In 1955, a 14-year-old black Chicago youth traveled to the Mississippi Delta with country kinfolk and southern cooking on his mind. He walked off the train into a world he could never understand - a world of thick color lines, of hard-held class systems, and unspeakable taboos. Emmett crossed that line when he whistled at a white woman, which led to his gruesome death. Through conversations with a Look magazine journalist, Emmett's mother, and others caught up in the events that led to Till's devastating fate, this play revisits one of the most important catalysts in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
Mike Wiley has spent the last decade fulfilling his mission to bring educational theatre to young audiences and communities across the country. In the early days of his career, Wiley found few theatrical resources to shine a light on key events and figures in African-American history. To bring these stories to life, he started his own production company. Through his performances, Wiley has introduced countless students and communities to the legacies of Emmett Till, Henry "Box" Brown and more.
Wiley holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the 2010 Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor in Documentary Studies and American Studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his numerous school and community performances, he has also appeared on Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and National Geographic Channel and has been featured in Our State magazine and on PBS' North Carolina Now and WUNC's The State of Things.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $5 for MU and Visiting Students with valid IDs at a ticket office or at the door. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting ArtsMU.com or by calling 717-871-7600. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Ticket Office located in the Student Memorial Center on Millersville's campus, or the Ware Center, located at 42 N. Prince Street, in Lancaster. Doors open one hour before each show for ticket sales, subject to availability.
The Millersville University Visual and Performing Arts Season is made possible by support from Season Platinum Partner Rodgers & Associates and Gold Season Sponsors Aussie and the Fox and Hagelgans & Veronis, and Silver Season Sponsors Clipper Magazine, The Hotel Lancaster, 12:34 MicroTechnologies, and Weber Advertising. First Friday Music Stage is sponsored by Fine Living Lancaster. This season's Luminary Donors include Ann Barshinger, John & Susan Garofola, Mary Burton & Laurent Horne, Linda Holman Marcks, William McIlwaine, Peggy Neff, Mary Kearns & Jon Walker, and Paul & Judy Ware.
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