CATCO is Kids in conjunction with CATCO will open its 2020-21 season with a free virtual presentation of Short Plays Toward an Antiracist Tomorrow, featuring four short plays for multigenerational audiences by award-winning playwright, poet, and educator Idris Goodwin.
The plays, The Water Gun Song, ACT FREE, Nothing Rhymes with Juneteenth, and #MATTER, are being presented as part of the King Arts Complex’s HeART of Protest initiative, honoring George Floyd’s 46 years of life and ongoing worldwide protest for social justice, and in collaboration with Goodwin and TYA/USA.
“Earlier this year, Goodwin made these plays available to everyone as open-source scripts, without any barriers to access, to spark conversations about race in America and to serve as a catalyst for action,” said Leda Hoffmann, CATCO artistic director. “It is our sincere hope that audiences will watch and discuss Short Plays Toward an Antiracist Tomorrow with their families and friends Oct. 24 and long afterward.”
Each play explores a different theme to encourage dialogue about an antiracist future and targets various age groups:
• A parent and child discuss why a water gun isn’t simply a toy in The Water Gun Song (for audiences age 6 and up), approximately 10 minutes.
• Three kids wrestle with the definition of freedom in ACT FREE (for audiences age 9 and up), approximately 8 minutes.
• A parent and child try to complete a rap for a school presentation in Nothing Rhymes with Juneteenth (for audiences 9 and up), approximately 8 minutes.
• Former high school friends debate life and race in #MATTER (for audiences age 14 and up), approximately 11 minutes.
The plays will be produced separately and streamed simultaneously on YouTube (the link will be available at https://www.catco.org). In conjunction with the performance, CATCO is Kids and CATCO will host talkbacks with the artists and a panel discussion titled “Talking to Kids about Race.” After Oct. 24, the plays will be online at https://www.catco.org and available to stream free of charge to continue the conversation.
