The Fever – Fundraiser

“Local actor David Shapiro performs a monologue by writer-actor Wallace Shawn (“My Dinner with Andre”) about a man from a privileged, elitist background who gains awareness of his participation in societal imbalances” – Metromix.com

From the Producer – “When actor David Shapiro introduced THE FEVER to Chicago in 1995, Wallace Shawn said, “I wish I could have done it this way, but I didn’t know how.”

From an article on THE FEVER in American Theatre, September, 1997:

“Recalling the onset of illness in a Third World hotel bathroom, the narrator tells about his privileged childhood, his elitist adulthood, and his gradual realization that he must share responsibility for his society’s immorality. The contrasts between poverty and privilege, between torture and tenderness, between injustice and indulgence don’t torment the speaker so much as his sudden awareness that each moment of his pleasure is purchased at the price of someone else’s pain. Shawn’s insistent questions-without the slightest taint of narcissism or self-righteousness-reduce moral issues to their essence, the way they affect our lives. Why do we believe this? Why do we behave this way? You can react to Shawn’s play in one of two ways-you can get angry, or you can reevaluate your life.”