Run extended! 4 performances added May 31 – June 3!

Advisory: Blood Done Sign My Name is recommended for mature audiences and features adult language. Parental guidance is suggested. In this world premiere ensemble version, Mike Wiley brings to life the recollections of author Timothy Tyson surrounding the 1970 murder of Henry “Dickie” Marrow in Oxford, NC, and the events that followed.

Marrow, who was black, was chased from a local store by three white men after reportedly making a crude remark to one of the men’s wives. They brutally beat Marrow, and then killed him with a bullet to the head in view of multiple witnesses. Despite the eyewitness reports, an all-white jury acquitted the men. The town’s black community responded to the events with an uprising that destroyed downtown businesses and several tobacco warehouses that held at least a million dollars in harvested crops.

Tyson, who was 10 at the time, recounts how the conflagration of events shaped his life. He offers us an opportunity to examine our own roles in the complex and often confusing racial fabric of America.

By Mike Wiley, adapted from the memoir by Dr. Timothy Tyson

Directed by Joseph Megel

Mar 14. 7:30 PM: Blood, Soil, and the Stage

Sit down at the Hayti Heritage Center (804 Old Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27701) with Playwright, Mike Wiley and his collaborators, Laurelyn Dossett and Tim Tyson, to explore the inspiration for two world premiere plays, RLT’s Blood Done Sign My Name & Playmakers’ Leaving Eden.

Actors will perform a scene from each show, followed by a discussion and Q&A moderated by PlayMakers’ Vivienne Benesch and Raleigh Little Theatre’s Executive Direction, Charles Phaneuf.

Learn More On The Event Page

April 19, 6:30 PM: Conversation with Eddie McCoy + Screening of “Blood Done Sign My Name”

Join the African American Cultural Center of NC State and Raleigh Little Theatre for a conversation with Eddie McCoy, a longtime activist and historian from Oxford, NC, followed by a screening of the film “Blood Done Sign My Name.” More information on the event page. 

Location: Witherspoon Student Center, Sankofa Room, 2810 Cates Ave., Raleigh, NC

April 28, 3:30 PM:  “Blood Done Sign My Name” Book Discussion

Join us at the Cameron Village Library to dissect and discuss the book by Timothy B. Tyson. The book was published in 2004 and based in part on a Master of Arts history thesis Tyson wrote in 1990, while attending Duke University.

May 11:  Post-Show Panel Discussion

Author Tim Tyson, Playwright Mike Wiley, and Activist Eddie McCoy join us Opening Night for a Post-Show Discussion Panel. This discussion will be moderated by RLT’s Artistic Director, Patrick Torres.

May 19, 4:00 PM- 5:30PM:  Community Conversation #1

After examining your own reflections about the themes of the play, we invite you into a conversation with others. “Blood Done Sign My Name” tells a tragic story from 1970, and also invites us to reflect on what’s relevant to our lives today, with a message of hope for the future. You do not have to have a ticket to the production to participate. Facilitated by James White, Executive Vice President at YMCA of the Triangle.

Location: Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre Lobby

James White, Executive Vice President at YMCA of the Triangle

James White serves as the Executive Vice President of Organizational Relations for the YMCA of the Triangle Area. He currently serves as a board member of the Triangle Dr. Martin Luther King Committee and the Chairman of the governor appointed state Dr. Martin Luther King Commission.  He also serves as a member of the Friends Board of Directors for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. White is married to his queen of 30 years Cynthia and they have 3 adult children.

May 26, 4:00 PM- 5:30PM:  Community Conversation #2

We continue the conversation started at the first Community Conversation facilitated by James White, Executive Vice President at YMCA of the Triangle. You do not have to have a ticket to the production to participate. Location: Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre Lobby

May 24:  Playwright Post-Show Discussion

Playwright Mike Wiley sits down to speak about the importance of continuing the legacy of the story and his personal experience working on the production.

May 27:  Post-Show Discussion

The cast and crew examine their experience working in the show and the impact in their own personal lives. The discussion will be moderated by Joseph Megel, Artist in Residence in Performance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org.

Thanks to our media sponsors, The Triangle Tribune and the WUNC.