 Thursday's Children is an original musical created by Brian R. Lynner and Lisa Norris-Lynner. The story is inspired by the 1965 "black armband protest" and events leading to the landmark civil rights case of Tinker v. the Des Moines Independent Community School District.
In December of 1965 a group of Des Moines area students devised a plan to wear black armbands to school to protest America's involvement in Vietnam. Fearing that the protest might lead to disruption and violence, school officials announced that anyone caught wearing an armband would be asked to remove it or be suspended. Unexpected Company's founding partner Brian Lynner was a student at Roosevelt High School - the center of the protest - and has vivid memories of the event.
Each year, the Iowa State Historical Museum's History Through The Arts program contracts an Iowa performing arts company to create and/or present a production based on an important civil rights event in Iowa history. When Maureen Korte, the Program Director, mentioned that she was looking for a play based on the Tinker case, Unexpected Company jumped at the chance to create a show.
Rather than adapting the Tinker story as a straight historical “docu-drama”, the Lynners are creating an original, full-length musical surrounding the events of the protest incident, but involving fictional characters. The show is structured so that Act One could be presented as a one hour, stand-alone performance for students attending the History Through The Arts program. The complete production will be presented to a general audience, helping to expand the History Through The Arts program beyond the classroom to a larger, multi-generational audience. Thanks to grant funding from the Iowa Arts Council that is helping to support the project in its creation process, the Thursday's Children Project is off to a flying start.
Buy Tickets to The Show
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Tickets are available at the door, or in advance online or by phone through MidwesTix. The venue is the State of Iowa Historical Building. Purchase tickets in person at the Museum Store in the State Historical Building. |
THURSDAY'S CHILDREN PRODUCTION DATES:
SCHOOL MATINEES (Grades 5-12): October 19-22, 2010 SOLD OUT!!!
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES: October 23,28, 29, 30 and November 6 at 7:30 pm
October 24, 31 and NOvember 7 at 2:30 pm
LOCATION: The Iowa Public Theatre in the State Historical Museum
For more information on the Thursday's Children Project, please visit the show website: www.thursdays-children.com
Help us make History. Support the Thursday's Children Project with your tax deductible contribution to the State Histroical Society of Iowa. Download a Donation form here. For more information on reasons to donate, please visit the Donate page on the Thursday's Children website.
THE CAST
Donald Proctor/Charles Decker: John Donovan
Miss West/Britney Decker: Megan McQueeney
Dan Porter/Brendan Curran: Daniel Haymes
David Porter (1965)/Dean Porter: Brian Osborn
Emily Ross (1965)/Danielle Porter: Natlie Schmit
Chaz Decker/Bryant Decker: Jeff Duis
Marshall Porter/David Porter (1990): Bryan Healy
Grace Porter/Emily Porter (1990): Preshia Paulding
Check our Thursday's Children website Casting page for biographies of cast members.
Thursday's Children is supported by grant funding from:
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U.S. District Court for
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