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Upcoming Gamut production pays homage to the demolished Old 8th Ward of Harrisburg during Black History Month

  • Aniya Faulcon
Voices of the Eighth Chronicles II: Stories from Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward promotional photo

 John Bivins Photography

Voices of the Eighth Chronicles II: Stories from Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward promotional photo

Airdate: January 18, 2023

During Black History Month in February, Gamut Theatre Group and the Sankofa African American Theatre Company will present the Voices of the Eighth Chronicles II: Stories from Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward production. The play aims to pay homage to the Old 8th Ward of Harrisburg, where hundreds of primarily black homes, black-owned businesses and facilities were demolished, wiping out connections to a community that thrived during the 18th and 19th centuries.

To discuss the Voices of the Eighth Chronicles II: Stories from Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward and its importance for the community, Sharia Benn, director and playwright for the production, and Latreshia Lilly and Sydney Crutcher, actors within the piece, joined us on The Spark Wednesday.

Benn said, the demolition of the Old Eighth Ward caused displacement and disconnection for the Black community and is reminiscent to what happened during slavery when people were taken from their home.

“It’s just this cycle. So what happens is people lose touch. They don’t feel valued, they don’t feel worthy and the greatness of an entire community, of individuals, our history, it is lost and buried,” Benn said. “And so when we talk about the business losses, that is a loss of the ability to carry forth generational wealth. And then when I talk about the worth in the value of a person, when you don’t know that you are connected to people, that you have a lineage of greatness; that’s a loss you can’t put a dollar on.”

She also said, this production is timely, as it will take place during Black History Month but stories like these need to be told all the time.

For more information about the Voices of the Eighth Chronicles II: Stories from Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward production visit gamuttheatre.org/vote.

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