image courtesy of Coterie Theatre website
This week we visited the Coterie Theatre for the world premiere of “Becoming Martin,” a play about young Martin Luther King, Jr. The play is a Coterie commissioned work by noted filmmaker, screenwriter, director, and playwright, Kevin Willmott, who currently serves as a professor of film studies at Kansas University and is hailed as one of the most prolific independent filmmakers today. His recent feature film, BlacKkKlansman, which he co-wrote with Spike Lee, won the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
The story begins when MLK Jr. enrolled in Morehouse at age 15, and chronicles his growth during his college years, his burgeoning understanding of and concern for civil rights, and how he wrestled with issues all teenagers face, such as pressure from his parents and his desire to create his own path. It was motivating for the kids to see that MLK Jr. struggled with the same concerns they face, and that from those very ordinary teenage experiences he was able to became someone quite extraordinary.
Kudos to the Coterie for this excellent performance!
