The purpose of this article is to simply inform readers about racism in plays and musicals as well as why the scenes are still being performed today. How are they similar? The class will discuss the fact that black actors actually played the rolls of the black characters, life in the Jim Crow South, and people of mixed races. The class will discuss the case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and compare it to the storyline of “Julie” from Show Boat. Big River the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Original Broadway Cast Recording. The students will be able to identify “Free at Last” as a spiritual associated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Philip Kennicott’s article in the Washington Post, “A challenge for the arts: Stop sanitizing and show the great works as they were created,” is an overt apologia for racist characters and tropes in classic plays and operas. The teacher will ask: Why does the class think so much time went by with so few Broadway musicals tackling the issue of race? 6. The story that we can see beyond race, and if … Mitchell, Peter Friedman, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Mark Jacoby, David Loud, John Mauceri, Stephen Flaherty, and E. L. Doctorow. … Privacy policy | If they cast someone of color, that person has the challenge of becoming this character or criticized for it by the school community. 6. The teacher will ask: How does it compare to that of Show Boat? 9.3.12.A – Explain and apply the critical examination processes of works in the arts and humanities. Print. 9.2.12.A – Explain the historical, cultural and social context of an individual work in the arts. Duration: 40 minutes 5. McLamore, Alyson. The class will share what they know about Stephen Foster (a Pittsburgh native). The teacher will play “Free at Last” from Big River. New York: Arcade, 1991. What color is her parachute? How are they different? Porgy & Bess (1935), Carmen Jones (1943), Dreamgirls (1981), Parade (1998), The Civil War (1999), The Scottsboro Boys (2010), Motown (2013). In addition to learning songs from each show, students will learn songs from the Voices Across Time curriculum that tie directly to the time in history in which each musical is set. The teacher will show video clips will include “Ol’ Man River” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” from the San Francisco Opera’s 2014 production of Show Boat. 4. Duration: 40 minutes 9.1.12.C – Integrate and apply advanced vocabulary to the arts forms. Even the popular film musicals churned out by the Dream Factory after 1928 posed no real threat to the aspirations of Broadway; film musicals ran … See through the verbiage to what’s underneath: protecting racism. Feedback | Music & Dance. In 1921, however, musical theatre history was changed with the opening of Shuffle Along; the first show completely created and put on by African-Americans (Sheward 16). So yes, I do believe there is racism in every theatre department. Why? Related Standards: Introductory Narrative to Lesson: How are they the same? Print. Henderson, Amy, and Dwight Blocker Bowers. The class will listen to “I Know Where I’ve Been” from Hairspray and “We Shall Overcome” and compare/contrast them using a graphic organizer. 9.2.12.J – Identify, explain and analyze historical and cultural differences as they relate to works in the arts The class will listen to “Hard Times Come Again No More” and discuss what they think the meaning of the song is. Learning Objectives/Outcomes: Students will gain an understanding of Negro spirituals and compare and contrast it to Kern & Hammerstein’s “Ol’ Man River” from Show Boat. As the Civil Rights Movement was very much alive in the 1960’s, Hairspray takes place in Baltimore, 1962, among all of the racism. Now, there was a musical all about the latino way of life: their struggles, their celebrations! Red, Hot & Blue: A Smithsonian Salute to the American Musical. Winokur, Harvey Fierstein, and Lon Hoyt. Music Theater. Director and playwright, “Bootycandy” An artistic director in Portland told me, “I … Alignments: Pennsylvania Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities The class will listen to a portion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech where he quotes “Free at Last.” For once, there was another musical that could cast a large array of Latino actors and actresses that wasn’t “West Side Story.” Unfortunately, on January 29, 2011, “In The Heights” closed on Broadway. 9.1.12.A – Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the arts and humanities. Print. How are the perspectives of the North and the South different? Keisha Clarke: from The Lion King to featured dancer with Garth Fagan, this long and delicate beauty has captured audiences' and critics' attention. Business as usual on Broadway. Students will be able to identify who Paul Robeson was and facts about his life, his career as a performer, as well as his activism. Musicals, hardly a realistic genre to begin with, always require a certain suspension of disbelief. The teacher will ask who has read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” "Yorktown", Hamilton. 9.2.12.B – Relate works in the arts chronologically to historical events. In what famous speech was that song quoted? Honorable Mentions: Fences (2016) Son Of Saul (2015) The Butler (2013) Lincoln (2012) Hotel Rwanda (2004) The Pianist (2002) Glory (1989) West Side Story (1961) The teacher will introduce a history of Hairspray and its storyline. Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The class will be able to identify Show Boat is a musical that takes place from 1880 to 1927 and is set in Natchez, Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois. 3. 3. 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