Overview
THE BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL dramatizes the final days of Emmett Till, a Chicago teenager who takes a fateful trip to Mississippi in the summer of 1955. It is the story of a quest, Emmett’s pursuit of happiness, of liberty and ultimately of life.
This is the first play in The Till Trilogy, a three-play cycle which includes BENEVOLENCE and THAT SUMMER IN SUMNER, exploring the epic saga of Emmett Till and the birth of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Casting & Production
Casting
While the actor who plays Emmett has a singular role, the other five actors in the ensemble will play varied roles evoking his memories. The ensemble plays the following characters in order of appearance:
EMMETT “BO” TILL — a boisterous 14-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, an angel.
MAMIE TILL-BRADLEY — 33, Emmett’s mother, who lives and works in Chicago.
MAMOO — Emmett’s fair-skinned grandmother, Mamie’s mother.
WHEELER PARKER — 16, Emmett’s cousin and best friend from Argo, Illinois.
MOSE WRIGHT — Emmett’s great uncle, 64, Mississippi sharecropper.
CURTIS JONES — 14, Emmett’s second cousin from Argo.
HELUISE WOODS — 15, Emmett’s friend from Argo.
SIMEON “SIMMY” WRIGHT — 12, Mose’s youngest and favorite son.
MAURICE WRIGHT — 16, Mose’s middle son.
LIZABETH “AUNTY LIZ” WRIGHT — Mose’s wife, Mamoo’s sister.
RUTHIE MAY CRAWFORD — 16, a neighbor of the Wrights.
JOHNNY B. WASHINGTON — an unemployed farm laborer.
CAROLINE BRYANT — 21, a storekeeper and wife, former beauty queen.
ROY BRYANT — 24, Caroline’s husband, a storekeeper and truck driver.
J.W. “BIG” MILAM — 36, Roy’s half-brother, storekeeper.
H.L. LOGGINS — field hand and mechanic, one of “Milam’s boys.”
Cast assignments are as follows:
BO or Emmett Till
WOMAN 1 plays Miss Mamie, Simmy, Caroline
WOMAN 2 plays Mamoo, Heluise, Aunty Liz
MAN 1 plays Uncle Mose, Johnny B., H.L. Loggins
MAN 2 plays Wheeler, Bo 2, Roy Bryant
MAN 3 plays Curtis, Bo 3, Maurice, Ruthie May, J.W.
The ensemble also creates various group tableaus: people on the train, dancers in the juke, random folk in Chicago and Mississippi.
Setting
Time
August 1955 and the present
Place
Chicago, Illinois and the Mississippi Delta
Reviews
“A familiar story, made riveting…triumphant. Bayeza’s fluidly spun, character-rich world premiere…is infused with such beautiful language, such a fine ear for the very individual voices of her characters, such a rich and detailed sense of the nature of the racial divide in the North and South of the time, and a biblical feel for the whole notion of resurrection that the story remains riveting…exceptionally powerful.”
—Chicago Sun Times
“Bayeza’s portrayal reclaims Emmett Till as a human being…emotionally gripping.”
—Variety
“A brilliant symphony of love…a powerful masterpiece! Bayeza’s writing is colorful, melodic, rich, passionate…the most important play of the season.”
—Houston Chronicle
“I see blues and jazz. It’s laughter and sorrow. I hear the music. It could be a poem by itself.”
—Ruby Dee
