Event

Emmett Till, a river

Emmett Till, a river is being developed by poet composer Kevin Simmonds, and poet and Yugen Artistic Associate Judy Halebsky, in collaboration with the Yugen Ensemble and Artistic Director Jubilith Moore.

In 1954, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American, traveled from Chicago to spend the summer in Money, Mississippi with his uncle Mose Wright. After allegedly whistling at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, he was kidnapped from his uncle's home, brutally beaten, shot in the head, body weighted down by a 70-pound cotton gin fan and thrown into the Tallahatchie River. His waterlogged body was returned to Chicago and, at the insistence of his mother Mamie Till, was displayed for thousands at an open casket funeral. The photograph of his open casket became an iconic image that circulated throughout the world and Emmett Till immediately became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.

Theatre of Yugen's upcoming 35th Anniversary Season exemplifies a deep and continuing commitment to expressing intercultural conflicts and pursuing the possibility of reconciliation. With a mother's insistence that this nation face the awful truth, Mamie Till played a vital role in sparking the civil rights movement. Emmett Till, a river will be a poetic rendering of the story of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till, an artwork that refracts history and suggests ways in which we are all complicit in the prejudice, racism and inequality that continues to debilitate our country.

This presentation will include poetry, musical settings of poetry, characters, a chorus, and an instrumental ensemble - all in a concert presentation.

Written by Kevin Simmonds and Judy Halebsky; Directed by Jubilith Moore; Composed by Kevin Simmonds; Costume Design by Martha Stookey; Lighting Design by Stephen Siegel
With Sheila Berotti, David Crandall, Derek Lassiter, Polly Moller, Dario Slavazza, Khalil Sullivan, Lluis Valls