Geva Receives NYSCA Grant for 'Theatre and Race: A Community Conversation'

Geva is a national leader in audience and community engagement, and following on that tradition, we are proud to announce "Theatre and Race: A Community Conversation" from January 23 - April 27, made possible with support from The New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

This initiative aims to assist in Rochester's revitalization by building on conversations about race that have begun in the past year through special coverage by the Democrat & Chronicle; the "Race: Are We So Different?" exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science Center; various programs sponsored by the Community Foundation; Facing Race, Embracing Equity (faceraceroc.org); and the YWCA's "Stand Against Racism."

This spring, productions of Black Pearl Sings!, Clybourne Park, Informed Consent and I and You approach race and identity from different perspectives and serve as springboards for community conversations about the opportunities and challenges of the greater Rochester region through panel discussions, pre-show prologues, digital engagement, post-show talkbacks, workshops and gatherings at Geva and in the community.

A webpage for this project at www.gevatheatre.org will contain a regularly updated schedule of events. Geva's popular blog (gevajournal.wordpress.com) has a page devoted to "Theatre and Race: A Community Conversation," to get the discussion started. There you will find blogs on backgrounds of the plays, relevant topics tackled in each of the plays and more.