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Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson Visits Little Rock

The play tells the story of the Little Rock Nine, who were the first black students to attend their city’s formerly segregated Little Rock Central High School.

Jason Zednick
Off-Broadway
The company of Little Rock meet with sitting Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
The company of Little Rock meet with sitting Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
(photo provided by the production)

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson visited the New York premiere of Little Rock at the Sheen Center on Sunday, July 29. The production runs through September 8.

Little Rock tells the true story of the Little Rock Nine, the first black students to attend Little Rock, Arkansas's formerly segregated Little Rock Central High School three years after the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision ruled separating students based on race was unconstitutional. What began as their quest for a better education soon became a national crisis, igniting the passions of a divided country and sparking a historic fight for justice in the Jim Crow South. On the cusp of the civil rights movement, a changing world watched as these nine children from Arkansas battled for their rights, armed with only a notebook and pencil.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is greeted by "Little Rock" cast members Anita Welsh and Damian Jermaine Thompson.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is greeted by Little Rock cast members Anita Welch and Damian Jermaine Thompson.
(photo provided by the production)

The cast features Rebekah Brockman (Bridge of Spies), Justin Cunningham (The Winter's Tale), Charlie Hudson III (A Raisin in the Sun), Peter O'Connor (The Flick), Ashley Robinson (A Clockwork Orange), Damian Jermaine Thompson (English Vinglish), Stephanie Umoh (Ragtime), Anita Welch (Avenue Q), and Shanice Williams (NBC's The Wiz Live!) making her New York stage debut.

Little Rock producer Harvey Butler (center) welcomes Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas First Lady Susan Hutchinson.
Little Rock producer Harvey Butler (center) welcomes Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas First Lady Susan Hutchinson.
(photo provided by the production)

The creative team for Little Rock includes Darryl G. Ivey (music director), Rasean Davonte Johnson (scenic design), Leslie Bernstein (costume design), Anshuman Bhatia (lighting design), Lindsay Jones (sound design), Wendall K. Harrington (projection design), Marshall Jones III (creative consultant), Nikkole Salter (script consultant), Joshua Shain (production manager), Robert Westley (movement choreographer), and Amy Stoller (dialect design). The production stage manager is Giles T. Horne, and Theron Alexander is the assistant stage manager.

Little Rock received a developmental production as part of the 2011 New Works Festival at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California. It went on to receive a production in 2014 at Passage Theatre in Trenton, New Jersey, where it won the 2015 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Ensemble.