The true story of the historic Little Rock Nine will be brought to the stage in Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj’s Little Rock at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture. Performances will begin May 30 ahead of a June 14 opening night.
Written and directed by Maharaj, the play shines light on the group of brave black students from Little Rock, Arkansas, who attended their city’s formerly segregated central high school in 1957, a test of the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. The group, blocked by the Arkansas National Guard and later escorted into the school by the National Guard, is known as The Little Rock Nine.
“Little Rock bears witness to the triumphant crusade and quest of The Little Rock Nine and the citizens who helped move our nation towards becoming a more perfect union,” says playwright and director Maharaj. “Out of their bravery and the tenacity, my play shines a light on the optimistic portrait of a town and a people that were challenged and changed by one of our country's most tumultuous events.”
A cast and creative team for the Off-Broadway production will be announced shortly. The limited engagement is scheduled through September 8.
Little Rock received a developmental production as part of the 2011 New Works Festival at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California. It was produced in 2014 at Passage Theatre in Trenton, New Jersey, where it won the 2015 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Ensemble.
The New York premiere is presented by Rebel Theatrical Management, LLC, in association with The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture. For tickets and more information visit LittleRockPlay.com.
