A longer run for “Emmett Till”

Hollywood’s Fountain Theatre kicked off its 20th Anniversary Season in February with the West Coast premiere of playwright Ifa Bayeza’s “The Ballad of Emmett Till.” Now the theater has just extended the play’s run from April 29 through May 30.

Till was a 14-year-old Chicago youth murdered in 1955 while visiting family in the Mississippi Delta. His brutal killing became a seminal event in the early days of the civil rights movement. The killers, a pair of white men, were acquitted by an all-white jury but later admitted to the crime in a paid Look magazine interview.

Bayeza’s “Ballad” transforms the infamous Till tragedy into a rich gumbo of history, mystery, and jazz/folk/gospel fusion of poetry, song and essay.

Tickets range from $25-$28, with a break for seniors and students. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. Call (323) 663-1525 for further information.

Posted 4-29-10