The Tug of War

The judgment of an untested president is all that stands between us and WWIII. As Soviet nuclear missiles move ever closer to Cuba, President John F. Kennedy must chart a course between conflicting counsel and unparalleled emotional stakes to prevent nuclear annihilation. The newly-minted U.S. President is put to the ultimate test in this riveting original commission from playwright David Rambo (Empire, C.S.I.) Includes panel discussions about the Cuban Missile Crisis with playwright David Rambo; Bob Stern, the past president of the LA-based Center on Governmental Studies; Richard Anderson, a Professor of Political Science at UCLA and former CIA analyst; and Geoff Cowan, a University Professor at USC.An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production starring:Matthew Arkin as Llewellyn Thompson, First ReporterHugo Armstrong as Lyndon Johnson, Anatoly DobryninSeamus Dever as Robert McNamaraMatthew Floyd Miller as Robert F. KennedyJames Morrison as John McCone, TV Floor ManagerDavid Selby as Dean RuskRich Sommer as McGeorge BundyJosh Stamberg as John F. KennedyNick Toren as Ted Sorenson, Second Reporter, General Curtis LeMayJohn Vickery as Nikita Khrushchev, General TaylorJules Willcox as Jackie Kennedy, Mrs. Lincoln, Third ReporterDirected by Brian Kite and recorded live in performance at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater in May 2017.Sound Effects Artist, Aaron Lyons. Production Manager, Katie Friesen. Music Supervisor, Ronn Lipkin. Assistant to the Director, Michelle Gong. Historical Research, Nick Fanego. Associate Producer, Anna Lyse Erikson. Editor, Mitchell Lindskoog. Recording Engineer, Sound Designer, and Mixer, Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood.