Passage Theatre in Trenton is doing a play on Little Rock, the famous school segregation case that cracked the Jim Crow rules. The play has been extended through November 2, with performances Thursday through Sunday.  Originally it closed the day before the Moral Monday Rally, sponsored by The Campaign to End the New Jim Crow – Trenton and Princeton. The campaign aims to reform mass incarceration practices that now mimic the old Jim Crow laws.

The play was  previewed by Ted Otten in the Times of Trenton and reviewed by Simon Saltzman in U.S. 1 Newspaper, quoting him:

An integrated cast of nine gifted performers not only portray the students but many both black and white characters as the play progresses over the tumultuous period from September, 1957, to graduation day in May of 1958…

Touching personal narratives segue into searing and scalding confrontations. What is remarkable is how little use there is for dramatic contrivance. There is no need considering the horrific realities that these students confronted and have been recorded.

It runs through November 2 at Passage Theatre’s Mill Hill Playhouse and I’m really hoping to get down there. SAFE is the word for parking across the street from the jewelbox theater, no worries on that score. Saltzman warns that it’s nearly three hours long, maybe the 3 p.m. matinees on 10/25 or 10/26 will work best.

As for the rally, it is Monday, October 27, noon to 2 p.m. on the steps of the New Jersey State House in Trenton. Parking is available at the state house or the Trenton Wyndham Hotel (follow the signs from Route 1 to the hotel). Say the organizers (and I)

END the criminalization of our youth
REMOVE barriers to re-entry
REDUCE the prison population, END torture and abuse
INVEST in the social safety net (schools, housing, jobs)

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