Clare Coss, Playwright: Emmett Till, Lillian Wald, Mary White Ovington, The Star Strangled Banner (The U.S. invasion of Mexico), Love and Defiance: Scenes from the 20th Century -- Defining Moments/Intimate Dramas

"The story of Emmett Till is one of the most dramatic and clearest illustrations of the effect of racism in our society - the kinds of terrible things that racism drives people to do. The play is a wonderful, moving, important evening in the theatre."

Kathleen Chalfant

"This is a project that gives a unique perspective of a very important event in this time in history. A really fine piece of work has been written, and the opportunity to do it again and to hear it again is, for me, something good."

Danny Glover

"Clare Coss's profoundly moving play is vital for our time. The interwoven stories of Emmett Till, his mother Mrs. Till-Mobley, and white school teacher Roanne Taylor create a rich, dramatic work that touches the heart and provokes thought and action.”

Josh Gladstone, Artistic Director, John Drew Theatre, Guild Hall

"A powerful blend of first class theatre and history. You emerge with a deep understanding of the tragic event, and the vast impact it had on our country"

Ezra Swerdlow, Producer (Ghost Town, Waiting to Exhale, Tootsie, Wag the Dog)

"Emmett, Down in My Heart" is awesome, brilliant, powerful, a play about the American conscience. The character of Roanne gives our dramatic literature a new dimension."

Woodie King, Jr., Producer, New Federal Theatre, New York City

Emmet, Down in My Heart

September 9, 2009 Staged Reading
John Drew Theatre, Guild Hall, East Hampton, N.Y.
Josh Gladstone, Artistic Director
Starring Kathleen Chalfant, Danny Glover, Linda Powell
Maul Donte Davis, Patt Franklin, Louisa Krause, Jared McNeill, Ryan O’Nan, Gabrielle Lee, Stage Directions
The Community Gospel Choir introduced the evening.
Directed by James Lawson

Kathleen Chalfant / Danny Glover

Kathleen Chalfant

Danny Glover

Linda Powell

Who was Emmett Till?

In August 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year old African-American Chicago boy, traveled south to visit cousins in the Mississippi Delta, a rigidly segregated police state. White supremacists ruled with fear and anger. Accused of wolf-whistling at a young white woman storekeeper, Emmett was abducted, tortured, murdered and thrown in the Tallahatchie River weighted down by a hundred pound cotton gin fan. The killers were acquitted of any crime.

Emmett's mother insisted on an open casket "so the world could witness the horrors inflicted on my son." This decision cast a floodlight of attention on the case that helped to ignite the civil rights movement. Three months later in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks said Emmett Till was on her mind when she refused to move to the back of the bus.

Emmett, Down in My Heart

In Emmett Till’s profoundly moving story, violence, fear and courage are interwoven with white silence and responsibility. Mamie Till-Mobley's monumental choice to have an open casket for her son begins her transformation from private grief to public activism for justice. Roanne Taylor, haunted by Emmett's screams for mercy, comes face to face with her denial and failure to act as she begins her journey from denial to recognition and involvement.

At this defining moment in our nation, the play illuminates how each character negotiates the struggle for identity and humanity in our embattled world. The audience witnesses their own individual paths to challenge limits and open possibilities.

Staged Readings: Emmett, Down in My Heart

cast photo
Actors from left to right: Jared McNeill, Maul Donte Davis, Crystal Dickinson, Linda Powell, Danny Glover, Kathleen Chalfant, Rebecca White, Christian Kohn, Lizan Mitchell Photo thanks to Maul Donte Davis

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Actors from left to right: Andre Teamer, Sandra Watson, Michael Pogue, Travis Turner, Lily Mojekwu, Laurie Empen, Kate Berry, Eric Slater

Featuring: Mercedes Ruehl, Gena Bardwell, Harry Burney, Orlando Columbus, Lloyd Goodman, Christian Kohn, Alicia Roper

Mercedes Ruehl

cast photo
First row: Kate Meuth, Clare Coss, Janine Carter
Second row: Lloyd Goodman, Orlando Columbus, Gena Bardwell, Josh Perl, Ann Christian, Harry Burney, William Burford