[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: Theatrical Response to Race Relations in Berkshire County February 6

[Gail Burns]

A THEATER RESPONSE to RACE RELATIONS in BERKSHIRE COUNTY – Yvette “Jamuna”
Sirker, Kristen van Ginhoven and Gwendolyn VanSant present a reading of
FACING OUR TRUTH at The Colonial Theatre on February 6, 2016.

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
Gwendolyn VanSant- Project Director --413-394-4029, 413-717-8164
Kristen van Ginhoven- Production Coordinator- 518-243-9627
Yvette “Jamuna” Sirker – Artistic Coordinator  -- 413-358-5644, 504-491-0810

To schedule an interview, please contact
Facingourtruth at multiculturalbridge.org or call Gwendolyn Van Sant at
413-717-8164.

*Facing Our Truth - A Collection of One-Acts Inspired by the*
* Trayvon Martin Case exploring race and privilege *
*February 6th at 7:30PM at The Colonial Theatre*

*(PITTSFIELD, MA)  January 19, 2016* - Multicultural BRIDGE, WAM Theatre,
Berkshire Theatre Group and Yvette “Jamuna” Sirker are joining together to
present a reading of Facing Our Truth, a collection of six 10-minute plays
by *Winter Miller, Marcus Gardley, Dominique Morrisseau, Mona Mansour &
Tala Manassah, Dan O’Brien with Quetzal Flores, and A. Rey Pamatmat*.
Reflecting on race relations in the United States, this collection of
one-acts was inspired by events surrounding the Trayvon Martin case.
Berkshire Theatre Group hosts the event at The Colonial Theatre (111 South
Street), February 6, 2015 at 7:30PM with a moderated panel and community
discussion to follow.

In 2013, The New Black Fest in New York City commissioned six very diverse
playwrights to write 10-minute plays on the topic of Trayvon Martin, race
and/or privilege. This commission resulted in a collection of one-acts
titled Facing our Truth which continue to be presented around the country,
often around February 5, Trayvon Martin’s birthday.  Facing Our Truth's
purpose is to spark serious discussion in our collective communities around
these urgent issues.

The directors for the Facing Our Truth one-acts are *Sara Katzoff, Kevin
McGerigle, Natalie Johnsonius Neubert, Yvette “Jamuna” Sirker, Enrico
Spada, and Kristen van Ginhoven*.  The performers are an exciting mix of
professional theatre performers and community personalities. They include:
Barby Cardillo, Lindsay DeWinkeleer, Emma Dweck, Victoria Fernendez, Rory
Hammond, Joey LaBrasca, Alex Leonard, Lucie Leonard, Roberta McCullough
Dews, Ty Allan Jackson, Brittany Nicholson, Jenn Smith, Courtney Stewart,
Tony Pallone, Don Quinn Kelley, Gail Ryan, Marla Robertson, Manny
Slaughter, Adam Sugarman, Anne Undeland and JV Hampton-VanSant. To see a
full list of all the people involved in this event, go to:
http://www.wamtheatre.com/facing-our-truth/

A panel discussion, moderated by Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant, will follow the
staged reading. The panelists include: Pittsfield Police Chief Michael
Wynn, Cultural Proficiency Coach and ROPE/Youth Alive Director Shirley
Edgerton, and MCLA Education Professor Dr. Christopher Himes.

In a joint statement, the co-producers of the event said the following:
“From the cast and creative team to the volunteers and sponsors to our own
organizations supporting our efforts, the response to this project has been
tremendous.  This is a real testament to the passion for understanding and
empathy and the desire for change around these issues in our community.
Theatre is a great way to share perspectives and open a conversation
through storytelling.  We are looking forward to continuing this urgent
conversation together on February 6.”

The Facing Our Truth production team is committed to serving our community
by presenting a vital theatrical response to the national conversation on
race-based hate crimes, with the goal of addressing our specific, immediate
need for an effective response to our County's challenges around race,
bias, and privilege.  In light of the recent tragic events in our own
community, Ms. Sirker, Ms. van Ginhoven, and Mrs. Hampton VanSant were
inspired to present Facing Our Truth in commemoration of Trayvon Martin and
other victims of hate crimes. Proceeds support the work of Multicultural
BRIDGE.

Sponsors for this event include Mass Humanities, Berkshire Gas, Greylock
Federal Credit Union, WAM Theatre, and Multicultural BRIDGE.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Colonial box office,
413-997-4444 or berkshiretheatregroup.org.  This event is recommended for
ages 14 and up. There is strong language and mature content. For more
information, or if the ticket price presents a financial barrier, please
contact Multicultural BRIDGE at 413-394-4029 or email
Facingourtruth at multiculturalbridge.org.

#       #       #


-- 
-- 
Gail M. Burns

*Marketing + Publicity Associate*
www.WAMTheatre.com <http://www.wamtheatre.com/>
413-458-4246

Our 6th Season:
Emilie <http://www.wamtheatre.com/emilie-staged-reading-special-event/> | Fresh
Takes Reading Series
<http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-play-reading-series-2015/> |  Stars
in the Orchard Benefit <http://www.wamtheatre.com/stars-in-the-orchard/> | Holy
Laughter <http://www.wamtheatre.com/holy-laughter/>

Make a donation now
<https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/WAMTheatreInc/donate.html> to WAM
Theatre!

*Thank you for your support!*
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