“the no-fuss opera-like production is powerful and passionate.”
— Star Tribune
The We Shall Someday Project
Proudly commemorates
The 65th Anniversary of the historic Freedom Rides
With events throughout Alabama
May 5 through May 11
Join us as we honor the enduring legacy of the Freedom Rides and the inspiration they provide for the ongoing movement for social justice today.
CALENDAR
Thursday, May 7, 2026
at 6pm
Selma
Passing the Baton: A Night of Song and Solidarity
Join us for a performance of the musical, We Shall Someday, followed by a panel discussion and a reception.
The Walton Theater
1000 Selma Avenue
Free and open to the general public. Reservations required.
See below to RSVP.
Friday, May 8, 2026
at 7pm
Birmingham
Passing the Baton: A Night of Song and Solidarity
Join us for a performance of the musical, We Shall Someday, followed by a panel discussion with panelists Jeff Drew, Carolyn McKinstry and Janice Kelsey, moderated by Charles Wood, III (Birmingham Civil Rights Institute). Reception to follow.
The Carver Theatre at The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
1631 4th Ave N
Free and open to the general public. Reservations required.
See below to RSVP.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Anniston
City of Anniston’s 65th Anniversary Commemoration
The We Shall Someday Project is honored to participate in the Freedom Riders National Monument’s day of commemoration. Events take place all day across the city and will include speeches from living Freedom Riders and their descendants as well as select performances from the musical We Shall Someday.
Reservations not required.
10am – 12pm: Greyhound Bus Depot (1031 Gurnee Ave)
1:30pm – 4pm: Bus Burning Site (Corner of Highway 202 and Old Birmingham Highway)
5pm – 8pm: Zinn Park
For more information please visit nps.gov/frri/planyourvisit/65th-anniversary.htm
Monday, May 11, 2026
at 5:15pm
Montgomery
Passing the Baton: A Freedom Rides Commemoration
Join us for a special event at the Freedom Rides Museum to commemorate the 65th Anniversary and honor the life of Freedom Rider and generous patron to the Museum, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, with a special dedication in his memory. The event will also include speeches from living Freedom Riders and their descendants as well as select performances from the musical We Shall Someday.
Freedom Rides Museum
210 S Court St
Free and open to the general public. Reservations required.
See below to RSVP.
To RSVP for these events or for more information, please email info@weshallsomedayproject.com
THE WE SHALL SOMEDAY PROJECT
The We Shall Someday Project (WSSP) amplifies the landmark history of the Freedom Rides through a dynamic intersection of the arts and community engagement that seeks to spark intergenerational dialogue, strengthen community bonds, and inspire present-day action around the ongoing movement for social justice.
WSSP brings performances of We Shall Someday into cities along the 1961 Freedom Rides route to uplift the historical significance of the Freedom Rides and support the ongoing efforts of hyperlocal leaders carrying out their legacy today.
WSSP is committed to bringing together cultural organizations alongside community activists and civic leaders to build meaningful partnerships that deepen the understanding of our collective past as a way of investing in our shared future.
OUR GOALS
Partner:
Collaborate with local leaders and organizers to support their programming and forward momentum
Educate:
Elevate and preserve Freedom Rides history, connecting people, young and old, to their story and legacy
Activate:
Inspire present-day action, community building and hyper local empowerment around needed community change
ABOUT WE SHALL SOMEDAY THE MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Harrison David Rivers
Music and Additional Lyrics by Ted Shen
Uplifted by a sweeping, jazz-infused score, We Shall Someday is an original musical following three generations of a southern Black family, as they each encounter and confront acts of racial injustice. Offering an exploration of our past to propel us forward with conviction and hope, We Shall Someday examines how we continue the fight for freedom and justice.
The show begins in 1961 when Julius makes the decision to join the Freedom Rides. The second act follows his daughter, Ruby, as she wrestles with how to respond when Jay, her teen son, is brutally attacked by the police. The third and final act continues in 1992, on the heels of the Rodney King verdict, with Jay, as he weighs his choice to join the movement.
With searing vocals and deeply personal truths, We Shall Someday is a galvanizing and moving new work about the family bonds that hold us together and the courage, resolve, and direction needed to keep moving forward.
“an epic story told in an intimate, moving and lovely way.”
— Cherry and Spoon
“this new musical lifts up black voices from america’s turbulent history. it also tells the story of three generations of americans, the struggles they endured, the love they felt, and the bonds that are never broken. It shows the ugly side of racism and offers the hope of people coming together to make a change. we’re all in this together.”
— Play Off the Page
EDUCATION
WSSP’s Education Program seeks to bring to life the important—and often-untold—history of the Freedom Rides through thoughtful arts engagement designed to:
- support classroom learning and curricular standards around essential civil rights history
- draw connections between the historical movements of our country and present-day activism
- and spark critical thinking around the social issues of today.
The program includes activated classroom workshops led by trained teaching artists, in-school performances of the musical, We Shall Someday, and special post-show discussions with living Freedom Riders.
Our 2025 partner schools included 750 students across Park Crossing High School, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School and Percy L. Julian High School.
Our 2026 partner schools include over 1500 students across Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet School (Montgomery), Anniston Middle and High School (Anniston), and John Herbert Phillips Academy (Birmingham).
ABOUT THE FREEDOM RIDES
In 1961, groups of interracial activists made history by riding interstate buses, trains and planes through the South to challenge the segregated interstate transportation system. They sought to test the region’s non-enforcement of the 1960 Supreme Court ruling (Boynton v. Virginia) banning segregation in bus, plane and train terminals, waiting rooms, and restaurants. Over the course of six months, an original 13 Riders would be joined by over 400 volunteers in the face of extreme violence and arrests. Together, their courageous acts secured federal action banning segregation in all Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) facilities.
To learn more about these brave individuals and the history they made, please visit:
https://ahc.alabama.gov/properties/freedomrides/freedomrides.aspx
CAST RECORDING
World Premiere Cast RecordingofWe Shall SomedayAvailable May 1 from Joy Machine Records
Featuring John Edwards, Danyel Fulton, Jake Loewenthal and Cole Thompson
CAST
John Edwards (Jules) Actor/Singer/Dancer/Songwriter. Currently starring on Broadway in MJ The Musical (Jackie Jackson/tour singer/James Brown soloist) Previously seen in New York City Center’s Encores productions of Love Life, and Jelly’s Last Jam, and NYC revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Chita Award winner, Lucille Lortel nominee). Broadway and 1st National Tour of Jersey Boys (Hal Miller/Barry Belson/others). National/International tour of Hairspray (Seaweed J. Stubbs) and In the Heights at The Kennedy Center (Domingo). And more. IG @therealjohnedwards To GOD be the glory!
Danyel Fulton (Ruby) is a Brooklyn-born and bred storyteller. She was last seen starring as Shayla in PAC NYC’s inaugural performance of Watch Night. Some of her favorite credits include: Ruby, (Broadbend, Arkansas, Transport Group), Actor 3, (Plays for the Plague Year, The Public), Dorothy (The Wiz, The Muny ’18 & Harlem Rep ’09), Dionne, (Hair, 2nd National Tour), Nettie, (The Color Purple, PCLO), Charlayne (Ain’t Misbehavin’, Harlem Rep), Aisha (A Time to Love, National Black Theater), and Sarah (Ragtime, The 5th, Asolo Rep, and TUTS). Danyel received Drama League, Antonyo, and Audelco nominations for Ruby in Broadbend, Arkansas. She has received four additional Audelco nominations for her roles as Shayla, Dorothy (HRT), Charlayne, and Aisha. Psalms 33:5 www.danyelfulton.com
Alex Joseph Grayson (Julius) is best known for his portrayal of Jim Conley in the 2023 Broadway stage Revival and album of “Parade,” for which he received a Grammy nomination. Grayson has pieced together an array of prolific performances across the musical theatre canon, and through his work strives to cultivate the most profoundly alive experience possible in all his roles. Credits include: Bway – The Outsiders, Into the Woods, Girl From the North Country, A Bronx Tale. Off Bway- Toni Stone. Other Stage- Lamb of God (The Met Opera), Titanic (NYCC), Once On This Island (1st Nat’l Tour), Spelling Bee (Kennedy Center). With gratitude; for this life is a gift.
CREATIVE TEAM
Harrison David Rivers (Book and Lyrics) is an award-winning playwright, librettist and television writer based in St. Paul, Minnesota. His work has been produced at Roundabout, Yale Rep, Transport Group, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. Harrison sits on the Board of The Movement Theatre Company and Playwrights’ Center. harrisondavidrivers.com.
Ted Shen (Music and Additional Lyrics) is a composer whose musical theater works include: A Second Chance (2011), Just One ‘Q’ (2016), Broadbend, Arkansas (2019) and We Shall Someday (2023). With his wife, Mary Jo, he oversees The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, a foundation that supports education and the arts with a focus on musical theater. http://shenfamilyfoundation.org/about.html.
Dr. Joel Jones (Music Director) is a native of Chicago. He holds a D.M.A. In Piano Performance & Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. A retired Professor of Music /Director of Choral Activities at Alabama State University, he is currently a collaborative pianist at ASU. ASF music director for The Sound of Music, Four Little Girls, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Jubilee, Little Shop of Horrors, and Associate Music Director for Cabaret and Joseph.
Tyler Thomas (Director) is a New York-based theater director. Her work has most recently been seen at the Vineyard Theatre,Pasadena Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Geva Theatre. Tyler is a 2025 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award recipient and currently the Associate Artistic Director of the national arts and health initiative, Arts for EveryBody.
Anthony Rigaglia (Production Stage Manager) A New York native with a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology with a concentration in Stage Management from SUNY Purchase. Broadway: Hell’s Kitchen, Almost Famous, MJ the Musical. Off-Broadway & Regional: The Tempest (The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park), Illinoise, Epiphany. Upcoming: The Whoopi Monologues.
A Harlem native, Kori Broadnax (Assistant Stage Manager) holds a BFA in Stage Management from SUNY Purchase. Broadway: David Byrne’s American Utopia, Slave Play, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. Off-Broadway: Penelope: Or How The Odyssey Was Really Written. Development: Good Night, Oscar (reading), The Preacher’s Wife (reading). Additional credits include The York Theatre Company, Paper Mill Playhouse, 92Y, and ProductionGlue/TAIT. Kori currently works across live events and theater in New York City, supporting productions of varying scale and scope.
THE WE SHALL SOMEDAY PROJECT LEADERSHIP TEAM
Ted and Mary Jo Shen, Executive Producers
Mandy Hackett, Managing Producer
Tyler Thomas, Artistic Director
Dorothy Walker and Vincent Hall, Community Consultants
Cameron Williams, Director of Education
Envoy Theatricals (Sam Dallas and Anna Rhoads), General Management
Kristopher Bolden Thompson, Producing Associate/Company Manager
Madeleine Lambert, Line Producer
Meg Loughran, Documentation Producer
Edward Coffield, Production Consultant
Stephanie Klapper Casting, Casting Director
Super Awesome Friends, Marketing & Website