LOOK FORWARD: THE RUBY BRIDGES STORY Comes to Prime Stage Theatre

The year is 1960. A shy, smart 6-year-old named Ruby Bridges becomes the first African American student to attend a formerly whites-only grade school in New Orleans.

Escorted to class by U.S. Marshals through a hostile segregationist mob, the youngster and her family are instantly cast into the national spotlight as symbols of America's steadfast efforts to ensure equality and justice for all, starting with its public schools.

Bridges' remarkable journey of resilience and eventual triumph is told in Prime Stage Theatre's presentation of Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story running for seven shows Jan. 17-26, 2025 at New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, on Pittsburgh's Northside.

Directed by Linda Haston, Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story was written in 2021 by Natalia Temesgen, an associate professor of Creative Writing at Columbus State University and a writer/producer for the TV series Reasonable Doubt (Hulu), Julia (HBO Max) and Dear White People (Netflix).

On the play's opening night (Jan. 18), renowned Louisiana storyteller Robin Kitson shares the impact of her own life-changing childhood encounter with Ruby Bridges.

Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story fits squarely with Prime Stage Theatre's 2024-2025 season theme of Strength, Voices and Hope, says Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda. "People may know the general story of Ruby Bridges," he notes, "but seeing this pivotal historical moment portrayed onstage shows the true heroism of her actions."

Since its founding in 1996, Prime Stage Theatre has presented over 100 plays that introduce student and family audiences to classic and contemporary works of world literature.

The theatre's current season includes Great Expectations; Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story; I Never Saw Another Butterfly and The Terezin Promise; Twelve Angry Men.

Prime Stage also presents a series of one-night performances titled Monday Night Specials at New Hazlett:

Jan. 20 - How I Learned What I Learned. Pittsburgh Actor of the Year Wali Jamal performs playwright August Wilson's riveting theatrical biography.

Mar. 3 - Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance. A staged reading of a new play by L.E. McCullough on the birth of America's first EMS units in 1960s Pittsburgh.

May 5 - Speak. A staged reading of a new Prime Stage Theatre adaptation by Tammy Ryan of Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful young adult novel presented in partnership with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape.

For more information on Prime Stage Theatre's current season, contact Connie Brinda, Prime Stage Theatre General Manager at (724) 773-0700 or cbrinda@primestage.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.