{"id":188,"date":"2017-06-30T17:34:59","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T21:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nehsjc.org\/theleague\/?p=188"},"modified":"2017-06-30T23:47:38","modified_gmt":"2017-07-01T03:47:38","slug":"joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nehsjc.org\/theleague\/joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighborhood Tour Spreads Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adobuere Ediama portrays one of nine characters
\n<\/span>in <\/span>\u201cMr.Joy\u201d<\/span><\/i> Photo: Craig Bailey\/ArtsEmerson<\/span><\/p>\n

By Tom Coughlin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amid rising tensions in class and social inequity in America, \u201cMr.Joy: The Neighborhood Tour\u201d tackles these issues head on. The play, a one-woman show, was directed by David Dower of ArtsEmerson, who worked in partnership with writer Daniel Beaty. Their mission was to bring the production to neighborhoods that might not otherwise be exposed to live theatre, and would benefit from seeing a show based on the very social issues these neighborhoods face.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dower, who formerly worked as a community and political organizer on issues of social justice, showcased the work with help from the Boston Mayor\u2019s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity. He partnered with I Dream Boston, a community organization that works in minority communities and tries to empower individuals to rewrite the story of race and class inequity in America.<\/span><\/p>\n

With help from I Dream Boston, Dower brought this play to four distinct neighborhoods – \u00a0Hyde Park, East Boston, Allston, and Dorchester. According to Dower, audience members were surprised to see several fellow community members, both partaking in and being immersed in the production. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe audiences in these different communities were surprised to see the [diverse] audience.\u201d Dower said, \u201cThe audience would comment, \u00a0\u2018I never sit in a room that looks like this\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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