Bodhi Tree Concerts Presents First Ever Reading Of New PlayWHITE SAVIOR By Catherine Filloux

Bodhi Tree Concerts (BTC) will present a free reading of a new play, White Savior by La Jolla native playwright Catherine Filloux, on October 6, 2024, at 7 PM at the Vision Center, 4780 Mission Gorge Place, San Diego.

This is the first time in Bodhi Tree's history that the company presents a play without music. The reading will be followed by a community conversation with the playwright, the League of Women Voters San Diego Chapter, and special invited guests from the San Diego community. The play will also be live streamed via YouTube at Bodhi Tree Concerts' channel. The League of Women Voters will also be providing voter registration at the show.

White Savior, which has been nominated for an award by the Playwrights' Center Venturous List, is a comedy-drama that features two sisters, Jean and Susan, who can't foresee a future together with their opposing worldviews. Into their lives enters Edward, a Black journalist, who visits the Desert Cactus Motel with them. When another family member comes west, new territory is laid bare.

The cast of White Savior features San Diego theatre luminaries Sandy Campbell and Linda Libby as Jean and Susan, and Durwood Murray as Edward. Vanessa Dinning is the director.

Catherine Filloux is an award-winning French-Algerian-American playwright, librettist, and activist, who has been writing about human rights for many decades. She's a native of La Jolla and a graduate of La Jolla High School. Her complete bio can be found here.

"We were thrilled when Catherine reached out to us to present her thoughtful, funny and relatable new play in advance of the elections in November," says Bodhi Tree Concerts co-founder Diana DuMelle. "Bodhi Tree has a history of presenting 'Get out the Vote' content, including Songs of Suffrage and Eight Songs for a Mad King, and this opportunity seemed too perfect to pass up. The play raises many questions and explores how people who may disagree vehemently-even in their own family-can find ways to find common ground. The community conversation following the play will put these truths into real practice and we are hoping for a broad swath of San Diegans to attend and lend their voice to the discussion."

Tickets are free, but RSVPs are required via BodhiTreeConcerts.org.

About Bodhi Tree Concerts

Bodhi Tree Concerts (BTC) was founded on the principle that small, intentional acts of kindness can change the world and has over 13 seasons hired hundreds of local artists and donated over $40,000 to charity. They seek to bring the wonderfully diverse communities of San Diego together through music and storytelling.

From the organization's founding, the goal has been to engage and highlight the wealth of cultural diversity in San Diego, most recently developing a free annual international music festival, MUSIC EN LA CALLE. Collaborations are also key, including with Opera de Tijuana, Sacra/Profana, San Diego Opera, New York City Opera, Veterans Museum of Balboa Park, and City Heights Community Development, just to name a few. BTC is also dedicated to new music, having presented two world premieres and ten San Diego premieres in its 13 seasons.

Arts education is also a priority. Bodhi Tree Concerts has presented two children's operas: BRUNDIBAR by Hans Krasa, and THE LITTLE SWEEP by Benjamin Britten. Year-round they offer free tickets, educational materials, book giveaway, arts and crafts, and masterclasses for youth. Their largest project to date is the commission of a new opera, PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE, by Pulitzer Prize-winning San Diego-based composer Anthony Davis, that will feature San Diego youth who live and learn close to the border, performing alongside professional artists.

Bodhi Tree Concerts is a small presenting organization with a clear mission and vision reaching large and ambitious goals. They defy expectations and have consistently achieved artistic excellence that intersects the arts with our local and global communities.

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