To-Rée-Née Wolf McArdle as Scarlett O'Hara in "Songs of the South: Hidden Melodies," staged by Arizona Onstage Productions.

Courtesy of Arizona Onstage Productions

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Instead of glossing over ethnic injustice, "Songs of the South: Hidden Melodies" will point right at those dark spots in our past and present.

The showing of the movie and accompanying performance will tackle the question of how we deal with racism while it tries to raise awareness about social inequality.

The screening of "Song of the South," a controversial 1946 Walt Disney movie, will be accompanied by performances that will challenge the audience with thought-provoking material, organizers say.

"I want to create conversation on topics that are normally difficult to bring up," said Kevin Johnson, founder and artistic director of Arizona Onstage Productions. "It's all about learning and processing. We cannot do that without examining our past. My job is to open people's eyes."

Disney's "Song of the South" has earned criticism for portraying black servants on a Georgia plantation as being happy with their inferior role. The movie was rereleased six times, but due to its content, it was taken off the market and has never been released on DVD or videotape in this country, Johnson said.

The program might evoke some criticism, but that's a risk Johnson is willing to take, and it's necessary to get the conversation started, he said. Children also are invited; they will be encouraged to ask questions about the movie and its wider social context, he added.

"I think a lot of the things in our world are hidden," he said. "Instead, we see the Disney version of what's going on."

As part of the show, To-Rée-Née Wolf McArdle, a Tucson-based artist, actress and singer, will be joined by Karen Falkenstrom on taiko drum and Heidi Wilson on saxophone. The trio will put a different spin on the music of that era.

An Arizona Onstage Productions group will pick up the theme by performing first the original version of a song and then a changed version, pointing out its often "racially charged" nature, Johnson said.

McArdle, who said she has been working as an artist on the "deconstruction of American myths" for years now, thinks our past affects the way we behave in the present. Asking questions is necessary in dealing with our history, she said.

"The whole idea of ethnicity is such a challenging one in this country," McArdle said. "Part of it is how do we create the dialogue where we address what has happened in the past, and how do we come to grips with it? For a long time, there weren't any questions asked."