For the opening play in the Donmar’s mainstage 2016 Autumn Season Director Kwame Kwei-Armah returns to the UK with a new production of One Night in Miami..., Kemp Powers’ fictional account of a real night in 1964. In a hotel room boxer Cassius Clay chooses to celebrate his world heavyweight victory with three friends – activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. As the Civil Rights movement stirs outside, and the melody of ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ hangs in the air, the four men will emerge from that one night ready to define a new world. The principal cast include David Ajala as Jim Brown, Francois Battiste as Malcolm X, Sope Dirisu as Cassius Clay, and Arinzé Kene as Sam Cooke, with Dwane Walcott as Kareem and Josh Williams as Jamaal.

Before they were icons, they were friends.

25 February 1964: 22-year-old Cassius Clay has just won the world heavyweight boxing title. Instead of hitting the town, he chooses to celebrate in a Miami hotel room with three close friends – activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and American football star Jim Brown.

This fictional account of a real night imagines what might have happened in that tiny hotel room. As the Civil Rights movement stirs outside, and the melody of ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ hangs in the air, four men will emerge from that one night ready to define a new world.

Kemp Powers (Writer) is a playwright, screenwriter and author. He is a resident playwright at Los Angeles’ multi award-winning Rogue Machine Theatre Company where One Night In Miami... debuted, before transferring to Centre Stage and the Denver Centre for the Performing Arts. Powers’ further theatre credits include The Two Reds, Little Black Shadows and Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue. Powers is a playwright-in-residence at the 2016 Colorado New Play Summit at the DCPA. He has toured as a storyteller for the Peabody Award-winning series The Moth and was one of 50 storytellers selected

for publication in their 2013 debut book, The Moth: 50 True Stories (New York Times bestseller). He is currently developing the dark comedy My First Black Friend with John Pollono and producer Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games). Powers was a journalist for twenty years, writing for publications including Esquire, GQ and Forbes. He is also well known for his memoir The Shooting.

Kwame Kwei-Armah (Director) is an award-winning British playwright, director, actor, and broadcaster. Kwei-Armah’s plays include Marley, Beneatha’s Place, Seize the Day, A Bitter Herb, Blues Brother Soul Sister, Big Nose, and his seminal triptych of plays chronicling the struggles of the British African-Caribbean community in London—Elmina’s Kitchen, Fix Up and Statement of Regret—which each premiered at the National Theatre between 2003- 2007. With Elmina’s Kitchen he became the first Black Briton to have a play produced in London’s West End; Elmina’s Kitchen and Let There be
Love each had their American debuts at Centre Stage in the US. He wrote the 2010 teleplay, Walter’s War, about the first Black commissioned officer to lead British troops during WWI. As an actor, Kwei- Armah has appeared in Casualty, Holby City, Afternoon Play, Between the Lines and The Bill. He has presented documentary programmes for Channel 4 including Christianity: A History and On Tour With the Queen. He has also appeared on Newsnight, Question Time and The Culture Show. He is Artistic Director of Centre Stage in Baltimore, Maryland, where he made his directing debut with Naomi Wallace’s Things of Dry Hours. Since then he has directed the Pulitzer nominated playwright Esa Davis’s 10-minute play Dave Chappelle was Right for the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, and two successful productions of his playLet There Be Loveat the Tricycle Theatre. Kwei-Armah was Goodwill Ambassador for Trade for Christian Aid; Chancellor of University of the Arts London; and served as Artistic Director for the World Arts Festival in Senegal, a month-long World Festival of Black Arts and Culture. He was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to drama.

David Ajala (Jim Brown) makes his Donmar Warehouse debut in One Night in Miami.... David has appeared on stage in The Witness (Royal Court), Ruined (Almeida), Nation (National), Death and the King’s Horseman (National), Love’s Labours Lost (RSC) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC). Ajala’s film credits include Kidulthood, Adulthood, The Dark Knight, One Day, Fast & Furious 6, Jupiter Ascending, Brotherhood, Kill Command, Starred Up and Emulsion. His television credits also include US series Black Box, Beowulf, Falling Water and Hooten and the Lady.

Francois Battiste (Malcolm X) makes his Donmar Warehouse debut in One Night in Miami... His Broadway theatre credits include Bronx Bombers (Circle in the Square Theater), Magic/Bird (Longacre Theater and Prelude to a Kiss (Roundabout Theater Co.). His television credits include the US shows The Family, Person of Interest, Are We There Yet? And The Good Wife. Film credits include Men in Black 3, Repatriate, Not For Nothing, Blood in the Sand and 51/50.*

Sope Dirisu (Cassius Clay) makes his Donmar Warehouse debut in One Night in Miami.... He has appeared on stage in The Whipping Man (Plymouth Theatre Royal & Drum), Pericles (RSC), Tory Boyz, Romeo & Juliet, Prince of Denmark and Our Days of Rage (all for National Youth Theatre). Dirisu has also appeared on television in Black Mirror, The Halcyon, Undercover, Siblings, The Casual Vacancy, Humans, The Mill and Utopia. His film credits include Clandestine, Sandcastle, The Huntsman, Criminal and Circles.

Arinzé Kene (Sam Cooke) makes his Donmar Warehouse debut in One Night in Miami.... Arinzé is a playwright and actor, and most recently appeared in the 2016 film The Pass alongside Russell Tovey. Further film credits include Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Freestyle. Kene’s theatre credits include Been So Long (Young Vic), The Spectacular (Traverse), The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre) and Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury/World Tour). Television credits include Our Girl, Youngers, Eastenders and Casualty.

*Francois Battiste appears with the permission of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity.

Director Kwame Kwei-Armah
Designer Robert Jones
Lighting Designer Oliver Fenwick
Sound Designer John Leonard
Casting includes David Ajala, Francois Battiste, Sope Dirisu, Arinzé Kene, Dwane Walcott and Josh
Williams.


DONMAR WAREHOUSE
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...
Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LX www.donmarwarehouse.com
Box Office: 0844 871 7624 (Booking fee of £2.50 per transaction) Telephone Mon-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 10am-8pm
In person, Mon-Sat, 10am-curtain up (No booking fee)

PERFORMANCE TIMES
Evenings Mon – Sat: 7.30pm Matinees Thu & Sat: 2.30pm

TICKETS
The first £10 Front Row tickets for One Night in Miami... will go on sale at 10am on Monday 26 September.

TICKET PRICES
Stalls £40, £30, £10* Circle £30, £20, £10*

PREVIEW PRICES
Stalls £37.50, £27.50, £10* Circle £27.50, £17.50, £10*

PREVIEW DISCOUNTS APPLY TO FOLLOWING DATES:
One Night in Miami... Thursday 6 – Monday 10 October
*£10 tickets are made available every Monday two weeks before the performance as part of the Donmar’s £10 Front Row scheme. For more information please visit donmarwarehouse.com/frontrow. Excludes certain performances.

CONCESSIONS
For over 60s, £40 tickets reduced to £32.50 and £30 tickets reduced to £25 (matinees only)
£20 for disabled customers. Must be booked in advance and proof of eligibility must be shown on collection.

STANDING TICKETS
£7.50 standing tickets available every day from 10am in person at the Box Office.

ACCESS
The Donmar Warehouse is fully wheelchair accessible. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome in the auditorium. There is an infrared system in the main auditorium and there is also a hearing loop in the Box Office.

ASSISTED PERFORMANCES
Tickets cost £20. To book call 020 7845 8573 or email access@donmarwarehouse.com For all other access enquiries or bookings call 0844 871 7677

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES – 7.30PM (captioned by Stagetext) One Night in Miami... Monday 7 November
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE - 2.30PM (audio-described by Vocaleyes) (TOUCH TOUR AT 1.30PM)
One Night in Miami... Saturday 26 November

TRANSPORT & PARKING
Tubes: Covent Garden, Leicester Sq, Charing Cross, Holborn, Tottenham Court Road Buses: Destination Leicester Sq.14, 19, 24, 29, 38, 176
Parking: Masterpark
The Donmar wishes to thank Arielle Tepper Madover for her extraordinary support of this season. Principal Sponsor and supporter of Donmar Dryden Street

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