Collaboraction Theatre Company will present the premiere film screening of its live theatrical performance, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, on Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m. at Wayfarer Theaters, 1850 Second St. in Highland Park. Tickets are $20. For tickets and information, visit wayfarertheaters.com or call (872) 873-1030.
Collaboraction’s original live staging of Trial in the Delta was drawn directly from the newly unearthed 1955 trial transcript of The State of Mississippi vs. Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. The immersive theater experience, including audience response to the historic injustice documented on stage, was professionally filmed in 4K during a live performance in February 2023 at The DuSable Museum of Black History.
Kayla Franklin (left) plays Mamie Till-Bradley in Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till.
The resulting film, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, includes behind-the-scenes footage, riveting live stage performances and reactions from audience members after witnessing a live reenactment of a trial that remains one of the most monumental injustices of the U.S. legal system in the 20th century.
The February 22nd screening of Collaboraction’s new 100-minute film at Wayfarer Theaters will also be followed by a moderated Crucial Conversation. The intent is to give space for audience members to respond to the words actually spoken in that Mississippi courtroom in 1955, the horrible injustice that occurred as a result, and how Mamie Till-Mobley’s vow to share Emmett’s story - and leave his casket open for the world to see - ultimately sparked the U.S. Civil Rights movement as we know it.
Watch the Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till trailer. Download the MP4 here.
Emmett Till’s uncle Mose Wright, played by Darren Jones, points out J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant as the boy’s murderers in Collaboraction’s reenactment of the 1955 trial.
Audience response to Trial in the Delta at The DuSable Museum of Black History in February 2023.
Trial in the Delta plays like a live reenactment of the actual court proceedings in Sumner, Mississippi in 1955. Top Chicago actors portray witnesses for the defense and prosecution, including Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Bradley, and his uncle, Mose Wright. Other pivotal characters include judge Curtis Swango, defense attorney J.J. Breeland, district attorney Gerald Chatham, Carolyn Bryant, the woman at the center of Emmett Till’s kidnapping and killing, and the two men found not guilty of killing the young boy, J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant.
Trial in the Delta began in 2022 in partnership with award-winning NBC5 Chicago anchor Marion Brooks. Collaboraction company members G. Riley MIlls and Willie Round were commissioned to co-adapt the original, recently unearthed 354-page trial transcript into a 90-page immersive theatrical reenactment.
Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley and company member Dana Anderson co-directed the original teleplay, which was filmed live in one day in February 2022 at NBC Chicago's studio. The resulting NBC5/Collaboraction filmed co-production subsequently won two Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards and a Silver Gavel Award (Honorable Mention) from the American Bar Association.
Days after filming, Trial in the Delta was re-staged and presented live on a minimal set, two shows only, in February 2022 at DuSable Museum. The production was expanded and more fully remounted at DuSable in February 2023, where it enjoyed a two-week run and was professionally filmed in 4K.
“Adapting the once-missing trial transcript has given us the honor and responsibility to share it broadly and as often as possible, whether that be through live performance, online streaming or this new film version of the staged adaptation," said Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley. “We are excited to be premiering this version and holding a live Crucial Conversation at Wayfarer Theaters, a unique film house aligned with our mission of positive social change.”
“Having the opportunity to share this brilliant piece with the North Shore community and engage in a meaningful conversation is crucial in our mission to unite, and inspire positive change through storytelling and dialogue,” said Clay Stamper, General Manager, Wayfarer Theaters.
Organizations interested in booking their own screening of Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, virtual or in-person, should send inquiries to info@collaboraction.org.
About Wayfarer Theaters
Wayfarer Theaters is a new collective space for films, live events, and conversation, designed to strengthen the bonds of friendship in its community.
Wayfarer Theaters is a sister company of Wayfarer Studios, a film and TV studio founded in 2019 by Paylocity founder Steve Sarowitz and Jane the Virgin star Justin Baldoni. Baldoni, actor turned filmmaker, uses his stardom as a platform to address social issues through impactful content creation and direct action. Sarowitz, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, uses his time and resources to fight to eradicate the negative ‘isms’ of the world through non-profit work and now impactful content creation alongside Baldoni.
In 2021, Baldoni and Sarowitz launched the Wayfarer Foundation as a Baha’i-inspired organization with the mission to “advance humankind spiritually towards a future peaceful world civilization.” The Wayfarer Foundation funds and supports spiritually rooted and justice-oriented nonprofits, centering on the power of universal participation to create a more hopeful, joyful, and just world.
Wayfarers Theater is located at 1850 Second St. in Highland Park, Ill. To learn what’s playing there and for more information, visit wayfarertheaters.com.
Collaboraction: Changing the map and removing barriers in the theater industry
Collaboraction is a 27-year-old non-profit arts organization that builds knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action around oppression and inequity through live theater, film and online interactive programs that leverage the power of storytelling and community to cultivate positive social change.
Collaboraction has been recognized as an industry leader using theater, storytelling, community building and digital media (film, radio/podcast) and has been awarded two Emmy Awards, a Distinguished Service to the Arts Award, DCASE’s Foster Innovation Award and a Silver Gavel Honorable Mention from the American Bar Association, among others.
Notable examples of Collaboraction’s recent work include two-time Emmy-award winning The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, Collaboraction Radio, live, every Saturday at 4 p.m. CST on WCPT-820 AM, Moonset Sunrise, A Blue Island In the Red Sea, The Light youth ensemble and the annual Peacebook Festival.
In addition to live performances, radio, community building and video production, Collaboraction centers and presents its work in Chicago neighborhoods historically overlooked like Englewood, Austin and Lawndale.
Collaboraction’s February 22nd screening of Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till is supported in part by AV Chicago, Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Naperville Rotary Club, the Field Foundation, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the company’s growing ranks of Collaboractivists, individuals who support the company’s mission with monthly contributions, starting at just $1. To join, visit collaboraction.org/memberships.
To learn more about Collaboraction, visit collaboraction.org or follow the company on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.