Floyd Gaffney, an emeritus professor of theatre at the University of California, San Diego, directs. Hassan El-Amin, a regional actor who has performed a variety of modern and classical roles written by American and European playwrights, interprets the role of Malcolm X. Malcolm X offers an inside look at stages in the life of Malcolm X, exploring his many faces as political philosopher, religious leader, dynamic spokesman, husband, father and martyr.

Director Gaffney, always active in San Diego’s community theatre movement, especially in the African American sector, says Malcolm X allows him “once again to sink (his) teeth into a meaningful and powerful script that reflects the troubled tenor of our times.”

Gaffney began his career as a dancer and actor and went on to receive an advanced degree in theatre, supported by Mellon and Fulbright fellowships and multiple grants from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations. He has served on the theatre faculty at UCSD since 1971.

El-Amin has appeared in major repertory theatres across the country including the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the San Diego Repertory Theatre. His leading roles have included the characters of Edmund in King Lear, Othello in Othello, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun, and Floyd Barton in Seven Guitars, also a play by August Wilson.

Tickets for the Aug. 12, 13, and 15 performances are $15. Tickets for the Aug. 14 performance, including a reception, are $20. Tickets may be purchased by calling (619) 277-6090 or (619) 479-0049.