2015 is kicking off in grand style.
Allen Barton’s new play opens on 24 January, the evening before the premiere of Alex Gibney’s documentary at Sundance.
Anyone who does not know Allen, he is a highly acclaimed playwright (I include at the end of this posting some of the many kudos for his last play).
You may recognize his name from this story on Tony Ortega’s blog about Mario Fenninger.
Allen has translated his experience into a new play which promises to be a tour de force.
This is what Allen has to say about it:
DISCONNECTION was inspired directly by my experience with Scientology and its notorious policy of the same name. I was involved with Scientology between 1994-2001 – I found it interesting. I wasn’t brought up with any specific belief system regarding religion, and many of my friends and my mentor at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, Milton Katselas, were themselves Scientologists. I was simply curious. I found nothing objectionable for much of that time – I was treated well, I became something of a ‘celebrity’ for them as I acted in many of their in-house films, and they had a great piano in the lobby of Celebrity Centre that I enjoyed playing.
Toward the end of my time there, I found myself bumping up against “disconnection policy,” whereby Scientologists must renounce their affiliation with those who are deemed to have gone against tenets of the Church or spoken out against it. I had heard about it, even studied some of the references regarding it, but only when I was asked to participate in implementing this odious policy did I finally wake up and decide the whole joint wasn’t really for me. I stepped away quietly.
Subsequently, in 2003-2004, the disconnection policy was applied to Milton himself, by almost all of his Scientologist students and staff, when they decided that he didn’t make the grade in terms of cheerleading for Scientology, nor in how he lived his personal life. I was at ground zero of this seismic shift in his life and the life of the BHP, and was reviled by behavior on display. Still, I remained quiet, as Milton remained true to his personal friendship with Hubbard from the 1960s, and I didn’t think it productive for me, as CEO of the BHP, to make a fuss while he was trying to maintain or even rehabilitate his relationships there.
After Milton died in 2008, I felt more free to speak out. By then I had not only assumed ownership over the BHP as a whole, but I had started reading the numerous books that have been written by former members and staff members of the Church, some of whom I had known personally, and was increasingly shocked and dismayed by the revelations therein. When Lawrence Wright was researching his book “Going Clear,” he asked to interview me about Milton’s journey in the Church and the disconnection that was applied to him, and I granted the interview, which is in the book. This earned me my own “Suppressive Person Declare,” which means that other Scientologists had to disconnect from me for having spoken out against the Church.
Among those who did, albeit unwillingly, was a man named Mario Feninger. Since 1999 or so, I had been a piano student of Mario, a wonderful, sweet guy, gifted teacher, and longtime Scientologist, who was responsible for a huge growth in me as a pianist in my time with him. But in 2013, after I was “declared,” the Church stepped in and ordered him to disconnect from me, and the journey that led me from Curiosity to Disdain finally reached its terminus at Anger. How dare they interfere with the relationship between an elderly teacher and his student? It was beyond the pale. And thus the story for DISCONNECTION came to me.
While the play is based very much on these real events and my real experiences and the research I have done, ultimately it is not about Scientology per se. The word isn’t mentioned in the play, nor is the name “L. Ron Hubbard.” This is because Scientology is just one of many, many controlled-thought systems that have taken hold throughout history, and I wanted the play to be a metaphor for all those systems, and an indictment not just of Scientology’s disconnection policy, but of all of its ancestors, and hopefully, its progeny too.
Allen Barton
Here is the press release that has been sent out about Disconnection.
Skylight Theatre Company kicks off its 2015 SEASON
with the WORLD PREMIERE of
DISCONNECTION
Written by Allen Barton and Directed by Joel Polis
Opening January 24, 2015
8:30pm Fridays, 8pm Saturdays, 7pm Sundays thru March 1st at
Beverly Hills Playhouse
254 South Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills 90211
Los Angeles, CA – To launch its 2015 Season, Skylight Theatre Company, LA’s intimate theater with the most 2014 Ovation awards, is opening with noted playwright Allen Barton’s (Years To The Day – critically acclaimed with extended runs in LA/NY/Edinburgh) newest work, DISCONNECTION.
Based on true events and today’s headlines, DISCONNECTION is a provocative, powerful indictment of contemporary religious intrusion into personal relationships. Four lives collide: A successful lawyer, his piano teacher and his estranged daughter all confront the dark side of dedication to a Church whose aged founder faces the end of his life in isolation and regret.
“DISCONNECTION was inspired directly by my experience with Scientology and its notorious policy of the same name, whereby members must renounce their affiliation with anyone deemed to have gone against tenets of the Church. After watching this odious policy affect the life of Milton Katselas, my mentor at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and then experiencing its interference in my own relationship with my cherished piano teacher, I was compelled to write this story. Scientology is just one of many controlled-thought systems that have taken hold to varying degrees throughout history, but the play is designed to be a metaphor for all those systems – not just an indictment of Scientology’s disconnection policy, but of all of its ancestors, and hopefully, its progeny as well.” – Allen Barton (Playwright)
DISCONNECTION opens at 8pm on January 24th at the Beverly Hills Playhouse 254 South Robertson Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Performances are at 8:30pm Fridays, 8pm Saturdays, 7pm Sundays thru March 1st. Tickets are $30/34. For reservations call 213-761-7061 or online at http://skylighttix.com
ALLEN BARTON (Playwright) is a Los Angeles-based writer-director and classical pianist. Last season’s Years To The Day attained international critical acclaim after an extended run at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Allen has written & directed five short films, and his first feature screenplay, REAL MUSIC, was a top-three finalist in the CAPE New Writers Award Competition. He is author of several one-act plays and has earned numerous stage, TV, and film credits as an actor. As a pianist, Allen performed Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” at the 25th Annual S.T.A.G.E. fundraiser (Wilshire Theatre), was a prizewinner in the 2002 Los Angeles Liszt Society Competition, and has recorded five CD’s (available on iTunes). In 2010 he was made a Steinway Artist. A graduate of Harvard University, his selected directing credits include Speed-the-Plow, Oleanna, The Heidi Chronicles, Engagement (writer), The Interview, The Real Thing, Rabbit Hole, The Last Five Years, and in addition he is the owner and principal teacher at the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school.
JOEL POLIS (Director) most recently directed Allen Barton’s Years To The Day, and Lynn Manning’s Sympathy for the Devil for the Skylight Theatre Company. Before that, Joel directed the world premiere of Kathy Graf’s highly acclaimed award winning drama Hermetically Sealed (starring Gigi Bermingham) at the Skylight. Selected directing credits include Jerry Lambert’s Straight Time at the Odyssey and Joe Bay’s Last Fling at the Hayworth. An actor-turned director, Joel has over 100 TV and movie credits as well as scores of plays on his resume, most recently Kathy Graf’s The Snake Can at the Odyssey Theatre. He is a graduate of Yale Drama School and USC’s School of Theater.
THE SKYLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY develops and produces new, exhilarating works while nurturing and educating the writers who create them. A vibrant and expanding family of artists giving voice to original perspectives of today’s world, Skylight won 4 Ovation Awards in 2014 for The Wrong Man and Pray To Ball (the most of any intimate theatre in LA) while last year LA Weekly named their productions of Years To The Day, Open House and Sexsting to their Top Ten Plays list of 2013. Skylight’s first year as a company dedicated to developing new plays was 2011, their production of Hermetically Sealed made the LA Times annual list of Top Ten Plays, and Mad Woman moved from Los Angeles to La MaMa in New York. Since then plays developed by Skylight have played Chicago, New York, Edinburgh, Paris and local venues. Twitter: @SkylightThtr, Facebook: Skylight Theatre Company, Instagram: SkylightTheatre
Production Team:
GARY GROSSMAN (Producer/Artistic Director) started his career in New York owning two theaters and a theatrical lighting company by the age of 23. Gary worked at the Public Theatre, Café La Mama, and Sheraton Square Playhouse before traveling West in the 70’s to join up with the emerging theatre moment in Los Angeles. He has produced over 300 stage plays, including more than 50 world pre- mieres. Among his celebrated productions are Years to the Day, Wrong Man, Bulrusher, Hermetically Sealed, Sexsting, Mad Women (Best Solo Performance), Romeo and Juliet directed by Milton Katselas (3 LADCC Awards), Dylan (3 LADCC Awards), Influence, Dream Man, Lone Star, Balm in Gilead, Visions and Lovers, Rabbit Hole, Beautified and La Ronde De Lunch. In addition to his work for Skylight Theatre Company, Gary produced at The Cast Theatre, Director’s Theatre and co-produced The Home-Coming, Endgame, and The Seagull for the Matrix Theatre Company. For television he created and co-produced “Sadie and Son” (CBS- MOW) and the sitcom pilot “Man in the Kitchen” (ABC). He is the Executive Producer for award-winning director Chuck Workman’s documentary, “The Actor’s Life.” Gary most recently directed Quarantine for STC’s LAbWorks.
Cast includes: Luke Cook, Bo Foxworth*, Rob Hughes, Jay Huguley,* Dennis Nollette, Carter Scott, and Everette Wallin
* Denotes double cast
Here is a bit of information about the last play this same team put together:
Anyone fortunate enough to be in the LA area during its run should make the effort to support Allen’s art.
As always, the uncaring, heavy-handed actions of the “church” reap their own rewards.
“There is something wrong here.”
I hope a Hollywood movie producer goes to see it and decides it should be a major motion picture. That’s my postulate! Maybe enough embarrassment over this subject (DISCONNECTION) will make some changes or get more persons to think about this horrible practice.
I could rant for hours on this subject, having been through it with my son, whom I successfully got back into communication with me. I started a group called MOMS AGAINST DISCONNECTION (MAD) and the slogan was “And yes, we’re MAD about it! (Disconnection). I consulted a world class attorney and threatened lawsuit, and was very loud and vocal about it! I wrote an open letter to David Miscavige and sent it to his personal attorney, the same one who declared, along with Tommy Davis on CNN, “There is no policy of Disconnection”. A relatively short time later the CJC at Flag, whom I had come to know very well, declared my son Type B (connected to someone threatening suit) and that was the end of that (the disconnection)!!!!!
I also sent e-mails to CJC Flag and other officials in the Church indicating that if they didn’t stop giving my son wrong indications, they would soon have another Lisa McPherson on their hands, as he would get in trouble every time he disconnected from me, within three or so days. The last time it happened he got beaten by police within an inch of his life and ended up in a psychiatric hospital for ten days, which event became known to me through Facebook. So, when I made it very clear that the Church’s wrong indications would end up with another dead person, with the implication of another wrongful death lawsuit, the Type B was issued quickly and a many-year disconnection was terminated.
My son is now happy, doing well, living in a home he rents, has a dog, goes fishing and hunting, and has had no incidents since the Church quit enforcing disconnection on him.
There can be a happy ending to disconnection, but only if the person is reunited with loved ones, and gets back into communication with those whom he or she was forced to sever relationships.
I have only related some of the high points, but I can say I was never so miserable as when I was disconnected from my son. I have so much gratitude for being able to communicate with him now, and so much gratitude for all the help and support I got from Independent Scientologists!
Although I live in Texas, I plan to see the play in Hollywood, no matter what I have to do to attend! My hat is off to Allen Barton and his creative courage to tell this story I have often said the only things to which the Church pays attention are legal threats, lawsuits, and bad publicity! Bad PR! This is where the attention and the money and the action goes, after the real estate gets purchased!
Thank you Allen Barton! Hope you will consider writing a full length feature film screenplay called DISCONNECTION!
The C of S puts out these really warm fuzzy feel good videos painting itself as an ultra hip religion when in truth the ugly practice of disconnection plays out like invasion of the body snatchers. Wolf/sheep’s clothing. Utterly despicable, I think this slow death process we are all witnessing in the cult is so richly deserved, after all they took so much from so many for so long.
Doug, let’s change that postulate to a “fast death process” of the church.
I wish I lived in LA!
It’s wonderful that more and more people are expressing themselves and describing their unique experiences in Scientology. An artist, of Allen’s caliber, can only bring more understanding and compassion for those that are suffering. I have 4 friends who display an ache in their hearts, that is visible and palpable, that need help to recover their loved ones and their lives. I applaud this effort, will attend and write to about my experience.
There goes the Beverly Hills Playhouse for Scientology.
Their tentacles are disappearing.
Alanzo
Sounds like a fantastic play. Hope it comes to Broadway!
Broadway
At the theater opposite the Idle Morgue…..perfect!
I came to know Mario through a friend in Ojai. Mario would spend the weekend and hold recitals for those who wanted to come. He is a sweet, gentle man with a heart of gold who was in high demand, especially in Europe. But when we spoke his tour had been cancelled because of his connection to LRH and/or Scientology. This was at a time when Mario really needed the income but there was a choice to be made and he chose to stay loyal to LRH. Now, understand…Mario is no ordinary piano player. He is a world class artist who brings tears to the eyes when he plays. He absolutely plays at the level of the best – such as Liberace. In my humble opinion, the COS has been incredibly detrimental to his career. We will support the cause by attending the play, hopefully on opening night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP5Sgin0U8g
It sure sounds cathartic.
I am very much looking forward to Mr. Barton’s play. While on OT V, I met Milton at AOLA one day and complained to him that I had not been accepted into one of his classes. He said he would remedy the situation, but jokingly warned that he “evaluated” a lot. I never did go, but I was good friends with many of his students, Scientologists and non-Scientologists alike. All respected him as a formidable teacher and a true artist. How he was treated by the church and others including the Scientologists in his classes was despicable and shameful. I knew Mario F to be a man of old world charm, of great sensitivity eclectic in his tastes, and a wonderful artist, We had many conversation about a variety of subjects when we would see each other at CC Int or at Flag. He had many fascinating stories to tell. A number of parishioners in the church supported him financially and no doubt continue to do so. Both Milton and Mario are examples of the horrible influence the church has. Milton ostracized, and Mario forced to disconnect from a student, most likely in fear that if he didn’t, he himself would be deserted. Mr Barton, shine your light very brightly onto a system of manipulation and control, which under the guise of truth, brings heartache and despair. I will be at your play with bells on.
Michael — your post brought tears to my eyes. And your bit about Milton … “I can be very evaluative” sounds classic Milton.
If I didn’t live on the opposite coast — I would attend and \ often.
I have friends who are going … non-scios who I’ve been talking to about scn for the past few years.
I hope there ARE some “under the radar” folks who attend but I’m betting there won’t be since the days of freely attending non-acceptable events is OVER. Instead PIs will be there in abundance snapping pictures of everyone.
The playhouse isn’t that big.
It is going to be an interesting evening. Most likely during the play some kool-aid drinker is going to start screaming … NO ONE CARES, GET A LIFE, END IT … as s/he is escorted out of the theater by men in white coats.
It will happen at some point. Dig dig … here comes the wagon.
WIndhorse
A little off topic but I thought it worth mentioning. I was at Disney this morning and noticed a girl with a cart full of presents. I asked if they were for the employees and she said no, they were for the homeless. If the RCS would just do something like this it would do more for their PR than all the fancy ads sent out to a deaf audience.
One of my girlfriends in college was an illustration major, and Disney had a reputation for being demanding. “If you don’t come in on Saturday, don’t bother on Sunday.”
That being said, they at least realize that helping the homeless helps employee cohesion and gets them in the holiday mood, and of course, it makes for good PR.
But handing out TWTH in overpriced editions to the public is the only thing they can do in line with their belief system. You might as well ask them to bake gingerbread cookies and deliver them to the local homeless shelter on Christmas Eve. They’re the vampire bat of religions, sucking blood from their victims for sustenance.
Dave’s recurring nightmare:
LRH: Show me the well done auditing and student completion graphs for the last three months.
Miscavige: Well, you see sir, we’ve been busy on a great project that will boom the stats.
LRH: Say what?
Miscavige: We’re buying great properties so we’ll be able to boom delivery with Ideal Orgs.
LRH: What the f*****n hell are you talking about???!!! +=%*=&&#@(-+/%**
What a novel concept – donating to the community! The local COS org staff say they “do so much good in the world” but hide in their building and like to sneak in and out of the back door, scared that if they have to relate outside the bubble they will become contaminated [with the truth perhaps?]
$cientology is for the able. Don’t be flowing power to a bunch of downstats. What the hell is the matter with you…….and how come you’re not on course anyway?
Michael, I grew up in this group so I don’t know how an outsider would view such charity, but if I saw the “church” suddenly handing out gifts to the homeless I would consider it nothing but a cynical, self-serving PR campaign. At this point, at least in my eyes, I cannot see how they will ever redeem credibility.
Mon Dieu. Between the internet, plays and movies it sure seems like the dormant volcano that is Scientology is about to erupt in pyroclastic flow and blow what’s left of the people clinging on into disconnected smithereens.
I will promote and bring many
There was a time back in the mid 80’s when I was spending a lot of time over at the Celebrity Centre. I was in a band with Beck Hansen and another guy named Mike Boito. We were all really into Depeche Mode at that time and so we’d warm up by covering some of their tunes. We were heavily synth based. Both Beck and Mike were taking lessons from Mario and I got to sit in on a number of those lessons, but never went on to taking lessons from him. He was definitely a great piano teacher, but I too wondered why he wasn’t playing in an orchestra or a band even back then. Beck went on to become a hipster icon and Mike Boito continued to play keys for him on his first couple of albums. Beck dropped Mike for some reason not long after he started to reach his peak of fame. After I got out of the Sea Org in 2000, I became roommates with Boito for a short time, and even then he was still hoping that Beck would bring him back into the band. I spent a lot of time telling Mike about the abuses that were happening at the Int Base, and also about OT III and the whole Xenu thing. Mike was blown away and realized that he’d grown up in a cult. His plan was to just know the truth and live very low key about it, but not continue with Scientology. He made a mistake in trying to convince a very hardcore Scientologist named Melanie Poulin that Sci was a scam, and about the abuses, but she turned him in. The ethics officer at one of the LA orgs and his parents had a meeting with Mike and threatened that they would disconnect from Mike if he didn’t disconnect from me. Needless to say, I had to move out of that apartment, but Mike and I continued to talk under the radar for a while. Mike told me that his biggest concern about the whole thing was that he was still hoping that Beck would bring him back into the band some day, which is why he had to maintain a good standing with Scientology. Not sure where Mike is now, but I’m sure he’s playing jazz keyboard somewhere in LA.
We will be there with friends.
Looking forward to it!
Hey let’s get a group of LA Indies to go see this play together. Anyone want to go? I’m in.
Can a never-in join your group? I’d be down to meet up for this event, as I believe in supporting local artists. 🙂
Re: Let’s get a group of LA Indies to go see this play together. Anyone want to go?
“Yes!”
http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1004/02/acd.01.html
I’m in Cindy.
I hope there are many people still in that are thinking to themselves….
“There is something wrong here”
Those of you still in….think it through guys….does it really make sense to
break up friendships and family units for the sake of a group that really doesn’t
care for you as an individual? A group that sees you only as a prospect?
A group that wants only to control your actions and communications, even how you think in session
as a PC? A group that video tapes your “private” conversations in session to then use at their desire to keep
you “in line”? A group that covertly intimidates you by propping you up so as to then use you in the name
of “your eternity” or the “greatest good”? It is called Black Dianetics guys….it isn’t what you are lead to believe it is. Your eternity is not theirs to decide.
As one-time spokesperson Tommy Davis said about disconnection “And it’s just been proven over and over and over again in Scientology’s 58-year history…to whatever degree SP’s scream about how horrible it is, bottom line, it is what works, it is what safeguards the church.”
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/08/tommy_davis_sci.php
Thank you. It seems ha has created very good productions and has courage.
The very good thing about Allen is that he uses ART to communicate about other’s actions, such a the famously denied, but in fact promoted policy of disconnection by Scn.
Allen is not attacking, he is conveying his views in an artistic form and, that alone, deserves rightful recognition. We will make it to the show.
Sounds like a powerful play.
Mario Feninger is WHY I got involved with Scientology. In 1970 I lived within easy walking distance to the “old” Celebrity Centre on 8th Street. One afternoon while walking my dog, I heard classical music coming from CCLA. (I grew up with Classical music always on the record player) I tied my dog up outside and went inside. Mario was performing on a Sunday afternoon.
From there … the rest is history. I left my druggie boyfriend, took a few intro classes and joined the Sea Org.
Milton was a very good friend of my ex-ex husband and me. Very close to Yvonne and those of us at CCLA. We were invited to Milton’s often for dinner and would go. (before the days of “no fraternizing with the public)
Even after I left the Sea Org I would often run into Milton at Flag or AOLA. He was quite the charismatic person and I liked him a great deal.
I was saddened to learn awhile ago from this blog or perhaps Tony’s that Mario was now bankrupt and having to basically beg for dollars to stay alive. That Milton had died but not without having been betrayed by so many.
I’m sending this notification out to as many as I know in the LA area who are NOT scientologists because we know … they won’t go. BUT my non scientology friends probably will.
Thank you for reporting this latest nail …
Windhorse
Thank you Windhorse for your comment here.
I will do what I can to promote this play and will see it myself when I go to LA next year.
Thank you Mike for your exposure of what this church does to keep its members in line and for the shout out to this play.
“Scientology is just one of many controlled-thought systems that have taken hold to varying degrees throughout history, but the play is designed to be a metaphor for all those systems – not just an indictment of Scientology’s disconnection policy, but of all of its ancestors, and hopefully, its progeny as well.” – Allen Barton (Playwright)
Hurray!
For an interesting read, (a little slow, but poignant) see:
WHY PEOPLE BELIEVE WEIRD THINGS, by Michael Shermer.
One quote from that book:
“Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.”
Good to remember, that Scientology is skilled at something.
Or, was.
A comforting thought for me is knowing that no ex-Scientologist is going to be easily trapped into a cognitive-rigid belief system. We’ve been educated, and so salvation is at hand after all.
When I was last living in Los Angeles I would often go to various events that would have been considered “taboo” for an active Scientologist – and see active Scientologists that I knew! I’d approach and talk with them at breaks or after the event and some would mention that they had told their course supervisor that they were ill in order to attend, or had made other excuses.
So, there will be Scientologists at this play. And certainly many, many people like Allen: people who had been quite involved at one time or another and then tired of the hypocrisy and insincerity and just stopped attending or returning calls from the staff members. I think that the high majority of the people the Church still considers to be “active Scientologists” are people quite like Allen, short of being declared. They got in, were interested and happy, and then the things that did not add up or were just plain wrong sort of accumulated, and they stopped coming. Out and about in LA, you then bump into old classmates; you talk to find they also have quit, you laugh and swap stories and laugh some more.
I wish I were in the states and able to attend as there will be some very fun reunions in the foyer there.
There will be lots of friends of Mario’s there as he has been in so long and was always such an open and friendly man, and so popular!
Incidentally, not sure if they’re still doing it, but Mario and Ian Brooks used to have each year a wonderful party at their beautiful, yet kind of ramshackle home in the Los Feliz neighborhood, around Christmas time. Iirc, I think it may have been on New Year’s Day. They had a beautiful grand piano in a large room overlooking a garden area with windows all around, and Mario would play piano there throughout the day, performing or accompanying, sometimes spelled by other accomplished pianists, and there would be singing all day long.
I only went twice, but I think they were the most enjoyable parties I have ever attended, due to the amount and the intensity of talent on display, the beauty of the place and how happy everyone was to be there. Nice memories!
Mario moved to a house on Ivar Street and it was as you say, beautiful, but ramshackle. I have fond memories of going to his concerts where he and Ian would perform, and some of his students as well and then there would be pot luck good food after it. He put out so much aesthetics and theta and wonderful classical music. It’s sad to see how they are subsisting now. And on Mike’s blog earlier there was the story of how he reached out to a friend to ask for financial help and the friend gave him a check and promised to pay every month like that so that Mario wouldn’t have to worry in his old age. Flag got wind of that (probably through a Sec Check) and made him give the check back and disconnect from his benefactor. I am sorry I don’t remember the name of the wonderful person who helped, but he posted on Mike’s blog and he is an Indie.
Mike, you can delete my first comment. I just read Tony O’s site and find that he gives the whole story of Mario Feninger and Alan Barton’s financial help etc. He tells the story better than I and more accurately. My problem is that I read the Mike Rinder site before the Tony O site each day and sometimes my comments are redundant because they are covered on Tony O’s site and I just havent’ gotten to it yet. Sorry. But Mike, you are Number One. I read your blog first thing in the morning before even Tony’s site. It has become part of my daily routine and definitely brightens my day. Thanks for doing what you do!