Film Screening of “King in the Wilderness” on MLK Day

Press release

In recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Westport Country Playhouse will present a free-of-charge screening of the Emmy Award-winning documentary film, “King in the Wilderness,” based on the volatile last three years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, on Monday, January 20, at 7 p.m. The event is part of the 19th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in partnership with The Westport Library, TEAM Westport, Westport Country Playhouse, and Westport/Weston Clergy Association.

From award-winning director/producer Peter Kunhardt and originally presented on HBO in 2018, “King in the Wilderness” follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in April 1968. The film includes some never-before-seen footage of interviews with those closest to King interspersed with historical archives.

“King in the Wilderness” focuses on events in King’s life and the civil rights movement such as the Chicago Freedom Movement, the James Meredith march, the anti-Vietnam War protests and King’s “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech, the 1967 riots, preparation for the Poor People’s Campaign, the Memphis sanitation strike, the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, and King’s assassination and funeral. Among King’s colleagues and friends interviewed in the documentary are Bernard Lafayette, Andrew Young, Diane Nash, Harry Belafonte, John Lewis, Dorothy Cotton, Joan Baez, Xernona Clayton, Jesse Jackson, Mary Lou Finley, Cleveland Sellers, and C. T. Vivian.

One of the film’s producers is Westporter Trey Ellis, playwright and director of the Playhouse’s September 2024 Script in Hand playreading, “Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing.”
More information on “King in the Wilderness” at: https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/king-in-the-wilderness/

The film’s trailer is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVGRg89DbyM

Free admission; seating unreserved. The film will run 113 minutes, no intermission; rated TV-14.
2025 Programming and Season Sponsor is Barbara Streicker. Media sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio. Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
A complete schedule of Playhouse events is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

For Westport Country Playhouse information and tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), Instagram (wcplayhouse), and YouTube (WestportPlayhouse). Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.