To mark the 10th anniversary of the MLK Symposium, The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture has commissioned the creation of an original stage play based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s influential “Letter from Birmingham Jail” entitled The 67th Book of the Bible. The world premiere will debut on Monday, January 19, 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., at the Dallas City Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District, 2520 Flora St., Dallas, TX 75201. Booker T. Washington and SMU alum Jonathan Norton wrote this historic play, and award-winning playwright Will Power serves as the producer, along with Chicago’s acclaimed Derrick Sanders as the director. Following the play, there will be a panel discussion featuring Willie Pearl Mackey, who transcribed King’s letter in 1963, and Professor Jonathan Rieder of Barnard College, author and expert on MLK and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Dr. Larry Allums, executive director of the Dallas Institute, said, “The Symposium brings to Dallas the best authorities on Dr. King’s achievement and legacy, and we are in for a powerful evening of performance. Combine Jonathan’s exceptional talent with Will Power as producer and Derrick Sanders as director, and it will make for an incredible evening. To top it off, Willie Pearl Mackey, one of the main characters from the play and the person responsible for transcribing King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” will be joining us in person for a conversation afterwards about the impact of this letter civil rights in America and across the world.”
Synopsis: April 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. is in jail urgently writing what will become his iconic Letter from a Birmingham jail. He writes his letter on newspaper scraps, jailhouse toilet paper and anything he can find. The scraps are smuggled out of King’s jail cell and delivered to King’s Chief of Staff, Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker. The 67th Book of the Bible tells the story of the creation of the letter, but it is told from the perspective of Wyatt and his secretary, Willie Pearl. Together they have the long and frustrating assignment of deciphering King’s feverish writings. Wyatt knows the letter could be the only chance to resurrect a dying movement and he promised King he would complete the task. But Wyatt’s steely determination to keep his promise to King threatens to drive away the one person he needs most to complete the task – Willie Pearl. The 67th Book of the Bible shines a light on the first two people ever to encounter Dr. King’s prophetic letter, and their determination not to be the last.
Cast members include the following: Dennis Raveneau as A.G. Gaston; Kenneisha Thompson as Willie Pearl Mackey; and Vontress Mitchell as Wyatt Tee Walker.
The MLK Symposium is open to the public. Tickets are $20 each; admission for teachers is $10, and students with ID are free. Dallas Institute members receive two free tickets, so it’s an added incentive to join as a member. Group rate for 10 or more people is $15 per ticket. To register, call the Dallas Institute at (214) 871-2440 or online: http://dallasinstitute.org/events/mlk-jr-symposium-2/
Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor Baylor Scott & White Health with support from ALON USA, John Castle, Dallas Faces Race, Humanities Texas, Nancy Cain Marcus, Office of Cultural Affairs, Oncor and OTSL Charities.
ABOUT THE DALLAS INSTITUTE OF HUMANITIES AND CULTURE:
For information, call (214) 871-2440, or visit www.DallasInstitute.org.