‘Dialogues on Grace’ inspired by violence in Ferguson, Mo.
Heights documentary filmmaker Cressandra Thibodeaux edited 20 hours of videotaped interviews with more than 50 people to create her foray into live theater, “Dialogues on Grace.”
Workshop performances of the 75-minute play will be performed at 8 p.m. Feb. 23-28 at 14 Pews, a former church that Thibodeaux renovated in 2010 following its use as the avant-garde Aurora Picture Show.
The script and performances will likely change over the course of the one-week run, said Thibodeaux, but as the play evolves, she hopes it will succeed as a tapestry of interwoven voices that causes audience members to think about grace and forgiveness from the perspectives of different people.
Thibodeaux, who is biracial, contributed her own “story of grace” to the script by revealing that she gained insight into her late father, who was black, when she dated a black man.
“I was able to learn to understand, forgive and love my ‘prejudicial’ black father,” said the playwright.
“And even though my father died on Jan. 30, 1988, I feel I’ve been given a second chance at understanding and loving my black family.
“And when you’re given a second chance at ‘loving’ better, to me that is grace.”
The venue hosts film screenings, musical per-