Hiroshima Anniversary: Award-Winning Play by Activist Libbe HaLevy One-Night-Only Reading

12 Peace Groups Sponsor ATOMIC BILL AND THE PAYMENT DUE with playwright HaLevy Reading Lead Role, Journalist Karl Grossman to Play Himself

BELLPORT, NY, UNITED STATES, July 31, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the South Country Peace Group will present a one-night-only staged reading of the award-winning play ATOMIC BILL AND THE PAYMENT DUE on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 6 PM at the Bellport Community Center, followed by a discussion with playwright Libbe HaLevy.


Winner of the International Uranium Film Festival Special Script Award, ATOMIC BILL AND THE PAYMENT DUE follows a woman podcaster whose investigation into a celebrated New York Times reporter embedded in the Manhattan Project becomes an obsession. As she uncovers forgotten history, she confronts disturbing questions about journalism, ambition, power, and the shaping of the public narrative surrounding the birth of the Atomic Age.

Drawing on extensive historical research, the play explores how the human consequences of nuclear weapons remain urgently relevant more than eight decades after Hiroshima.


For this special commemorative performance*, award-winning playwright Libbe HaLevy will portray the podcaster whose investigation drives the story. Best known as an investigative journalist and host of the weekly podcast Nuclear Hotseat, now in its 16th year (nuclearhotseat.com), HaLevy is appearing in the role solely to support this one-time staged reading. Similarly, the role of award-winning investigative journalist Karl Grossman will be played this one time by L.I.-based journalist Karl Grossman.


"The play asks audiences to consider not only what happened during the Manhattan Project," HaLevy said, "but also how history is shaped by the stories we choose to tell, those we leave untold - and what it does to people who uncover the truth, even to this day.”

Following the reading, audience members are invited to remain for a discussion with the playwright about the historical events that inspired the work and their continuing relevance today.

This performance will be directed by Tara L. Lydy, M.Ed., Director and Adjunct Instructor, Wilmington College Theatre Dept.

Event & Media Information  
What: ATOMIC BILL AND THE PAYMENT DUE— Staged Reading
When: Thursday, August 6, 2026, 6 PM (doors open 5:45 PM)
Tickets: Attendance is free and no reservation are required.
Where: Bellport Community Center, 4 Bell Street, Village of Bellport, NY. 11713
Presented by: South Country Peace Group, Email: southcountrypeace@outlook.com, Michelle Santantonio, Chairperson.

Cosponsors: Back from the Brink; South Country Peace Group; LI Alliance For Peaceful Alternatives; North Country Peace Group, Old South Haven Presbyterian Church; Veterans For Peace, LI Chapter 138; Pax Christi LI, Peace Action NYS; LI Progressive Coalition; North Country Peace Group; Pax Christi NYS.


Playwright Contact Information:
Libbe HaLevy, investigative journalist, podcast producer/host, playwright, activist, Three Mile Island survivor
Phone: 213-369-8761
Email: AtomicBillPlay@gmail.com
Website: NuclearHotseat.com

Media Opportunities:
• Interviews with playwright Libbe HaLevy
• Interviews about the historical research behind the play
• Coverage tied to the 81st Hiroshima anniversary
• Photography and video opportunities during the staged reading (where permitted)
• Audience and post-performance discussion

Libbe HaLevy
Nuclear Hotseat
AtomicBillPlay@gmail.com
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