TONIGHT: West Hartford Playhouse Hosting Panel On Martin Luther King Jr. Play

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Playhouse on Park in West Hartford has announced a free panel discussion titled "The Man Behind the Movement: The Humanity of Faith, Power, and Vulnerability in Public Leadership."

The event is scheduled for Monday, March 16, at the theater located at 244 Park Road.

Attendees are invited to a wine and cheese reception beginning at 6 p.m., followed by the panel discussion and a question-and-answer session at 7 p.m.

The evening will conclude with a dessert reception at 8:30 p.m.

The panel discussion is held in conjunction with the theater's production of The Mountaintop, a play by Katori Hall that runs through March 22.

The production explores the final night of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel, blending historical reality with spiritual elements.

The play presents King as a man who is tired, flawed, funny, afraid, and faithful. Jay Williams, the President and CEO of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, will serve as the moderator for the discussion.

The panel will feature several notable figures, including Vanessa Roberts Avery, a partner at McCarter and English and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Other participants include the Rev. Shawn Fisher, pastor of Bloomfield Congregational Church, and Reverend Dr. Barbara E. Headley, pastor of Zion Community Baptist Church in Springfield, Mass.

Chief Justice Raheem L. Mullins of the Connecticut Supreme Court and Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar, Ph.D., a professor of history at the University of Connecticut, will also join the conversation.

The panel aims to take a deeper look at the man behind the historical figure.

Playhouse on Park is managed by the Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc., and serves as a destination for the performing arts in Greater Hartford. Admission to the panel discussion is free, but an RSVP is required to attend.

Those interested in participating may contact the box office by email at BoxOffice@playhousetheatregroup.org or by calling 860-523-5900, extension 10.

For more information on the play 'The Mountaintop,' click on this link.

For more information on tonight's panel discussion, click on this link.