Racial injustice focus of bold new play at Abington

Acclaimed work to make its Philadelphia-area premiere
Cast member Christian Thompson

The performance of "Blood at the Root" at Abington is free and open to the public.

Credit: Penn State

Penn State Abington will host the Philadelphia-area premiere of a bold new play about racial injustice next week. The one-time performance of "Blood at the Root" is free and open to the public.

The piece follows six high school students as they struggle to look beyond their personal experiences and view life from another perspective, interwoven with the issues of miscarriage of justice, double standards and racial inequality. "Blood at the Root" was inspired by the Jena Six, a group of young black men in Louisiana who were charged with attempted murder after beating a white student at Jena High School in 2007.

The play begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, in the Sutherland Auditorium at Penn State Abington. For information, go to www.abington.psu.edu/CA or call 215-881-7800. The play is suggested for mature audiences.

"Blood at the Root" was written by Dominique Morisseau for the Penn State School of Theatre and features students from its Graduate Acting Program. Last summer, the cast performed the play in South Africa for three weeks.

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