About the Play:

A Song for Coretta is a full-length drama by Pearl Cleage. Set on the sidewalk in front of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, strangers gather waiting their turn to pay their respects to Coretta Scott King. A Song For Coretta centers on five African American women who share stories and learn about tolerance, acceptance and the strength to go on, in spite of adversity. Especially recommended for school and contest use.

A Song for Coretta a loving, evocative tribute to a remarkable woman whose life inspired and uplifted the lives of so many others. On February 6, 2006, people began lining up at dawn outside of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay their respects to the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose body lay in state in the small sanctuary. By mid-morning, the crowd wound down the street and around the corner of the old red brick building. People of all ages stood patiently for hours, waiting to say their final good-byes. Sometimes they murmured to each other quietly. Sometimes they shared memories of Mrs. King's extraordinary life and expressed sorrow at her passing. When a cold rain began to fall at sunset, those who had thought to bring umbrellas shared them with those whose resolve was the only thing not dampened by the drizzle. At close to midnight, the crowd had dwindled to a determined few. The five fictional characters in this play are at the end of that long line of mourners. A Song for Coretta shows the impact that Mrs. King had on the lives of these women, and the connections that they build with one another through her memory and legacy.

A Song for Coretta premiered in 2007 at Spelman College in Atlanta and played to sold out audiences as part of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Spelman College drama department. Pearl Cleage earned her undergraduate degree in theatre there. Since then the play has been produced widely in high school and college theatre productions as a showcase of student talent.

Cast: 5 female

What people say:

"Pearl Cleage's A Song For Coretta, a lovely, image-soaked testament to the civil rights icon seen through the random eyes of a handful of fictional mourners who have lined up to say goodbye to the beloved Mrs. King…brims with wit, personality and life-affirming energy." — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

About the Playwright:

Pearl Cleage is a celebrated African American playwright, novelist, poet and political activist, and was one of the first Black women in America to achieve national recognition as a dramatist. Her plays, also including Flyin' West and Bourbon at the Border, provide a remarkable and penetrating look at the African-American experience over the last century.