Little Rock

by Rajendra Ramoon

Little Rock

The Sheen Center

Limited Engagement

June 08 – September 08 2018

Tickets Here

LITTLE ROCK tells the riveting true story of the Little Rock Nine, the first black students to attend their city’s formerly segregated central high school. What began as their quest for a better education soon became a national crisis, igniting the passions of a divided country and sparking a historic fight for justice in the Jim Crow South. On the cusp of the Civil Rights Movement, a changing world watched as these nine children from Arkansas battled for their rights with only a book and pencil. At once harrowing and hopeful, LITTLE ROCK brings urgently to life the Nine’s untold personal stories of challenge and resilience, conjuring memories of America not so long ago. From writer and director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, this deeply moving play honors the bravery of these young heroes and asks audiences: Would you have had the courage?

Cast

REBEKAH BROCKMAN
JUSTIN CUNNINGHAM
CHARLIE HUDSON III
PETER O’CONNOR
ASHLEY ROBINSON
DAMIAN JERMAINE THOMPSON
STEPHANIE UMOH
ANITA WELCH
SHANICE WILLIAMS
KEA TREVETT

Creative

RAJENDRA RAMOON MAHARAJ – PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR
DARRYL G. IVEY – MUSIC DIRECTOR
RASEAN DAVONTE JOHNSON – SCENIC DESIGN
LESLIE BERNSTEIN – COSTUME DESIGN
ANSHUMAN BHATIA – LIGHTING DESIGN
LINDSAY JONES – SOUND DESIGN
WENDALL K. HARRINGTON – PROJECTIONS DESIGN
NIKKOLE SALTER – SCRIPT CONSULTANT
ROBERT WESTLEY – MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHER
AMY STOLLER – DIALECT DESIGNER
GILES T. HORNE – PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
HARVEY BUTLER – REBEL THEATRICAL MANAGEMENT. LLC – PRODUCER

Full Cast Details

REBEKAH BROCKMAN

NY Theater: A Taste of Honey (Pearl); The Burial at Thebes (Irish Rep). Regional: Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing (Signature Theatre); The Liar (Westport Country Playhouse); Arcadia (Yale Repertory Theater); Our Town (Actors Theater of Louisville); Arcadia, Dead Metaphor (world premiere), A Christmas Carol, Elektra (with Olympia Dukakis), Happy To Stand (The American Conservatory Theater); Romeo and Juliet, Blithe Spirit (California Shakespeare Theater); The Children (The Gift Theatre); Winter’s Tale, Comedy of Errors (Kingsmen Shakespeare Company). Film: Bridge Of Spies with Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg and The Chaperone. Television: “Divorce” “The Knick,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “The Slap,” “Jessica Jones.” Additional Credits: Rince na Tiarna School of Irish Dance, MFA American Conservatory Theater (Sadler Award), BATCC Nominee for Best Supporting Actress. www.rebekahbrockman.com

JUSTIN CUNNINGHAM

Justin Cunningham returns to Off-Broadway in his Sheen Center premiere after playing Leontes in The Public Theatre’s Mobile Unit production of A Winter’s Tale and Philostrate in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Delacorte. Other credits include an appearance on HBO’s “Succession” and Bear in the musical debut of East’O West ‘O at ARS NOVA. Cunningham is an Arkansas native and a graduate of The Juilliard School.

CHARLIE HUDSON III

Charlie Hudson III was last seen in A Raisin in the Sun at Two Rivers Theater. Previous work includes Detroit ’67, Playmakers Rep; The Mountaintop, Northern Stage; Seven Guitars, Two Rivers Theater; Father Comes Home from the Wars, A.R.T.; A Raisin in the Sun, Ethel Barrymore (Broadway); Raisin Cycle (Clybourne Park & Beneatha’s Place), Baltimore Centerstage; Hurt Village, Signature Theatre Company; The Piano Lesson, Yale Rep; Master Harold and the Boys, Portland Stage Company; Fly, Crossroads Theater and Vineyard Playhouse; All the King’s Men, Cyrano de Bergerac, Trinity Rep; “The Night Of” (HBO), “Shades of Blue “(NBC), “Forever” (ABC), “The Rosa Parks Story” (CBS). Film credits include: Roxanne, Roxanne; Twelve; Complete Unknown; Newlyweeds; Lillian. Charlie is the 2003 KC/ACTF Irene Ryan Best Actor Award winner (Region IV) and a MFA graduate of the Brown University/Trinity Repertory Consortium. Charlie thanks God for this opportunity and his loving family for their support.

PETER O’CONNOR

Peter O’Connor recently appeared in A Patron of the Arts directed by Mike Donahue for the Cherry Lane’s Mentor Project. He previously appeared at the Cherry Lane in Deirdre O’Connor’s Jailbait. Other theatre credits include Smart People at the Long Wharf, The Flick at Barrow Street (dir. Sam Gold), The May Queen at Geva and Cape Cod Playhouse, Chinglish at Portland Center Stage & Syracuse Stage and the West-Coast premiere of The Aliens directed by Lila Neugebauer. Peter played ‘Billy Rogers’ on Steven Speilberg/Ed Burns’ Irish Mafia drama “Public Morals” on TNT. Feature films Frat Star with Chris Elliot and The Last Treasure Hunt.

ASHLEY ROBINSON

THEATRE: Floyd Collins (Floyd—West End, London), A Clockwork Orange (Minister/ Old Woman/ Mum—New World Stages), Casa Valentina (Gloria—Original London Cast), Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory (Capote – New York Premiere/ 2015 Outer Critics Award Nom), Steve Martin’s Bright Star (World Premiere – Old Globe), Merrily We Roll Along (Tyler – Menier Chocolate Factory and West End). Originated the role of Jett Rink in the World Premiere of Giant (Helen Hayes Award nomination, Best Actor), as well as Tybalt in The Last Goodbye (the Jeff Buckley/ Romeo and Juliet musical) at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Other theatre includes Shakespeare’s R&J (Juliet/ Benvolio), Take Me Along (Richard – Irish Repertory Theatre, NYC), Meet Me In St. Louis (Lon – Irish Rep, NYC), Wicked, A Child’s Christmas In Wales (Dylan Thomas – Irish Rep, NYC), Hair (Claude – Prince Music Theatre), Floyd Collins (Floyd – Gerald Freedman, dir.), Stud’s Terkel’s The Good War (World Premiere), Twelfth Night (Feste), Waiting For Godot (Lucky), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Billy). Workshops: High (opposite Kathleen Turner), Total Eclipse (Rimbaud, with Austin Pendleton), Equus (Allan, with Austin Pendleton), Columbinus (Eric Harris, Arena Stage), The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (Roundabout, dir. Joe Mantello). Concerts: How To Succeed Bud Frump (Royal Festival Hall), Adam Guettel/ Maria Friedman (West End), Sweeney Todd (Eno and NY Philharmonic Lincoln Center). Film/TV: Merrily We Roll Along, Hate (with Marcia Gay Harden), Fallen Souls, The Accident. Training: University of North Carolina School of the Arts– BFA, Acting.

DAMIAN JERMAINE THOMPSON

Damian Jermaine Thompson can be seen in one of Bollywood’s biggest blockbuster hits English Vinglish, staring the late Sridevi. He is a 2018 NAACP award winner for his performance in Fly at the Pasadena Playhouse. Mr. Thompson is a veteran of the stage, having performed in numerous Off-Broadway and regional shows at theatres including The Ford’s Theatre (where he performed for the Obamas), Hartford Stage with the Tony Award-winning director Darko Tresnjak, and Baltimore Center Stage with acclaimed director Kwame.

STEPHANIE UMOH

Broadway: Sarah in Ragtime (Theatre World Award), Falsettos, Junk. Other New York theater includes Hallelujah, Baby!, Falling for Eve, Jerry’s Girls, The Show Goes On, Bonnie n’ Clyde. Tour: Fiasco Theater’s production of Into the Woods (Witch). Regional: Sister Act (Marriott Theatre); Les Misérables (Casa Manana Theatre); Luck Be A Lady (Asolo Rep.); The Color Purple (Milwaukee Rep.); Jesus Christ Superstar (Pittsburgh CLO); Aida (Drury Lane Theatre); Johnny Baseball (A.R.T.); A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre); and more. Film: Big Words. TV: “NYC 22.” Education: BFA, The Boston Conservatory.

ANITA WELCH

Film/TV: Stuck, CBS’s “In The Spotlight,” Fox’s “Black Nativity,” Funny or Die’s Nobirthatal. Media campaign with Clinique cosmetic. Select theatre credits include For The Last Time (Hilda) for which Anita was nominated for a 2015 AULDUCO award. The Color Purple (Shug Avery) regional premier at Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. National/international tour of Avenue Q (Gary Coleman). New York Theatre: Bubble Boy (original cast & recording), Stuck (Eve). Regional: A Raisin in The Sun (Beneatha), Tarzan (Kala), Dreamgirls (Effie White), Passing Strange (Edwina, Marianna, Sudabey), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Charlayne). Graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Client of Cyd Levin and Associates. Count it all joy! www.anitawelch.com

SHANICE WILLIAMS

Shanice Williams is making her Off-Broadway debut in Little Rock! Television: (Dorothy) NBC’s “The Wiz Live,” “Sunny Day” (Nickelodeon), “Manic” (HBO). “I am honored to be telling the story of the Little Rock Nine and am so grateful to the creative team of Little Rock for bringing me back to the stage. Jeremiah 29:11. On top of being an actress and singer, Shanice is a songwriter. Her Gospel EP is set to drop this summer! @Luvbeingshanice

KEA TREVETT

New York credits include The Last Match (u/s, Roundabout), Othello, The Comedy of Errors (Classic Stage Company), Joy (IRT), and A Tale Told by an Idiot (Lincoln Center Education). International: Antigone, dir. Greg Mosher (Africa tour). Kea has developed new works with The Lark, Ars Nova, Ensemble Studio Theater, Cherry Lane, and Theater Masters. Upcoming Film: The Kindergarten Teacher. Training: MFA Columbia University. Love and thanks to T.