July 2, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of one of the bloodiest race riots in the 20th century: the East St. Louis Race Riots of 1917.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, Gregory Carr, an instructor of speech and theater at Harris-Stowe State University, and actress Andrea Purnell joined the program to discuss “Tinderbox,” his play based on the history of the event.
"It is a play with historical ramifications but that was the difficult aspect of it," Carr said. "I didn't want the characters to be talking heads but the other danger is if you take too much artistic license you run the risk of disrespecting the memory of those who struggled with this. I struggled with that, the historic accuracy as well as the dramatic intent as well."
On July 1, Carr will present a reading of his play that will be part of a weekend of events commemorating the historic events.
Listen to a full discussion, and excerpt from the play, here:
Related Event
What: East St. Louis 1917 Centennial Commission and Cultural Initiative Presents a reading of "Tinderbox" by Gregory Carr
When: Saturday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Where: SIUE Higher Education Campus in East St. Louis, Building D Multipurpose Room, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., East St. Louis
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