First N.J. Production of Cassius Clay Drama to Cap The Theater Project's 2025 Summer Season
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SUMMIT, N.J. - JerseyDesk -- The premier New Jersey production of And in This Corner … Cassius Clay, Idris Goodwin's drama about the rise of the boxer who became Muhammad Ali, will mark the final round of The Theater Project's 2025 summer season.

Eight performances will take place August 14 – 24 at Oakes Center Theater, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit. The opening show, a 10 a.m. student matinee, will be followed by a discussion led by Rev. Dr. Forrest M. Pritchett, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Leadership Program at Seton Hall University. Free tickets for student groups are made possible by support from the Weequahic Hall of Fame and the Sumas Family Foundation.

And in This Corner … Cassius Clay explores the early life and struggles of the first athlete to be called the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Goodwin wrote the play on commission from Stage One Family Theater in Louisville, Kentucky, in partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center.

"This production is the cornerstone of our thirty-first summer season," said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. "Idris Goodwin's play tells a riveting story of family and friendship, ambition and determination, and bears witness to the realities of life in the Jim Crow South."

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Lambert Tamin, a graduate of The Juilliard School and a Theater Project veteran, will appear in the title role. Tamin's theatrical credits include Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, and cabaret. In addition, he has appeared on television and in independent films. Also in the cast: Emily Bonaria, Ethan Buchanan, Judah Gray, Gary Martins, Yinka Olagbegi. Ron Richardson, and Daaimah Talley.

General admission tickets cost $35. Discounted tickets are available for seniors ($23 on August 17, $28 for all other performances) and students ($20). Friday, August 22, will be Pay What You Can night. To order tickets, visit (https://www.thetheaterproject.org/and-in-this-corner-cassius-clay).

The Theater Project's summer season is made possible in part by funds from the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the generosity of many sponsors and donors, especially Joseph Kubala and Stephanie Fein.

Founded in 1994 and based in Union, The Theater Project introduces New Jersey audiences to new plays and supports rising playwrights and theater artists. It develops new audiences for theater by service to the community, providing programs for children, and using theater as a forum to address current issues.