A Heated Discussion takes place in new play from Robey Theatre Company

A Heated Discussion reunites the creative duo of award-winning playwright Levy Lee Simon (The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel; For the Love of Freedom: The Haitian Trilogy) and acclaimed director Ben Guillory (who is also Co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of The Robey Theatre Company).

A trio of Orishas (entities of the spirit world), dismayed and enraged at the state of the world today and the fates of African Americans in particular, convenes the spirits of famous departed Black iconic figures (among them Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Ida B. Wells, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Maya Angelou, Richard Pryor, Tupac Shakur, Nina Simone, and more).

What follows is A Heated Discussion. Viewpoints, comments, and solutions are as diverse as the individuals comprising this combustible mix of personalities.

What do our iconic Black men and women (and the spirit entities) conclude? You'll have to witness A Heated Discussion to find out.

The cast includes Toni-Ann Hampton, David Bollar, Ayonna Michelle, Tiffany Coty, LaShada Jackson, Kimberly Bailey, Rosie Lee Hooks, Quonta Beasley, Rogelio Douglas III, Alex W.S.T. Chumley, Kyle Sparks, Julio Hanson, Garret Davis, Vanja Renee and Ben Guillory.

This new production of a play by an important Black playwright marks the return of The Robey Theatre Company to live, in-person staging following a pandemic hiatus. The opening date coincides with the birthday of actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson (1898-1976), for whom The Robey is named.