‘Justice on Trial Reloaded’ off-Broadway play coming to Macon November 14

"Justice on Trial Reloaded" will take the stage Saturday, November 14, at 6 p.m. at Westside High School Auditorium, located at 2851 Heath Road.

57 minutes ago

Monica Diaz-Meek,

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – An off-Broadway touring production exploring civil rights, reparations and American history is coming to Macon this November.

“Justice on Trial Reloaded” will take the stage Saturday, November 14, at 6 p.m. at Westside High School Auditorium, located at 2851 Heath Road.

Dr. Chad Lawson Cooper, the production’s writer, executive producer and lead actor, and Macon-based lead actor Johnny Hollingshed Jr. joined 41 Today to discuss the play and its upcoming performance.

The courtroom drama follows two civil rights attorneys who file a lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department seeking $18 trillion in reparations for African Americans.

The production features historical figures portrayed as time-traveling witnesses, including Harriet Tubman, Medgar Evers and W.E.B. Du Bois, along with Sarah Collins Rudolph, a survivor of the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church.

Cooper said the production also features a modern-day, multicultural jury examining historical events and their connections to present-day issues.

“The past is still relevant,” Cooper said. “We have to keep on teaching our past so that we can understand our present and hopefully move to a better future.”

According to Cooper, a grandson of W.E.B. Du Bois portrays the civil rights leader in the production. He also said Collins Rudolph has participated in the production.

The play marks a return to Macon for Cooper, who said a film version of “Justice on Trial” was shot in the city approximately seven years ago.

Hollingshed, who is from Macon, said he hopes the performance encourages audiences to learn more about history and develop a greater understanding of one another.

“This play is about bringing people together,” Hollingshed said.

Cooper said the New York City-based production aims to encourage conversations about social justice while bringing communities together.

Event details: