Photo Flash: Arkansas Governor And First Lady Visit LITTLE ROCK At The Sheen Center

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas First Lady Susan Hutchinson were greeted by the cast of the Off-Broadway play Little Rock, written and directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street). Little Rock is presented by Rebel Theatrical Management, LLC (Harvey Butler, producer), The Steward Family, The Steward Family Foundation, in association with The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture. Performances began June 8, 2018 followed by opening night on June 14, 2018 for a limited engagement through September 8, 2018.

Watch a video of the cast of Little Rock meeting the governor of Arkansas:

The nine-member cast features: Rebekah Brockman, Justin Cunningham, Charlie Hudson III, Peter O'Connor, Ashley Robinson, Damian Jermaine Thompson, Stephanie Umoh, Anita Welch, and making her New York stage debut Shanice Williams.

History called it heroism. They called it high school. Little Rock tells the riveting true story of The Little Rock Nine, the first black students to attend their city's formerly segregated Little Rock Central High School three years after the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision ruled separating students based on race was unconstitutional. 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, armed with only a notebook 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? "The task that remains is to embrace our interdependence - to see ourselves reflected in every other human being and to respect and honor our differences." -Dr. Melba Pattillo Beals. "If we have honestly acknowledged our painful but shared past, then we can have reconciliation."-Elizabeth Eckford

Little Rock received a developmental production as part of the 2011 New Works Festival at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California. It went on to receive a production in 2014 at Passage Theatre in Trenton, NJ where it won the 2015 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Ensemble.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.littlerockplay.com or at The Sheen Center Box Office (18 Bleecker Street), or by calling the Box Office at (212) 925-2812. For additional information, please visit the website at www.littlerockplay.com.

Photos Courtesy of Little Rock.