NYTB to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides with FREEDOM RIDERS: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MUSICAL

New York Theatre Barn will host a free special event live stream of excerpts from the new civil rights musical Freedom Riders on Wednesday, February 24th, 2020 at 7PM EDT. The live 1-hour presentation will also feature a conversation with the writers and a special appearance by one of the last surviving Freedom Riders Charles Person.

Freedom Riders: The Civil Rights Musical has book, music and lyrics by Richard Allen and music and lyrics by Taran Gray. Freedom Riders tells the story of the real-life Freedom Riders who challenged the status quo of the 1960s by riding interstate buses in mixed racial groups through the South challenging local laws and customs that enforced segregation. Based on the lives of Diane Nash and Congressman John Lewis, among others, Freedom Riders is a soaring portrait of American race relations and a testament to the power of nonviolent direct action in uncovering injustice.

Featuring performances by Jennifer Sun Bell, Kevin "Blax" Burroughs, Anthony Chatmon II (Hadestown, Be More Chill), Tyla Collier (Sistas: The Musical), Meagan Flint, Deon'te Goodman (Hamilton), Payson Lewis (NBC's The Sing-Off, BAZ: Star Crossed Lovers), Eboni Muse, Michael William Nigro, Ebony Pollum, Leonard Patton, Scott Redmond (Ride The Cyclone), Nygel Robinson, Clayton Snyder (Disney's Lizzie McGuire), Erin Vanderhyde, Brynn Williams (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, SpongeBob SquarePants) and Davon Williams.

Freedom Riders has been developed with Barn Stage Company, New York Musical Festival and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

The 1-hour presentation will be available on New York Theatre Barn's YouTube channel and Broadway on Demand, and is hosted and produced by Associate Artistic Director Jen Sandler and Artistic Director Joe Barros. Now in its 14th season, New York Theatre Barn is an anti-racist non-profit theatre company that serves as a home for original culture shifting musicals during incubation. For more information, visit New York Theatre Barn's website: www.nytheatrebarn.org.