A new workshop concert of the civil rights musical I Dream will be staged at The Other Palace in London, marking its first UK presentation. The production, centred on Ralph Abernathy and Martin Luther King Jr’s friendship, has announced its cast and added an extra performance due to demand.

I Dream, a musical with book, music and lyrics by Douglas Tappin and additional writing by Jonathan Payne, will be presented as a script-in-hand concert on Monday 27 April at The Other Palace. The approximately 80-minute performance will run without an interval and features a contemporary gospel and soul score.

The workshop is directed by Annabel Mutale Reed with music direction from Keith Williams and casting by Heather Basten. The production’s lighting design is by Holly Ellis, sound design by Daniel Hunt, associate musical director Livi van Warmelo joins, and assistant director Kieran Donovan supports the team.

First performed in Atlanta in 2010, I Dream had a concert premiere in Washington DC in 2017 and was later staged as an opera until 2021, before returning to the musical’s original format. This UK workshop marks a new chapter for the show, produced by Musical Dramatic Arts Inc and general managed by DEM Productions.

The cast includes Chrissie Bhima as Bria, Alexia Khadime as Coretta, and Obioma Ugoala as Ralph Abernathy, alongside Michael Duke as Martin Luther King Jr and Wendy Mae Brown in the dual role of Mother/Grandma. Several ensemble members complete the lineup, including Carl Ellis, Emilie Louise Israel, and Rodney Vubya.

Due to popular demand, an additional 3pm performance was announced alongside the original 7pm slot. This offers theatre audiences the chance to engage with a story rooted in one of the most pivotal movements in American history through a musical lens.

I Dream’s workshop concert serves as an opportunity for creative refinement and audience feedback ahead of the musical’s continued development and further stagings, focusing on the friendship that shaped the civil rights movement.