Spady Welcomes Playwrights and Play Readings

Yesterday, the Spady Museum played host to a new group of people — folks who love plays enough to want to seek out new playwrights, gather with like-minded people and read these plays aloud. The playwright joins the group through Skype. Last night, they were reading “Soil Beneath my Sole,” by Felecia Turner.

“Playwrights and Play Readings” is directed by Donalda McCarthy, friend to the museum.  The group is pictured below, deep in play-reading focus.

In her own words,  Donalda describes the photo of the first meeting at the Spady a little something like this —

“The two ladies on the left are an actress and a director from Hollywood, FL. The man on the right is a vaudevillian performer from Jupiter. The lady on the right is an actress and Drama teacher from Costa Rica (well, okay, Boynton Beach.)… Smile.

Our playwright was initially perplexed/concerned to hear her African-American characters through the voices of non-Black voices. Understandably. Alas, the actors were so strong and their professional production experience was able to offer her a wealth of additional feedback and broaden her audience scheme, to boot!

Thanks everyone! See you next month for Denyce Shaw’s “Three Generation of Men.” — Donalda”

To learn more about “Playwrights and Play Readings,” visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Playreadings/

What’s in your sackpack? Spady prepares for school

On August 9, representatives from the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum’s Kids Culture Club were present to receive cool new sackpacks from the Office Depot Foundation, the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot^® (NYSE:ODP).

The Foundation donated 6,000 sackpacks in five colorful designs to children served by area non-profit organizations and schools. The Foundation presented the sackpacks, which contain essential school supplies, during a special “Back-to-School Celebration” at the Office Depot store located at 14539 Military Trail in Delray Beach.

Through the award-winning National Backpack Program, which is now in its 11^th year, the Office Depot Foundation help deserving children prepare for school by donating 350,000 sackpacks across the United States and internationally.  The newly designed sackpacks, which were specially created for the Foundation, reflect and respond to changes in the ways that children are taking their materials to school.

“In keeping with our mission – Listen Learn Care − we’ve created these fun and exciting sackpacks in response to what kids have told us they like,” said Foundation President Mary Wong.  “We are thrilled to donate these very cool sackpacks to more children in a single year than ever before.

Charlene Farrington, director of the Spady Museum’s youth program, will distribute the museum’s allotment of Foundation sackpacks to the many community children it serves through its programs and collaborative partnerships.

Left to right: Office Depot Foundation team member, Office Depot Foundation team member, David Fannin (O.D. Foundation Board Member), Mary Wong (O.D.Foundation President), Shanel Smith (Front), Shayna Wright (Back), Charlene Jones (Spady Museum), George Ballou, (O.D. store manager), Bill Lanning (O.D.district manager).