GLOBE: CoLAB's Fourth Annual Juneteenth Presentation Offered As A Live Online Event!

The Old Globe, in collaboration with the George L. Stevens Seniors Resource Center, presents our fourth annual Juneteenth performance presentation as part of the Center's Juneteenth festival.

They are hosting this event on digital platforms in honor of the day and as a benefit for the Center. This event will include video excerpts from past coLAB Juneteenth performance presentations such as The Ruby in Us and Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley: From Slavery to Modiste; a reading of the new play Ode to My Mothers by Joy Yvonne Jones, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg; music; spoken word; crafts; at-home activities; an educational presentation that shares the story and history of the holiday; and much more!

The Juneteenth Presentation event on Friday, June 19 will be live-streamed online from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. PDT on The Old Globe's Facebook page and The Old Globe Arts Engagement's Facebook page, The Old Globe's YouTube channel, and The Old Globe's website. All proceeds will go directly to the George L. Stevens Seniors Resource Center via a GoFundMe campaign available during the Facebook event.

"My first memory of Juneteenth was as a college freshman," shared Freedome Bradley-Ballentine, The Old Globe's Director of Arts Engagement. "Up until then, I knew about the legacy of enslavement in America but not so much about the celebration of emancipation. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, is America's second Independence Day, and arguably its most important. June 19th commemorates the day that the Emancipation Proclamation was read in Texas. Texas was the last state in America to receive the information that slavery as an institution was abolished. It was also the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. The Globe is extremely proud to be invited to participate in the annual Juneteenth celebration with the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center at The George L. Stevens Senior Center. Due to social distancing measures that have been enacted to keep us from spreading the COVID-19 virus, we didn't know how we would be able to make this year work logistically. I'm thrilled that we will be able to continue this celebration online across all our digital platforms for an even larger audience and still maintain the Fourth District flavor! I look forward to the day when Juneteenth is celebrated as a national holiday by all Americans."

The Ruby in Us is the story of the life of Ruby Bridges, an American activist who, at age six, was the youngest of a group of African American students to integrate schools in the American South. Ruby made history during the battle for school integration in 1960, becoming a symbol of the civil rights movement. But what value does it have for her-and us-50 years later? The Ruby in Us has book, music, and lyrics by Karen Ann Daniels. It was directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg and produced by Katherine Harroff. The cast includes Kendrick Dial as Minister and Coryphe, Yolanda Marie Franklin as Adult Ruby, Joy Yvonne Jones as Mama, Jake Millgard in various roles, Victor Morris as Papa, Erika Beth Phillips as Barbara Henry, and Alexandra Slade as Young Ruby. The presentation features a live chorus with community members of the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center alongside professional singers and actors.

The play Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley: From Slavery to Modiste follows Keckley's life and the challenges of being a former slave who became the most talented dressmaker of the 18th century. Her story encompasses sorrow, grief, loss, triumph, strength, confidence, and friendship. As an employee of the Lincoln White House, she experienced a tumultuous relationship with First Lady Mary Todd. Keckley was a slave for over 30 years and purchased her freedom for $1,200, moving to Washington DC to operate a very successful dressmaking business. She eventually became Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker, confidante, and best friend. She was a designer, quilter, businesswoman, teacher, philanthropist, author, and mother. This stirring tale was written by local community member and new playwright Claudia Thompson and directed by award-winning Delicia Tuner Sonnenberg. The presentation features performances by other workshop participants and a cast of local actors led by Andréa Agosto as Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley.

Since 2002, the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center (FDSRC) has worked to enhance and embrace the quality of life for its "seasoned ambassadors" by providing a wholesome and safe environment for them to thrive in, while assisting them to live more independently and proactively. It provides quality services to its district's lower-to-moderate-income seniors and their families through a variety of resources. FDSRC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or political opinion or affiliation. The George L. Stevens Senior Center was formally opened in March 2006. The building itself is LEED certified, which means it is environmentally friendly and green in materials and in all aspects of the facility's maintenance. This allows the center to sell its energy back to the gas and electric company, which becomes a source that helps the organization sustain itself.

The coLAB workshops are a program of The Old Globe's Department of Arts Engagement. coLAB is focused on the collaborative art making process between community members and artists, uniting storytelling and playmaking. The goal is to develop original pieces and showcase them in established community festivals.

NOTE: All in-person Globe productions and events have been postponed until further notice; all dates are subject to change. In the meantime, the Globe develops and presents a wide array of free online programs to continue reaching the San Diego community. These include the world premiere of Bill Irwin's In-Zoom, available now on our YouTube channel and our website; On Book: The Old Globe's Shakespeare Reading Group; a free commissioned short-plays project Play At Home; outreach from familiar Globe artists in Act Breaks and Flashbacks; The Old Globe Coloring Book; and Soap It Up with students from The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Barry Edelstein continues his hit presentation Thinking Shakespeare Live! and a special ongoing series Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets!

The indefatigable Arts Engagement Department has pivoted several community-based projects online and has created new programs. Included are weekly offerings of Playwrights Unstuck with Globe-commissioned playwrights; The Living Room Play Workshop; collaborative program Word Up!; Community Voices playwriting workshop; and Behind the Curtain and its offshoots, the Spanish-language Detrás del Telón and Behind the Curtain: Technical Assistance forum. Globe to Go videos, a part of School in the Park, are online, as is Reflecting Shakespeare TV, a digital version of the transformative initiative. The popular Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio moves online this year, and is joined by new program Creative Youth Studio.

More information is available at www.TheOldGlobe.org.

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