is December 29, 1940. Franklin Delano Roosevelt has just been re-elected to an unprecedented third term in office. But the world is in a crisis. Nazi Germany has blazed the path of destruction across Europe, and America may soon be drawn into war. Watch this famous moment come to life, as you meet with the President just prior to his delivery of the famous “Arsenal of Democracy” speech. Learn what President Roosevelt was thinking and listen to his plea for the support of our Allies. You will experience first-hand the history that shaped our nation!

Neill Hartley is Franklin Delano Roosevelt in this fully staged historical presentation that will entertain and educate audiences from school age to adult. Following the presentation, there will be time for comments and questions for the one of the most influential presidents of all time.

Actor, director, spokesperson and teacher, Neill Hartley earned a Master of Fine Arts from Temple University in Acting and was a faculty member there 1989-2000. Since 1994, he has been teaching Speech & Voice at the University of the Arts and is a speech and dialect coach for several professional theaters. As an actor he has performed with Arden Theater, InterAct Theatre, and the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, among others. Mr. Hartley won a Barrymore Award for Ensemble for 1812 Productions’ Batboy, The Musical. He is also a busy director for theaters which include Philadelphia Young Playwrights, University of the Arts, University of Pennsylvania, Arcadia University, Isis Productions, the Brick Theater and the Luna Theater. He is the Artistic Director of Acting Without Boundaries, which provides large-scale musical opportunities for physically-disabled teens and young adults. Mr. Hartley also works in commercials, and feature films and is a member of AFTRA/SAG/CORE. Venues which have produced his one-man shows include the Tweeter Center, Academy of Music, Act II Playhouse, Walnut Street Theater Studio 3, Congress Hall, Smithsonian Institution, and the American Glider Council.

This program is funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.