The play, which explores perspectives on the 1991 riots in New York City, is written as a one-woman show.��But director Ariadne Calvano has cast eight actors to portray two-to-three roles each, which are both similar to and different from how they identify, whether by race, gender, ethnicity, class, religion, etc.��

“I began the process with a question: Can we ever truly understand something from another person’s point of view?” she said. “The production will challenge the audience to try to shift their perspective, experience and identity, rather than passively sitting in judgment.” 

The play is based on riots that occurred in the Crown Heights after a Hasidic man’s car jumped a curb, killing Gavin Cato, a black 7-year-old. Later, in what appeared to be an act of retaliation, Yankel Rosenbaum, a Hasidic rabbinical student, was stabbed to death.��

The play will contain an interactive element. The app “Poll Everywhere” will gauge audience perspective on complex issues throughout the performance.   

“This show remains relevant in many ways,” Calvano said. “Communication between folks from different backgrounds continues to polarize America today. It would be simplistic to boil down the show to tensions between the black and Jewish communities in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, or to believe that there is a single Jewish or Black perspective. Part of the challenge of this play is to unpack the levels of connection between the people represented while also marking their individualism.”

There also will be two post-show panel discussions led by UofL dramaturg Janna Segal:

Nov. 8: Theater artists will share how Smith’s work has influenced them. Panelists include: Calvano; Janelle R. Dunn, learning and creative engagement associate at Actors Theatre; Diana Grisanti, co-artistic director of Theatre 502 and Keith McGill, comedian, actor and Actors Theatre teaching artist.

Nov. 14: Conversation will address how the play resonates with Louisville today. Panelists include Rabbi David Ariel-Joel from The Temple; Cathy Hinko, executive director of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition and Marian Vasser, UofL director of Diversity ����ֱ�� and Inclusive Excellence.

This is the second production in Theatre Arts’ “” which kicked off in August with “King Hedley II.” 

Thrust Theatre is on UofL’s Belknap Campus, 2314 S. Floyd St. All plays start at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for UofL faculty and staff and $10 for UofL students. To order tickets or for more information, call the box office at (502) 852-6814 or click .��

“Fires in the Mirror” Cast

Undergraduate students: Chasidy Moore – Anonymous Lubavitcher woman, Rabbi Joseph Spielman and Sonny Carson; Junaid Shazad – Robert Sherman, Anonymous Young Man #1 and Rueven Ostrov; Megan Meyer – Scenic Designer; Lionel Nasty – Technical Director; Cece Phillips – Props Designer; Tyler Hieb – Lighting Designer; Steven York – Sound Designer

First Year MFA Students: Lamar Hardy – Reverend Al Sharpton, Angela Davis and Micheal S. Miller; Candace Spencer – Ntozake Shange, Rivkah Siegal and Norman Rosenbaum; Brandi Threatt –  Anonymous Girl, Leonard Jeffries and Carmel Cato

Second Year MFA Students: Alex Gordon – Aaron Bernstein, Henry Rice and Rosalyn Malamud; Tyler Tate – George C. Wolfe, Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Reverend Cannon Doctor Heron Sam; Jordan Tudor – Assistant Director

Third Year MFA Student: Manuel Viveros – Minister Conrad Mohammed and Anonymous Young Man #2            

Theatre Arts kicks off “,” Thursday, a powerful, true drama of six women who went to Vietnam. The play portrays each young woman before, during and after her tour in the war-torn jungle and ends as each leaves a personal token at The Wall in Washington.

The show marks the directorial debut of a mainstage production by , an assistant professor in Theater Arts, who joined the department last year.�� 

“This play is unique because it is one of the few plays about the Vietnam War that highlights the experiences of women,” Williams said.��“As it stands, we do not know how many women volunteered or served in Vietnam because they were not documented. This play speaks to that erasure to make sure audiences don’t forget how significantly we were all impacted by the 20 years of this war.”

Williams’ specialty is theater that explores intersections of gender, race and class, with particular focus on queer theory and performance.��

Before joining UofL, Williams worked with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer youth in Boston, at , a theatre company that strives to present the diversity of LGBTQ lives through performance art.

Williams’ says his artistic goals are to “spark dialogue, raise visibility and celebrate marginalized bodies.”

Theatre Arts renowned , which presents plays to area elementary schools, and its unique , drew him to UofL. He now teaches classes such as Acting the Black Experience, Tools for a Global Theatre and History of African American Theatre.

Williams said the cast of a “A Piece of My Heart” is comprised of a particularly strong group of undergraduates: Aaliyah Compton, Bridget Kim, Fiona Blackburn, Jordan Tudor, Olivia Herren, Lexi Johnson and Zach Stone.

The show is unique in that it’s set in the memories of the characters, he said.

“This has been an exciting challenge for our production team to create a world of memory, history and relevance to modern times. The set design is dynamic with varying platform levels reshaping the Thrust Theatre; sound effects mixed with haze and fog to simulate warfare; and costumes ranging from the late 50s to mid 70s capturing iconic decades of fashion.”

The show runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 21-23 and Feb. 28-March 2. There is a 3-5 p.m. matinee March 3. Purchase tickets .��

to see more images of the show.

Director Johnny Jones, who serves as head of the African American Theatre Program, leads audiences to “the promised land” by honoring a moment in history that forever changed the nation — the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

UofL graduate students LaShondra Hood and Xavier Harris lead the production, which is the Department’s first of the season. Hood, a third-year MFA Performance candidate, will perform her thesis role of Camae alongside Harris, a second-year MFA candidate who plays Dr. King.

“The Mountaintop” reimagines the night before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968. During the night, King receives a visit from Camae, a motel maid, as he wrestles with the idea of leaving earth before seeing his dream of freedom and equality for all people come to fruition. King wonders who will pick up the baton once he passes on. He soon realizes that the legacy that he leaves behind is more significant than he could ever imagine.

The theme for the Theatre Arts Department’s mainstage season is “Stories from the Past, Lessons for the Future.” Per the 50^th-year anniversary of King’s assassination, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and the Protests of 1968, “The Mountaintop” is a fitting production for an ideal time to ask ourselves, “Where do we go from here?”

“Dr. King said anybody can be great because anybody can serve,”  said Professor Johnny Jones. “There are still people in this world who are serving and doing just that for the sake of others. This play speaks to that particular opportunity of us being able to help each other, being able to uplift each other, and to be able to give each other testimony and to share our joys, our pains, and our sorrows with one another as we overcome.”

“The Mountaintop” opens Sept. 20 and runs through Sept. 30. Ticket prices are $20 General Admission; $15 for Faculty/Staff/Seniors (65+)/non-UofL Students (with Student ID) and $10 for Current UofL Students (with Student ID). Tickets may be purchased  or by contacting the box office at 502-852-6814.��

Many of the programs were organized by the Cultural Center and take aim at educating the community about King’s ideals of social justice, nonviolence, education and service.

Key programs during are:

• Jan. 13 – Louisville Downtown Civil Rights Trail, a bus tour of sites important during the struggle. The 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tour departs from the Cultural Center. Seats are limited and is required.
• Jan. 16 – , one of UofL’s largest community service events of the year. The program kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at the SAC. At 11:15 a.m. participants will board buses to visit one of nine local nonprofit organizations. Typical duties include painting, cleaning, winterizing homes and working with youth.
• Jan. 16 – Under the theme of “revolutionary multiracial dialogue,” a program featuring music, dance and speakers by the African American Theatre Program will run from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at The Playhouse, 1911 S. Third St.
• Jan. 18 – Women in the Movement Discussion, a talk by Kaila Story, an associate professor of women’s and gender studies. Story’s noon to 1:30 p.m. discussion at the Cultural Center is about women’s roles in the civil rights movement.  
• Jan. 19 – “Children of the Civil Rights,” a about a group of Oklahoma children and their six-year struggle against oppression prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Discussion follows. Film begins at 6 p.m., Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.
• Jan. 20 – Lunch and MLK Dream Wall signing, noon to 2 p.m., Cultural Center. People can share messages of unity, love, inspiration and equality as MLK Week concludes.