The League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC) annual conference is well underway in downtown Cincinnati. The conference, and its thousands of attendees, is in the process of diving into issues surrounding Latinos in America while also exploring the Queen City through a host of events.
One unique event at the conference is the premiere performance of Cincinnati: City of Immigrants which takes place this evening, appropriately enough, at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The event begins at 7:30pm, and is free and open to the public.
Cincinnati: City of Immigrants was written by critically-acclaimed playwright Joe McDonough. Produced by ArtsWave and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the story follows six fictional characters representing the six major waves of ethnic immigrants – German, Irish, African-America, Jewish, Appalachian and Hispanic – to Cincinnati over the past 180 years.
The fictional characters include a young German woman living in Over-the-Rhine in 1850, an African-American former slave in search of her son, and a Latino family celebrating a birthday in Cincinnati’s west side Price Hill neighborhood. The goal, producers say, is to tie together common experiences and encourage audience members to think differently about how their family history might connect them to other Cincinnatians.
The show will be performed at the theatre on the third floor of the Freedom Center. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (map) is located along downtown Cincinnati’s riverfront in The Banks development. Convenient parking is available in underground parking garages located directly beneath the museum, and the Freedom Center is easily accessible by Cincinnati’s future streetcar line.
There are four other opportunities to see the show, which includes a dialogue with the cast after each performance. Additional performance dates and locations include:
Friday, July 8th Fairfield Arts Center
Tuesday, July 12 Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati
Wednesday, July 13th Irish Heritage and Cultural Center in Columbia-Tusculum
Thursday, July 14th BLOC Mission in Price Hill
These performances begin at 7:00 p.m. and include time for a post-show community dialogue with the actors. Performances are free and open to the public.
