CINCINNATI, OH (February 5, 2020) – In partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company (CBTC) will present the award-winning play Anne & Emmett, featuring narration by actor Morgan Freeman.
Performances of Anne & Emmett will be February 28 – March 1 and March 6 – 8 at NURFC’s Harriet Tubman Theater. Produced and performed by the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company, the show is directed by Don Sherman, CBTC executive director and president, and features local actors.
Janet Langhart Cohen’s Anne & Emmett depicts an imaginary conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, both victims of racial intolerance and hatred. Frank, the 13-year-old Jewish girl whose diary provided a gripping perspective of the Holocaust, speaks with Till, the 14-year-old African American boy whose brutal murder in Mississippi sparked the American civil rights movement. This compelling one-act play explores the startling similarities between the harrowing experiences of two teens who lived in societies that failed to protect them.
“Anne & Emmett is a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece of art that is timeless and speaks to people of all walks of life,” says Sherman. “This play will be a life-changing experience, dealing with innocence, grief, hurt and brutality inflicted on two young people. The audience will leave feeling uplifted with a drive to make a change in their own community.”
Woodrow Keown Jr., president and chief operating officer of NURFC, encourages those interested in the play to visit both the Freedom Center and the Holocaust & Humanity Center before the play to learn about the history and themes that will be explored throughout the performances.
“The Holocaust and the American civil rights movement were among the darkest moments in human history and to view them through the eyes of children is particularly heartbreaking and powerful,” says Keown. “Anne & Emmett puts their lives and their times in perspective in a way that gives us hope and spurs us to action, just as both the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Holocaust & Humanity Center inspire change through education and reflection.”
Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for students and seniors and $20 for group tickets (minimum of 20 tickets). Tickets are available online.
###
ABOUT THE CINCINNATI BLACK THEATRE COMPANY
The mission of Cincinnati Black Theatre Company (CBTC) is to keep alive the spirit of Black Theatre by offering top-notch theatrical productions, performance and employment opportunities, children’s theatre, educational programs and community outreach in all aspects of theatre arts. CBTC is committed to increasing literacy, promoting diversity and multiculturalism, pursuing collaborations, and providing access to the arts.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.
ABOUT THE NANCY & DAVID WOLF HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY CENTER
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center exists to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust inspire action today. Located at Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, HHC educates more than 200,000 community members through its educational initiatives, innovative programs and partnerships.
