The Coterie Brings Defining Civil Rights Moment to Life for Ages 11+

The Coterie's We Shall Not Be Moved
The Coterie's We Shall Not Be Moved

The Coterie Theatre opens its 2017/2018 season with We Shall Not Be Moved: The Student Sit-Ins of 1960, an inspiring, interactive drama that tells the fascinating true story of one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights movement. In 1960, by simply taking a seat at a whites-only lunch counter at a Woolworth department store in Greensboro, a group of four freshmen from North Carolina A&T State University launched a youth-led movement for African Americans to receive equal service by challenging racial injustice. Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., their non-violent demonstration eventually gained momentum nationally and soon inspired an entire generation to stand up for their Civil Rights by sitting down. We Shall Not Be Moved is the story of several ordinary citizens who stand witness to a movement forming before their eyes.

Darrington Clark (as The Young Man), Antonia Washington (Yvonne), Khrystal L. Coppage (Deirdre) and Robert E. Coppage III (Eugene) in We Shall Not Be Moved: The Student Sit-Ins of 1960. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder.

With We Shall Not Be Moved, The Coterie continues its tradition of staging plays for young people and adults that bring to life prominent moments from the Civil Rights movement, through inventive and interactive productions that incorporate audience participation into the performance. Like the previously-staged true stories of Rosa Parks, escaped slave Anthony Burns, and the Little Rock Nine, The Coterie’s production of We Shall Not Be Moved will similarly encourage the audience – youth and adults alike – to watch the events of the play unfold and then discuss the circumstances of the story with the actors while in character, asking them questions and offering opinions on the events depicted. Written for middle and high school students, We Shall Not Be Moved is an inventive and thought-provoking introduction to an important historical event that lets you also talk to and get to know the characters and their stories along the way.

Written by Ed Simpson and directed by Jeff Church, We Shall Not Be Moved features a cast of twelve, including Darrington Clark, Matthew Williamson, Deanna Mazdra, Alisa Lynn, Antonia Washington, Evan Lovelace, Khrystal L. Coppage, Robert Coppage III, Daniel Eugene Parman, Granvile O’Neal, Roan Ricker, and Tommy Waller.

Appropriate for families with ages eleven and older, The Coterie’s production of We Shall Not Be Moved: The Student Sit-Ins of 1960 will run approximately 75 minutes with no intermission and will be performed live on The Coterie’s stage in Crown Center, September 19 – October 22, 2017. Tickets are $11.00 for youth under 18, students, and seniors age 60 and older; and $15.00 for adults. Groups of 20 or more pay only $5.00-$6.50 per person (some restrictions apply – call the box office for details). Tickets, group reservations and more information is available at http://thecoterie.org/performance/we-shall-not-be-moved.

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