Ensemble Theatre & Houston Museum Present THE BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL

The Ballad of Emmett Till, by Ifa Bayeza is presented through a collaboration between The Ensemble Theatre and Houston Museum of African American Culture. Winner of the 2009 Edgar Award, presented by Mystery Writers of America, The Ballad of Emmett Till is told through contemporary prose with the infusion of jazz. A month after his fourteenth birthday, this confident youth from Chicago, a boy on the threshold of manhood, embarks on a summer trip to Mississippi. His pursuit of happiness and liberty are pierced with the poignancy of life. The 1955 lynching of Emmett Till fell on the cusp of a saga that changed the course of the nation.

Previews are Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 7:30p.m.

The Ensemble Theatre is located at 3535 Main St. Houston, TX 77002 For tickets and more information call 713-520-0055 or visit www.ensemblehouston.com.

The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. Thirty-five years later, the theatre has evolved from a touring company operating from the trunk of Mr. Hawkins' car to being one of Houston's finest historical cultural institutions. The Ensemble is one of a few professional theatres in the region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience. The oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble's $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997. The Ensemble Theatre has fulfilled and surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to a myriad of audiences.