![Crossroads Theatre Company Presents World Premiere Of "Freedom Rider"](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2020/FreedomRider.jpg "Crossroads Theatre Company Presents World Premiere Of "Freedom Rider"")
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Come to Crossroads Theatre Company to “get on the bus” and experience the perilous history-making journey of the Freedom Riders, black and white college students who traveled through the South by bus to challenge the non-enforcement of federal law that ruled segregation on public buses unconstitutional. The Freedom Riders drew national attention to their cause because of the violence pointed against them as they traveled from state to state. The play Freedom Rider, written by Murray Horwitz, Nathan Louis Jackson, Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, Ricardo Khan, and Nikkole Salter, runs April 9 through April 19 in the Arthur Laurents Theatre of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC).
Opening night of Freedom Rider on April 11 will mark the World Premiere of the play which will be directed by Crossroads Co-Founder Ricardo Khan.
Since its establishment 41 years ago, Crossroads Theatre Company has been a much beloved staple of the arts, entertainment and cultural communities. “Crossroads is a place where the black experience is shared through stories produced for the stage for all to be enlightened by and enjoy,” said Anthony Carter, President of Crossroads Board of Trustees. Crossroads has been the creative home for theatre talent and the premiering stage for plays that went on to Broadway and received acclaim. “We are excited that the world premiere of Freedom Rider is happening on our stage at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) and look forward to another superior artistic production with Ricardo as Director.”
![Crossroads Theatre Company Presents World Premiere Of "Freedom Rider"](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2020/FreedomRider2.jpg "Crossroads Theatre Company Presents World Premiere Of "Freedom Rider"")
A collective of five writers, including Khan, are the playwrights of Freedom Rider. Khan conceived the idea for the play. A feature of the play development process that distinguishes this play from most others in the theatre is that each of the four characters’ stories is written by a different writer. Khan’s role in the collaborative process was to weave the four stories together into one cohesive script.
Freedom Rider is a story of bringing about change for the sake of equality in the midst of insurmountable odds and peril. The play follows the journeys of four young people, each from a different university, city and background who set out to prove that love and compassion could conquer hate and that what was a right for one American should be a right for all Americans. Theirs was a cause worth fighting for in spite of the dangers they knew they would face along the way. The main characters are supported by a multicultural ensemble cast and choir.
The story of the Freedom Riders is a snapshot of a time in American history when equality and justice for Black Americans was ignored, even in the face of federal law and constitutional protections. However, the story of the Freedom Riders “is very pertinent to the current state of affairs in America, and I am proud to return to Crossroads to direct this special play that aligns with Crossroads intention to educate audiences and create bridges of understanding between people of all cultural backgrounds,” said Khan.
Tickets and more information are available online. The NBPAC is located at 11 Livingston Avenue New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The 1999 Tony® Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company (CTC), now a resident member of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), is in its fourth decade of being a preeminent gateway for black theatre that has been the stage for many actors, directors, designers, writers and other theatre professionals. Since opening in 1978, CTC has built a rich and storied legacy, celebrating the culture, history, spirit and voices of the African Diaspora.
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) is a state-of-the-art performing arts center that is certain to be hailed as the region's premier venue for musical, dance and theatrical performances. NBPAC offers a critically-acclaimed and diverse program of show-stopping theatrical experiences that will captivate, entertain and leave audiences chanting “Encore!” The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) Member Companies are among the region's most diverse, critically-acclaimed and multi-talented musical, dance and theatrical performing arts groups and include the American Repertory Ballet, George Street Playhouse, Rutgers University Mason Gross School of Arts and the Crossroads Theatre Company.
