HartBeat Ensemble & Austin Arts Center Present Poetic Fable "Where We Stand"

Press release

HartBeat Ensemble and Austin Arts Center at Trinity College Present Where We Stand, a Modern Parable of Community and Compassion

Hartford, CT -HartBeat Ensemble and Austin Arts Center at Trinity College announced today a seven-performance run of Donnetta Lavinia Gray's Where We Stand, a modern parable of community and compassion where the fate of the main character is decided by the audience. This intimate and interactive production will be directed by HartBeat Ensemble member Vernice Miller and star Hartford artist and HartBeat Ensemble member Laugh Sanchez.

Where We Stand runs October 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 at 7:30pm with a 2pm matinee on October 11 at the Austin Arts Center on the campus of Trinity College (300 Summit Street, Hartford). Putting the community first, tickets for Where We Stand are free, but advance reservations are required. Tickets can be reserved by visiting trincoll.edu/austin-arts-center or HartBeat-Ensemble.org. The production is part of the Greater Hartford Arts Council's Theater Week initiative.

About the Play

Where We Stand is a long form poem with humor, heart, and music that tells the story of a man standing before his town asking them for forgiveness after he has made a deal with a mysterious stranger on their behalf. This piece both engages and implicates the audience in determining the man’s fate. Where We Stand asks what it means to practice compassion, forgiveness and accountability in a democracy. Donnetta Lavinia Gray's award-winning solo show is a uniquely theatrical experience where the outcome is in your hands.

Artistic Director Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. states, "HartBeat Ensemble invites audiences to explore what it means to be in community and in democracy. As we approach our 25th anniversary—an institutional milestone that coincides with the 250th anniversary of the signing of our nation’s founding document—we are deepening our commitment to civic dialogue through theater. We want attendees to experience HartBeat as a space where the arts are not only a source of inspiration, but also a catalyst for reflection, engagement, and care."

Simmons continues, "By presenting Where We Stand, a powerful story about communal accountability and moral reckoning, we are amplifying themes that are both timeless and urgently relevant: the role of the individual in shaping the collective, the complexity of justice, and the necessity of compassion. We hope attendees leave with a deeper understanding of HartBeat’s mission to build community."

Where We Stand is partially supported by Department of Economic and Community Development, CT Office of the Arts, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and Travelers.

About the Artists:

Laugh Sanchez (Actor) is a multi-disciplinary Puerto Rican performer, writer, and founder of The Rooftop Poets LLC, where he blends theater, spoken word, and music to amplify stories of community and identity. As an Ensemble member for HartBeat Ensemble, he has supported the development of Youth Play Institute and Moved to Act under the guidance of Hannah Simms. Dedicated to empowering emerging voices, Laugh has partnered with universities, arts organizations, and media platforms to create programs that merge performance with professional development. With a dynamic presence and commitment to storytelling, he brings authenticity and connection to every production he joins.

Vernice Miller (She/they) (Director) is a Jamaican-born, Afro-Caribbean theatre artist rooted in New York City, whose work across borders is guided by an unwavering faith in the arts as a common language of transformation and hope. Miller is the producing director of Keen Teens, the educational arm of the Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning Keen Company. She is the co-founder and artistic director of A Laboratory for Actor Training Experimental Theatre Company in New York City. Directing credits include work at Chester Theatre Company; WAM Theatre, Joe’s Pub @ The Public Theatre, Folger Shakespeare Theatre;,and HartBeat Ensemble; as well as internationally at theatres in South Africa, Ukraine, Slovenia, Poland, Scotland, and Denmark. As an actor, she has been seen at The Public Theatre; 59E59 Theatre; The Duke; Brooklyn Academy of Music; La Mama E.T.C. Abroad – Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK; Glej Theatre, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Warsztaty Teatralne, Opole, Poland; Odin Teatret, Holstebro, Denmark; Metropole Theatre, Aarhus, Denmark. She is the ecipient of the London New Play Festival’s Best Actress Award for the solo performance of Medea:Now.

Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Playwright) is a Columbia, South Carolina-based playwright and actor whose writing credits include Kudzu Calling (World Premiere Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Where We Stand (Lucille Lortel Nominee, Drama League Nominee, 3X AUDELCO Nominee, World Premiere Co-production - WP Theater and Baltimore Centerstage. O’Neill Center National Playwrights Conference Semifinalist.), Warriors Don't Cry (Theaterworks USA/Bushnell commission), Last Night and the Night Before (World Premiere - Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Kilroys List. Colorado New Play Summit. National New Play Network Showcase. Todd McNerney National Playwriting Award Winner. O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference Semifinalist.), Laid to Rest (O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference Finalist.) The Review or How to Eat Your Opposition (WP Pipeline Festival. O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference Finalist.) The New Normal and The Cowboy is Dying.

Jeremy Winchester (Production Designer) is a theater-maker with a focus in design, direction, and project/program development. His background runs the gamut from theatre to dance and opera, classical to contemporary plays, and from community-based arts to theater for young audiences. Winchester has worked with such notable companies as the Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival, Cornerstone Theatre, Pacific Performance Project, Peter Kyle Dance, and Boise Contemporary Theatre, among many others. He has also taught in the theatre departments at Michigan State University and the University of Evansville. From 2012 to 2016, Winchester served as the Executive Artistic Director of Flint Youth Theatre (FYT), a year-round professional theatre for youth and family audiences in Flint, MI, where he directed and designed both children's theatre mainstays and classic works from the larger theater canon for audiences of all ages.

Margo Caddell (Production Designer) is a Connecticut-based lighting designer for theater and dance. Her work has appeared at numerous theaters including ART (Cambridge, MA), Lyric Stage (Boston), Knoebel Dance Theater (Long Beach, CA) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As an educator, Margo has been on faculty at Tufts University where she taught lighting design and stage management and University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she lectured in both the BA and MFA theatre programs. She’s also taught stage management at Connecticut College and conducted workshops at Boston College. Currently she is the program coordinator for the performing arts at Trinity College.