La Jolla Playhouse Presents World Premiere of Blueprints to Freedom

Blueprints to Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin, the new play by Michael Benjamin Washington, starts its two month run tonight. Presented by both La Jolla Playhouse and Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the show will run at La Jolla for a month and at Kansas City's Copaken Stage for another month.

The show tells the story of one of the orchestrators of the greatest protests of all time. In 1963, Bayard Rustin is charged with the task of organizing an unprecedented march for jobs and freedom, one that exceeds all previous marches in size and scope. The advocate for nonviolent civil disobedience grabs hold of the opportunity even as he struggles with internal and external forces seeking to alienate him from the civil rights movement. At stake is Rustin’s last chance for professional restoration and spiritual redemption.

Lucie Tiberghien replaces Phylicia Rashad as director of the show after Rashad departed because of scheduling conflicts. The play, written by Michael Benjamin Washington, features Washington as Bayard Rustin, Ro Boddie as Martin Luther King Jr., Mandi Masden as Miriam Caldwell, Jonathan Peck as A. Philip Randolph, and Mat Hostetler as Davis Platt Jr..

"Since its electric first reading on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, we’ve been deeply committed to Michael Benjamin Washington’s provocative new piece. With victories and setbacks to the cause of equality in the news every day, the ideas and themes of Blueprints to Freedom call out urgently to us. We’re proud to welcome this dynamic and talented cast and creative team to illuminate Bayard Rustin’s quest for identity and redemption," said La Jolla Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley.

The creative team includes Neil Patel (set design), Beth Goldenberg (costume design), Lap Chi Chu (lighting design), Joe Huppert (sound design), Gabriel Greene (dramaturg), and Peter Van Dyke (stage manager).

Performances will run through November 15.

For tickets and more information, click here.