“We are giving voice to Dayton citizens,” said Leone, artist-in-residence at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. “Dayton is always finding a way to give voice to what we value and what is of importance to community. Peace and belonging intersects, which makes this weekend in which NATO is in Dayton the perfect opportunity for this (reading).”
The listening sessions, convened by the Human Race Theatre Company, took place last summer and continued through January. Organizers are pleased with the results thus far.
“The partnership with the Human Race Theatre Company, Sierra Leone and participants in the listening sessions has been a rich and thoughtful experience,” said Joni Doherty, Kettering Foundation senior program officer for Democracy and the Arts, in a press statement. “The reading at the Theatre Guild will give Daytonians the opportunity to have a say in the shaping of this play. We look forward to their guidance with respect to what we have accurately portrayed and what we might have missed.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Following the performance, audience members will be asked to offer their feedback on the depictions of belonging — or exclusion — in Dayton.
“The outcome and every bit of engagement is to gain more understanding,” Leone said. “It is through understanding we can collectively move forward. We can’t take another step forward without clearly knowing what people feel. Every type of human being had an opportunity to express the way they feel whether that’s being ostracized or rejected or being included. These are things we must simply grapple with if we’re going to be inside humanity.”
If more work is required, Leone expects a second reading to take place in the fall.
“More conversations may come from this staged reading,” Leone said. “We may discover there is more unearthing to do. Perhaps there are community voices that still need to be heard and shared. What does it mean to belong? And in that is also the thought of not belonging — of othering."
Credit: GLENNA JENNINGS
Credit: GLENNA JENNINGS
As she continues to shape this work, Leone is mindful of the history being created authentically and openly.
“‘We want ‘The Belonging Project’ to be a true reflection of what America is now,” she said. “We should mark what we’re living but through the voices of Daytonians.”
HOW TO GO
What: “The Belonging Project”
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dayton Theatre Guild, 430 Wayne Ave.
Cost: Free but space is limited.
More info: Dayton Theatre Guild is adjacent to downtown Dayton, outside of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly security zone. Free parking is available at the rear of the building.
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