Abbey Theater to Present Encore Streaming Performance Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

The Abbey Theater of Dublin, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, will present an encore, on-demand streaming presentation of Troy Anthony Harris' adaptation and performance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," from Jan. 15 through 18, 2021.

The production will be streamed online the City of Dublin's website and Facebook page free of charge.

In April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama. He had defied a state court injunction by leading a march of black protesters without a permit and urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores. A statement published in The Birmingham News, written by eight moderate white clergymen, criticized the march and other demonstrations. This prompted King to write a lengthy response, begun in the margins of the newspaper. He smuggled it out with the help of his lawyer, and the nearly 7,000 words were transcribed.

"Martin Luther King Jr.'s call for constructive, non-violent tension to force an end to unjust laws became a landmark document of the civil-rights movement," the Abbey Theater of Dublin's Theater Supervisor Joe Bishara said. "We are honored to present an encore presentation of this adaptation."

"I'm excited to have another opportunity to share my interpretation of this pivotal document," lead actor portraying Dr. King Troy Anthony Harris said. "Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic letter of 1963 couldn't be more reflective or clarifying to the situation our country finds itself in today."