UA’s Honors College Hosts One-Man Theatrical Performance

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Honors College presents Jhino “The Piper” Ferreira in his one-man play, “Cops and Robbers,” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Tuscaloosa River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway.

The event is free, but seating is limited. Student tickets are available in the Honors College Assembly office in Nott Hall, the New College office in Lloyd Hall and Crossroads Community Center in the Ferguson Center. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event. Free refreshments will be provided at intermission, sponsored by Crossroads Community Center.

Ferreira, a rapper as well as a Bay Area police officer, plays 17 different characters in the play, which centers on a police shooting. The play is inspired by actual events that Piper witnessed growing up in Oakland, California. Each character represents a different facet of society during times of crisis. The production deals with race relations, media bias and violence.

The play will inspire audience members to examine issues in their community and seek improvements, said Emma Smith, Honors College Assembly director of outreach.

“I think Tuscaloosa is the perfect environment to which to bring this play because there are so many passionate people with servant hearts at UA and in Alabama at large,” Smith said. “I am hoping that the audience will come away with revelations about what matters most to them and that the catalyst will be one or all of Piper’s characters.”

Ferreira has performed at The University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University among other venues nationwide and has been interviewed by Newsweek.

The event is sponsored by Honors College, New College, The College of Arts and Sciences Diversity Council, Crossroads Community Center, the department of criminal justice and the department of gender and race studies.