February 6 – 7
It’s July 17th, 1944, in Port Chicago, California, a cool summer Friday night at a munitions naval base 30 miles north of San Francisco. World War II is in full swing, and Segregation in the United States is prevalent. African American sailors are being pushed by their commanders to load tons of dangerous missiles and explosives onto two large munition ships. None of these men have been properly trained to handle munitions, yet they are given orders and expected to load huge amounts of the highly dangerous cargo as quickly as possible. At approximately 10:17 pm, something goes terribly wrong. An explosion so fierce, it shakes the ground with the force of an earthquake, knocking out windows and shaking buildings as far east as Boulder City, Nevada. What happened next is even more mind-boggling… Reading the newspaper reports, you are now treading in waters filled with chaos, anger, blame, and, most importantly, guilt. None of the officers in higher ranks are willing to take responsibility for this tragedy.
What happened that cool summer night? How? Why?
Meet the Sailors before, during, and after that fateful night, with the dramatic story told through the eyes of one of the survivors, Freddie Meeks.
Come and witness this powerful presentation of “Port Chicago 50”. Port Chicago 50 is a story of love for Country, the American Dream, and a quest for equality and fairness.
Unbelievable . . .Emotional . . .Dramatic . . . Thought-Provoking
Berkeley News says, “It’s very revealing of the struggle of the oppressed and worthy of our attention, especially during these strange times.”
Amsterdam News exclaimed, “Everything was stunningly brought together by the precise direction of Mr. Rowe.”
Woody King, Jr. (Broadway Producer) says, “You, your company of actors and designers did an excellent job!”
Runtime: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Ages: Ages 6 and older
Content Warnings: rare or mild usage of swearing and flashing/strobing lights, mild references to violence and grief, and depictions of violence, grief, and smoking.