FOR ALL THOSE IN THE MIDWEST........
A wonderful new musical, Orphan Train, is coming to Iowa this summer. My friend RENEE WENDINGER, author of EXTRA! EXTRA! THE ORPHAN TRAINS AND NEWSBOYS OF NEW YORK, has worked with the director of this show for the past two years, and finally it is a reality.
Hopefully the troupe, with much needed sponsorship, can bring this play into
more states in the very near future.
Fending
for oneself as a child is a rough endeavor. Rev. Charles
Loring Brace, and the Children's Aid Society, had a vision to send children away
from the over populated New York City streets, to find family homes. Especially
with frontier families in the West
in hopes of achieving a healthier, happier life away from big-city poverty and
neglect.
Brace’s foresight resulted in the “placing out” of nearly a quarter of a million
orphaned, neglected, and homeless street kids by train across America, in what
has become known as the Orphan Trains.
The transfer was the first emigration plan and the largest mass migration of
children in American history. The hope for these children facing a limited
number of real life options, and
a multitude of
challenges during the 1850s through 1930 was simply--- to be chosen!!!!
This
summer, an exciting and moving
new musical telling their story is coming to Iowa.
Orphan Train
(book by L.E. McCullough, lyrics by Michael
Barry Greer, music by Doug Katsaros) will make its Midwestern premiere Aug. 3-12, 2012 at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing
Arts, 200 N. Main St., Fairfield, Iowa, for seven performances, presented by
Way Off Broadway http://wobroadway.com.
Orphan
Train is directed by legendary New York choreographer and director
Patricia Birch.
Ms. Birch has created the
musical staging for original Broadway and off-Broadway shows including
Grease, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Me Nobody
Knows, A Little Night Music, Candide,Over Here, The
Happy End, Pacific Overtures, They're Playing Our Song, and
many, many more. She is a five-time Tony
nominee and winner of
Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Barrymore, Billboard, and MTV awards, as well
as a Directors Guild nomination and the prestigious Fred Astaire Award for her
choreography and direction of music-driven projects ranging from Sondheim to the
Rolling Stones. Set design by Richard Finkelstein
Journey
back in time to the turn of the century with the Orphan Train; witness the heartfelt
stories of six young orphans who were forced out of New York and relocated by
rail to Iowa in this new and sensational musical, based on a true story.
Discover a candid
and heartwarming family show that embraces
dedication,
rescue, friendship, abuse, love, separation, and more.
Tickets
($12-$38) may be ordered online at http://www.fairfieldacc.com, by calling the box office at (641) 472-2000 or
emailing info@fairfieldacc.com.
Performance Times:
· Friday, Aug. 3 -
7:30 p.m.
· Saturday, Aug. 4 -
7:30 p.m.
· Sunday, Aug. 5 -
2:00 p.m.
· Thursday, Aug. 9 -
7:30 p.m.
· Friday, Aug. 10 -
7:30 p.m.
· Saturday, Aug. 11 -
7:30 p.m.
· Sunday, Aug. 12 -
2:00 p.m.
Having the capability to
pay it forward to the next generation,
this new musical is
a call to address the problems of present day
American youth whose childhood is scarred by poverty, homelessness, gangs and
addiction. Like Brace, the orphan train team has a broader vision in taking the
play into America’s Heartland where orphan trains legacy remains a meaningful
part of the cultural landscape, and can serve as a rallying point for renewed
social engagement.
As a
joint professional and community based approach to presenting historic theater
with contemporary relevance, this play is a perfect fund-raising vehicle for organizations; especially
ones involving kids
where proceeds can help our children attain success and education. The production is a perfect scenario for putting the cast
on a train and retracing the route of the original orphan trains through an
organized Orphan
Train Heartland Tour.
With
some support and muscle, the performance of the Orphan
Train can
make a difference in children’s lives, and leave behind something for people to
think about. For more information on how you can make a difference in children
facing an uncertain future, and arm them with courage and youthful innocence, sponsorship in bringing Orphan Train
across America is exceptionally needed.
Please
contact the Orphan Train Heartland Tour to be of assistance c/o Lawrence
McCullough at lemccullough@mac.com.
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