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A Special Live Performance & Visual Arts Benefit

B E Y O N D. . .

W O R D S

M U S I C

A R T

+

&

F R O M E M M E T T T I L L T O S N C C

ONE NIGHT ONLY

8:30 PM

SAT., OCT. 11, 2025

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WE SOLD OUT! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED THE BENEFIT!

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Highways Performance Space

1651 18th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404

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Free Parking

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(located @ The18th St. Arts Center complex)

PRE-SALES FOR SPECIAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2026 SHOWS WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE

A Live Performance & Visual Arts Benefit for the Highways Performance Space | One Night Only

"From Emmett Till To SNCC & Beyond: Words + Music + Art"

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2025 @ 8:30 PM

Highways Performance Space & Gallery

(located at the 18th St. Arts Center/cross street is Olympic Blvd.)

1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Free Parking

We sold out! Thank you to all who bought tickets* for "From Emmett Till to SNCC & Beyond: Words + Music + Art”, a special live performance/visual arts benefit to support the nonprofit Highways Performance Space. The Benefit is the powerful Vol. III presentation of Highways’ acclaimed 2005 & 2010 performance/visual artists collective series originally curated by Highways legacy artist, Kevin Spicer, each a thematic homage to Emmett Till. This year features a collective of renowned performance and visual artists (some '05 and/or '10 "alumni") commemorating both the 70th anniversary of 14 yr. old Emmett Till’s brutal murder and SNCC’s 65th Anniversary, including special performances by original SNCC member/artist-activist, Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely and original Freedom Summer student-activist/CORE advocate, David Crittendon. Also, performing (in alpha order) are: ADAAWE; Marc Broyard; Babe Evans; Brian Freeman; Joyce Guy; Jason Luckett; Paul Outlaw; Derek Shields; Pam Ward; as well as Gia Scott-Heron and Art.Us Mansoir from the Off-Broadway hit, Gil Scott-Heron Bluesology. The preeminent visual artists featuring their work in the special installation in the on-site Highways Gallery include: Charles Dickson; Candace Hunter; and Toni Scott, among other artists...Co-curated by Spicer, the Benefit is produced by MoSamp Productions, and directed by Phylliss Bailey Brooks. For further details, please go to The Words, The Music and The Art sections below... Those holding ANY ticket(s) PLEASE BRING YOUR ID, and if you have General Admission & Student/Senior tickets, the DOORS OPEN @ 8 pm (and welcome to join us at the post-show dessert reception), while those with VIP TICKETS are elgilbe to join our pre-show VIP wine & cheese reception & first look at the Highways Gallery installation. To donate to Highways please click here. Pre-sales for Black History Month shows coming!

* (Tickets are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law) FOR FURTHER INFO: Call/Text (424) 248-9794 or Click Here

Meet The Team

THE WORDS

THE MUSIC

Anchor 1

THE ART

“From Emmett Till to SNCC & Beyond: Words + Music + Art” will not only include formidable pieces culled from their own roles in history by real life history-makers SNCC member / artist-activist, Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely and Freedom Summer student-activist / CORE advocate, David Crittendon, but powerful original works performed by award-winning theatre icon, Brian Freeman**; performance artist / director / choreographer, Joyce Guy** (also a LA Drama Critics Circle choreographer winner); and Gia Scott-Heron, renowned spoken word artist/star of Off-Broadway hit, “Gil Scott-Heron Bluesology”, that showcases her legendary father’s work. Stage stalwart, Babe Evans** will also play a gripping character that manifests throughout the evening. In addition, special performance videos will feature revered multidisciplinary performing artist/writer, Paul Outlaw** and celebrated L.A.-based poet, Pam Ward**...

The evening will be infused with moving and empowering live music by: the esteemed international all-female voice & drum group, ADAAWE; lauded singer-performance artist-writer, Marc Broyard**; and "Gil Scott-Heron Bluesology" cast member, Art.Us Mansoir, who will also join Gia Scott-Heron for a riveting collab of spoken word and song. In addition, there will be a special multimedia music piece by performance/visual artist, Derek Shields, as well as a compelling video of music & original prose by musicians’ musician and popular L.A. singer-songwriter, Jason Luckett**...

DONATE TO HIGHWAYS HERE

Highways is honored that in the Highways Gallery will be work by preeminent visual artists: THE Charles Dickson**, Candace Hunter** and Toni Scott**. In addition, established artists Robert Stuart Lowden** and Lori-Antoinette** will show special pieces available for purchase with proceeds to Highways, as will Marc Broyard and Derek Shields. Also, in a nod to the youth that started SNCC due to Emmett’s killing and the ongoing injustice that surrounded them, in the Gallery will be a work by late teen aspiring artist, Justin Carr (courtesy of the Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation). Finally, in the live program a thematically compelling work by fêted visual artist, Hana Ward, will be digitally incorporated as a story throughline for what will be an extraordinary evening of words + music + art…

** (“alumni artists” from 2005’s “The Murder of Emmett Till: 50 Years Later” and/or 2010’s “The Emmett Till Project”, aka Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 of Highways’ Emmett Till performance/visual artists collective series.)