Artists Repertory Theatre Presents The Hillsboro Story, Opens 10/15

Real stories from 1954-56 Hillsboro, Ohio bring to life the not-so-distant history of school desegregation in the early years of the Civil Rights Movment. The Hillsboro Story weaves spoken word, movement and jazz with a trajectory of school and community outreach. Previews begin October 13, 2010; Opening Night is Friday, October 15, 2010. Limited run, production is two weeks only at Artists Rep. All tickets are $20 and available at www.artistsrep.org or by calling the box office at 503.241.1278.

The Hillsboro Story is a unique performance piece integrating movement, monologues, and visual images, backed by an evocative original music score by jazz composer, David Ornette Cherry. It tells the story of the first test case for Brown v. Board of Education (May 1954) in the North, in the playwright's hometown of Hillsboro, near the Mason-Dixon Line. A third-grade witness the local "colored school" in flames and the five African-American mothers who took legal action, Banyas returned home in 2003 as a cultural detective interviewing more than 50 community members and Civil Rights leaders to create this engaging theatrical piece.

This work is more than a simple play. It is the confluence of many artists and community reflecting on memory, historical facts and storytelling to invite audiences as creative activists and collaborators in upholding civil rights and shaping the future.

"This is not just a theater piece but a constant dialogue, and engaging and meeting of minds and personal stories," says playwright and director Susan Banyas. In Ohio, Banyas talked with lawyers, mothers, children, teacher and women who were cleaning the houses of the white women. "There was this whole beehive of activity that happened completely under the radar of white people, these memories are active not passive - we dignify our lives through our reclamation of history," said Banyas.

"The music was built in the alleys, streets and crevices of Hillsboro," said jazz score composer David Ornette Cherry. "I explored the texture and the rhythm of the times as subtle support to the story."

Scenic designer Jeff Seats says of his design for this production, "actors will still work in open, empty space where movement and story are best emphasized - the environmental design focus in the lobby, creating an environment that will expose audience members to imagery, people, place, sound and music of the time period."

CAST
Susan Banyas, LaVerne Green, Jennifer Lanier, K.B. Mercer

DESIGNERS
Music composed by David Ornette Cherry
Choreography by Gregg Bielemeier
Scenic Design: Jeff Seats
Costume Design: Rusty Terwelp
Lighting Design: Peter West
Stage Manager: Tozzi Laney

:: JUST THE FACTS ::

The Hillsboro Story
by Susan Banyas
Directed by Susan Banyas

Dates: October 13-October 24
Performances: Wednesday - Sunday @ 7:30pm; Sunday matinees @ 2:00pm
Opening Night is Friday, October 15
Location: Artists Repertory Theatre's Alder Stage (1515 SW Morrison St.)
Tickets: Tickets $20
503.241.1278 or www.artistsrep.org
On the Web: Website, Facebook, Twitter

SYNOPSIS
The Hillsboro Story is a warm-hearted, hard-hitting narrative, set in the writer's hometown, near the Mason-Dixon Line, during one of America's most powerful turning points.

The story opens in Hillsboro, Ohio on July 5, 1954 when the "colored" elementary school went up in flames. The fire sparked a "school fight" led by five African American mothers that became the first test case for the Brown v. Board of Education decision (May, 1954) in the North. Banyas was in the third grade, and the memory of those times sparked this cultural detective story. The Hillsboro Story is the culmination of over 50 interviews with major players, their children and national figures in the Civil Rights movement. The Hillsboro Story is an inspired weaving of spoken word, movement, monologues, and visual images, backed by an evocative original music score.

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