Collaboraction: Trial In The Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till
John Henry Roberts and members of the cast
Collaboraction Presents Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till Review - Real Transcripts, Real Dialogue, Real Feelings
TLDR: Taking the real court transcripts from the case of Emmett Till’s murder, Collaboraction shows us what that courtroom would have felt like. They stage the trial in their new theater space bringing the 1950s trial to us and have a cast that deftly handles the heavy emotions that come with.
Darren Jones, NK Gutiérrez, Donald Fitzdarryl, and Mysun Aja Wade
Transported to the Courtroom at Collaboraction
The main draw of Trial in the Delta is that the courtroom dialogue is taken exactly from the court transcripts of Emmett Till’s murder case itself. Lost from record until 2005, Till’s trial was shrouded in conflicting accounts and unresolved questions until a copy of the transcript was found and made public. Enter playwrights Willie Round and G. Riley Mills adapting the trial into a play. Not only does this make this part of history more accessible, it creates an immersive scene that makes it real for modern audiences.
Instead of reading the case line by line, we see it acted out in front of us. Set as a theater in the square setting, pieces of furniture are arranged with one in each corner of the stage and us audience members sitting on all four sides. The judges bench and witness stand sit in front of two tables, one for the prosecutor and the other for the defendant. No matter where you’re sitting, you’ll catch the action happening at slightly different angles. You might be staring right at the witness stand or feel like you’re caught in the crosshairs as the lawyers stand up presenting their case. Either way, the intimate space brings us closer as if we’re part of this case ourselves.
Sitting With Heavy Emotions
The stage is bathed in blue light as the four actors playing the key Black witnesses in this trial come out of the wings. They gather in a circle and grasp each other’s hands, taking a collective breath. Then, NK Gutiérrez as Mamie Bradley, Emmett Till’s mother, steps around the stage as the others exit. Her pace is even and determined, even though when she turns towards the prosecutor’s table we see it written on her face the strength needed to push forward. Gutiérrez shows this all within the first minutes of the production and before she has even spoken a word.
Each of the other actors carries the same multitudes as Gutiérrez that paint us a picture not only of the words spoken during the trial, but the serious emotions and conflicts that came with it.
Tyler Burke and Matt Miles as the two white men who murdered Emmett Till, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, have us hating their guts by doing nothing else but sitting there. They lean back in their chairs, relaxed and nonplussed. From any angle in the theater, we can tell they already feel they’ve got this in the bag.
We feel the frustration coming from the prosecutor Gerald Chatham, played by John Henry Roberts, as he tries to keep his key witnesses from backing down or conflicting themselves. As the defendant’s lawyer, J.J. Breland, played by Steve Silver, stands in front of the jury section of the audience, we can’t help but hate how persuasive he sounds. We know how this ends, but between these two’s performances, we can’t help but hope for a different outcome.
And finally as we get to hear from the men who witnessed or were close to the attacks on Emmett Till, they each bring a determination. Darren Jones as Mose Wright sits with his jaw set, determined to tell the truth. But as he raises his arm to identify the man who came to his door that night, we see him trying to keep its shaking under control. Mysun Aja Wade as Willie Reed stares at the table in front of him, eyes wide with fright, but still answers question after question about what happened and what he heard. And we can barely contain our screams of frustration as the defendants pick Donald Fitzdarryl as Chester Miller apart as he tries to testify to the true identity of Emmett Till’s body.
The concept of the show is handled by a deft hand from the playwrights that understands the heaviness of the source material, but also the importance of it being brought to the public. This cast in turn also handles this subject matter with meticulous attention to detail in everything they do which makes Trial in the Delta a gripping, historical play.
The After Party Thoughts
This being my first time at a Collaboraction play, I was introduced to their KEDA methodology - knowledge, empathy, discussion, and action. During the discussion part of this show, which comes in the form of a Crucial Conversation post-show talkback, audience members shared their own reactions and questions to Trial in the Delta. In the spirit of The After Party, instead of only sharing our thoughts, I wanted to share some of those experiences here as well:
The disbelief of how thin the prosecution's legal argument was and how the defendant’s attorney used that to his advantage to turn it against them and win the case.
How brave each and every person of color who took the stand needed to be in the era of Jim Crow and knowing what these white men were capable of.
The feelings of being a mother and how it’s unfathomable to be put through so much loss of a husband and son at a young age of 33.
Sharing family trips taken down to the South in the 50s and 60s and how parents acted differently knowing this was happening.
And further still, the comparisons to today. Even though we were in a courtroom in the 1950s, we still feel the similarities in 2026.
Racism is still alive and, unfortunately, prevailing. Constitutional and human rights are forcibly taken away when racists take advantage of their power and murder people of color, knowing the system is in their favor. Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till will bring up many feelings with its heavy subject matter, but the only way to move forward is to understand what brought us here, to this point. And so it leaves us with the question, what will you take away from this show? And more importantly, now that you know, what are you going to do about it?
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
NK Gutiérrez
When
Now through March 1, 2026
Where
Collaboraction’s House of Belonging
1757 N Kimball Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
Runtime: 75min, no intermission
Tickets
$25+
Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (312) 226-9633 or through the Collaboraction website
Photos
Joel Maisonet
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago
Darren Jones
CAST
NK Gutiérrez (Mamie Bradley)
Darren Jones (Mose Wright)
Mysun Aja Wade (Willie Reed)
Donald Fitzdarryl (Chester Miller)
Steve Silver (J.J. Breland)
John Henry Roberts (Gerald Chatham)
Richard Alan Baiker (Judge Curtis Swango)
Mickey Dolan (Charlie Cox / Clerk)
Loren Lazerine (George Smith)
Robert “Blue” Bellue (Peter Hackus)
Tyler Burke (Roy Bryant)
Matt Miles (J.W. Milam)
Lauren Laverdiere (Mrs. Roy Bryant)
Jamie Vann (H.C. Strider)
Lena Janes (Understudy)
Jaiden Lindsey (Understudy)
Ernest G. Perry (Understudy)
CREATIVE
G. Riley Mills (Co-Adaptor)
Willie Round (Co-Adaptor)
Anthony Moseley (Co-Director)
Dana N. Anderson (Co-Director)
Emmy Weldon (Set Designer)
Alexandria Richardson (Costume Designer)
Levi Wilkins (Lighting Designer)
Shawn Wallace (Original Music)
Warren Levon (Sound Designer)
Loretta Hawkins (Creative Consultant)
Claire Simon (Casting Director)
Zach Grasee (Associate Sound Designer)
Gina Montalvo (Production Manager)
Alivia Arizaga (Assistant Costume Designer)
AJ Johnson (Wig Stylist)
Enika Hale (Wig Stylist)
LaT’ya Johnson (Stage Manager)