Alabama Story
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As the Civil Rights movement is brewing in Montgomery, Alabama, a segregationist senator and the state librarian clash over the content of a children’s book about bunny rabbits. Meanwhile, a reunion of childhood friends — a Black man and a woman of white privilege — provides a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital. Political foes, childhood friends and one feisty children’s author inhabit a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak and hope.
Inspired by true events, Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones is a drama about censorship, book banning and Civil Rights set within the framework of 1950s racial tensions, but look closer and you’ll see it’s really about the issues facing America today as book bans and book challenges overwhelm libraries and schools across the nation.
Ghostlight will present this immersive piece of theatre set amongst books that refuse to be banned at two local booksellers in Chicago that are ardent supporters of free speech.
Alabama Story marks Ghostlight’s return to full productions after the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, our eighth season celebrates a symphony of creativity that resonates across cultures and time, reminding us that art is a universal language that binds us all.
Learn more about book bans at Unite Against Book Bans. Support your local booksellers and your local libraries. including the Chicago Public Library System.
Alabama Story is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection.
Details
Where: After-Words Bookstore, 23 E Illinois St, Chicago &
Haymarket Books at Haymarket House, 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago
When: Sept 27-29 & Oct 4-6, 2024 (After-Words Bookstore)
Oct 11-13 & Oct 18-20, 2024 (Haymarket Books)
What time: Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
How much: Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25. By donating more, if you are able, you help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. A preview performance is scheduled for Friday, September 27. Suggested donation for this performance is $10.
Getting there: More information on transportation options can be found here.
TICKET INFORMATION
BUY TICKETS
Tickets to Alabama Story at Haymarket Books
Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25. By donating more, if you are able, you help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. A preview performance is scheduled for Friday, September 27. Suggested donation for this performance is $10.
Mask PolicY
To increase accessibility during the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, we will offer a mask-required performance for all audience members on Sunday, October 6.
Masks will be optional at all other performances, but Ghostlight Ensemble reserves the right to implement mask requirements as public health conditions evolve. We ask that you please respect your fellow patrons’ choices around wearing masks. Disposable masks and hand sanitizer will be available to patrons at each performance.
Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones was performed Sept. 27-Oct. 20, 2024, at After-Words Bookstore and Haymarket Books in Chicago.