theater

A child is killed on her front stoop and the neighbors don't see a thing. This all-too-familiar story in urban neighborhoods serves as the basis for Charles Fuller's Obie Award-winning play Zooman and the Sign, and it's even more poignant in a place like Camden, Jersey's poorest city and one of the most dangerous urban areas in America.

Philadelphia playwright Fuller illustrates these issues through the plight of the characters: the victim's father hangs a sign to shame his neighbors for their silence; a violent teenager — played in this Walt Whitman Arts Center production by 16-year-old Camden resident Claudius Pennington-- rants about the workings of his world, marred by poverty and racism.

This year, WWAC artistic director Ozzie Jones — who's also directing Zooman — says he's aiming to take the arts institution to a new level; he wants to offer events that'll make the surrounding community come in droves. He admits that in previous years the center hosted events that appealed to the "intelligentsia arts community" rather than the neighbors. His challenge is to offer "cutting-edge work," and yet keep the art attractive enough to fill the house.

"Funding is getting as slow as molasses. Figuring out how to pack seats is a real issue," says Jones. "I'm not from Camden. I had to understand what they wanted. This year, [the programming] is a more accurate view of what that is."

For better or worse, Zooman's themes are a good place to start.

Zooman and the Sign, Fri.-Sat., Oct. 14-15, 8 p.m., Sun., Oct. 16, 3 p.m., $5-$10, Walt Whitman Arts Center, Second and Cooper sts., Camden, N.J., 856-964-8300, www.waltwhitmancenter.org.