Stageworks Theatre and Claudron Productions present
“An Evening with Martin, Malcolm & Marcus”
‘The Meeting’
Written by Jeff Stetson
Directed by Ron Bobb-Semple
Featuring Josh Goff as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Federico Gordon, Jr. as Malcolm X
Performances March 27th & 28th @ 8 p.m. and @ 3 p.m. on March 1, 2015
This eloquent play depicts the supposed meeting of two of the most important men of modern times: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Differing in their philosophies, but alike in their mutual respect, the two men debate their varying approaches to the same grave social problems, both prepared to die for their beliefs but neither aware of how soon their assassins' bullets would await them.
The action takes place in a suite high up in a Harlem, New York hotel, where Malcolm X and his bodyguard, Rashad, rest before Malcolm's fateful appearance at the Audubon Ballroom. Malcolm X has requested a secret meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is also in New York, and Dr. King has responded by trudging up the back stairs to Malcolm's suite.
Cautious at first, the two quickly fall into a spirited debate about their differing approaches to improving the lot of the black man in a predominantly white society—Dr. King (the lamb) hoping to find racial harmony through love and peaceful resistance, while Malcolm (the lion) is reconciled to violence and revenge if blacks are to win out over oppression. But no matter how provocative and persuasive his arguments, Malcolm is unable to shake Dr. King's commitment and composure—even when he defeats him in a bout of arm wrestling.
As it happens, Malcolm's Chicago home had been fire bombed that morning and, as he prepares to leave, Dr. King gives him a present: a much loved doll that his daughter had asked him to give to Malcolm's. The two men then arm wrestle again, this time to a draw, an act symbolic not only of their clash of wills but also of the conflicting beliefs which both honor in the other but will not accept for themselves, no matter how eloquent and powerful the arguments set forth.
To complete the Evening will be Ron Bobb-Semple’s one-man cultural and educational presentation “The Spirit of Marcus Garvey” which highlights the sojourn of Marcus Mosiah Garvey in the United States from 1915-1925.
The Stageworks Theatre is located at Grand Central in Channel District – 1120 East Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, Florida 33602. For Tickets and further information call the Theatre’s Box Office at 813-374-2416 or www.stageworkstheatre.org. Tickets - $23; Military, Seniors and Groups (10 or more) $20.
Geoffrey Philp, author of Marcus and the Amazons
Contact: geoffreyphilp101 [at] gmail.com
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