MEDIA CONTACTS: Stacia Smith 561-297-2971, ssmith@fau.edu or
Polly Burks 561-297-2595, pburks@fau.edu

The Kennedy Center Presents "Color Me Dark: The Story of the Great Migration North"

BOCA RATON, FL (January 7, 2005) - The John F. Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration Tour presentation of "Color Me Dark: A Story of the Great Migration North" will be staged on Friday, January 14 at 7 p.m. at the Count de Hoernle Amphitheater at Center for the Arts at Mizner Park in Boca Raton. The play, which is being sponsored by Florida Atlantic University's School of the Arts, John and Joanne Payson, and Wachovia Bank, is free and open to the public.

The play tells the story of Nellie Lee Love, a young African-American girl who, with her family, escapes the racial prejudice of rural Tennessee in the late 1920s to move to Chicago. Nellie's mother believes a fresh start will help Nellie's sister Erma Jean, who has stopped speaking after witnessing a horrible, mysterious event.

Though life in this northern city is new and exciting, Nellie Lee and Erma Jean discover that racism knows no boundaries. Despite the many challenges they face, with the love and support of their family, both sisters find the strength within themselves to triumph. The play, written by Jerome Hairston, is based on the award-winning book by Patricia C. McKissack from Scholastic's popular "Dear America" series.

The tour marks the 10th anniversary of the Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration Tour which began at the request of two teachers wishing to bring high quality performances to their communities and to their schools. As part of this tour, free performances will be given to school groups at FAU, followed by the free performance at Mizner Park.

Every Imagination Celebration Tour begins at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. before traveling and performing across the nation. In addition to the production, specially tailored workshops are offered to teachers to prepare their students for the production.

For more information about the production, call the Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park at 561-368-8445.

- FAU -