London’s ‘Iron Heel’ staged

The Iron Heel Theatre Collective and Signature Collective International will present a multimedia theatrical version of “The Iron Heel” based on the novel by Jack London at noon Sunday, Aug. 23, at the 150-year-old open-air Winery Ruins at Jack London State Historical Park.

The performance is free to the public, although donations are appreciated and the $10 a car parking fee applies.

Employing masks, puppetry, dance, theatrical performance and live music, the story - set in the Bay Area with events and locations in Sonoma County - chronicles the rise of an oligarchic tyranny in the United States.

London’s story was first published in 1908 and considered a forerunner of soft science fiction stories of the 1960s and ’70s. It addresses future changes in society and politics, and still resonates for the contemporary political climate.

“Iron Heel” is unusual among London’s writings (and in the literature of the time in general) in being a first-person narrative of a woman protagonist written by a man.

The production will be staged at the Winery Ruins at Jack London State Historic Park, 2400 London Ranch Road in Glen Ellen.

The event is free but donations are accepted.