By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor

A unique blend of thought-provoking theater, a meal and conversation will be offered to Western New York audiences, beginning on Monday, as the "Living Room Project," presented by the Center for the Arts, begins a four-week engagement.

The theater will be provided by the Eager Artists Theatre Company of Durban, South Africa, a troupe founded in 1993 by director/playwright Jerry Pooe that offers authentic performances, classes and workshops in South African music, dance and theater. The group's visit is being funded with a $100,000 grant awarded to the CFA by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Arts Partners Program. It is the largest grant in the CFA's history.

The food and conversation will come courtesy of 14 "community hosts," among them some public and private citizens—including President William R. and Mrs. Greiner—as well as such community organizations as Ujima Theatre Company, Juneteenth Festival, African American Cultural Center, 1490 Enterprises senior citizen center, North Jefferson Public Library, YMCA of Greater Buffalo, Langston Hughes Institute and the Moot Senior Center.

Members of Eager Artists will perform short plays, sing, dance and tell stories for small audiences assembled by the hosts. After the short performances, the cast will share a meal with their hosts and audiences. And after the meal, they'll talk about the performances.

Although some of these performances will be in private homes, and thus open by invitation only, other events have been scheduled at various community centers in Buffalo. The project will culminate with the North American premiere of "Ekhaya Poppie" at 8 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Mainstage theatre in the Center for the Arts. A musical about the involvement of black South Africans in the Anglo-Boer War at the turn of the 20th century, "Ekhaya Poppie" recounts the story of Poppie and others that were tortured, killed, raped and imprisoned in concentration camps.

In addition to the performances, Eager Artists will lecture and conduct master classes and workshops for UB students.

Thomas Burrows, CFA director, calls "The Living Room Project" a "real community outreach program" of the center, particularly in the African-American community.

The project also serves as "a tremendous vehicle to demonstrate our commitment to the exchange of ideas on an international level," Burrows says.

"The experience of the Eager Artists company will certainly broaden the depth of understanding of not only UB students and faculty, but the surrounding community as well."

Burrows pointed out that many of Eager Artists' works are educationally oriented, focusing on such topics as AIDS, the South African Truth Commission and the consequences of South Africa's apartheid era, as well as general health, life skills and peace. The work "deals with culture in a very real way," he noted, adding that "their stories of racism and persecution in South Africa during the apartheid era will enlighten all of us, while emphasizing the importance of viewing the human experience on an international level."

Tickets for "Ekhaya Poppie" are $18, $15, $12 and $8 for UB students, and are available in the Center Box Office and at Ticketmaster.