Raleigh Little Theatre to Present CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, 2/14-3/2

Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT), in cooperation with the Hayti Heritage Center, Wake County Public Libraries, and Chavis Community Center, presents Caroline, or Change: 1963 in North Carolina & Louisiana, along with a festival of outreach performances and panel discussions.

Festivities in January and February 2014 culminate with RLT's production of Caroline or Change from February 14-March 2. Tickets for all events at RLT can be purchased by calling the box office at (919) 821-3111 or by visiting the theatre's website at www.raleighlittletheatre.org. The RLT box office is open Monday through Friday, Noon-5:00 PM. Performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are at 8:00 PM; Sunday matinee performances are at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $22 for adults, and $18 for seniors/students.

This Tony-nominated musical centers on Caroline Thibodeaux, a divorced African-American maid and Noah Gellman, the eight-year-old son of the Jewish family for whom she works. Set in 1963 Louisiana against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, Kennedy's assassination, and the Vietnam War, blues, gospel, and traditional Jewish melodies blend together to create a breathtaking medium for Kushner's provocative and personal story of political change, social change, and pocket change.

On January 26 at 4:00 PM, RLT and the Hayti Heritage Center will host a preview performance and panel discussion: A Discussion on Race, Social Change, Politics, and Civil Rights in North Carolina and Louisiana in 1963 lead by Dr. Percy Murray, retired NCCU Historian. Panelists include Caroline, or Change director Karen Dacons-Brock, current Shaw University Historian Flora Hatley-Wadelington, as well as Dr. Jerome J. Washington, of Louisiana, whose parents served as household domestics in both NC and LA in 1963.

The panel will also be held on February 16, at 2:00 PM, in RLT's Cantey V. Sutton Theatre followed by the 3:00 pm matinee of Caroline, or Change. The cost is $12 for the performance and seating is reserved. Please buy tickets in advance.

In addition to the scheduled performances of Caroline, or Change, RLT is offering a free mini-performance at Cameron Village Regional Library on Monday, February 10 at 5pm. There will be an additional performance for the afterschool program at Chavis Community Center.

Outreach programs are made possible by the support of the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, with funds from the United Arts campaign as well as the N. C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Raleigh Little Theatre is located at 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, N.C. 27607, adjacent to the Raleigh Rose Garden. Cameron Village Regional Library is located at 1930, Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC, 27605, or call (919) 856-6710. Chavis Community Center is located at 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Raleigh, NC, 27601, or call (919) 831-6989. Hayti Heritage Center is located at 801 Old Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC, 27701, or call (919) 683-1709.

Photo by Curtis Brown