Connie Lawson Davis, BSED ’67, (left) and Carol Lyles embrace at the EBN Theater Fundraiser in February. Photo by Dustin Franz
The Ebony Bobcat Network’s (EBN) Annual Theater Fundraiser in February was such a hit with members of the Ohio University community that EBN has announced a second theater fundraiser for April.
EBN will present “The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God” on Friday, April 13, at Cleveland’s Karamu House , one of the oldest African-American performing arts theaters in the United States.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. with a pre-performance reception at 6 p.m. The play follows a young African girl who asks “too many” questions about God. After being abandoned by a white missionary for her curiosity, she elects to find out who — or what — God really is.
February’s fundraiser featured the play “ Jelly Belly ,” which was written by OHIO Distinguished Professor of Playwriting Charles Smith . It was hosted at Ensemble Theatre , which is a Bobcat-owned theater in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. More than 100 Bobcats attended in support of the event and the Urban Scholars Endowment Fund .
The Urban Scholars Endowment Fund equips academically qualified students with the necessary financial means and support system to attend Ohio University. Thanks to EBN’s dedication and various fundraising events such as the Theater Fundraiser, the organization has raised more than $250,000 for the endowment to date.
The “Jelly Belly” event alone raised more than $2,000 for the fund, and tickets sold out weeks prior to the show. EBN Events Coordinator Gary Nickerson, BS ’66, was thrilled to welcome OHIO alumni, faculty and EBN members and hopes to continue the fundraising success with April’s event.
“I want to thank the people from Ohio University, the OHIO Alumni Association and the staff at Ensemble Theater who are graduates of Ohio University,” Nickerson said. “[Also] the members of EBN, who do a marvelous job in terms of pitching in.”
Find more details and register for April’s fundraiser online. Contact Gary Nickerson at ganickers@aol.com with any questions.