One month ago, the Summer Repertory Theatre 2019 Company decided to come together to perform a piece from last season in recognition of this summer’s cancelled season and as a message of hope to everybody impacted by the coronavirus crisis. In the weeks since we made this plan, the racial and structural inequalities in our country have once again made themselves glaringly obvious with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, and Rayshard Brooks and demonstrations of police brutality and injustice across the country. We debated whether or not to continue making this video- as much as we love each other and are longing to sing together again, even virtually, we recognize that these inequalities will not be solved with a song. They will not be erased by platitudes of hope. But music is a great unifier and singing together strengthens our company. Maybe it will strengthen our listeners, as well. As a company we stand with and support Black lives and all those fighting for justice in this country and worldwide. Theatre, and musical theatre in particular, is full of messages of hope, connection, empathy, and empowerment. However, hope is no substitute for action. We will not achieve the “new day” this song speaks about unless we fight for it. We challenge everybody watching this video to use your voices to speak up for justice, to vote, to donate to organizations that make an impact, and to fight for a better world. For more information on how to stay engaged, please visit www.blacklivesmatters.carrd.co

"Morning Glow" from PIPPIN - music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Roger O. Hirson.