SteppingStone Theater Presents FOUR LITTLE GIRLS Reading Today

Please join us today, September 15, 2013 for a free special commemoration of the very day 50 years ago when four little girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley were killed when their church was bombed by white supremacists in Birmingham, Alabama. The play lets the four girls tell us about the hopes and dreams they carried for their lives before they were tragically cut down. It is as uplifting as it is moving.

Four Little Girls was inspired by a quote from Dr. Angela Davis in a 1993 Essence Magazine article where she talked about the legacy of these young lives: "What bothers me most is that their names have been virtually erased: they are inevitably referred to as 'the four Black girls killed in the Birmingham church bombing.' Along with our memories of that horrible day and what it symbolized, would also like us all to consider what Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Denise McNair might have become." Dr. Davis, scholar, activist, and writer, was a childhood friend of Carole Robertson, one of the girls that were killed at the church that day. We are bringing back the original cast from our world premiere production in 2011 for the reading. Patricia Lacy, featured vocalist with ³The Sounds of Blackness,² was the production¹s music director, and will again supervise the music for this reading. She will also provide pre-show music. The play will not be staged with sets or costumes, but actors will act the script as they read it around a table.

There will also be special guest speakers including Dr. Josie Johnson and Thelma Buckner, to discuss the importance of this day in American Civil Rights History.

This reading is part of a nationwide commemoration that will feature readings or productions of this play, commissioned by SteppingStone Theatre in 2011, in theatres and churches across the country, including a reading at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. directed by Phylicia Rashad. FREE. Seating is limited, please reserve your free tickets early! Reserve online at www.steppingstonetheatre.org/shows/sept15/ Please arrive 15-20 minutes prior to the start time.

SteppingStone Theatre¹s productions are professionally created and produced, with talents drawn from the best in the Twin Cities and throughout the U.S.The young actors are rigorously trained,but remain fresh and vibrant, bringing their joy and sense of fun to all SteppingStone Theatre¹s productions. Enjoyed by adults as well as children, SteppingStone Theatre¹s productions are affordable, high-quality entertainment.

All performances are in SteppingStone Theatre¹s new home, a beautifully renovated 100-year-old architectural gem located at 55 Victoria Street North, one block north of Summit Avenue in the Historic Hill District of St. Paul. Performances are appropriate for all ages. SteppingStone Theatre is fully-accessible to persons with disabilities, and has regularly-scheduled ASL & Audio Described performances. Interpreters can be scheduled for other performances at no additional cost upon request.

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