''I Dream'' is a fully

through-composed In music theory of musical form, through-composed music is a continuous, non- sectional, and non- repetitive piece of music. The term is typically used to describe songs, but can also apply to instrumental music. While most musical forms such as t ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

by Douglas Tappin (librettist, lyricist, composer), based on the life of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

The world premiere of this ''Rhythm and Blues Opera'' opened in July 2010 on the Alliance Stage of the

Woodruff Arts Center Woodruff Arts Center is a visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta, Georgia. The center houses three not-for-profit arts divisions on one campus. Opened in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlant ...

in Atlanta, Georgia.

Original cast and creative team

Jasmine Guy Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...

– Director *Carl Marsh – Orchestration *Keith Williams – Musical director With choreography by Dawn Axam, and designs by Kat Conley (set), Joseph Futral (lighting), Shilla Benning (costumes), and Bobby Johnston (sound).
The producers were

Dej Mahoney Dej Mahoney, born Ayodeji Mahoney, is a British legal and business consultant in the entertainment and related sectors, with more than 30 years' experience within the music and media industries. His career has encompassed being an entertainment la ...

, Cedric Perrier, Tim Bowen, and Douglas Tappin. The cast included: *

Quentin Earl Darrington Quentin Earl Darrington (born July 9, 1977) is an American actor and singer known for his work in theatre. He has performed in Broadway productions and national tours of shows including ''Once on This Island'', ''Cats'', and '' Memphis''. He orig ...

as "Martin" *

Demetria McKinney Demetria Dyan McKinney (born August 27, 1979) is an American actress and singer. From 2006 to 2012, during its original run, she starred in the TBS sitcom '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne'', a BET revival of the show was announced in 2020. Her oth ...

as "Coretta" * Avery Sunshine as "Grandma" *Desmond Ellington as "Hosea2 *Ben Polite as "Ralph" *and

Bob Carlisle Robert Mason "Bob" Carlisle (born September 29, 1956) is an American Contemporary Christian singer and songwriter. He performed with several bands, most notably Allies and Billy Thermal, before launching a solo career where he received a Grammy ...

Reception

''I Dream'' opened to mostly positive reviews from both the press and those involved with the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

. ''RollingOut.com'' said: "The life of Dr. King as chronicled in the stage musical ''I Dream'', is right on time as a reminder of what the fight was for. The dynamically talented cast delivered stirring performances to move audience members through each riveting scene." ''

Creative Loafing Creative Loafing is an Atlanta-based publisher of a monthly arts and culture newspaper/magazine. The company publishes a 60,000 circulation monthly publication which is distributed to in-town locations and neighborhoods on the first Thursday of ...

'' reported that "Tappin's hugely ambitious world premiere follows the example of Broadway's big, rock-influenced musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''Evita'', and ''Les Miserables''." ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' stated: " he show broughtsome of the heartiest former Civil Rights activists in the house to tears, before raising them to their feet at the finale for, perhaps, the greatest standing ovation the show will ever receive." Nominated in 10 categories for Atlanta's 2009/2010

Suzi Bass Award Suzi is an English nickname for people with names such as Susan, Suzanne, Susanna or Susannah. Notable people with the name include: * Suzi Digby * Suzi Ferrer (1940–2006), US/Puerto Rican visual artist and feminist * Suzi Gardner * Suzi Lan ...

, ''I Dream'' won in the "Outstanding World Premiere" (Play or Musical) category.

Recording

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

of ''I Dream'' entitled ''I Dream (The Concept Recording)'' was recorded in 2015, featuring Quentin Darrington as "Martin" and Avery Sunshine as "Coretta" - released for digital download and streaming, including on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

, and

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...

Additional productions

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, January 2017 (concert) *

Toledo Opera The Toledo Opera is an American opera company in Toledo, Ohio, performing in the Valentine Theatre in downtown Toledo. The company's season consists of three fully-realized operas, plus additional community programming for the Northwest Ohio re ...

, April 2018

References

External links

*
Playbill
January 15, 2018,

Fountain Street Church Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was for a time unique in the United States as being large, religiously liberal and non-denominational in a notably conservative city. It arose from its beginnings as a Baptist church which respond ...

, Grand Rapids, Michigan {{Authority control 2010 operas Cultural depictions of Martin Luther King Jr. Operas set in the 20th century Operas set in the United States Operas Operas based on real people