by Idris Goodwin
Directed by REGGIE D. WHITE
April 26 – june 7, 2021
This stage play turned four-part episodic audio drama by playwright, rapper, and poet Idris Goodwin is recommended for grades 4 and up. Reservations are free but required, with a suggested donation of $20!
Every hero starts somewhere. For 12-year-old Cassius Clay Jr., who would become the sports legend known to the world as Muhammad Ali, it was a boxing gym in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the swift and vibrant origin story of how a determined young boy growing up in the Jim Crow South took on all challengers in his path to becoming…The Greatest. An unlikely hero is a classic story, but And in This Corner goes an extra, exhilarating round by exploring how remarkable communities help to create them.
And in This Corner: Cassius Clay features Danté Crichlow, Sinclair Daniel, Langston Darby, Anthony Holiday, Franck Juste, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Eric Lockley, and Andy Schneeflock, all of whom are alumni of Atlantic Acting School!
Run time: 11-17 minutes per episode; or 55 mins non-stop.
Accessibility: Closed captioning is available.
Are you an educator? Email us here for more information about incorporating the programming into your classroom curriculum!
Atlantic for Kids has presented adventurous theater for young audiences for over 20 years, with two full productions each season. These acclaimed shows are noted for their ability to touch on serious themes while entertaining kids with a blend of music, humor and spectacle. In addition to its weekend performances for families, Atlantic for Kids has welcomed thousands of NYC public school children to weekday performances, including talkbacks with cast members and discussions about the themes of each play. Previous productions have included, among others, Off Broadway Alliance Award winners for Best Family Show She Persisted, The Musical and Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical. For more information, click here!
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Kobe. Tiger. Usain. Serena. Ali.
Athletes who only need 1 name. Icons who transcended their sport and inspired millions to shoot, swing, run, smash, and jab in their image. When you close your eyes and invoke their name, your mind floods with memories or images of their highest highs and lowest lows. But before they were legends, they were kids. Kids who were shaped by the world and time they grew up in – Compton in the middle of the crack epidemic, post-Colonial rural Jamaica, segregation era Kentucky. Kids who had to keep their eye on the ball (so to speak) and on the prize.
And in This Corner is the story of how a young boy in Kentucky serendipitously found boxing and fought his way to sporting immortality. It’s the story of an older brother who loves his family, struggles with school, faces down bullies, and tries to understand the world around him. A world where the color of your skin determines where you can eat or play. A world where names like Jim and Emmett pierce the blissful innocence of childhood like the bell at the end of a round.
The play doesn’t run from the darkness of the world Cassius grew up in. Idris Goodwin’s knockout play highlights several moments where the racism of pre-Civil Rights Era Kentucky ‘hits below the belt’ including white supremacist violence at peaceful lunch counter sit-ins where the ugliest of racial slurs are flung at unsuspecting children. Goodwin’s play shines a light on these and other issues for all to see – illuminating our own path to revealing the fighter within us all.
As we prepare for another season of storytelling and artistry, we hope you will join as an Atlantic Member! Join for our 2025|2026 Season for the best price on tickets to four exciting new productions. Memberships are on sale now below!
