A smiling elderly man with a beard, wearing a black shirt, sitting outdoors in front of green foliage.

Mark E. Leib

Mark E. Leib is the playwright of When the Righteous Triumph, which had its world premiere at Stageworks Theatre in Tampa in 2023 and was performed again at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in March, 2025.  His plays and adaptations—including American Duet, and Terry by Terry have been produced in New York, Chicago, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Singapore, St. Petersburg, FL and Tampa. His fiction and essays have appeared in Commentary, Harvard Magazine, American Theatre, and JewishFiction.net. A graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, where he won the CBS Foundation Prize in Playwriting, Leib was the first playwriting lecturer at Harvard’s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. He currently teaches fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting at the University of South Florida.

Headshot of a middle-aged man with short gray hair, wearing a dark suit, light blue dress shirt, and striped tie, smiling at the camera against a plain light background.

Jim Davis is a former US Congressman and state legislator representing the City of Tampa and the Tampa Bay area and a partner at Holland & Knight LLP law firm in Tampa and Washington. Jim continues as an advocate for social justice and schools and is serving as executive producer of When the Righteous Triumph. Jim ‘s grandfather Cody Fowler was an advocate for racial equality as a Tampa lawyer and national leader in the legal community. Cody Fowler acted as a mediator in the Tampa Woolworth sit ins.

Jim DaVis

  • "...This play felt very real, almost as if we had travelled back in time to view the events unfolding. I would happily watch this play again."

    -Nadia, 11th grade

  • “It was an emotional and engaging experience. It felt like we were living in the timeframe of the actual sit-in.”

    -Fay Noil, School Counselor

  • “The play was an incredible experience. The history was fascinating and the message was so inspiring. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn about such an important event that is very personal to all of us who live in Tampa.”

    -Lilly, 10th Grade

  • “The play, When the Righteous Triumph, was an outstanding performance, and I personally liked how the actors would sometimes talk to the audience as if we were the other half of the diner, and as if we were part of the play as well. Everything definitely felt as it was meant to be set in the 1960’s, and it accurately represented that time period and how the blacks fought for their rights, no matter what happened.”

    -Annalise, 9th Grade

  • "While watching the play, I was deeply moved by how each of the actors portrayed the fight and desire for equality. It was disturbing to know just how accurate many of the depictions of racism and discrimination were. The actor's dedication is truly admirable."

    -Madison, Grade 9

  • "It was such an amazing play; the story was captivating and the characters felt so real. Every action had a consequence, and every setback had an opportunity. I really enjoyed the show. Thank you for putting on a great performance."

    -Tucker, Grade 9