Theatre Department to present ‘Detroit ’67’

The Department of Theatre will present “Detroit ’67,” a play by Dominique Morisseau, Sept. 27 through Oct. 3, in the Black Box Theatre in Robinson Hall.

Motown music and race riots underscore this family drama about two close-knit siblings who find themselves at odds over inherited property and interracial romance in 1967 Detroit. The play is one of a trilogy about the Motor City written by Morisseau, a Detroit native; it won the 2014 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History.

Morisseau is becoming one of the leading playwrights of her generation. In 2018, she received a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Among her many plays is the Tony-nominated book for the current Broadway musical “Ain’t Too Proud–The Life and Times of the Temptations,” and she was recently tagged to write the script for “Soul Train,” a new musical inspired by the television series, scheduled to premiere on Broadway in 2021.

“Detroit ’67” will be presented in a staged reading, with full set and costumes; the actors may have scripts in hand. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28, and Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 1-3, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Tickets are $18 for general audiences; $12 for UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for seniors, active military, and veterans; and $8 for all students. Some content may not be appropriate for children.