Writers Theatre Opens the 2019 Tour of THE MLK PROJECT: THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Writers Theatre opens its 13th annual tour of The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights, written by Yolanda Androzzo, directed by Tasia A. Jones and featuring Angela Alise. A special Martin Luther King, Jr. Day public performance will take place at 10:30am on January 21 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N Clark Street in Chicago. The kickoff event also includes a post-show community discussion. The event is free and open to the public, and audience members will also receive free museum admission for the remainder of the day.

Weaving together poetry, hip hop and history, The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights is a one-woman show that follows Chicago student Alaya's personal transformation through studying the Civil Rights Movement. Alaya uses her fists as an outlet for anger. After interviewing local heroes of the Movement, she discovers she can put "anger into action" and that her power is in her voice and her hip hop, not violence.

Seen by more than 77,000 students, this dynamic, cross-cultural, multi-media performance interlaces personal interviews of Chicago-based Civil Rights activists, featuring both celebrated and unsung heroes of the Movement, such as Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles, Founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History Dr. Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Puerto Rican poet and activist David Hernandez, among others.

The 2019 production will tour to more than 35 venues during its 6-week run, including Chicago Public Schools, community centers, and juvenile detention centers. All performances on the tour include a post-show discussion and a study guide with wrap-around curriculum.

Writers Theatre will also feature two special onsite performance of The MLK Project on Saturday, February 2nd, 2019 at 4:00pm and 7:00pm. Tickets for this performance are $20 for adults and $10 for students and may be purchased by calling the WT Box Office at 847-242-6000 or https://www.writerstheatre.org/the-mlk-project-the-fight-for-civil-rights.