The stage play is being produced for the purpose of bringing awareness of the contributions made by Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement to our generation. The production also explores the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death on April 4 1968.

With very few exceptions the local black theater productions have been limited to religious plays depicting the struggle of a family's commitment to God through a series of hyped renditions of gospel favorites followed by tumultuous amen's within a church-like setting.

SYNOPSIS

GONE TOO SOON© is an inspiring theatrical production that re-lives the successes and setbacks of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement of the 1960's through court depositions by six of his closest associates.

Coretta Scott King uses a rarely known Tennessee statute to present new witnesses directly to the grand jury after the untimely death of James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King’s confessed assassin. Code 4012-104 allows her to bypass the district attorneys refusal to hear new evidence in the assassination of Dr. King on the balcony of a Memphis motel.

The District Attorney, determined to overturn this appeal to re-open the case, uses all the government's evidence to keep those who marched alongside Dr. King from having the conspiracy laden sealed transcripts made public.

This two-act contemporary play is set in an Atlanta courtroom in front of a grand jury that is compelled to deliberate the case based solely on the evidence presented.  Will the grand jury side with the government or with the generations who have waited for the truth?

Each witness re-enacts, under oath, pivotal moments of the struggle with historical accuracy through dramatic cross-examinations, songs, speeches and choreography.

Memorable scenes are brought to life as they unfolded during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1957, the 1963 March on Washington, the tragic events on Bloody Sunday of 1965, to the rousing Promised Land speech the night before his premature death on April 4, 1968.

The Jury's verdict is based upon the final closing arguments by the District Attorney and the opposing council.  It examines the current status of civil rights in this country and the issues we still need to overcome as a people to reach the Promised Land set forth in the dream by Martin Luther King Jr.

THE PRODUCTION COMPANY

PROMISED LAND THEATER PRODUCTIONS will be composed of four groups who will have stock in the company and will produce the theatrical stage play Gone Too Soon©:

A. EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM

Will be the financial providers for this artistic endeavor and will be composed of:

1. Executive Producer (investor or investment team)

Responsibilities and duties: Will provide 100% of the financial capital required for the production of Gone Too Soon© estimated at $300,000 for the first production and $1,200,000 for a ten city tour production.  (See financial investment section)

2. Producer   (St.Jones®, St.Jones Enterprises)

Responsibilities and duties: Will provide the script required for the production of Gone Too Soon© and assemble the board of directors who will stage the production in Atlanta.

3. Executive Sponsors

Responsibilities and duties: Will provide additional capital, corporate advertisement and ticket purchasing capital required for the production of Gone Too Soon©.  (See the Executive Sponsor list)

4. Civil Rights Personalities depicted in Gone Too Soon©:

Responsibilities and duties: Will provide their support and the use of their name and contacts required for the production of Gone Too Soon©. (See Civil Rights Personalities list)

B. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Will be an alliance of experienced and motivated individuals who will provide the artistic direction for the production. This team is composed of the following members:

1. Director:

Responsibilities and duties: The director will preside over the Gone Too Soon© theater company and coordinate all artistic elements of the two-act stage-play Gone Too Soon©.  Including auditions, casting and rehearsals. In addition he will conceive and put together complete schedule for individual dance, acting, singing and technical rehearsals. He will be responsible for script editing and re-writes.  His support team includes assistant director (2), musical director, choreographer, stage manager and administrator.

2. Musical director:

Responsibilities and duties: The Musical director will coordinate the musical collation of the entire production. Suggest casting for principal singers from participants of the auditions. Prepare singers, soloist and choir for performances. Coordinate musical soundtrack for production. Suggest and compose additional original songs for the play. His support team includes assistant musical director, bandleader and band members.

3. Choreographer:

Responsibilities and duties: Coordinate all dance routines and choreographed staged movements to the musical soundtrack. Suggest principal cast dancers from participants of the auditions and a dance corps to perform selected dance routines. Coordinate dance rehearsals with stage rehearsals. Support team: assistant choreographer.

4. Stage manager:

Responsibilities and duties: The stage manager will coordinate all stage movement during rehearsals and stage presentations (lights, props, special effects, scenery, sound and sets. Support team: assistant stage manager, special effects coordinator, sound coordinator, light coordinator, props coordinator, set builder, make-up and wardrobe coordinator.

5. Administrator:

Responsibilities and duties: The administrator will coordinate all administrative endeavors related to the production of Gone Too Soon© including but not limited to: publicity, tickets, executive sponsors, actors, auditions, attendance, payroll, pre-presentation exposure, bookings of sites for rehearsals and performances.  Additional responsibilities include the update, distribution and posting of the complete schedule for individual dance, acting, singing and technical rehearsals. Also, coordinate all post-production social activities.  The administrators support team: administrative assistant and secretary.

GONE TOO SOON© THEATER COMPANY

Will be an alliance of experienced technical personnel and cast members who will be the artistic backbone of the production and will carry out the instructions and guidelines of the Promised Land Production’s board of directors. This theater company will be composed of the following members:

1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS                                                        ( 5)

                                    Director

                                    Musical director

                                    Choreographer

                                    Stage manager

                                    Administrator

 2. ASSISTANT DIRECTORS                                                       ( 6)

                                    Two Assistant directors

                                    Assistant musical director

                                    Assistant choreographer

                                    Assistant stage manager

                                    Administrative assistant

 3. PRINCIPAL ACTORS                                                             ( 2)

                                    District Attorney           W. Preston Battle II

                                    Defense Attorney          Beverly Courtney

 4. SECONDARY ACTORS                                                          ( 8)

                                    Dexter King

                                    Harry Belafonte

                                    Congressman John Lewis

                                    Mrs. Coretta Scott King

                                    Rev. Andrew Young

                                    Rev. Jesse Jackson

                                    Judge Carl Goddard

                                    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

5. EXTRAS, DANCER, SINGERS                                                (25)

6. TECHNICIANS                                                                       (14)        

                                    Sound specialist

                                    Light specialist

                                    Special effects coordinator

                                    Props coordinator

                                    Wardrobe coordinator

                                    Make-up

                                    Set builder

                                    Video coordinator

                                    Band                                                                                                                        --------------      TOTAL:                                                                                    60   

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