Loving and Grieving With Spectrum’s “Grief”

Spectrum Dance Theatre makes a return visit to the second installment of their “The Insidious Trilogy,” following the impactful works “Strange Fruit” (2019) and “Targeted” (2023). Originally staged in 2022, “GRIEF” centers on Mamie Till-Mobley the mother of 14 year old Emmett Till who was murdered in 1955 for whistling at a white woman, as she prepares herself for ther son’s funeral. It’s a painfully emotional story that was also recently told in the film “Till” also from 2022.

Mrs. Till never stopped in her pursuit of justice in the death of her son. Horrified by the sight of her son’s mutilated body, she decided against having a closet casket funeral and insisted it be left open because, as she stated, “I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby.” She devoted the rest of her life to the Civil Rights Movement.

Spectrum returns to “Grief” for two performances, on Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16 at Seattle Rep Theatre, 155 Mercer Street. Tickets can be found at https://spectrumdance.org/grief/

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Artistic Director and Choreographer of Grief, Donald Byrd, imagines a moment in the life of Mamie Till-Mobley, an hour before her son’s funeral and pivotal catalyst for The Civil Rights Moment.

Byrd states, “If you love, you will grieve,” asking the audience to connect with the vulnerability and humanity of a grieving mother who makes a difficult and heroic choice.

BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATER @ SEATTLE REP
155 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109

Step into a world of emotion, resilience, and remembrance. “Grief,” a captivating dance and theater work, returns to the stage after its powerful debut in Spring 2022. Artistic Director Donald Byrd masterfully weaves together maternal loss, racial violence, and communal mourning through the eyes of Mamie Till-Mobley, a mother who made a courageous choice despite unimaginable pain.

“Grief” is the second installment of “The Insidious Trilogy,” following the impactful works “Strange Fruit” (2019) and “Targeted” (2023). Byrd’s choreography invites us to explore the Black community’s emotions and experiences during the Jim Crow Era. As audience members, we are not only witnesses to history but active participants in this artistic expression.

PERFORMANCES

FRI. MARCH 15, 2024    |    7:30PM

SAT. MARCH 16, 2024  |     7:30PM

TICKETS