The Black Rep will stage a world premiere play from the writer of ‘Selma’
The Black Rep is kicking off its 47th season with a world premiere, the play “Hold On!” from Paul Webb, the screenwriter behind the film “Selma.”
Webb wrote “Hold On!” first, but it morphed into a screenplay and the Academy Award-nominated 2014 film that put director Ava DuVernay on the map. “Selma” is about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement’s nonviolent action in Alabama that went up against segregationist Gov. George Wallace. “Hold On!” deals with the same story.
Ron Himes, the artistic director for the Black Rep, was approached about possibly staging the play by the agency that was going to license Webb’s play.
“I was asked to offer feedback about whether I thought he should license the play and if people would book (it),” Himes says.
The play grabbed Himes, who has acted in shows about the same time period, specifically “All The Way” at the Rep in Webster Groves in 2015.