11-year-old Akeelah Anderson has a way with words. After winning her schoolwide spelling bee, she decides to enter the competition, despite her classmates' derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya. Thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr. Larabee, she reaches the finala. As she gets to know her fellow competitors, Akeelah realizes that coming first isn't everything in life.
Ty, a misguided, one-of-a-kind designer sneaker, doesn’t know life outside the comforts of his velvet-lined shoebox. After his sister is stolen by a shady collector, Ty must venture into New York City to find and rescue her. In his adventure, Ty meets a ragtag group of footwear friends from all walks of life who help him find the courage to step outside of his shoebox and find his sole-mate.
This one-man play stars Laurence Fishburne in his Tony-nominated performance as Thurgood Marshall, the remarkable Civil Rights lawyer and Supreme Court Justice.
Two estranged half-brothers, Billy and Torch, reconnect during a brief jail stay. 20/20 Mike concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal dope from some young couriers. The heist goes wrong when Billy shoots the couriers dead. They hole up in an abandoned building, and 20/20 Mike seeks help from an old cell mate, Tony.
Living by the mantra 'it's easier to raise boys than to repair broken men', martial arts sensei Jason Wilson tenderly guides his often-troubled young Detroit students with a beautifully effective blend of compassion and tough love.
