March 19, 2015 

By Troy Tieuel

LAWT Contributing Writer

 

On Saturday, March 14, at Valencia High School, the play ‘Martin, Duty Calls,’ will return to the stage for one night only.  Prior to the opening curtain, an historic Talk Back Panel will be featured that will include the President of the NAACP, San Fernando Valley Chapter Rosalind Scarbrough, the President of the SCLC, Los Angeles Chapter, Mayor of Santa Clarita, and Pastor Marlon Saunders of Valencia Christian Center.

 

LeRoy Parker, executive producer and writer started his career on the set of such animated classics as Hanna Barbara’s Smurfs and the Flintstones, but it has been his life dream to write and produce ‘Martin, Duty Calls.’ 

 

“In a time of racial unrest in our nation,” said Parker,  “Doctor King’s dream is slowly becoming a nightmare. This play is a wonderful way to remember our purpose and goals,” he said.

 

‘Martin, Duty Calls,’ examines the life of Civil Rights Activist and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. that parallels the time featured in the movie ‘Selma.’  Unlike ‘Selma’ which was about the struggle of the civil rights workers as well as King’s personal struggle, ‘Martin Duty Calls’ focuses on the inner staff of King’s SCLC and how they dealt with the adversity of fighting against segregation and maintaining sanity in a corrupt world. 

 

“Selma takes place in a moment in time, 1965,” said Malika Blessing who played Eleanor Charles.  “‘Martin, Duty Calls,’ is a play the takes you on a journey from the arrest of Rosa Parks, to the Mountain Top Speech and all the twists and turns, trials and tribulations in between.  This play goes deeper into the relationship between Dr. King and his wife Coretta Scott King than the film does.”

 

The play is well staffed and features the singing talents of Daebreon Poiema, who plays Coretta Scott King, strong monologues and speeches by Chaz Ingram, who plays Martin Luther King Jr., all put together under the direction of David Wendell Boykins. 

 

For more information on ‘Martin, Duty Calls,’ go to www.martindutycalls.com.

Category: Arts & Culture