The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta by NBC Chicago and Collaboraction Theatre Company, won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in "Human Interest - Long Form.”
(Left) Anthony Moseley, Collaboraction Artistic Director and co-director, Trial in the Delta, accepts the Emmy Award. (Center) Actor Mysun Wade (kneeling), with (from left) Collaboraction Artistic Director and Trial in the Delta co-director Anthony Moseley, costume designer Alexis J. Roston, co-adaptor G. Riley Mills, Collaboraction Producer and Managing Director Carla Stillwell, NBC5’s Lauren Staffer and anchor Marion Brooks, Saudia Davis, Trial in the Delta assistant director Marquis Simmons, co-adaptor Willie Round, and co-director Dana Anderson. (Right, post-show selfie): Trial in the Delta co-directors Anthony Moseley and Dana Anderson, Emmy hosts, WTTW-TV’s Amanda Vinicky and Paris Schutz, and G. Riley Mills and Willie Round, co-adaptors, Trial in the Delta.
The original NBC5 Chicago/Collaboraction tele-play, a project spearheaded by award-winning NBC5 anchor Marion Brooks, was filmed in one day in February 2022 at NBC’s Chicago studio. Trial in the Delta premiered on a big screen on May 11, 2022 at the Gene Siskel Film Center. It’s now streaming on NBC’s Peacock service, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and free to watch on NBCChicago.com and the NBC5 Chicago app.
The Emmy-winning NBC Chicago/Collaboraction co-production The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta is now playing on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
Days after filming, Trial in the Delta was re-staged live on a minimal set, two shows only, at DuSable Museum. Adapted by Collaboraction company members G. Riley Mills and Willie Round, Trial in the Delta is the first theatrical version drawn directly from the recently unearthed 1955 trial transcript of the two men found not guilty of murdering Emmett Till.
Collaboraction’s Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till revealed the courage it took for Emmett Till’s uncle, Mose Wright, played by Darren Jones (left), to point out J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant during the 1955 trial. Adia Alli (right) portrayed Mamie Till-Mobley. Production photos by Joel Maisonet
Next, Collaboraction will take the production from the screen to the stage with a fully-produced, live theatrical version of Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till debuting February 9-19, 2023 at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.
The trial will be brought back to life in vivid docu-drama style, with the audience co-mingled “in the courtroom” alongside actors portraying the young boy’s mother, other family members, and witnesses for the defense and prosecution. The result will be a powerful, immersive reenactment of what actually occurred in that 1955 rural Mississippi courtroom, site of one of the most monumental injustices of the U.S. legal system in the 20th century.
“Once in a lifetime, if we are lucky, a project like this comes along and all we can do is play our part to serve the greater good of telling an important story and belonging to each other,” said Anthony Moseley, Artistic Director, Collaboraction, who co-directed Trial in the Delta with Collaboraction company member Dana Anderson. “Make plans to join Collaboraction in February to experience Trial in the Delta, live.”
Tickets to February’s live performances of Trial in the Delta are on sale now at collaboraction.org. Tickets are $30-$55. Email info@collaboraction.org for information on student and group rates, and private event performances. The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center is located at 740 E. 56th Place in Chicago’s Hyde Park community.
The cast for next February’s new staging will feature many of the same actors who originated roles in the 2022 teleplay. Complete cast and design team details are TBA.
The 64th Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards were held December 3 at the Chicago Downtown Marriott, 540 N. Michigan Ave. Visit chicagoemmyonline.org for a list of all this year's winners.
Watch moments from the workshop presentation of Trial in the Delta in February 2022 at The DuSable Museum.
Want to spark social change in Chicago and beyond? Become a CollaborActivist
Becoming a CollaborActivist member not only supports Collaboraction’s work, which hires hundreds of artists to create social change work, but also offers access to community and content to support your growth as an agent of social change.
CollaborActivist memberships include exclusive access to the Co-Lab, a digital portal at collaboraction.org which allows members to create a profile, connect with other members, attend virtual workshops and meet-ups, and screen members-only video content with more than 40 videos. Sign up to be a CollaborActivist at collaboraction.org/memberships.
About Collaboraction: Changing the map and removing barriers within the theater industry
Collaboraction is a 25-year-old, ethno-diverse company that uses theater and performance to incite social change on Chicago’s most critical issues. Collaboraction produces live and digital performances, anti-racism workshops, and youth programs that incite change and grow equity in Chicago.
Since its founding in 1996, Collaboraction has pushed artistic boundaries working with more than 4,000 artists to bring over 100 productions and events to more than 150,000 unique audience members, and has inspired measurable positive change on social justice in Chicago and beyond.
Collaboraction’s work includes Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, SKETCHBOOK, PEACEBOOK, Moonset Sunrise, The Light Youth Ensemble, Crime Scene, Forgotten Future and Gender Breakdown. In addition to live performances, community building and video production, the company centers and presents its work in Chicago neighborhoods historically overlooked like Englewood, Austin and Lawndale.
In 2022, Collaboraction was one of the first theaters in the U.S. to be certified by On Our Team, a national trade organization advocating for pay equity and transparency in the live theater industry.
Collaboraction, under the leadership of Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, has been acknowledged for innovation and inclusivity by using theater as a tool for social change with numerous awards including the Foster Innovation Award from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Multi-Racial Unity Award from the First Unitarian Church-Chicago, a Stand For the Arts Award from Comcast and OvationTV, and an Otto Award from New York’s Castillo Theatre.
Collaboraction is supported by The Chicago Community Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Humanities, Paul M. Angell Foundation, Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, the Bayless Family Foundation, Spreading Hearts, AV Chicago, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
For more information, visit collaboraction.org, or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or YouTube.
About The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the nation’s first independent Museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and study of the history and culture of African Americans and people of African descent. For more information, please visit dusablemuseum.org and follow @dusablemuseum.