First hour: Shakespeare on Streets program inspires at-risk teens
Second hour: Author Tarek Fatah and his book, The Jew Is Not My Enemy
A new theater program is helping local at-risk teenagers get back on a path to success. Shakespeare on the Streets matches students enrolled in Hillside's Reinvesting in Youth program with members of the Rochester Police Department, the Rochester Latino Theatre Company, and local Shakespeare artists. The student actors -- who have all had encounters with law enforcement -- will perform selections of Henry V in March. We talk to program organizers and to student participants, who explain how the play's themes have inspired them to work toward new beginnings. Our guests:
- Wayne Harris, deputy chief, Rochester Police Department
- Jennifer Perry, program manager, Hillside Reinvesting in Youth Program
- Stephen Bryant, case manager, Hillside Reinvesting in Youth Program
- Bernard Plansky, M.D., director of the performances and Shakespeare artist
- Annette Ramos, founder and executive director, Rochester Latino Theatre Company
- Tyler, Hillside student actor
- DeShaunte, Hillside student actor
In our second hour, Tarek Fatah is a writer, broadcaster, and liberal Muslim who founded the Muslim Canadian Congress. His book, The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism, examines the historical, psychological, and political divide between Jews and Muslims. Fatah will be a guest of ROC4 Israel on Sunday, February 28, but first he joins Connections to discuss his book and the current state of Muslim-Jewish relations.
