About the project
The Drum Major Instinct
Dramatic Reading of The Drum Major Instinct, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Directed by Bryan Doerries
Composed and Arranged by Phil Woodmore
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his sermon, “The Drum Major Instinct,” on Sunday, February 4, 1968 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, exactly two months before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. In it, he prophetically spoke of his own imminent death and laid out a challenge to his congregation, and also the world, to harness an inborn human drive—“the desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first”— and use it to promote justice, righteousness, and peace by channeling it into acts of service and love. More than fifty years after King’s death, his words resonate with new depth and meaning. It is in the spirit of promoting open, candid, constructive dialogue between diverse audiences that we perform “The Drum Major Instinct,” with the hope that it will lead to compassion, connection, and positive action.
Be uncomfortable. It's all right to be uncomfortable, but if we're on this planet, and if we don't open the conversation, we will perish on this planet.
About the play
-
The Drum Major Instinct by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On February 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered this sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. In it, King speaks to his congregation about the destructive forces of “the drum major instinct,” defined as the desire to be first, to be recognized, and to receive distinction. This instinct, according to King, leads to “the most tragic expressions of man's inhumanity to man,” including white supremacy, violence, consumerism, and unjust wars. King challenges his congregants and the world to harness this “drum major instinct” for good, to be first in love, first in righteousness, first in generosity, first in justice, and above all, first in service to others.
The Drum Major Instinct Highlights
Chad Coleman delivers Dr. King's Sermon
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
Chad Coleman delivers Dr. King's Sermon "The Drum Major Instinct"
De-Andrea Blaylock Solar co-facilitates
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
De-Andrea Blaylock Solar co-facilitates the audience discussion with Bryan Doerries.
Soloist De-Rance Blaylock
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
Soloist De-Rance Blaylock delivers a soul stirring performance as a lead soloist in The Drum Major instinct
The Phil Woodmore Singers and the New Sunny Mount MBC Mass Choir
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
The Phil Woodmore Singers and the New Sunny Mount MBC Mass Choir lead by Dr. Philip A. Woodmore.
Dr. Philip A. Woodmore
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
Thank you to Dr. Philip A. Woodmore for his charismatic leadership and his brilliant conducting! Phil composed and arranged the music for this special project and brings together a composite choir of people from many walks of life.
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church
St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church graciously hosted a special performance of The Drum Major Instinct as part of the Cultural Week of Action on Race and Democracy presented by Race Forward, and Americans for the Arts.
The Audience
New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri / 2024
Race Forward, and Americans for the Arts for invited Theater of War productions to take part in the Cultural Week of Action on Race and Democracy. We presented The Drum Major Instinct, featuring performances by Chad Coleman (The Wire, The Walking Dead), The Phil Woodmore Singers and the New Sunny Mount MBC Mass Choir, and soloists De-Rance Blaylock, Duane Foster, and John Leggett. Thank you to the audience members who joined us in person and the hundreds more from the United States, Canada, Ireland, Germany, France who joined us on Zoom. The audience in-person and on zoom participated in an expansive conversation that was catalyzed by Dr. King’s sermon and Phil Woodmore’s music. The room was full of compassion, openness, and kindness!
"Be Steadfast" Antigone in Ferguson Virtual Choir
2020
Theater of War Productions is honored to share this virtual offering, performed by the Antigone in Ferguson Choir, directed by composer Dr. Philip Woodmore, and led by John Leggette. The singers and musicians featured in this video include educators, students, activists, social workers, members of the faith community, and police officers from St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; and New York City who have made the commitment to sing together in order to start powerful, uncomfortable, transformative discussions about systemic oppression.
The song, “Be Steadfast,” written by Dr. Philip Woodmore for the project The Drum Major Instinct, is a powerful call to action at the end of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon that serves as a collective response to King’s interrogation of racism, capitalism, militarism, white supremacy, and injustice. Dr. Edwina Moss, personal secretary and friend to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., responded to our project at a performance in Baltimore, Maryland in 2018, saying, "Be uncomfortable. It's all right to be uncomfortable. But if we're on this planet, and if we don't open the conversation, we will perish on this planet.”
We offer “Be Steadfast” for interpretation and discussion, with the hope that it will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable
Audience member speaks at The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
John Leggette sings in The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
Samira Wiley performs the Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
Audience members listen during The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2014
De-Andrea Blaylock-Johnson co-facilitates The Drum Major Instinct discussion
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
The crowd at the The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
De-Rance Blaylock sings in The Drum Major Instinct
Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza / 2018
Production born of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words seeks to spark conversation about racism
St. Louis Public Radio / 2017
Samira Wiley Reenacts MLK Speech, Defends Art As A Form Of Resistance
BRIC / 2017
The Huffington Post reports on the Premiere of The Drum Major Instinct. Read the article.
A Timely Performance of MLK’s Final Sermon Takes Viewers to Church
BRIC / 2017
Council-member Jumaane Williams performs in the premiere of The Drum Major Instinct at BRIC. Read the article.
Explore Projects
-
Racialized Police ViolenceAntigone in FergusonAntigone in Ferguson is a groundbreaking project that fuses dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of Sophocles’ Antigone with live choral music performed by a diverse choir, including activists, youth, teachers, police officers, and concerned citizens from St. Louis, Missouri and New York City, culminating in powerful, healing discussions about racialized violence, police brutality, systemic oppression, gender-based violence, health inequality, and social justice. Antigone in Ferguson was conceived in the wake of Michael Brown’s death in 2014, through a collaboration between Theater of War Productions and community members from Ferguson, MO, and premiered at Normandy High School, Michael Brown’s alma mater, in September of 2016.
-
Refugees & ImmigrationThe Suppliants ProjectThe Suppliants Project tells the timeless story of fifty female refugees seeking asylum at a border from forced marriage and domestic violence. The play not only depicts the struggle of these women to cross into safety, but also the internal struggle within the city that ultimately receives them. Using a 2,500-year-old tragedy by Aeschylus as a catalyst for powerful gatherings and crucial conversations, The Suppliants Project engages diverse audiences in humanizing, constructive dialogue about the challenges and impact of war, migration, and seeking asylum.
-
Caregiving & DeathTheater of War FrontlineTheater of War Frontline is an innovative project—developed by Theater of War Productions, the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Johns Hopkins Program in Arts, Humanities & Health—that presents dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of scenes from ancient Greek plays for audiences of frontline medical professionals to open up powerful dialogue about difficult subjects, fostering a sense of connection and promoting health-seeking behavior. By presenting ancient plays to doctors, nurses, EMTs, respiratory therapists, and the frontline community about emotionally-charged, ethically complex situations, Theater of War Frontline aims to create a brave space for open, candid dialogue and reflection, fostering compassion, a renewed sense of community, and positive action.