THE HUMAN SPIRIT Opens 6/7 at Odyssey Theatre

Heroes who struggled to achieve a Black majority-run Democracy in South Africa are still being revealed. The Human Spirit is the story of some of the men and women who devoted their lives to support that country's most disadvantaged. Some toiled publicly, but most worked tirelessly in the shadows to improve the welfare of the non-white populations who had been neglected for nearly half of the century. Nelson Mandela was still in prison, clean water and sanitation barely existed, and AIDS was beginning to orphan an entire generation. This World Premiere production of THE HUMAN SPIRIT is being directed by Donald Squires, opening on June 7th, as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.

"Freedom and equality rarely come to those who merely want it. They come only to those who are willing to wage the necessary struggle to merit them. The people whose stories are dramatized deserve such an accolade. After the death of my husband, brother, and mother within a month, I reached out in hopes of reviving my own faith and benevolence. The journey helped me to discover the undeniable connection that we all have as people...the human spirit" - Carole Eglash-Kosoff; Playwright

CAROLE EGLASH-KOSOFF (Playwright) has spent her life writing, teaching, and traveling to more than seventy countries. Her book, "The Human Spirit - Apartheid's Unheralded Heroes," was inspired by two-years of teaching in South Africa, profits were donated to Ikamva Labantu and other South African charities. By One Vote, one of Carole's recent books, relates twelve true stories of events that shaped American history as the result of a single deciding vote. Her previous work, When Stars Align, a Civil war era interracial love story, is being developed as a stage production for later this year. Carole has established a scholarship program called "A Better Way," which provides funds and mentoring for high school students working to achieve a college degree.

Zuri Alexander, Virtic Emil Brown, Lisa Dobbyn, Terrance Ellis, Zehra Fazal, Matt Fowler, Safia Hakim, Eamon Hunt, Allison Reeves, Rea Segoati, and Cary Thompson.

Racquel Lehrmen (Producer), Victoria Watson (Associate Producer), Gary Lee Reed (Set Designer), Michael Gend (Lighting Designer), Jon Jackson (Sound Designer), and Jerry A. Blackburn (Stage Manager), and Wendell C. Carmichael (Costume Designer)

The World Premiere of THE HUMAN SPIRIT opens Saturday, June 7th with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm through June 29, 2014. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Tickets are $30 at http://www.plays411.com/human or 323-960-4412