
GABRIEL
THE TRUE STORY YOU WERE NEVER TOLD
Book by Jerold Solomon, Foster Solomon and Ron Klipp; Music and Lyrics by Ron Klipp and Jerold Solomon
Jan. 15-25, 2026 at Perkinson Center for the Arts & Education
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 (sometimes referred to with his enslaver's last name, Prosser) became a powerful force for justice and social conscience. While George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, 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 musical 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 had its debut at historic Hanover Tavern in September 2025, as part of Chamberlayne Actors Theatre’s 2025-26 Season. We are transferring the show to Chesterfield’s Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education January 15-25, 2026, and are identifying a theatre partner in Norfolk as a potential co-producer later in the 2025-26 Season.
We are coordinating 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
Hanover NAACP
Chamberlayne Actors Theatre
Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education
Norfolk State University
Attucks Theatre
The Shockoe Project
Historian and VCU Professor Ana Edwards
VCU Dept. of African American Studies
Rev. Dr. Rodney D. Waller
First African Baptist Church
Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia
James Monroe's Highland
Virginia Museum of History and Culture
Virginia Dept. of Education
We invite you to join us in these unifying efforts!
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