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ST. LOUIS, MO – Gitana Productions will present “An Amazing Story: German Abolitionists of Missouri,” an original play inspired by the amazing stories of remarkable German immigrants who were also leading abolitionists in Missouri. Using the lens of history, the original performance will bring to life what it means to strive for social justice for “others” while also advocating for one’s own cultural group.
Gitana will present “An Amazing Story: German Abolitionists of Missouri,” at Kranzberg Art Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd, Thursday, June 20 through Saturday, June 23 at 7:00 PM, and performances on Sunday, June 23 at 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Following each performance there will be a question and answer session with actors, playwright and historians. Tickets can be purchased for $20 at metrotix.com.
Germans came to America in the 1800s seeking freedom from oppression in Prussia. Remarkably, many German immigrants, who often spoke no English, recognized that the hope for a growing democracy in America could only be realized if slavery was abolished. Often threatened and even run out of town by Missouri slaveholders, these men and women even started newspapers to spread their ideals for a color-blind democracy. While many German immigrants who settled in the Midwest before and after the Civil War staunchly defended freedom for slaves, some chose to set aside those values to survive. Those tensions, with roots in the past, continue today within many American cultural groups.
“The rich and shared history between Germans and African Americans in St. Louis isn’t widely known and we want to change that,” said Cecilia Nadal, executive director of Gitana Productions. “This German story is an important American story, where the ideal of Democracy brings together unlikely and diverse champions.”
This February, Gitana Productions and the Missouri German Consortium presented The Face of Love: Symposium on the Common History of German and African Americans. The event brought together historians, community leaders and artists to discuss the shared African American and Missouri German history.
For more information about attending or booking the play, visit www.gitana-inc.org or contact [email protected] or 314-721-6556. Gitana is supported in part by the Missouri Arts Council, Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Humanities Council.
ABOUT GITANA PRODUCTIONS
Gitana Productions, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural awareness and collaboration using music, dance and drama in the St. Louis region. Gitana events present a rarely seen diversity of international and local artists exhibiting an array of traditional and innovative artistic expressions. Gitana also developed Global Education through the Arts, a community project that uses the arts to promote intercultural competence between youth of diverse backgrounds. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org, email [email protected] or call at (314) 721-6556.
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Media Contact
Sharon Thatcher
[email protected]
314-721-6556