Something happened in our town. In May of 2020, while we were in the early days of a terrifying, deadly, and isolating pandemic, a Black man by the name of George Floyd was murdered by police on a public street with the world watching. As if this were the last straw in years, decades, centuries of discrimination, prejudice, and violence against Black people, our town erupted. The world erupted, with generations of pent-up frustration at injustices. It was, and still is, hard to process that as an adult. I can't imagine what our children felt and are still feeling. The Children's Theatre Company saw this need and commissioned playwright Cheryl L. West to adapt the children's book
Something Happened in Our Town, written by three child psychologists in 2018, into a play. This story of two families, one Black and one White, and how they and the children's friendship were affected when a Black man was killed by police, offers a straight-forward and hopeful look into these issues, if a bit simplistic and heavy handed at times.
Something Happened in Our Town continues through March 27, and while it may not be as fun as
Annie or the upcoming
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it's a useful tool (along with lots of helpful dramaturgical info in the program) for parents and children to discuss and process what's been happening in our town over the last two years.
