THE MISTAKE: Michael Mears

Peace & Justice (Scotland) has worked since 1980 to create a culture of peace through nonviolence, human rights, conflict resolution and ecological sustainability. Our projects include Peacebuilding for Schools, leading the Opposing War Memorial project and the Peace Cranes series of exhibitions and events. We are active in the Scrap Trident Coalition, the Scottish Peace Network and, with Medact and Scottish CND, in the Don't Bank on the Bomb Scotland Network Scotland.Nobel Peace Prize Co-RecipientsOne of our main streams of work has been to promote nuclear disarmament including through our Peace Cranes series of exhibitions and events. Peace & Justice (Scotland) is one of 468 partner organisations that collectively make up the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for our work to promote the Nuclear Ban Treaty.www.peaceandjustice.org.uk

Peace & Justice (Scotland)

A compelling new play by the award-winning actor and writer Michael Mears about the day the atomic bomb changed our world  forever

The Parish Church of St Cuthbert

We are delighted to welcome back Michael Mears and You-Ri Yamanaka who inaugurated our 2020 online programme commemorating the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as part of our Peace Cranes project about peace, people and planet. Join us to welcome Michael and You-Ri back, this time in person, for an exclusive live reading of their play The Mistake about the dropping of the first atomic bomb – ahead of the planned premiere of The Mistake at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe 2022. Don’t miss the chance to see and hear these award-winning performers bring the play alive in the intimate setting of the Lindisfarne Room at the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert as part of this Saturday matinee, including a post-show Q&amp;A with Michael and You-Ri, a new monologue Atsuko’s Story by You-Ri and a Peace Cranes exhibition raffle. Combine this special Saturday matinee with a lunchtime farewell visit at the nearby St John&#x27;s Church to celebrate the last day of our widely-acclaimed Peace Cranes exhibition dedicated to Atsuko Betchaku (1960-2017) – the Peace &amp; Justice volunteer who sparked the international wave of folding 140,000 peace cranes. Please note that safety measures remain in place with regards to signing in on arrival, mask wearing, reasonable distance and hand sanitising.About The MistakeThe dropping of the first atomic bomb is referred to on the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima as &#x27;the mistake&#x27;. Using testimonies and eye-witness accounts, Michael Mears wrote The Mistake interweaving the stories of a survivor, a scientist and a soldier to create a gripping drama - exploring what happens when scientific discoveries unlock the awesome power of nature, and &#x27;the genie is let out of the bottle&#x27;. Based on the personal experiences surrounding that catastrophic event and the lives of:Shigeko Nomura – a young woman living in war-time Hiroshima. Leo Szilard – a Hungarian scientist and ‘father of the atomic bomb. Paul Tibbets – the American pilot chosen to fly the plane that drops the bomb. At 8.15am on a Monday morning in August, their lives become fatally and forever entangled. About Michael MearsMichael Mears has been working as a professional actor for over three decades, in theatre, film and television, including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Peter Hall Company. He has written three solo plays for the stage and seven solo plays for BBC Radio 4, all of which were performed by himself. His play about homelessness, SOUP, won a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival. His recent acclaimed solo play This Evil Thing, depicting the struggle of Britain’s WW1 conscientious objectors, has been performed over 100 times in the last five years, in many parts of the UK as well as in 17 venues in the USA. 		About You-Ri YamanakaOriginally from Japan, You-Ri is an actress, movement director, voiceover and acting coach working worldwide including in the UK where she has been based for over 25 years, Europe, Japan and the Middle East. She trained in Kabuki dance (traditional Japanese dance) and Butoh (avant-garde Japanese dance), as well as at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Le Coq and Michael Chekhov. Her interest is in exploring the meeting points between the East and the West. You-Ri has performed for Barbican Theatre, Watermill Theatre Newbury, Theatre 503, Southwark Playhouse, amongst many others. TV/Film credits include The Wheel of Time (amazon prime), Silent Witness, Reunited, Spirit Warriors, The Last Enemy (BBC), Servant’s Quarters (Aviary Films), Yuki (Northern Ireland Screen), Tokyo Jim (HLA). Her movement directing credits include: ENO (English National Opera), New National Theatre Tokyo, Theatre Royal Bath, New End Theatre, Temple Festival. In 2022 You-Ri will be the movement director for a new production for the Royal Shakespeare Company under the direction of Phelim McDermott.About Peace Cranes Peace Cranes is our ongoing project about peace, people and planet featuring contemporary art exhibitions and events by Scottish and international artists and activists, including Michael Mears, You-Ri Yamanaka, Janis Hart, Ian Dodds, Peter Kennard, Pam Skelton, Donna Riddington, Madelon Hooykaas, Mare Tralla, Keiko Sato and many more.Delivered with the support of a range of partners, volunteers, backers and funders, the Peace Cranes project is curated by Iliyana Nedkova and Heather Kiernan in conjunction with COP26 – UN’s Climate Summit, UN’s International Year of Peace and Trust, International Day of Peace, Maverick Monologues, Stitches for Survival, Geoffrey and Elisabeth Carnall Peace Award, CHRNBL International Forum, Kiev Biennale of New Media Art, Just Festival, Our Edinburgh, Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 CHECK ALL CURRENT, UPCOMING AND PAST PEACE CRANES EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS HERE : <a href="https://peaceandjustice.org.uk/what-we-do/peacecranes/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://peaceandjustice.org.uk/what-we-do/peacecranes/</a>

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THE MISTAKE: Michael Mears

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THE MISTAKE: Michael Mears

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