Drama Dragons at Saturday's peace protest in New York

New York — The Drama Dragons, a street theater group based in Warwick, was out on the streets of New York last Saturday, with several hundred thousand others, calling for peace. The protest, organized by United for Peace and Justice, called for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and an opposition to a war on Iran. The Drama Dragons, who use mime and song, appeared as “The Tree of Life.” Several women and one man wreathed in leaves and dressed in green marched down Broadway. Balloons with words such as water, clean air, energy and human rights floated above them on strings tied to their arms. One of the women, dressed in a blood red cloak with “Greed” written on the back reached out with a red, claw-like hand threatening and grabbing at the fruits of the Tree of Life. The tree was defended by a shield that read “vote” wielded by one of the ”branches.” The group attracted a fair number of cheers, thumbs ups and photographers. “We decided to focus attention on the threat to the planet and life itself by negative forces in the government and corporations with their unmitigated greed,” said Anne Hanson, one of the company’s founding members. “We wanted to show that the voter has the power to overcome the forces of greed.” The Drama Dragons have appeared on the streets of Orange County towns and even in Washington, D.C., where they performed a pantomime in front of the White House, illustrating the impact of the Patriot Act on ordinary citizens. “We’re not sure whether the President actually saw our performance but lots of other people did,” said Roslyn Fassett, one of the Dragons who performed in D.C. Information for this article was provided by Patricia DeBruhl.