Event in Conjunction with Huntington's 'GUESS WHO...' Set for Strand Theatre Tonight

Huntington Theatre Company and the Mayor's Office of Arts + Culture will collaborate to present a free community event at Dorchester's Strand Theatre tonight, August 27 at 7pm in conjunction with the Huntington's upcoming production of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Hosted by Karen Holmes Ward, WCVB-TV's Director of Public Affairs and Community Services and host and executive producer of "CityLine," the evening will feature a screening of the Academy Award-winning 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner featuring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Sidney Poitier, followed by a conversation with director David Esbjornson and actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner of the Huntington's production.

The evening is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are encouraged at huntingtontheatre.org/StrandRSVP.

In both the film and stage adaptation of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, a young, idealistic, and very much in love Joanna surprises her liberal, white parents when she brings John, her African-American fiancé home to meet them. When John's parents also arrive for dinner, both sets of parents must confront their own unexpected reactions and concerns for their children as their beliefs are put to the test. When the movie premiered in 1967, it pushed a private conversation about interracial marriage into the public sphere. Playwright and adapter Todd Kreidler's fresh adaptation captures a moment in America's past while reflecting on the current state of race relations in America.

Esbjornson directed Warner in the role made famous by Poitier in a recent production at Arena Stage (Washington, DC) that The Washington Post called, "so darn appealing with masterly direction. Malcolm-Jamal Warner has matured into a solid leading man." The Washingtonian called it, "Riotously funny. Warner doesn't disappoint, his presence is forceful onstage." And Maryland Theatre Guide called it, "Truly uplifting. A delightfully funny, wonderfully acted evening of theatre that should not be missed."

The upcoming event continues the Huntington's longstanding tradition of bringing its work beyond its homes on the Avenue of the Arts and in the South End to Boston's neighborhoods and communities, including past events at the Strand Theatre (A Raisin in the Sun in 2013; Breath, Boom in 2003), Hibernian Hall (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 2012), and Roxbury Community College (Fences in 2009; Radio Golf in 2006; Gem of the Ocean in 2004).

The Huntington Theatre Company's production of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner by Todd Kreidler and based on the screenplay by William Rose plays September 5 - October 5 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. Tickets and more information at huntingtontheatre.org/guesswho.

Find more information on the event at huntingtontheatre.org/Strand.