"Never Again," an evening of theater and discussion aimed at raising awareness and fostering understanding among races, ethnicities and cultures, will be presented in the studio theater, Rose Lehrman Arts Center, Room 104 at the Wildwood Campus of Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) on Friday, April 12 at 11:00 a.m. The event is funded through a grant from HACC's Office of Multicultural and Minority Student Affairs. It is open to the public and there is no charge for admission.

The event will begin with a presentation of 12-1-A, a play by Wakako Yamauchi that was first performed in Los Angeles in 1982. The story follows a family of Japanese-Americans and their fellow internees during World War II, from their arrival at a detention camp in May of 1942 through July of 1943. The play explores how the experience affects and changes each of the characters.

The presentation is the final class project for the fifteen students in Theater of Social and Cultural Awareness, taught by Leslie Gulden, theater instructor. According to the Gulden, "The objective is to use theater to give the students a chance to experience something they might never experience in their own lives. What we are trying to do is use the play as a vehicle to walk in the shoes of another and to remind us that this could happen to any group, anywhere, at any time."

Following the play will be a discussion led by students, faculty and community leaders on topics that include racial prejudice, the post-September 11 backlash against Arab-Americans, and how such intolerance might be addressed and prevented.

For further information call the Rose Lehrman Arts Center Box Office at (717) 231-7673. Gulden's students will also perform 12-1-A at HACC's Lebanon Campus and Gettysburg Campus.