These will be coming soon, so check back later on. Thanks.

Director: Laura Somers:

Cindy Allsbrooks - (David's Mother)

A: That many good things will come from the loss of one so young. Since David died there have been so many people come together whose paths would have never crossed otherwise. We have touched each others lives in ways that will leave us all different people, forever. It is my strong desire to see the community of loggers and activist come together and learn a different way to solve their problems. This will take a new corporate mindset to achieve and must be instigated from both sides. You have the non-violent activist who are out in the woods trying to stop old growth logging on land which belongs to Pacific Lumber. There are many people who can get the resources to save the old growth but then you have the Pacific Lumber Company who is saying, we will not wait it is ours to cut!. They see these trees as profit only and feel no loss from cutting our natural resource. Awareness is another product I hope to see come from this. The corporations in our country can get away with anything. How long are we the people going to stand for it? Until the realization of how the company greed reaches into our own homes, we will choose to remain blind. I hope Nathan's story reaches people with awareness.

Q: What was my impression of activist before Dave died and what is it now? Also how did it influence Dave for the good?

A: Before Nathan died, when I considered activist, I thought of a whole range of people going back to the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement, but my son was the first forest activist I knew until after his death. The ones I have met since his death have touched my life with their honesty and their love of humankind. Yes, they seem strange to those of us who do not know them because of the way they look and also because of the way they live. They try not to take a lot from the earth and instead they want to give back and protect it. Because I experienced what it was like to be a teenager in the 60's and 70's I think I have always been less prejudice against people because of how they look. Still I have had to overcome my own prejudice and look inside these determined young people. My children have taught me well that we hope others will look beyond the outer person and get to see what is on the inside. If you choose not to do that, then you will stay boxed in your own little world and miss a golden opportunity. When Nathan became an activist, his heart changed. He was encouraged to be part of the solution and refused to be a part of, what he saw as the problem. He wanted to make a difference. The last time I saw my son, I was aware of this change and very proud of him for wanting to follow his heart.

Q: What solutions could you offer to all involved parties, including our community, to invoke change in the system?

A: First of all there is no solution we can reach through violence. Even the activist from other era's who were involved in any violent acts do not have my respect. Today's activist who think they are making a difference by starting fires and blowing up real estate are just as lost in my view as the people making money by destroying the earth. They will never lead people to a resolution. They give all environmentalist a bad name. So any solution must come from a willingness to peacefully resolve the issues. The way to start is by wanting to learn the truth. Seems simple enough, right? Well it's not. Most of us are just too happy to live our lives without rocking any corporate boats. That means we don't care if the products we use are produced by companies that kill wildlife, use child labor, or pollute the water and the earth. We don't hold them accountable because we keep buying their products. There is a network of wonderful resources we can learn the truth from, which is one reason I want the Green Party to increase in strength. It seems people have forgotten that Ralph Nader has been giving us the consumer truth for years but when it comes to our politicians we don't really want the truth. A reminder that once again everything boils down to money. We will not invoke change in the system until enough people are fed up with our sick government and demand a change. Remember the majority of us are common folk who don't have a lot of wealth. We must seek out the truth, we must be willing to accept the truth, and we must be willing to stand up for the truth. It does not take wealth to do that. It must come through a peaceful revolution, which I will look forward to, through our youth, in the future.

Q: What has been your experience working on this production? Where were you when we first approached you with this project and where are you now? Why did you give us permission to tell David's story when so many others have asked?

A: When Laura Somers approached me back in December of 2000 about doing the production "The Gypsy Chain", I felt a strong relief. I have been approached by others who did not know Nathan but wanted to tell his story. I could never say yes to it. Laura had something in her heart that needed to be fulfilled by doing this production. Maybe it is a way for her to say goodbye to her high school friend and honor him through her artistic interpretation of his story. I was happy to help Laura with this endeavor because of who she is and her experience, which gave me confidence in her as well. Laura's family and Nathan go way back and I know what kind of people they are. It was easy to give my blessings to this production because of that. Once again, through Laura, many people have came into my life for a reason, for a season, or for a lifetime. I am grateful for these new relationships and the fact that I have been able to take a small break from the legal issues and look forward to opening night. It has been healing for me.

Julia "Butterfly" Hill:

More interviews to come...

Interviews with the Cast Members:

A: When I was six years old, my teacher asked my class what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most of the children in my class said they wanted to be things like firefighters or teachers or moms or dads, but when she asked me I told her that I wanted to be President of The United States. Then she asked me why. I told her that the President could do anything and I wanted that job so I could change the world and make it better. At age six, I really believed that. As I grew up, I began to believe that the president couldn't really change the world. But I still had this feeling in my heart that one person could make the world better. One person (me) could make a difference. Then as I grew more and went into high school and then college, I started to think no one person could change the world or make it better. I really doubted that there was anything that could make the world better. For a long time I forgot about trying to fix the wrongs and focused on just living my life the best I could. The problem with that was all of the things I wanted to make better, like keeping the Earth Clean, saving our forests and wild life, feeding the hungry, stopping violence and on and on, still impacted my life and touched my heart. By not trying to help anymore and believing there was nothing I could do, I was left feeling helpless and sad.

Then I was cast in "The Gypsy Chain" and my life was changed. At our first meeting we were sitting watching videos of activists in California protesting the logging of the Redwood Forests. I couldn't believe what I saw. There were these people, many of them my age, standing up against the law and the corporation for what they believed in their hearts was right. They didn't back down, not even when violent force was used against them, and they didn't get violence in return. They continued to speak from their hearts. You could feel the passion that was driving them just by watching the tape. As rehearsals began, I realized that we were making a difference like the protesters because people were listening. And that is when I saw the truth that the six year old girl knew. Not only can one person make a difference, but that one person who believes in what they are doing and gives themselves to that purpose, that one person WILL make a difference. That's the only way anything ever changes. One person or a small group of people believe in something and fight for it with their whole beings and the difference is made. That is my truth to live by now. Being a part of this production, "The Gypsy Chain", has taught me that and truly changed my life for the better. We can make the world better if we listen, love, and take action!

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