NBC Chicago and Collaboraction Theatre Company have brought new attention to the Emmett Till murder trial after partnering to co-produce a televised version of Collaboraction’s original play, The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta.
Based on the official 1955 trial transcripts, NBC Chicago produced an extension of Collaboraction’s new staged theatrical adaptation, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till last February. Now available to view on NBCChicago.com, Peacock, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and NBC Chicago’s app, the televised play gives viewers a front row seat to the monumental injustices that happened over five days in a Mississippi courtroom.
The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, co-produced by NBC Chicago and Collaboraction, is now available on Roku, Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, NBC Chicago’s app and NBCChicago.com.
(left, from left) Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, Trial in the Delta co-adaptors G. Riley Mills and Willie Round, Collaboraction producer Carla Stillwell, NBC Chicago Anchor Marion Brooks and Managing Editor Lauren Stauffer, Collaboraction Executive Director Saudia Davis and NBC Station Manager Frank Whitaker at the premiere screening of The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, May 11, 2022 at the Gene Siskel Film Center. (right) NBC reporter Cortney Hall introduced the film at the screening. Photo credit: Tito Garcia
Spearheaded by award-winning journalist Marion Brooks, the program is the second installment of NBC Chicago’s docu-series The Lost Story of Emmett Till.
“When I discovered this transcript, I was blown away. The words really take you back to what America was like in 1955. It was important for me to bring that lost history to life so our viewers can really see, hear and feel what happened during the murder trial of Emmett Till,” said Brooks.
“There are many plays about Emmett Till, but they were fictions created out of horrid facts that only guessed at the actual language. Trial in the Delta is the first public theatrical exploration of the actual courtroom transcript. So when people experience how everything actually went down in that Mississippi courtroom, the impact is even more disturbing,” said Collaboraction Artistic Director and co-director of Trial in the Delta, Anthony Moseley.
"We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to partner with NBC5 and Marion Brooks to share our live, immersive theatrical experience, Trial in the Delta, with a TV viewing audience," said Collaboraction Executive Director Saudia Davis.
The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta features Chicago actors portraying Mamie Till, other family members and witnesses for the defense and prosecution. The play was co-adapted by Willie Round and G. Riley Mills, and co-directed by Anthony Moseley and Dana N. Anderson.
In addition to the taping at NBC5 Chicago studios, Collaboraction presented two sold out live performances of Trial in the Delta in late February at The DuSable Museum of African American History. Collaboraction plans to remount a full production of Trial in the Delta in 2023.
Collaboraction’s staged theatrical adaptation Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till revealed the courage it took for Emmett Till’s uncle, Mose Wright, played by Darren Jones (left), to point out J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant during the 1955 trial. Production photo by Joel Maisonet.
Adia Alli (right) portrayed Mamie Till-Mobley in Collaboraction’s staged theatrical adaptation Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till. Credit: Joel Maisonet
Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till featured (top, from left) Adia Alli as Mamie Till-Mobley, Julia Atkin as Carolyn Bryant, Richard Alan Baiker as Judge Curtis Swango, Michael Bassett as George Smith, Braydon Beucler as Robert Hodges, (middle) Tyler Burke as Roy Bryant, Darren Jones as Mose Wright, Ron David Lipski as Clerk, Andy Luther as district attorney Gerald Chatham, Matt Miles as J.W. Milam, (bottom) Lyle Miller as Chester Miller, John Henry Roberts as John Edward Cothran, Steve Silver as defense attorney J.J. Breland, Jamie Vann as H.C. Strider and Mysun Aja Wade as Willie Reed.
About NBCUniversal Local Chicago
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About Collaboraction: Changing the map and removing barriers within the theater industry
Collaboraction is an ethno-diverse social justice organization that uses theater and performance to incite social change on Chicago’s most critical issues. Collaboraction is a 24-year-old company that produces live and digital performances, anti-racism workshops, and youth programs that incite change and grow equity in Chicago.
Since its founding in 1996, Collaboraction has pushed artistic boundaries working with more than 4,000 artists to bring over 100 productions and events to more than 150,000 unique audience members, and has inspired measurable positive change on social justice in Chicago and beyond. Collaboraction’s work includes Sketchbook, Peacebook, Crime Scene, Forgotten Future and Gender Breakdown. In addition to live performances, community building and video production, the company centers and presents its work in Chicago neighborhoods historically overlooked like Englewood, Austin and Lawndale.
Live, virtual programs that began during the pandemic and continue online include Becoming, a live web show, RSVP only, for anyone looking to be active anti-racists (first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. CT), and Crucial Connections, a live, interactive talk show that brings social justice warriors, artists and community residents together for crucial conversations (third Thursday of every month, 7 p.m. CT).
Collaboraction has been acknowledged for innovation and inclusivity by using theater as a tool for social change with numerous awards including, most recently, a 2020 Foster Innovation Award from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the 2020 Multi-Racial Unity Award from the First Unitarian Church-Chicago, a 2018 Stand For the Arts Award from Comcast & OvationTV, and an Otto Award from New York’s Castillo Theatre.
Collaboraction is supported by The Chicago Community Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Humanities, Paul M. Angell Foundation, Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, the Bayless Family Foundation, Spreading Hearts, AV Chicago, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Collaboraction is supported by a grant of U.S. Department of Treasury funds through the City of Chicago. (The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed by Collaboraction are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Treasury or the City of Chicago.)
For more information, visit collaboraction.org, follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
