News Release

In observance of Black History Month, Benediction Productions Inc. will present "The Sacrifice," a drama by Benedict A. Dorsey, at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 12, in Shriver Hall on The Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus, 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.

Performed by Vladimir N. Cadet, Ivanan Vaughn and Howard Turner, "The Sacrifice" centers on a mother's agonizing decision to remove the life support from her 17-year-old Harvard-bound son. The situation worsens with the return of the son's absentee father.

Dorsey, a playwright, established Benediction Productions in 1991. The nine plays in the company's repertoire have been performed in Baltimore at the Arena Playhouse and in Washington, D.C., New York and Delaware. During Johns Hopkins' 2002 Family Weekend, its production of "The Choir" played to standing-room only crowds. The company is currently focused on bringing the experience of live theater to Baltimore students through workshops, rehearsals and productions.

Dorsey is the founding director of The Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company on the Homewood campus. Dorsey has produced a number of international theatrical events with the U.S. Army. He earned a doctorate degree in theology from Andersonville Theological Seminary in Georgia. He is also bishop of The New Light Church: Ministry of St. Luke 4:18-19 Inc. in Baltimore. In 1996, he received the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from Johns Hopkins University.

This performance is part of the Wednesday Noon Series presented by The Johns Hopkins University Office of Special Events, now in its 37th season of cultural programming on the Homewood campus. The event is co-sponsored by the Office of Community Relations and Volunteer Services and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Admission is free. For further information, call the Office of Special Events at 410-516-7157.