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American Dream Project: Online play readings explore race

Staff Report
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Middlebury Acting Company (MACo) presents The American Dream Project, a new, monthly online play reading series, starting on Sunday, Nov. 15. Through the project, MACo seeks to create a community of people interested in reading and discussing seminal, relevant plays that directly pertain to issues of racial and economic inequities in our country.

The series, held at 4 p.m. every second Sunday, through April, will convene the group via Zoom to discuss a play which participants will ready prior to gathering. A moderator will facilitate the conversation and actors and guest artists will read aloud selected scenes from each play. Moderators will offer (in advance) ideas and or questions to think about while reading each play. The plays:

— Nov. 15: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” by August Wilson, with moderator: François Clemmons — Inspired by the real-life Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, what begins as a routine recording session becomes more strained as tensions rise between the members of a blues band and the owners of the recording studio.

— Dec. 13: “Spinning Into Butter,” by Rebecca Gilman, with moderator Rebecca Strum — A crisis erupts at a small Vermont college when racist notes are posted on the dorm room door of one of the school’s few African-American students.

— Jan. 17: “Sweat,” by Lynn Nottage, with moderator Margo Whitcomb — Based on the playwright’s interviews with residents of Reading, Pennsylvania, tells the story of a group of close friends struggling to stay connected when their factory is at risk of collapse.

— Feb. 14: “The Royale,” by Marco Ramirez, moderated by Nicolas Caycedo — Charismatic African-American boxer Jay “The Sport” Jackson has a burning desire to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

— March 14: “Topdog/Underdog,” by Suzan-Lori Parks, moderated by Ro Boddi. Two brothers locked in a battle of wits as quick as their game of three-card monte, struggle to come to terms with their identity and what history has handed them, even their names.

— April 11: “The Niceties,” by Eleanor Burgess, with moderator Bill Hart — Zoe, a black student at a liberal arts college, is called into her white professor’s office to discuss her paper about slavery’s effect on the American Revolution.

For tickets or information, call 802-382-9222, or go online totownhalltheater.org

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