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“Alabama Story”: A New Play About Books, Race, Censorship and the American Character

“Alabama Story”: A New Play About Books, Race, Censorship and the American Character

Alabama Story, playwright Kenneth Jones’ six-actor, one-set play inspired by real events that touch on censorship and Civil Rights issues in “the Deep South of the imagination,” had its world premiere in January 2015 by Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, UT. Artistic director Karen Azenberg directed the staging, which earned rave reviews, standing ovations and … Read Full Article→

2019 Marks 60th Anniversary of Social Justice Tale That Inspired “Alabama Story”

2019 Marks 60th Anniversary of Social Justice Tale That Inspired “Alabama Story”

April 2018 marked a publishing milestone related to a colorful, ugly footnote that touches a variety of American subjects, from children’s literature to Civil Rights to censorship to librarianship to freedom of expression and the freedom to read. On April 30, 1958, Harper Bros. published “The Rabbits’ Wedding,” a children’s picture book many people had never heard of … Read Full Article→

Kenneth Jones’ “Two Henrys,” Bittersweet Family Portrait in the Age of AIDS, Gets Alabama Workshop Staging

Kenneth Jones’ “Two Henrys,” Bittersweet Family Portrait in the Age of AIDS, Gets Alabama Workshop Staging

Red Mountain Theatre Company in Birmingham, Alabama, continues its commitment to new works in spring 2019 with a developmental production of Kenneth Jones’ Florida-set, three-character family drama Two Henrys, a play about Midwestern “snowbirds” struggling with prejudices and perceptions in the age of AIDS and marriage equality. The March 14-17 staging follows a successful RMTC run of … Read Full Article→

In Arizona, Emerson Theater Collaborative Tells “Alabama Story,” a Tale of Hate in a Time of Social Change

In Arizona, Emerson Theater Collaborative Tells “Alabama Story,” a Tale of Hate in a Time of Social Change

Emerson Theater Collaborative, the boutique bicoastal company devoted to innovative, socially relevant and thought-provoking theater, is presenting a weekend run of Kenneth Jones’ six-actor race-and-censorship drama Alabama Story Feb. 22-24, 2019 in Sedona, Arizona. The not-for-profit troupe also has a presence in Mystic, Connecticut.

ETC co-founder and president Camilla Ross told me, “We wanted to choose a … Read Full Article→