ATLAS Partnership is thrilled to partner with Foster Solomon, Jerold Solomon, and Ron Klipp — the creative team behind Gabriel, a soaring new musical that tells the story of Gabriel’s Rebellion, one of the most important slave uprisings in Virginia and American history.

Born in 1776, Gabriel embodied a vision that transcended the American Revolution, becoming a reluctant, yet powerful force for justice and social conscience. While Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Patrick Henry fought for independence, Gabriel grew up witnessing the promises of liberty denied to 300,000+ enslaved Virginians. In 1800, Gabriel risked—and ultimately sacrificed—his life for freedom.

Gabriel the musical was originally developed and produced at Firehouse Theatre in Fall 2022. Early in its development, the project was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (one of only 17 music theatre grants awarded nationally in 2020). The 2022 run at the Firehouse sold out, and the show received the Best New Work Award from the Richmond Theatre Community Circle in 2023.

The premiere of the newly revised script and score will debut at historic Hanover Tavern in September 2025, and will be part of Chamberlayne Actors Theatre’s 2025-26 Season. We seek thereafter to transfer the show to Chesterfield’s Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education in January 2026, and are identifying a theatre partner in Norfolk as a potential co-producer later in the 2025-26 Season.

We plan to coordinate these three runs with performances for students attending Greater Richmond, Tri-Cities, and Greater Hampton Roads public schools, providing opportunities for students to benefit from this powerful and pivotal piece of Virginia history.

We have secured* or are in discussions° with the following partners:

• VA250*

• Hanover250*

• Hanover Tavern Foundation*

• Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education*

• Norfolk State University°

• Historian Ana Edwards*

• Rev. Dr. Rodney D. Waller and First African Baptist Church*

• Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia°

• Virginia Humanities°

• Virginia Museum of History and Culture°

• Virginia Dept. of Education°

• Virginia Commission for the Arts°

• Colonial Williamsburg°

We invite you to join us in these unifying efforts!