University of Lynchburg will host Chad Goller-Sojourner for a performance of “Riding in Cars with Black People and Other Newly Dangerous Acts: A Memoir in Vanishing Whiteness” on January 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Sydnor Performance Hall, Schewel Hall. The performance is in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is free and open to the public. Due to significant interest, the performance will be live streamed to Snidow Chapel, where overflow seating will be available.
Chad Goller-Sojourner is an award-winning Seattle-based solo performer whose work has been funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and featured on NPR. Prior works include “Sitting in Circles with Rich White Girls: Memoirs of a Bulimic Black Boy,” which premiered in 2008, followed by several years of college and university tours.
“Riding in Cars…” is the groundbreaking and honest story of what happens when a black boy, raised by white parents, “ages out” of honorary white and suburban privilege and into a world where folklore, statistics, and conjecture deem him dangerous until proven otherwise. At times funny, biting, and somber, the production takes audiences on an intense and insightful journey that unpacks race, privilege, and policing. The production originally debuted in April 2013, under the direction of Tyrone Brown, artistic director of BROWNBOX African-American Theater.
The performance is sponsored by the Flynn Multicultural Center, LC First Year Programs, and Spiritual Life. For more information, call 434-544-8330.
LC will hold a workshop to discuss the topics of Goller-Sojourner’s performance from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Lunch is provided and a limited number of seats are available to the general public. Those who wish to attend the workshop should call 434-544-8330.
The News & Advance wrote about the upcoming performance this week.
View the trailer of “Riding in Cars…” below.