Larry Jay Tish and Ron Jones perform The Black-Jew Dialogues. The play is coming to IU Southeast on Jan. 31.

NEW ALBANY, IN, (Jan. 26, 2012) – Actors Larry Jay Tish and Ron Jones are bringing their innovative blend of humor and cultural literacy to the Indiana University Southeast stage. 

The two actors are the brains behind The Black-Jew Dialogues, a two-actor play on the history and absurdity of prejudice and racism and the power of diversity, that will be performed at IU Southeast on Jan. 31.

The show combines fast-paced sketches, improvisations, multi-media, puppets, and a game show to take the audience on a hysterical and poignant ride through three days the actors spent together in a cheap hotel room discussing their own experiences, the history of their people, and why there has been a growing rift between the two groups since the early 1970s.

It is described as “an exhilarating and insightful look at the state of race and cultural relations in America.” An audience discussion on prejudice follows each performance.

The play will be performed from 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center at IU Southeast. The show is part of the IU Southeast Common Experience, an initiative that uses common texts and events to promote a University-wide learning environment.

This year’s Common Experience theme is “Liberty and Justice for All? Social Change and Campus Action for 70 Years and Beyond” and focuses on issues of social justice and civic engagement.

The performance is free and open to the public. For more information on this and other Common Experience events, please visit ius.edu/common-experience.