The play is "a provocative look at race relations in America and a community's efforts to pursue harmony between blacks and whites," according to Ford's, the not-for-profit Washington, D.C., company devoted to works that show the range of the American experience.

Glass' works include Trying, which was inspired by real events in her life. The new play also draws on her past.

Chuck Smith, resident director of Chicago's Goodman Theatre, will direct.

Palmer Park "explores the issues of 'white flight' and integration in 1960s Detroit as Martin and Kate Townsend, a white couple, move to the area and join the Wayne State University faculty," according to production notes. "They buy a home in Palmer Park, an integrated neighborhood determined to keep the racial makeup of blacks and whites at thirty-five percent to sixty-five percent, respectively. The neighborhood program prompts a poor black community to sue and, in the process, raises questions such as 'who should determine the racial makeup of a community?' and 'Can integration really work?'"

Readings at Ford's are free and open to the public. To reserve seats, call (202) 434-9548. Doors open at 6:30 PM Oct. 23. *

Ford's Theatre Society is a not-for-profit corporation created to produce live entertainment on Ford's historic stage. Paul R. Tetreault is producing director. It is the mission of the Ford's Theatre Society to celebrate the legacy of President Lincoln and "explore the American experience through theatre and education."