Have you noticed the art display in First Parish? It’s part of the art and culture of Cuba which will be highlighted on the walls of the First Parish gallery this month, and is part of the upcoming Munroe Saturday Nights presentation, “Cuba: Memory, Art and Action – An Evening to Benefit Friends of Caritas Cubana” will open the 2016-2017 season of the Munroe Saturday Nights performing arts series on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 at First Parish in Lexington, 7 Harrington Road at 7:30 PM.
The evening’s program, which will benefit the work of the Friends of Caritas Cubana, will feature readings and musical selections from the Cuban and Cuban/American experience, as well as a presentation from local Cuban Americans sharing their observations from recent trips to Cuba. Participating in the performance are award-winning playwright/actor/director Melinda Lopez, writer Ana Hebra Flaster, and musicians Zahili Gonzalez Zamora and Zayra Pola Ocasio. The photographs of Andrew Child and art by Cuban artists, on display in First Parish’s art gallery, are available for sale by silent auction. There are also photographs by First Parishioner Lew Counts, who visited Cuba in 2001.
Lexington playwright Merrill Meadow will moderate a panel discussion of Cuban and Cuban-Americans, who will reflect on recent changes in the US’s relationship with the island nation and life in Cuba today. Allene M. Diaz, from the Board of Friends of Caritas Cubana will share stories and images of their almost twenty-year-old mission of enhancing the capacity of Caritas Cuba.
To further help those still struggling in Cuba, Friends of Caritas Cubana also invites donations of the following medical and health items: small sized, unopened, unexpired Tylenol; Benadryl; aspirin; Advil; and Prilosec, or the generic equivalents, as well as Band-Aids, Neosporin and Toothbrushes. A collection bin will be in place at First Parish on the night of the performance to accept these contributions.
The suggested donation for Munroe Saturday Nights events is $10/person. A portion of the donations for the September 24 production will be donated to Friends of Caritas Cubana to further their mission of enhancing the capacity of Caritas Cuba. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Visit http://www.munroecenter.org/reserve-your-seat.html to reserve your seat.