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St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, located at 410 N. Main St., will host a free-to-the-public theatrical performance of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail: If Martin Were Here Today" on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Presented by the Buffalo-based Typography of Women, the production reimagines the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail" through a conversation with a younger, 21st-century version of King. The performance includes music, spirituals, dramatic readings and commentary.
"Dr. King's letter still asks something of us: to recognize injustice, to listen to our neighbors and to put our faith into action," said Rev. Luke Fodor, the church’s rector. "We hope this evening will bring people together across our community to reflect on his words and consider how we can answer that call today."
The Diocese of Western New York, in collaboration with St. Luke's Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination, is sponsoring the upcoming performance. The performance is scheduled for the evening before the Diocesan Convention begins and invites Episcopalians from throughout the diocese, as well as neighbors and community members from Jamestown.
"Theater and music can open conversations that are sometimes difficult to begin," said Marion Beckerink, chair of St. Luke's Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination. "This performance invites us to encounter King's words together and ask what they require of us--in our churches, in our neighborhoods and in our relationships with one another."
Fodor added, "In April 1963, when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his letter to the clergy of Birmingham, he challenged religious leaders who urged patience while their neighbors suffered under segregation. His letter asked the church to examine the distance between the faith it professed and the injustices it was willing to tolerate. That question remains with us today."
Fodor said the upcoming theater and music performance offers attendees a unique opportunity to engage deeply with Dr. King's words and gain fresh insights and perspectives that resonate through the annals of history.
"What excites me about "Letter from a Birmingham Jail: If Martin Were Here Today" is the opportunity to hear King's words with fresh ears. Through theater and music, we can encounter the urgency of his message and consider how we respond. As a priest, I find his letter especially challenging because it was addressed to people like me--religious leaders whose desire to keep the peace could prevent them from confronting injustice. It asks us to consider when our own silence, caution, or comfort stands in the way of loving our neighbors," he said.
While the event starts at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments.
For more information, contact the church at 716-483-6405 or visit stlukesjamestown.org.