Thomas Paine and the Birthday of America
With the 250th Anniversary of America on the horizon, we are very excited to have a once in a lifetime opportunity to tell Paine’s story to more people than ever before.
Plans to Date
In America
We will present Paine’s story through multiple performances of our play To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine across America, in many of our past venues as well as in new ones. The rebroadcast of the film on PBS is confirmed, and we will be offering the Spanish subtitled version to Spanish language television networks. The audio version of the play will be available to public radio stations through PRX.
In Great Britain
Following our two previous tours in England, Scotland and Ireland, we are planning new performances, looking to work in partnership with the British, Scottish and Irish Associations for American Studies, the Thomas Paine Society, UK and our past contacts and venues. We will be offering our film and audio versions of the play to various media outlets including the BBC, Channel 4/Film 4, RTÉ (Irish public television and radio), BBC Radio 4 and others.
In Europe
We will present performances of the play at universities and conferences, and for public organizations in France and other European countries, working with America2026. We are also planning partnerships with the European Association for American Studies and other similar organizations, and with European media outlets, including France Télévisions. We have plans in place to offer multiple European languages versions of the film.
Worldwide
We will also launch worldwide social media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and LinkedIn, and through podcasts and our own newsletters. Downloads of our film for $3 are available on Vimeo.
More information below in the 250th Birthday Flyers about performances and funding.
Activity to Date
Individual donations of $18,000 have been received!
A very special thank you, Stuart MacGuire!
Foundation donations of $32,500 received or pledged!
A very special thank you, James Hervey Johnson Charitable Educational Trust!
Updates!
We have raised $50,500 of our total budget of $96,000. Every contribution helps!
We are creating Screening Kits for libraries and museums across America and the world, and working with the American Federation of Teachers to promote our Thomas Paine Lesson Plan. Distribution to PBS is confirmed.
Onward!
Next PERFORMANCES IN AMERICA
- Florida Veterans for Common Sense, Sarasota, Florida, 2025
- La Valley College, Valley Glen, California 2026
- Ocean County College, Tom’s River, New Jersey, 2026
- The Thomas Paine Society, Pasadena, California 2026
Next PERFORMANCES IN EUROPE
- Lycée Franco-Allemand BUC, Versailles, November, 2024 and 2025
- University of Chicago Intl. Institute of Research in Paris, 2025
- Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, 2026
- America2026 Final Conference, Paris, 2026
This is just the beginning of what we believe will be two very exciting years of great opportunities to tell the story of Thomas Paine.
As interest in America’s 250th Anniversary grows, we want Thomas Paine’s legacy to be a central part of it. His ideas changed the world, and his words played a pivotal role in the development of democracy. He continues to challenge and inspire us as we work towards achieving the aim of a more perfect union.
We hope that you will join us and be a part of this journey!
Exciting news!
We have launched our Thomas Paine Screening Kit. It is designed for libraries, museums, educational institutions, citizens’ groups, and more!
This is a simple and cost-effective way to introduce your students, members, or patrons to the story of Thomas Paine.
This won’t just be a film screening but a journey into a deeper understanding of his life in the eighteenth-century world of revolutions and enlightenment, and in particular his profound impact on the founding of our country. These screenings will inspire discussion and debate about Paine’s visions for America and how we continue to look for ways to achieve them.
The Thomas Paine Screening Kit includes:
Links to a trailer, the 73-minute feature film, and the 59-minute PBS version, both with optional English, Spanish, & French subtitles
Talking points handout
Lesson plan for high school/college students
Comprehensive bibliography including websites
And much more!
Host an unlimited number of events at your venue until the end of 2026!
“Brilliantly done film: emotionally stirring, thought provoking, and sprinkled with genuine humor.”
“It made me keenly aware not much has changed in regard to politics among the elite.”
“Knew nothing about Thomas Paine before - very informative. Thank you.”
Quotes from Patrons of Andover Library, Andover, Ohio
Contact us for more information about the Screening Kit at info@ruskinproductions.com
We are thrilled to be partnering with America2026, a consortium of scholars based in France that also includes scholars from England, Scotland and other European countries as well as America.
To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine will be performed at a number of their conferences and universities.
Performances from Our Tours
Benjamin Franklin House, London
Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris
Thomas Paine Society, Pasadena