The Mountaintop

by Katori Hall

"The Mountaintop" is a powerful and thought-provoking play written by Katori Hall, known for her exceptional storytelling and ability to tackle complex social issues. This play, which premiered in 2009, takes audiences on a fictional journey to the eve of April 4, 1968, the night before the iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinatedMartin Luther King Jr. returns to the Lorraine Motel after his sermon, I've Been To The Mountaintop.  As a storm rages outside, King comes into contact with Camae (Carrie Mae), the mysterious and beautiful maid who captures King's attention immediately.  King and Camae begin to discuss the hopes and fears that Martin Luther King Jr. has been feeling, forming a connection and understanding between the two. The conversation focuses on the fight for civil rights and reaches the climax when Camae reveals her true intentions for walking into King's motel room that night.

Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical

by Melvin Tunstall, III

Polkadots follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying, to segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Inspired by Civil Rights pioneers Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine, Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson for the world, reminding us that our differences make us awesome, not outcasts.

Sheepdog

by Kevin Artigue

This one-act play follows Amina and Ryan, both officers on the Cleveland police force. Amina is black, Ryan is white, and they are falling deeply and passionately in love. When an officer-involved shooting roils the department, small cracks in their relationship widen into a chasm of confusion and self-doubt. A mystery and a love story with high stakes and no easy answers, SHEEPDOG fearlessly examines police violence, interracial love, and class in the 21st century.

Anne and Emmett

By Janet Langhart Cohen

In this imaginative stage play, Anne Frank and Emmett Till meet in a place called “Memory” to share accounts of their lives and deaths. The story, about Till, an African American boy and Anne Frank, a German-Dutch Jewish girl, compares and contrasts how the racial injustices experienced on both ends were more similar than many people want to accept. It hold a mirror to all of us, showing that we are more alike than different and how important understanding and love will be in the healing of our world.

“for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf”

by Ntozake Shange

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When The Rainbow is Enuf was written by Ntozake Shange. The work consists of a series of poetic monologues to be accompanied by dance movements and music, a form Shange coined as the choreopoem. For Colored Girls tells the stories of seven women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society. Don't miss out on your chance to see director, Amisha Groce's modern spin on this classic. Watch as the cast demonstrates that, although the original was written in 1974, women still face many of the same issues. No topic is off limits in this incredible story of community and strength despite all odds.