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Burlington groups to present play about MLK

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963.
Wikimedia Commons
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963.

Several groups in Burlington are collaborating on a play about the civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Mountaintop is described in a release as a “gripping reimagination” of King’s last night on Earth. It’s being presented by Players Workshop and the Capitol Theater, with support from the Burlington branch of the NAACP.

The Rev. Carolyn Blair, who serves on the NAACP board, told TSPR she hopes the collaborative effort sets an example that encourages people to engage in conversation.

“We can all come together and have different opinions and think different thoughts, and maybe if we hear each other, we’ll see that, yeah, that might change my mind a little bit, let me think about that in a new way,” she said.

The play will be presented at the Capitol Theater, 211 N. 3rd St., at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Jan. 31, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1.

All performances are free and open to the public.

“I think that if you see it, you’ll start thinking about what is happening today that we have not changed since the ‘60s,” Blair said.

“We had come a long way, but now we’re going back the other way. We have to keep going forward and not backwards.”

Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.