

Atlantic for Kids: And in This Corner: Cassius Clay
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!
More Info Download the Program
about the Audio PLAY
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!
About Atlantic for Kids
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!
DIRECTOR’s NOTE
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.
How to Listen
OPTION 1: ON DEMAND
Make your reservation and then listen on your own time before June 7 at 11:59pm ET!
Episode 1: 12 minutes 47 seconds
Episode 2: 10 minutes 54 seconds
Episode 3: 14 minutes 10 seconds
Episode 4: 17 minutes 27 seconds
Full Audio Play: 55 minutes
OPTION 2: COMMUNITY LISTENING partIES
Our live Community Listening Parties were hosted on May 1, 8, 15 and 22 at 10:30am ET! While we’re unable to sit elbow-to-elbow in a theater together, we do hope you’ll join us from the comfort of your own home/room/bed/floor/car (who are we to judge!) to listen to the full audio show via a YouTube audio stream, complete with a live chat!
Plus, Two Live Bonus Events!
Live with atlantic: post-show talkback with director and cast
May 1 | 11:45 am – 12:30 pm ET
Join us after our first Community Listening Party on Saturday, May 1 for a live post-show talkback featuring Cassius Clay director Reggie D. White and members of the cast. You’ll hear all about the show’s inspiring journey from script to your ears, and how the show’s themes around race and community continue to resonate today.
Live with atlantic: “MAKE YOUR OWN RADIO PLAY” WORKSHOP
May 15 | 11:45 am – 12:30 pm ET
Get a taste of our Atlantic Acting School classes for kids and teens following our May 15 Listening Party! Cast member and teacher Andy Schneeflock will lead a free radio play workshop via Zoom. Young creatives will create a short sports-themed radio play using only their voices and homemade sound effects, and the finished product will be recorded live!
Missed the workshop but still curious about our kids and teens classes? Check out our Summer Mini Camps for ages 4-15 or our Summer Teen Ensemble for ages 15-18 by clicking the button below!
Cast & Creative
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the Atlantic Theater and School buildings are on the traditional, unceded lands of the Munsee Lenape people. We pay our respects to the Munsee Lenape and to the Indigenous caretakers of these lands.
As we welcome you into our community today, we encourage you to think about these questions created by Dakota visual artist Angela Two Stars and Navajo theater artist Rhiana Yazzie:
How will you use the new resources, including ideas, you gain by being here? And how will you carry the knowledge of the Native people present, past, and future into your life?
Support Atlantic
Atlantic is committed to connecting deeply and authentically with audiences from a broad range of economic backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and perspectives. Particularly in light of the current health crisis, we’re furthering that commitment and providing many of our offerings like And in This Corner: Cassius Clay free of charge. This includes free access to the thousands of public school students that watch our programming as part of their classroom experience.
As a non-profit theater company, Atlantic has always relied on our community of supporters. But now we need them more than ever. As you complete your virtual order, we hope you’ll consider adding a donation. We’re suggesting $20 per reservation. However, a gift of any size would go a long way in underwriting the cost of student tickets while helping to secure Atlantic’s future. Thank you for your consideration.
Episode Illustrations
EPISODE 1

EPISODE 2

EPISODE 3

EPISODE 4
