Theatre Jacksonville is privileged to join the 2024 annual National Jewish Theatre Foundation’s Holocaust Theater International Initiative by presenting Traces In The Wind, a staged reading of remembrance that will take place on Sunday, February 4 at 2 and 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and The Woman’s Club of Jacksonville, the reading shares the lives of Dutch dancer Rosie Glaser, French writer Charlotte Delbo and Czech costume designer Eva Kavanova, whose powerful words describe their survival through the darkest depths of psychological and physical abuse.

“It is still so important that memories, stories and lessons from the Holocaust not be forgotten. Traces in the Wind is a potent portrayal of immense courage, vital artistic expression and necessary rebellion in the face of oppression and violence,” said Theatre Jacksonville Executive Director Sarah Boone. “We are incredibly honored to have the show’s writer and creator, Dr. Gail Humphries, and the composer of the original score, Tom Andes, coming to Jacksonville to direct and work with our local actors.”

Humphries, who premiered Traces in the Wind in 2017, is currently Dean of the College of Fellows of the American Theater, and her broad experience encompasses academic administration, curricula and program development, fundraising and the direction of more than 180 productions. She has been awarded several faculty and directing awards and is currently co-editing and contributing to several volumes of Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal.

Andes, a professional musician for more than 45 years, is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Berklee College of Music and currently on the faculty of the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Traces in the Wind features the talented cast of Julia Blasi, Cecilia Cristol, Leanne Gullo and Rachel Johns. Tickets are included for All-Access Season Members and are $25 for Season Subscribers. Single tickets are $31.
Following each performance, there will be a panel discussion led by Dr. Humphries.

“It is our hope that the words of these three amazing women, in concert with music, generate empathic responses, and ultimately thinking and action, from each member of the audience,” said Boone. “The arts are a powerful means of speaking and even shouting out against hate and oppression, and we can all walk away more equipped to identify and defeat it in the future.”

For more information about Traces in the Wind or other shows in the 104th season, visit www.theatrejax.com.

About Theatre Jacksonville
Theatre Jacksonville was founded in 1919 as The Little Theatre of Jacksonville, with the capital for the 1938 construction of the historic facility donated by Carl S. Swisher. It was reincorporated as Theatre Jacksonville in 1969 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Theatre Jacksonville has provided 104 years of uninterrupted community theater in Jacksonville.

Theatre Jacksonville’s mission is to enrich lives and broaden cultural understanding through community participation in theater arts. In addition to providing more than 100 performances each season of outstanding community theater featuring a regional cast of exceptionally talented playwrights, musicians, actors, designers and stagehands, Theatre Jacksonville reaches hundreds of students each year through summer camps, classes, field trips and in-school presentations.

Theatre Jacksonville also uses art to advance issues of local concern. From supporting veterans to nurturing arts and recreation, it fosters community partnerships to advance the culture, health and well-being of Jacksonville. As Theatre Jacksonville anticipates its future, it also seeks to build a strong operational foundation to ensure that, just as endowed funds support the theater building, endowed funds will support theater operations. For more information or to donate, visit www.theatrejax.com.