Born a slave in 1817, orphaned at six, the child who became Frederick Douglass slept in a meal bag to keep warm and schooled himself with an old Webster’s spelling book. Douglass escaped to freedom in Maryland in 1838, and went on to make history as an abolitionist, writer, orator, and statesman. Charles Randolph-Wright—who acted in the original cast of Dreamgirls on Broadway and directed Berry Gordon’s Motown the Musical—has created a musical about Douglass, setting his speeches and writings to jazz and bluegrass songs by Marcus Hummon. American Prophet tells the story of Douglass’s life. For the world premiere, Cornelius Smith Jr. steps into the leading role. —Jensen Davis