Steven Elliott Jackson’s play The Seat Next to the King will receive its hometown launch in the Evans Theatre at Brandon University on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 pm.

The Play:

In 1964, a white man walks into a public restroom in a Washington, D.C., park looking for sex. The next man who enters is a black man. In what seems at first to be a simple encounter, The Seat Next to the King explores the lives of two men from the pages of history who literally sat next to the most powerful men in America: Bayard Rustin, a friend to Martin Luther King Jr. who organized the March on Washington, and Walter Jenkins, top aide and friend to President Lyndon Johnson. An exploration of sexuality, race, and masculinity, The Seat Next to the King imagines a meeting between two men, burdened by their prejudices and inner conflicts, as they attempt to find a connection.

Steven Elliott Jackson is an award-winning playwright and the co-artistic director of Minmar Gaslight Productions and its family theatre company, 3 Little Bears Productions. The Seat Next to the King won Best New Play and Patron’s Pick at The Toronto Fringe in 2017 and is published by Scirocco Drama.

Jackson’s previous playwriting credits include The State of Tennessee, Brothers and Arms, The Dark Part of the Snow, Real Life Superhero, Rapunzel (adaptation from the work of Geri Gans), and Threesome: An Evening Of One Acts.

Jackson was born and raised in the very small town of Minto, Man., and went to Brandon University (BU) and the University of Regina to study theatre and film before moving to Toronto. About his time at BU and the Evans Theatre he says, “I wrote my first play really in (BU) theatre classes and it only grew from there. It was a wonderful first playground of theatre and I have so many fond memories of that time.”

At the event, audience members will have the opportunity to meet Jackson, who will present a scene from the play as well as describing his process and career.  Refreshments will follow a question-and-answer session. Admission is free.

This event is sponsored by BU Drama and the Department of English and Creative Writing and the Faculty of Arts. So that all may enjoy this event, please contact James Forsythe at 204-727-9662 or Forsythe@BrandonU.ca with any accessibility considerations.