Civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X met only once, in March 1964, in an exchange that lasted less than a minute. What might a longer conversation have sounded like? Audience members can find out when PennWest Clarion presents “The Meeting” at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 in Hart Chapel. Admission is free.

Directed by Dr. Brian Roberts, assistant professor of English, the one-act play imagines an extended conversation between the two leaders, exploring their differing philosophies and the ideas that shaped the civil rights movement. It is set in 1965 in a hotel room in Harlem. Roberts, a 1991 bachelor's degree and 1993 master's degree alumnus of Clarion, earned his doctoral degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2002.

Written by Jeff Stetson in 1986, "The Meeting" features Boykin Anthony as Malcolm X and Monn Washington as Martin Luther King Jr., a role he previously portrayed during a 1990s jazz celebration at Clarion. Anthony previously portrayed W.E.B. Du Bois at Clarion in 2019 and appeared in "Edward's Blues," written by Roberts and performed on campus.

Also performing in “The Meeting” is David Matthews, a 2015 Clarion graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theater, who will play X’s bodyguard. Dr. Joseph Croskey, associate professor of student services and director of PennWest’s Act 101 Flourish program, is the understudy for Malcolm X. The stage crew comprises 15 PennWest Clarion students.

The production is sponsored by PennWest's Office of Community, Opportunity, Responsibility and Engagement; Office of Compliance and Title IX; Act 101 Flourish Educational Opportunity Program; and Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages.