On January 13, 1979, the world lost one of the most gifted and distinctive voices in American music. The Voices of Donny Hathaway is a powerful musical drama celebrating the life, music, brilliance, and complicated journey of legendary soul artist Donny Hathaway.
Set during the final chapter of Hathaway’s life, the story takes audiences inside the Essex House Hotel in New York City, where Donny encounters Pamela Robinson, a fictional character who asks him a simple but powerful question: If you knew you had one last chance to perform, what songs would you sing?
From that question, the world around Donny begins to transform. A band appears, memories come alive, and the hotel becomes the setting for an imagined final concert. Through music and conversation, Donny revisits his life, relationships, extraordinary career, and the internal voices that increasingly became a part of his reality.
The production explores both sides of the man behind the music—the extraordinary musician whose voice could communicate joy, love, pain, hope, and freedom, and the human being privately struggling with paranoid schizophrenia. Rather than separating those stories, The Voices of Donny Hathaway places them side by side, allowing audiences to experience the brilliance of the artist while confronting the very real mental health struggles taking place beyond the stage.
Throughout the evening, Hathaway’s unforgettable catalog becomes the heartbeat of the story. Songs including “A Song for You,” “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” “For All We Know,” and other favorites are woven into the theatrical journey, allowing the music to reveal parts of Donny that conversation alone cannot.
What unfolds is more than a tribute concert and more than a biography. It is an imagined final night with Donny Hathaway—a journey through his memories, his music, his relationships, his mind, and the remarkable gift he left behind.
The Voices of Donny Hathaway celebrates an artist whose influence continues generations after his death while opening a meaningful conversation about mental health, creativity, and the person who exists beyond the music we love.
It is the story of Donny Hathaway—the music, the man, and the voices behind one of soul music’s most unforgettable voices.
Date & Time
Oct 23 - 25, 2026
Venue Details
Patricia C. Vaughn Cultural Arts Center
4181 Atlanta Street Powder Springs, Georgia 30127
Patricia C. Vaughn Cultural Arts Center
Patricia C. Vaughn Cultural Arts Center
The Patricia C. Vaughn Cultural Arts Center honors the legacy of former Powder Springs Mayor Patricia Vaughn, who began serving as mayor in 2005 and spent years helping lead the city through a period of growth and change. Today, the center that bears her name continues that spirit of community as a gathering place for arts, culture, and entertainment. Located in the heart of Powder Springs, the Cultural Arts Center begins an exciting new chapter with Emil Thomas Entertainment, bringing professional theatre, music, comedy, concerts, and special events to the community.
Emil Thomas Entertainment
Emil Thomas Entertainment (ETE) was founded by Powder Springs native Emil Thomas, a director and producer whose work has been shaped by a lifelong connection to theatre and community. Emil holds a B.A. in Theatre Directing from Ball State University and an M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University. After nearly a decade of creating, producing, and leading live theatre, Emil founded ETE to bring his experience home and create entertainment that brings people together. Through theatre, music, comedy, concerts, and special events, ETE is creating new opportunities for artists and audiences to experience live entertainment in their own communities.
