Fri 2/7 & Sat 2/8 @ 7:30PM
Sun 2/9 @ 2PM
May 4, 1970 is a day that will never be forgotten at Kent State University, no matter how many years have passed. Each year the shootings of students protesting the war in Vietnam by the National Guard, which killed four young people, are commemorated on campus. And with what’s going on today, including the demonization of college students, it’s wise to remember.
This year, the annual May 4 Commemoration is kicking off with a play called Trial by Fire that looks at student activism and book bans, a very timely topic considering the greatly increased number of book bannings around the country and the assaults on free and open education coming from the Ohio state legislature.
The plot, we’re told, revolves around a new women’s studies teacher, a KSU alum, on trial for allowing high school students to read books on the governor’s “banned” list and the pushback from the students. The play was written by KSU alum Eric Mansfield who is currently working on an MFA in playwriting.
“As the students rise to answer the call for activism, Trial by Fire serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of standing up for free expression and confronting injustices,” says KSU professor Neil Cooper, chair of the May 4 education committee. “Through these May 4 programs, we continue to amplify the voices that challenge and shape the world around us.”
Kent State’s School of Theatre and Dance will present the play, directed by KSU associate professor of voice and acting Courtney Brown, in the Center for the Performing Arts February 7-9. Go here for tickets.
kent.edu/theatredance/trial-fire