Westport Country Playhouse Presents Sunday Symposium for 'Flyin' West'

Westport Country Playhouse's Sunday Symposium on June 3, following a 3 p.m. performance of Pearl Cleage's play "Flyin' West," will feature guest speaker Michele Mitchell, associate professor of history at New York University. The Playhouse Sunday Symposium program is free and open to the public. Mitchell will engage in a conversation about the play with David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director.

"Flyin' West" is a drama of humor, suspense, and sisterhood, directed by Seret Scott. It is set in 1898 as the Civil War is still a living memory and the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas, offers a refuge for many formerly enslaved people. At one homestead lives a family of courageous and sharp-witted women determined to make a place for themselves. They overcome tremendous odds in a heroic effort to escape the scars of the past.

Michele Mitchell is a former North American editor of "Gender & History." She is the author of "Gender, Imperialism and Global Exchanges" (2015), "Righteous Propagation: African Americans and the Politics of Racial Destiny after Reconstruction" (2004), and co-editor of "Dialogues of Dispersal: Gender, Sexuality and African Diasporas" (2004). She was an elected member of the American Historical Association and Organization of American Historians. She received her doctorate from Northwestern University.

The Sunday Symposium Series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

"Flyin West" Production Partners are Johnna G. Torsone and John McKeon; Corporate Production Sponsor is Fidelity Investments.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).

ABOUT Westport Country Playhouse
The mission of Westport Country Playhouse is to enrich, enlighten, and engage the community through the power of professionally produced theater worth talking aboutand the welcoming experience of the Playhouse campus. The not-for-profit Playhouse provides this experience in multiple ways by offering live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos; educational and community engagement events to further explore the work on stage; the New Works Circle Initiative, a program dedicated to the discovery, development, and production of new live theatrical works; special performances and programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand play readings to deepen relationships with audiences and artists; the renowned Woodward Internship Program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; youth performance training through Broadway Method Academy, WCP's resident conservatory program; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round.