Creative Team Announced For Broadway-Bound SOUL TRAIN; Broadway Premiere Planned For 2021

Tony Award-nominated Producer Matthew Weaver and Jeffrey Tick, alongside new general producing partner Richard Gay just announced the creative team and producing team for the Broadway-bound musical SOUL TRAIN, inspired by the iconic television series created and hosted by Don Cornelius.

SOUL TRAIN will feature a trailblazing creative team with 2019 Tony Award Nominated and MacArthur Genius Grant-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau (Ain't Too Proud, The Detroit Project), the Apollo Theater's Kamilah Forbes (By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; The Mountaintop, Assoc.) as director, and 2019 Tony Award Nominee Camille A. Brown (Choir Boy, Emmy-winning Jesus Christ Superstar on NBC; Tony-winning revival of Once on This Island) as choreographer. The production is planning a Broadway premiere in 2021 in celebration of the landmark series' 50th Anniversary.

Four-time Grammy Award winner and author of Soul Train: The Music, Dance and Style of a Generation Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson has come on board as Executive Producer of the musical, alongside Don Cornelius's son Tony Cornelius, Emmy-nominated CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker, who is making his Broadway debut as an Executive Producer, and Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee. Devin Keudell is serving as Executive Producer with Bespoke Theatricals (The Color Purple, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child) as General Manager. Nick Stern from Media Weaver will serve as a co-producer.

Through more than 20 classic hit songs from the era, the musical tells the personal story of Cornelius as he creates the iconic television series.

"I am so excited to help bring the narrative of one of our culture's most influential and legend-making endeavors to the stage," said Dominique Morisseau. "Having grown up on this series and being immersed in the culture around it, I never knew what it took to make it the iconic staple that it is. Through the socio-political challenges both internally and externally, Don Cornelius' uncompromised vision, and the revolutionary dance culture that the show made visible to the mainstream, there are a million handprints on what we know as "Soul Train." I cannot wait to partner with this legendary creative team of incredible women to celebrate the history and the unsung heroes of our nation's longest running televised music and dance series."

"We're thrilled that our extensive search for the best creative minds for Soul Train has yielded some of the finest talent in their fields, whether that be storytelling, dance, music, or direction. That this process also led us to a historic first - having African American female artists as the creative core of a Broadway musical - only makes us more excited about the journey," said the General Partners Matthew Weaver, Jeffrey Tick, and Richard Gay in a joint statement. "Don Cornelius created a television show that became a cornerstone in American Culture and we are so humbled and honored to be bringing it to the stage with their brilliant vision."

"With many years of experience working directly with my father, I'm forever grateful and deeply humbled by the impact "Soul Train" has had on the culture at large both here and abroad," said Tony Cornelius. "For 37 years, and with purpose, through music, dance and style, "Soul Train" brought Love, Peace & Soul to a national audience. This positive representation is extremely satisfying and marks its 50th Anniversary. Honoring his accomplishments, creative vision and legacy with a Broadway musical only emphasizes the impact "Soul Train" has had on our American fabric."

"Soul Train" was created in 1971 by visionary Don Cornelius and predominantly featured performances by R&B, pop, soul, and hip-hop artists, in addition to the occasional funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists. When the final episode of the show's historic thirty-five-year run aired in 2006, it was the longest running first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history. "Soul Train" highlighted a cast of incredible, ethnically diverse dancers who famously introduced the world to a whole new series of dance moves and styles on a weekly basis. Cornelius opened every show welcoming the audience to "the hippest trip in America" and closed each show wishing the audience "love, peace and soul." Today, the legacy of "Soul Train" lives on through the legendary Soul Train dance line, which has become a timeless staple on dance floors across America.

In 2016, BET Networks, the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African American audience, acquired the "Soul Train" brand and remains dedicated to revitalizing the brand while also honoring its heritage. BET is the home of the annual Soul Train Awards that honors the best in urban music and entertainment and the critically acclaimed period drama "American Soul." Based on the untold rise of the iconic music and dance program "Soul Train," the original scripted series, has been picked up for Season 2 by the Network.