“Today” and “tonight” signify Tuesday, June 9.
PORT TOWNSEND — The Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble will present “The Tip of the Iceberg: Exploring Race & White Privilege,” an interactive performance and community dialogue, at 7 p.m. tonight and Thursday at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Admission is free to the performances while donations are welcome at the fellowship hall, 2333 San Juan Ave.
“The Tip of the Iceberg” will focus on the more subtle aspects of racism, often unintentional and unconscious, said Marc Wein-blatt, Poetic Justice’s founder.
“The audience will explore thoughts and feelings that come up around race,” he said, along with how to be an effective ally; how to respond to situations like those in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore; and how to educate ourselves and our children toward a more just world.
“This is an opportunity to raise consciousness and deepen one’s compassion for self and others,” Weinblatt said.
“All are invited to participate and/or simply witness the process.”
The Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble will use physical imagery and improvisation, he added, to interpret stories and ideas from the audience — and later invite theater-goers onto the stage to explore solutions to the questions that have come up.
This can be “a rehearsal for the future, in which audience ‘spect-actors’ take action toward creating the kind of world they want,” said Weinblatt.
“We’re asking hard questions about race,” he said.
“Even in progressive, socially conscious Port Townsend, there is so much more we can do to make this a safe and healthy community for all people.”