The 2nd Act Players has donated $950 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to help fight for racial justice in the United States. The donation represents 80% of the contributions made by attendees at the 2nd Act Players’ two recent streaming performances entitled More Rivers Will I To Cross — a look at the twin pandemics of racism and Covid-19.
The streaming performances July 24 and July 25, the first online efforts by the 2nd Act Players, featured two short plays by Southside Chicago playwright Andre Richardson Hogan II, Raising Puffs and Line of Duties.
“We wanted to do more than just issue another statement after the death of George Floyd and subsequent demonstrations across America, we wanted to do something tangible to help,” says 2nd Act Players’ cofounder John N. Frank.
“We knew Andre had something important to say about racial justice in Raisin Puffs and we were happily surprised when he told us he had just written another play that looked at the toll Covid-19 is taking across this country,” explains Frank.
More than 40 show attendees made donations to watch one of the two streaming shows. “We didn’t charge to watch, asking instead for donations,” Frank explains. “We likely lost money on this production but we consider the costs incurred part of our donation to make sure Andre’s words were heard. Theater exists to get people to think about, and act on, the major issues of the day, we believe. We have done that with these shows.”