Hartford Stage to Host Panel Discussion on Raising Non-Traditional Families

Hartford Stage will host a free panel discussion on raising non-traditional families in Connecticut on Monday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m. The discussion is inspired by Caryl Churchill's landmark play, Cloud 9, which runs at Hartford Stage from Thursday, February 23, through Sunday, March 19.

The panel will be moderated by Hartford Stage Artistic Associate Rachel Alderman. Panelists include Donna Warren, RN, retired STD Program Coordinator for the Gay & Lesbian Health Collective; Julia Rosenblatt, Artistic Director of Hartbeat Ensemble; and Cedric Wesley, a Connecticut public school teacher.

In the final scenes of Cloud 9, the play's protagonist, Betty, finds herself at a crossroads. The world of Victorian Britain that structured her former life with clearly defined societal roles has crumbled; the world that her children and grandchildren live in seems to lack clear, formal rules. In the intervening nearly four decades since this play was written, how as the definition of the word "family" shifted? Has it shifted at all? Has it shifted enough? This panel discussion will seek to define what makes a family in the modern age.

The panel discussion is free to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Hartford Stage. A small community vendor fair will also be featured. For more information, contact Theresa MacNaughton, Community Engagement Associate, at (860) 520-7114 or tmacnaughton@hartfordstage.org. RSVP's are recommended: https://goo.gl/1QQNn7