Nashville Mayor Megan Barry To Speak At ONE NIGHT OF EMPATHY

Nashville mayor Megan Barry and Metro Nashville Arts Commission executive director Jen Cole will be among the featured speakers at "One Night of Empathy," an event using theater as a catalyst for discussions about empathy, presented by The Humanity Project on Tuesday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at the Z. Alexander Looby Theater in Nashville.

"The arts have always been a vehicle for exploring differences in our world," says Cole. "The Humanity Project is bringing actors, directors, and writers together to forge a space for listening to each other. Our country is in many ways divided and what we need now, more than ever, is space for hearing each other. This event will be a kick off for theatre companies and citizens to come together and seek understanding across our shared humanity."

The Humanity Project-founded by Daniel DeVault and Pat Patrick-will launch its efforts with this event, but the goals are much broader. The aim is to create empathy-focused discussions in the Nashville community throughout the month of March at arts performances, through "pop-up" events, in libraries, and in community centers.

The organization will expand these discussions beyond Middle Tennessee through the arts and have already received interest from organizations in New York City, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco, according to DeVault and Patrick.

"Seeing so many acts of hate-fueled violence, Pat and I asked ourselves the hardest of questions: how do we make a positive impact, both locally and nationally, in the wake of such monstrous actions?" says DeVault. "All too often, we witness hatred exposing itself as a rally cry, a bond that unites people to induce fear by committing unspeakable horrors. Empathy, the human capacity for consciousness, presented itself to us as the best weapon we could deploy against hatred-and perhaps the only."

With a cross-section of Nashville's rich and diverse theatre community participating, "One Night of Empathy" promises to engage on deep levels. In all, 14 theatres-ranging from professional to high school-will present short scenes, staged readings, and musical numbers that embrace social issues and spur conversations about empathy.

The event will be free and open to the public, with donations accepted to further the work of The Humanity Project.

About The Humanity Project: The Humanity Project was formed with the simple goal of spreading, teaching, and modeling empathy in today's stark society. Employing the arts as a catalyst, The Humanity Project aims to create discussions about empathy in Nashville and across the country. For more information about The Humanity Project, please visit https://thehumanityprojectweb.com/.