Detroit Red

Before he was Malcolm X, he was Detroit Red.

US Flag FROM BOSTON
FEB 1 - 16, 2020

WHAT WAS HE THINKING? BY DAVID DOWER

Will Power

There was a moment, in the first week of my junior year of high school, that is the origin story for my life in theatre. It was a small moment, in the scheme of things, but it involved a fork in the road for my self-narrative and I can still replay it in my head, every last detail of it down to the smells and the chill on the night air. An epiphany is a…

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LET’S TALK ABOUT DETROIT RED!

Malcolm X

Performances for Detroit Red have finally begun and we could not be more excited to bring this world premiere to Boston. It is truly a moment to celebrate, to tell this story where it happened, and to ensure our community is right alongside us as we delve into Malcolm X’s time in Boston. Of course, we’d love to hear from you about what this play sparked for you and continue the conversation in the comments….

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MEET THE CAST OF DETROIT RED

Will Power

Opening next week, Detroit Red (FEB 01-16) features a stellar cast that have delved into the work with care and passion. This story of Malcolm X’s life has often gone overlooked and with this production, we have the opportunity to bring it back home to Boston. It certainly would not be possible without this talented cast and we cannot wait to share their performances with the city of Boston and beyond, at the Emerson Paramount…

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A NOTE FROM DETROIT RED PLAYWRIGHT, WILL POWER

Malcolm X

“Malcolm was our manhood,” actor Ossie Davis said in Malcolm X’s eulogy, “and, in honoring him, we honor the best in ourselves.” When I was growing up in the Fillmore, a once-predominantly African American neighborhood in San Francisco, there was no larger presence than that of Malcolm X. This was the early 1970s, and Malcolm had been assas- sinated some nine years before. Still, his presence was everywhere in our community: in posters on the…

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WILL POWER, A PLAYWRIGHT BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE

Will Power

A playwright, performer, rapper, lyricist, educator, and beyond, Will Power is an artist who views theatre as a vehicle for transformation. Credited as a pioneer of hip-hop theatre, which made way for colossal hits like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, Power has fostered a career in the arts that focuses deeply on storytelling with numerous awards and accolades behind them. But Power always returns to the story and people at hand, whether it is an adaptation, new…

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Before He was Malcolm X

Malcolm X

Fifty four years after his assassination, the name Malcolm X still reverberates with the ethos of dogged intolerance to oppression. His name is an evocation — a recalling of a man, minister, and activist who stood vociferously for ideals of black nationalism and black empowerment, and — at the height of the Civil Rights Movement — sought to liberate the black community from the spiritual, political, social, and economic confines willfully imposed by a segregated,…

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