Palm Beach Dramaworks Presents Second Annual ONE HUMANITY Tour

Palm Beach Dramaworks' One Humanity Tour, a project designed for sixth-grade students that aims to contribute to the development of informed, thoughtful, and compassionate citizens, launches its second season on September 6 at The Conservatory School. Thus far 11 performances have been booked for the tour, which concludes on October 4, and more Palm Beach County middle schools will be added in the coming weeks.

During its highly successful inaugural season, the tour played 21 performances and reached over 6,000 students - free of charge - in 18 schools.
The One Humanity Tour presents the play Swagger, written by Eric Coble, who was commissioned by PBD to write a balanced piece that addresses the nationwide tensions between the public and law enforcement. The play is now being published by Dramatic Publishing. Swagger is about an incident involving three characters: Jordan, an eighth-grade student; Daniel, a police officer; and Leela, a small business owner. Their lives intersect in a fateful scene captured on video, and Coble affords each of them the opportunity to share their very different perspectives on what took place.

"Eric knew that in middle school, students learn multiple perspectives," says Gary Cadwallader, PBD's director of education and community engagement. "And he did a really good job of presenting different viewpoints without coming down on one side or the other. One principal said she loved how the play tapped into the things they're working on with their kids in terms of empathy and walking in other people's shoes." Performances conclude with a talkback featuring the cast, a school resource officer, and a law enforcement representative, and the program also includes classroom activities and a teacher's resource guide.

Swagger is directed by Cadwallader and is performed by Stephan Pineda (Jordan), Robert Richards (Daniel), and Ariana Lobo (Leela). Scenic design is by Michael Amico, costume design is by Leslye Menshouse, and sound design is by Brad Pawlak.

The feedback from those who participated last season was inspiring. A teacher wrote, "Thank you for delivering such an important message in such a beautiful and creative way." A student commented, "The play changed my thoughts about incidents caught on video." And Stephen J. Stepp, chief of police in Palm Beach Gardens, wrote, "Using a play to get important messages across to the students was brilliant. . . . We are honored that you asked for our participation. . . . In these difficult times that face our country and local community, building trust through ongoing and open communication is key."