HCC presents original play to mark MLK holiday

Heights Community Congress (HCC) will commemorate the Martin Luther King holiday by presenting “A Conversation After A Funeral,” an original play by Mary Weems, Cleveland Heights resident and former CH poet laureate. The event will take place on Jan. 21, at 7 p.m., at Hope Lutheran Church, 2222 North Taylor Road.

“A Conversation After a Funeral” is an imagined dialogue between two young people, Emmett Till and Anne Frank, set at the conclusion of Till’s funeral. Emmett Till (played by J’Vaugh Briscoe) was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at age 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Anne Frank (played by Miranda Coble) was a diarist and writer who went into hiding during the Holocaust and wrote about her experience.

Directed by Weems, the play is designed to help audiences of all ages see the connections between these two youths from different races, classes, time periods and countries. The conversation between these two teenagers, radically affected by cultural misunderstandings, lends itself to meaningful and relevant dialogue in the talk-back session after the play. The session will be facilitated by Tameka Taylor, a well-known diversity consultant.

Weems is the author and editor of 13 books. She uses theater as a way to prompt the kinds of critical dialogue and experience that may lead to social change.

The event is free and open to the public. Complimentary refreshments will be served at 6 p.m. Reservations are appreciated and can be made by calling HCC at 216-321-6775 or by visiting www.heightscongress.org.