"Coffee with Kafka": 2017

Byron LaDue in "The Zoo Story"

Coffee with Kafka's November Special Event

Dear "Coffee with Kafka" afficianados,

Our next discussion "What's Camus Got To Do With It?" has been postponed until early 2018, but we have another fitting suggestion.

Instead of our regular meeting in Pan's Garden (undergoing a massive renovation) we have something very special to offer you this month:

A fine production of Albee's The Zoo Story, starring our own Byron LaDue!

The Zoo Story Performances Saturday and Sunday only at 2 pm:

November 4 & 5

November 11 & 12

Mission Hill's Pioneer Park.

Tickets: $10 half-price discount tickets in advance at
https://www.goldstar.com/events/san-diego-ca/the-zoo-story-tickets

or $20 (cash only) at the "door".

For more information, visit San Diego Actors Theatre.

Edward Albee's first play is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, and San Diego Actors Theatre is marking the event early with an outstanding production, running for only two more weekends, Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm, in a lovely (and shaded) outdoor setting in Pioneer Park in Mission Hills. The foremost American playwright and winner of numerous Pulitzer and Tony awards, Albee's writings are frank examinations of the modern condition, much like Kafka, and Camus. His early works reflect a mastery in the Theatre of the Absurd, echoing Camus' influence. And like Kafka, Albee wanted his unpublished works destroyed

after his death.

Our favorite Kafka reader, Byron LaDue, is receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Jerry, one of Albee's most unusual and enduring characters. Here's what theatre critic Pat Launer wrote: "In perhaps the finest performance I’ve seen from him, LaDue at first appears to be reasonable, if a bit eccentric and loquacious, a harmless drifter. But he becomes increasingly menacing, and frightening."

Our next regular Coffee with Kafka will focus on the similarites and differences surrounding our man Kafka and Albert Camus, a French philosopher and author whose writings gave rise to Absurdism.

With Albee's literary connections to both Kafka and Camus, this production will no doubt "play" into our next discussion, to be scheduled at a future date.

In the meanwhile, don't miss a riveting 70 minute site-specific production of The Zoo Story, with four more Saturday and Sunday performances, November 4 and 5 and November 10 and 11 at 2pm in a lovely setting in Mission Hill's Pioneer Park.

Pat Launer's Review of The Zoo Story:

https://timesofsandiego.com/arts/2017/10/30/humans-displaying-animal-behavior-san-diego-actors-theatres-zoo-story/

August 27, 2017: Discussion of “The Trial”

After a short hiatus, “Coffee with Kafka” continues where we left it:

Discussion of “The Trial”

Modern Law Perspective

With Featured Guest

San Diego Appellate Judge

Patricia Benke

Sunday, August 27, 4 - 6pm

in Pan's Garden (map)

506 21st Street, San Diego, CA 92124

Pat Benke had a distinguished legal career as a former deputy attorney general for the state of California and superior court trial judge. An established author, she recently was awarded The San Diego Book Award for her collection of loosely connected short stories “Qudeen the Magnificent”. Pat will initiate our discussion and provide a professional modern perspective on Franz Kafka's classic.

To refresh your memory, the BBC movie version of “The Trial” can be watched again on line here.

Our beloved Kafka reader Byron LaDue will open the event with a reading of Kafka’s famous parable “Before the Law”.

As usual refreshments will be provided, pictures will be taken, smiles will abound.

Welcome back to “Coffee with Kafka”

San Diego Summer Event!

Suggested donations: $10

(Proceeds to Kafka Project are tax deductible).

Home baked refreshments, coffee, tea and wine will be offered.

Looking forward to seeing you all!
To reserve a place, please e-mail: Elizabeth (at) coffeewithkafka.com

February 19, 2017 - The screening of "The Trial"

"Coffee with Kafka had a new venue for screening the full length 1993 BBC
movie, The Trial, this past Sunday, Feb. 19th. I started watching the
film after imbibing in the delectable spread of delicatessen style foods
that Elizabeth always provides and was glued to the progress of the
film's depiction of the helplessness the protagonist feels in trying to
obtain justice in the myriad byways of the government's justice system.
For me, it suggested that from a spiritual point of view, our human
journey on this plane of existence is just an illusion as we confront
our tenuous version of reality. I can hardly wait for our next meeting
when we shall explore as a group the layers of meaning in this Kafka
literary tale while relaxing in Pan's garden setting."

Sandy Long

"Magnificent movie, great acting by entire cast. Amazing to have Anthony Hopkins, Jason Robards and Kyle Mc Laughlin (sp). I saw Robards in NYC in Threepenny nine times in the fifties. I had never seen a performance like his before. The Trial is pure Kafka and I thought I would faint when the Parable was recited- the first Kafka piece I ever read. Looking forward to discussions."

Arthur Raybold

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"The Trial"

Special INDOOR screening of the 1993 BBC movie

Sunday, February 19, 2017, 5 - 7 pm

in Sherman Heights Community Center
2258 Island Avenue, San Diego, CA 92102 (map)

We begin our fifth year of "Coffee with Kafka" San Diego events with the film version of the classic story of Josef K., who is arrested one morning without having done anything wrong.

The screenplay of "The Trial" was written by Harold Pinter. The movie was produced by BBC in 1993, with an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins and Kyle MacLachlan (as Joseph K). A short discussion following the film will set the stage for conversations to be continued in our future "Coffee with Kafka" meetings.