A spokesperson says---
“...Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late 1960s, Stokely & Martin imagines a rare, private conversation between the two leaders at a moment when the movement, and the nation, stood at a crossroads. As King remains committed to nonviolence and integration, Carmichael advances a rising call for Black Power and articulates a more global critique of U.S. militarism during the Vietnam War. The play places these conflicting visions in direct conversation, not as abstract debate, but as a deeply human reckoning between two men bound by shared struggle and diverging paths.
Through poetic, lyrical dialogue, moments of tension and humor, and gospel-infused musical interludes, the work humanizes these towering figures and explores the emotional and political cost of leadership. Rather than presenting history as distant or instructional, Brown’s script brings these ideas to life through vulnerability, conviction, and brotherhood, illuminating how movements are shaped as much by internal conflict as by collective purpose.
Set at a time when Dr. King was increasingly unpopular and under intense scrutiny for his opposition to the Vietnam War, Stokely & Martin examines what it means to speak, dissent, and lead when the cost of doing so is painfully high. With additional appearances by movement figures Cleve Sellers and Willie Ricks, the play offers a layered portrait of a movement shaped by both tension and unity..."
CAST:
Stetson Marshall as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Darren Paul as Stokely Carmichael
Joshua Lee Robinson as Cleveland “Cleve” Sellers
Terral Arjuna Ainooson as Willie Ricks
Simone Alyse as Coretta Scott King
CREATIVE TEAM:
Written and directed by Najee A. Brown
