Ebony Road Players Presents: Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical & Panel Discussion

Date: Tuesday, December 12
Location: Meijer Theater, 2nd floor of the GRPM
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Cost: $25 for adults and $15 for children 17 and under

Play – 6:30 PM

Polkadots Polkadots follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot, who recently relocated to the “Squares Only” town of Rockaway. As the sole Polkadot in an all-square school, Lily confronts the daunting challenge of gaining acceptance among her peers. From enduring daily bullying to encountering segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest appears bleak until she befriends Sky, a reserved Square boy whose curiosity about her unique polkadot skin blossoms into an unexpected friendship. Inspired by Civil Rights pioneers Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine, Polkadots serves as a vibrant history lesson for the world, emphasizing that our differences make us extraordinary, not outcasts.

Panel Discussion – 7:45 PM

“Learning, Living, and Loving in Grand Rapids” investigates how the implementation of the 14th Amendment influenced our way of life within the community. Over the next year, in collaboration with our community partners, we will scrutinize the profound consequences of three Supreme Court decisions that employed the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection of the Law, affecting both lives and locales in Grand Rapids.