We are in a moment where the reach of religious institutions, the protection of the first amendment rights, and the contents of school curriculums are contested subjects in political campaigns and public forums. While the debates around these crucial issues have taken on a new momentum in recent months, there are deep historic roots beneath the current discourse. This fall The Empty Space Theater will produce Sheri Wilner's Kingdom City, which uses a high school production of Arthur Miller's play The Crucible to explore religion, community values, and censorship. Ahead of the production, K. Healan Gaston and Sheri Wilner will examine the tension between personal beliefs and civil liberties within the context of key moments in the political and cultural history of the United States and from the perspectives of their respective disciplines and current work.

Dr. K. Healan Gaston is a Lecturer in American Religious History and Ethics at Harvard Divinity School. Sheri Wilner is an award-winning playwright and Associate Chair and Director of MFA Playwrighting for the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University.