La Jolla Theatre Ensemble presents: "Courting Harry"

The La Jolla Theatre Ensemble will present a staged reading of "Courting Harry" by Lee Blessing, one of America's best and most prolific contemporary playwrights.

In 1973 Roe v. Wade became the law of the land. Thanks to a leak this spring of a draft by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, we know that this year that decision from nearly 50 years ago may be overturned. But how did it come about in the first place?

"Courting Harry" is about not only that original decision but the decades-long connection between the "Minnesota Twins," Chief Justice Warren Burger and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Harry Blackmun, who were both from St. Paul and appointed to the Supreme Court by Richard Nixon.  Even though they both ruled the same way in Roe v. Wade, their friendship became strained due to the abortion issue and the evolution of Blackmun's becoming one of the Court's most liberal Justices.

Lee Blessing's play looks at history through a personal lens and with a healthy dose of humor, against the backdrop of ongoing serious matters.

Directed by La Jolla Theatre Ensemble Producing Artistic Director, John Tessmer, the staged reading will feature six of San Diego's finest actors.