Gather Round! is a short-form limited podcast series, co-hosted by Artistic Associate Lamar Perry and Arts Engagement Programs Manager Laura Zablit, that celebrates the holiday traditions and rituals of various San Diego communities during the winter season. Told through conversations with community partners who recall their childhoods, favorite recipes, and the rich history of their lives, Gather Round! makes space for partners to share their stories authentically and in their own languages. Audience members are guided through Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, and many others as Lamar and Laura offer some light and laughs to the San Diego community.

MEET THE HOSTS

Lamar Perry (he/him/his) is a Queer Black director, producer, and writer originally from Connecticut who came to the Globe by way of the Classical Theatre of Harlem. His recent projects include the audio plays Punchbowl Spaces and The Family Sound (Blindspot Collective/La Jolla Playhouse). He also served as the Assistant Director of Katori Hall’s The Hot Wing King directed by Steve H. Broadnax III at Signature Theatre. Last fall, he taught and directed first-year M.F.A. acting candidates in a devising-theatre workshop at UC San Diego. He is a 2020–2021 member of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Directors Group and a National Alliance for Musical Theatre Observer. Follow him on social at @mrlamarperry.

Laura Zablit (she/her/hers) is a journalist, interactive performer, and arts organizer who currently manages arts engagement programs. Born and raised in San Diego, she has worked within the local queer, refugee, and immigrant communities, developing artistic programs and collaborative storytelling practices onstage and online. She earned a bachelor of fine arts in Drama and completed a bachelor of arts in Journalism at New York University.