Fri 6/26 @ 7-8:15PM
Sat 6/27 @ 6-9PM
Cleveland Public Theatre announced last month that its 8th annual Station Hope — the community arts festival devoted to ideas about social justice and the struggle for freedom for all — which it initially postponed, would be going all virtual. And Station Hope 2020 “A Virtual Celebration of Hope. A Dialogue for Change” will take place this Saturday, June 27, in a climate the organizers never could have envisioned a few months ago. In its eight years, there’s never been one in which its mission seemed so timely and so essential.
Station Hope takes place each year at Ohio City’s St. John’s Episcopal Church, an authenticated Underground Railroad stop in the years prior to the Civil War, and the starting point for the concepts shared by the artists and performers who participate. The free, family-friendly event will be live-streamed from iSt. John’s, with staff at the site and it cast of storytellers, actors, musicians, spoken word artists, and dancers sharing their versions of what justice looks like from wherever they are. Topics addressed will include such issues as racism, sexism, income inequality, gun violence, education, immigration, police violence, Underground Railroad history and more.
Both new and returning artists will be participating, and highlights from previous years will be included as well. Participants include a wide range of local arts and ensembles representing various communities. They range from the Afrocentric Djapo Cultural Arts Instiute to the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society; the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Lakeview Terrace to students from the Dike School of the Arts led by teacher India Nicole Burton; Kings & Queens of Art featuring Gwendolyn Garth to the Ohio City Theatre Project; Inlet Dance Theatre to Shri Kalaa Mandir & Kulture Kids; The Superhero Project & Shooting Without Bullets to Teatro Público de Cleveland. That’s only scratching the surface — there’s a full list at CPT’s website.
On the previous evening, Friday June 26 @ 7-8:15pm, there’ll be a panel discussion titled “Action Is Hope,” featuring local community activists. They say it’s a “call to action and a sharing of ideas to move us all toward action within our communities.”
Find out more here.
Cleveland, OH 44113