During a press conference alongside Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Bridges spoke to members of the media about why he chose to be involved in FELA! as an associate producer and join the ranks of Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, Will Smith and Jada-Pinkett Smith, who are also producers of the historic musical.
“It’s great to expand the business portfolio and become a part of Atlanta’s history. I think we can bring cultural awareness through music which is what I try to do. It was educational for me and for my daughter being based out of Nigeria,” Bridges explained. “It’s expanding cultural knowledge and understanding through music and I was moved by The Civil Rights Movement in so many different ways."
Mayor Reed says story makes it perfect for a city with so much history rooted in the struggle for civil rights. Reed is excited to bring the prestigious musical to Atlanta for a second time and re-iterated "it’s only the beginning of a resurgence in the arts for the city of Atlanta," adding to its already burgeoning music and film industries.
“For generations Atlanta has been at the epicenter of African-American music and culture. All great cities in the world, all the leading cities in the world have great arts and artists. To the extent we nurture great artists and provide more outlets for them we make our city a great city,” Reed explained. “Just eight years ago, we probably had $300 million in television and film entertainment being created in Atlanta and the metro region. The number is now in excess of $1 billion, so we have now this billion-dollar business in television and films. We also need to cultivate our live performances like plays, musicals, dance, opera and ballet and this is a part of it.”
Reed encourages all young people to see the musical and be involved in events surrounding the production. The mayor wants Atlantans to understand FELA! is not just another musical, but a highly-acclaimed Broadway story that enhances the tapestry of the city.
“This is a Tony Award winning musical. It’s won a Tony three times so everyone needs to understand we are not coming off the chittlin' circuit so to speak,” Reed explains. “This is a best in class, world class Broadway performance and I look forward to seeing it.”