Rachel Carson's childhood "sense of wonder" about the natural environment led her into the field of marine biology and ultimately the annals of history as one of Time magazine's 100 most important people of the 20th century with the publication of her best known book, Silent Spring, in 1962. A Sense of Wonder is exactly what the American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT) seeks to evoke by presenting this one-woman play, based on the life and writings of Rachel Carson, on March 30, 2008.
A Sense of Wonder provides a provocative glimpse of Rachel Carson's love of the natural world and her increasing concern, as a young scientist employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the dangers of the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides such as DDT. Miss Carson's clarion call Silent Spring heralded generations of environmental activists to renew their "sense of wonder" and protect the world she loved dearly.
Acclaimed actress Kaiulani Lee brings over thirty years of experience in theater, film and television to the writing and performance of A Sense of Wonder. The play has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe. She was recently featured on the Bill Moyers Journal on PBS television in commemoration of the centennial year of Rachel Carson's birth. Ms. Lee will perform this two-act play on Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. at the St. John Vianney Family Life Center, 470 Main Street, Prince Frederick, Maryland.
The American Chestnut Land Trust is a nonprofit land conservation organization working to protect the Parkers Creek and Governors Run watersheds in Calvert County. Parkers Creek has been called the most pristine watershed remaining on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. ACLT offers 15 miles of hiking trails open to the public from dawn to dusk, accessible from two trailheads located on the north (Double Oak Road) and south (Scientists Cliffs Road) sides of Parkers Creek and they offer guided canoe trips of Parkers Creek throughout the spring, summer and fall. Please visit their website at www.acltweb.org.
General admission tickets to A Sense of Wonder are on sale now by calling the office of the American Chestnut Land Trust, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (410) 414-3400. Ticket prices are $15.00 for ACLT members and $20.00 for nonmembers. ACLT is grateful for support of the performance provided by the Arts Council of Calvert County, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and by St. John Vianney Catholic Church.