By Kathryn Kelman/editor-in-chief
TR Campus student development services and the president’s office will host a night at the historic Jubilee Theatre Feb. 8 for TCC students, faculty and staff.
The theater is currently producing the play Detroit ’67, which ties in to what some TR history professors are teaching during February, said Wafeeq Sabir, assistant to the president.
“It [the play] references the rioting and the civil unrest that occurred during the summer of 1967 in Detroit and its impact on the rest of the country,” he said.
Sabir said he has not seen the play before but is looking forward to seeing students connect the play with what they’re already learning in the classroom.
The goal of a night like this, Sabir said, is to heighten students’ awareness of historical events that occurred before they were born. The Jubilee Theatre is used to extend what is already happening on campus and connect it to a cultural component that students can relate to, at no cost to them.
“I think that anytime you can reach back and pull some things from the past, perhaps related to present-day affairs, I think sometimes that becomes an educational moment,” he said.
This year, almost the entire theater has been reserved, around 140 seats, to afford more students this opportunity, said Carter Bedford, TR student development services director.
“This is a cultural arts opportunity for students,” he said. “What better way to expose our students to culture than taking them to a small cultural theater in downtown Fort Worth that focuses on the African-American experience, not only in Fort Worth but also across the country.”
People need to sign up in advance so they can plan for food and because seats are limited and filling up fast, he said.
The pre-performance dinner and discussion will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Trinity River Idea Store.
“If you’re participating, you have to do the whole thing,” Bedford said about both the dinner and the play
A faculty member who specializes in 1960s history will lead and facilitate the discussion about the Detroit riots, he said.
Attendees should dress in semi-business casual, Bedford said.
“The event is open to TCC students, faculty and staff only,” Bedford said. “We just ask that students who do sign up respect that they signed up.”
For more information or to register, contact Bedford at carter.bedford@tccd.edu or 817-515-1197.
