Florida Stage play, group target race, ethnic relations

by Jan Sjostrom

January 11, 2007 | Palm Beach Daily | Palm Beach County, Florida

Florida Stage will cooperate with Toward a More Perfect Union on a countywide series of study circles discussing race and ethnic relations in Palm Beach County.

The Manalapan-based theater's next production, the world premiere of Thomas Gibbons' A House with No Walls, "is so perfect for what we do," said Barbara Cheives, community and program developer for Toward a More Perfect Union.

The play, the third in a trilogy on race relations, concerns a battle that erupts when a new museum enshrining American liberty is about to be built on a site where George Washington's slave quarters once stood. It will open Jan. 26 and run through March 4.

Toward a More Perfect Union is a nonprofit, West Palm Beach-based organization that seeks to improve race and ethnic relations in multicultural communities through study circles, workshops, film series and other endeavors.

Fourteen study circles, including one at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, will begin meeting weekly next week. The sessions will continue through Feb. 23. The groups will be composed of eight to 15 participants.

Florida Stage is providing discount tickets to participants, who will use the play as a catalyst for their discussions.

"This is not about finding answers or changing anybody's mind," Cheives said. "It's a sharing experience. I share a bit about my experience and you share a bit about yours so we can understand each other better and work and live together more easily."

The goal of the meetings is for each group to devise an action plan. "Each one will be different," Cheives said. "It could be as small as having a multicultural meal together or as big as banding together to affect legislation."

There is no cost to participate. The registration deadline is Friday.

For information, call Cheives at 832-3336, Ext. 2, or e-mail .

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Learn more: Racial Equity