Playhouse on Park to host anel on the humanity of Martin Luther King Jr. on March 16

Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, Connecticut

Playhouse on Park (244 Park Rd, West Hartford, CT 06119) will host a free panel discussion exploring the personal side of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, March 16.

Titled “The Man Behind the Movement: The Humanity of Faith, Power, and Vulnerability in Public Leadership,” the event will examine the complexities of King’s leadership and humanity. The evening begins with a wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m., followed by the panel discussion and Q&A at 7 p.m. Dessert will be served at 8:30 p.m.

The discussion is presented in conjunction with the theater’s production of The Mountaintop, running March 4 through March 22. The play imagines the final night of King’s life at the Lorraine Motel, blending historical events with spiritual and speculative elements while portraying King as a complex human figure rather than a distant icon.

The panel will be moderated by Jay Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, formerly the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Panelists include Vanessa Roberts Avery, partner at McCarter & English and former U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut; Shawn Fisher, pastor of Bloomfield Congregational Church and a community leader in cultural transformation; Barbara E. Headley, pastor of Zion Community Baptist Church in Springfield, Massachusetts, and former deputy chaplain of the Connecticut State Senate; Raheem L. Mullins, chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court; and Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar, professor of history at the University of Connecticut and founder of the Center for the Study of Popular Music.

Admission to the panel is free, but reservations are required. Attendees can RSVP by contacting the Playhouse on Park box office at 860-523-5900 ext. 10 or by email at BoxOffice@playhousetheatregroup.org. More information, including full panelist biographies, is available at PlayhouseOnPark.org.

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Playhouse on Park to host anel on the humanity of Martin Luther King Jr. on March 16