Harlem’s renowned Apollo Theater is developing a production based on the best-selling book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, reports the New York Times.
From celebrities to everyday people, readers cracked open Coates’ pages delving into his life as a Black man in America. From his lessons at Howard University to encounters with police brutality, the 2015 book became a strong voice in the conversation on racial politics—a familiar topic on the Apollo stage. Also quite familiar to the Apollo’s executive producer, Kamilah Forbes, are chapters of Between the World and Me—because she is a character in it, having been a classmate of the author. And her memory of the events Coates discusses will come to play as she takes on the role of director to Apollo’s version.
Coates has some part in creating the adaptation, Forbes told the Times. He will offer “creative guidance,” with a possible cameo on stage amidst the acting, direct excerpts, video, and music all incorporated into the production.
Apollo Theater’s adaptation of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is projected to debut in April 2018.