Over a quarter of a million people showed up for that most iconic event known as ' The March On Washington in August of 1963 . Although Dr. King was a huge draw, no one expected the " I have a dream" speech That was a bonus. So who were some of those folks who had to be there? To find out , I interviewed a cross section of attendees and asked them specific questions about their journeys. In this dramatic storytelling concert presented by Blackberry Productions ( directed by company artistic director Stephanie Berry) we follow the real life journey of that day from sun up to sunset .
Don Kelley ( 17 years old from Chicago) / Ellen Frankel 23( who met her future husband on the bus from Greenwich village ) Carl Berry 28 from New York City who was involved with community action and saw the trip as an opportunity to be around other activists .
The story is also told through the observations of a young White reporter who was told by his newspaper to expect chaos and possible violence. We also recreate the experiences of Claudette Colvin( a 15 year old who refused to move to the white section of the bus even before Rosa Parks in Birmingham, Alabama , Elizabeth Eckford ( of the Little Rock 9 who walked alone through a hostile crowd ..spit on ..and blocked , because she didn't get the message that the plan had changed), Mamie Till whose 14 year son Emmett Till was murdered and ...well we know...and so many more stories...and we use the protest music of the time interspersed throughout!
The incredible Cast :
o Dwayne Clark :
Marcher, Don Kelley, John Lewis, Reverend Johnson, Carl Berry, Elizabeth
Eckford’s father and Negro Reporter
o Audrey Martells :
Marchers, Elizabeth Eckford, Mamie Till
o Richard Kent Green:
Marcher, Reporter, Bull Connor, George Wallace, Bus driver, Southern Racist ,
Southerner in Little Rock1
o Abigail Gampel :
Marcher, Ellen Frankel, Southerner, Southerner in Little Rock
o Lawrin Green:
Marcher, Claudette Colbert / Marian Anderson , various
o All
actors play Dr. King, flashback chorus , and various marchersWhere ?: First Corinthian Baptist Church, located at 1912 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd at 116th Street in Harlem.
Sponsored by Healing Arts Initiative / HAI It is best to reserve tickets. Contact Max Daniels at 212-575-7666 or mdaniels@hainyc.org
