Racial Tension and Reconciliation Comes to Houston in BEST OF ENEMIES

This January, a powerful story of racial tension and reconciliation is coming to Houston. Best of Enemies, presented by A.D. Players, will open January 12 in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and will run through the beginning of Black History Month at the Jeannette & L.M. George Theater.

In this true story, a Ku Klux Klan member and a civil rights advocate clash during the desegregation of North Carolina schools in 1971. The play illustrates how two opposing community leaders gain an understanding of one another, resulting in an unlikely friendship.

Based on the bestselling book, The Best of Enemies, by Osha Gray Davidson, the production received its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 2012. It was directed by Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company. The show was subsequently presented at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, opening on November 30, 2012.

"Ann Atwater and C. P. Ellis were as different as oil and water and yet at the end of their lives were as close as two people can be," said Kim Tobin-Lehl, Director,Best of Enemies. "I can think of no better representation of Dr. King's dream than the loving friendship of these two, who realized that dream for themselves and for generations to come in Durham, North Carolina."

A.D. Players is one of Houston's oldest and largest resident theater companies. Best of Enemies is directed by Kim Tobin-Lehl who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Houston, and is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Houston's 4th Wall Theatre Company. The leads in Best of Enemies are played by A.D. Players' resident company member Kevin Michael Dean as C. P. Ellis-a Grand Cyclops of the KKK, and Alice Gatling as Ann Atwater-an African American civil rights activist. Danielle Hodgins of A. D. Players heads costume design with lighting and scenic design by Kevin Rigdon.

The show runs January 12 - February 4 with preview performances on January 10 and 11. The Jeannette and L.M. George Theater is located at 5420 Westheimer. Individual tickets range from $20 to $70, and can be purchased by calling the George Theater Box Office at 713.526.2721 or online at adplayers.org.

About A.D. Players Theater

The A. D. Players, founded in 1967 by Jeannette Clift George, has pioneered a unique style of theater committed to producing plays and programs that uphold human value, celebrate creativity, and promote literacy and education. The company is one of Houston's largest resident theater companies, impacting more than nine million people over its lifetime. Annually, the company produces Mainstage and Children's Theater performances, fields a Regional Touring Unit, and maintains a year-round Theater Arts Academy. A. D. Players became an Actors' Equity Association (AEA) theater in 2017 and is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

For more information, visit www.adplayers.org or follow them on Facebook.

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