"How can you write a musical about Emmett Till?" is a question we are often asked. Let the character of his grandmother, Alma Carthan, answer it in the way she reminds the audience what is important at the top of the show.
Alma: "Let me tell you something: you focus on the death and you ain’t never gonna find your way back. Remember the life…That’s how they live forever!"
TILL is about Emmett and his love of life and family. Though it does involve his brutal murder, it is more about the superhuman love of his mother, Mamie, and her conviction to make Emmett's memory live forever.
Preview audiences have found it powerful and moving. We hope you will come and experience the show for yourself.
Based on true events, "TILL" tells the story of Emmett Till, a young black teen growing up in Chicago who makes a fateful trip to Money, Mississippi, where he is lynched for “whistling at a white woman.” In the end, his mother Mamie’s powerful love ensures the world never forgets.