ALPENA, Mich.–Thunder Bay Theatre is teaming up with the Alpena High School Masquers Club and Central Michigan University’s Department of Theatre to present the Social Injustice Project, a reading series staging plays that deal with issues of social injustice.

This spring, a team of actors from each of the partnering organizations will present a staged reading of the Pulitzer Prize winning Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, a theatrical response to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun.

The reading will be presented in Alpena at Thunder Bay Theatre on May 6, starting at 7:00pm, and in Mt. Pleasant on Saturday, May 11th, at Central Michigan University starting at 7:00pm.

Each performance will be followed by a talkback to discuss the themes and issues presented in the play. Clybourne Park tells the other side of the story of A Raisin in the Sun, questioning race relations in Chicago in the 1950’s and today, discussing gentrification and housing inequalities.

The project is co-directed by Molly Stricker and Professor Dr. Annette Thornton, overseen by Jeffrey Mindock. The Social Injustice Project is funded by the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan. This collaborative project is hopefully the first of many between the two producing organizations in an effort to better educate and supports the students. Resources for research and education were utilized from Studio 180 Theatre in Toronto.

Thunder Bay Theatre is Northeast Michigan’s Only Year-Round, Non-Profit, Professional Theatre in addition to being one of only seven TCG theaters in the state.