I HAVE A DREAM Comes to Annapolis Saturday.

The Broadway musical, I Have a Dream, first debuted in 1976 with Billy Dee William playing Dr. King. The play portrays the life of Dr. King and important moments of the civil rights movement through song and dance. Written by Josh Greenfield and directed by veteran actor Herman LeVern Jones of TheatreSouth, the production has toured internationally. It includes many gospel songs from the Civil Rights Movement, including We Shall Overcome and Free at Last to be performed by professional soloists and the Fresh Start Church Gospel Choir of Glen Burnie. Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks praised the show when they saw it in the 1980's. Order tickets at www.mlkjrmd.org. The two act musical begins at 7:00 pm Saturday, January 13 at the Key Auditorium of St. Johns College, 60 College Avenue, Annapolis. For more information, call 301-904-3690. Saturday-night theater tickets are $35 for general public and $20 for students (with ID) and seniors (over 65).

I Have a Dream is a gospel musical on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that chronicles the major events of the Civil Rights Movement, giving insight into Dr. King's love of his family, his sense of humor, and the incredible sacrifices he and others made in the fight for racial equality.

The New York Times said, "'I Have a Dream weaves the texts of Dr. King's speeches, sermons and other writings along with 28 musical numbers into a pageant-like musical drama recounting his life and times, beginning with the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycotts and ending with his assassination in Memphis in 1968, at the age of 39.

The performance will feature a cast of Broadway stars and local community actors, including Broadway actor Jahi Kearse as Dr. King.. Community theatre cast members from the Annapolis area include Marvin "Mack" Jones, Mary DesChamps, Jamela Dillard, Ariana Dillard, Evangela Butler-Sherman, Tracy Neal, Victoria Williams, Mia Williams, Darrick Johnson, Crystal Lynch, Hope Anderson, Cecile Jackson, Victor Kakulu, Taylor Chunn, Carolyn Chunn, Katherine Manchester, and Roslyn Dyer.

One of the shows stars, Keith McCary performed in the film, Poetic Justice, playing the role of Cuz'n Pete alongside Tupac Shakur, Janet Jackson, and Maya Angelou. Mack Jones is a "World Class" local singer, arranger, and actor who recently performed with influential Gospel artists including Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, and Marvin Winans.

Other professional cast members include Dan Burkarth, Dwayne Stephenson, Samantha Davis, Jacovia Farrington, Joshua Ynirio, Porsha Estime, Keith McCary, Anton IIya, Quillian Minot, Patricia Carby, Davern Frasier and Music Director Jason Sweeting.

The Director, Herman LeVern Jones founded TheatreSouth in 2007 in Atlanta, Ga. Its mission is to educate, enlighten, strengthen, and enhance local talents through theatre arts. TheatreSouth has formed a special partnership with the Martin Luther King, Jr., Committee of Anne Arundel County based on the committee's community involvement and leadership.

Jones is a 44-year veteran of African American Theatre. In 1974, while still in college, he founded the LaVerne Players, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C. During the company's tenure, he produced, directed, and performed in more than 200 productions. He's a board member of the New Federal Theatre in New York City, and has served on the Ohio Arts Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Arts Council, and as a panelist on the South Carolina Arts Council for their theatre division. Jones has worked with Maya Angela, Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, August Wilson, Lloyd Richards, and Ruby Dee.

Carl Snowden, founder and director of the MLK Jr. Committee, is an Annapolis Civil Rights leader who spearheaded a successful campaign to build the first Coretta Scott King Memorial Garden, the first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Maryland and in 2013 erected the Foot Soldiers Civil Rights Memorial in Annapolis to honor the 250,000 who risked their lives to attend the 1963 "I have a Dream" March on Washington. This show will help pay off the debt incurred to build the Foot Soldiers Memorial.

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