10 Seconds Virtual Show & Talkback

Dallas Children’s Theater in collaboration with show producer, Imagination Stage, invites the community to join us for a virtual screening of this filmed stage play 10 Seconds on Thursday, April 29. Register online at bit.ly/RegisterFor10Seconds.

The 45-minute screening will be followed by a 30-minute live panel discussion. Appropriate for ages 13 and older, the event is a part of the theaters’ continuing commitment to using the power of their medium to spark important conversations around tough topics.

Based in Washington, DC, Imagination Stage’s 10 Seconds, written by Miriam Gonzales and directed by LeeAnét Noble, explores a world where deeply rooted biases and misperceptions easily take hold. Life can often feel unnerving — and can change for better or worse in the blink of an eye depending on how we see each other.

Ray and Jimi are Washington, DC high school students who navigate their young adult worlds and what it means to be young Black men in the city. Ray tells the story of a day — and “ten seconds” inside that day — that he and Jimi will never forget, sharing not only their perspectives, but also the views of the police they encounter.

Through audience engagement and interactive moments, the film provides opportunities for reflection and discussion. By “stopping time,” the audience is asked to imagine what might happen if everyone makes the effort to pause, listen to one another, question our assumptions, and consider the possibilities for change.

The event includes a virtual, interactive follow-up discussion, featuring a panel of subject matter resources who will discuss policing on a national level and how dynamics can be permanently changed when support groups work collaboratively and intentionally together. Facilitating is Denise Lee, Dallas Children’s Theatre Social Justice Strategist and founder of Visions for Change, Inc.

Panelists include: Officer Devalon Lee-Arkansas of the Dallas Police Department’s (DPD) Youth Outreach Unit; Shontay Miles-Davis, former Metropolitan Police Department (DC) officer; Makenzie Grier, high school senior and member of the DPD Youth Leadership Council; and, from 10 Second’s creative team, playwright Miriam Gonazles and actor Tre’mon Mills.

Dallas Children’s Theater’s Social Justice Initiative is funded with support from the Melinda and Jim Johnson Family Fund, the MR and Evelyn Hudson Foundation and Deborah and Craig Sutton/Rasa Floors and North Texas Cares. Imagination Stage’s 10 Seconds production is funded in part by a grant from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.