This production has been tentatively rescheduled for the 2021/2022 Season, in addition to a free reading planned for Spring 2021. Please read our full update for more information.

"We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers."
— Bayard Rustin

Chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and openly gay Civil Rights activist, Bayard Rustin was nearly written out of the history books. This world premiere musical play soars with African-American spirituals and offers a glimpse into a transformative moment for young Rustin — his 1944 prison sentence in Ashland, Kentucky. As he incites nonviolent protests against prisoner segregation and refuses to hide his sexuality, Rustin is branded a “troublemaker."

Bayard Rustin: Inside Ashland emerged from our New Play Frontiers Residency & Commission program. It is our third NPF World Premiere, following Project Dawn by Karen Hartman and Mud Row by Dominique Morisseau.

Recommended for ages 17+ due to explicit sexual language, brief nudity, and adult themes