Engagement Guide
By Michael Benjamin Washington
Directed by Lucie Tiberghien
Co-production with Kansas City Repertory Theatre
Artistic Director Christopher Ashley
Managing Director
Michael S. Rosenberg
L a J o ll a P l ay h o u s e M i s s i o n
La Jolla Playhouse advances theatre as an art form and as a vital, social, moral, and political platform
by providing unfettered creative opportunities for the leading artists of today and tomorrow.
With our youthful spirit and eclectic, artist-driven approach we will continue to cultivate
a local and national following with an insatiable appetite for audacious and diverse work.
In the future, San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse will be considered singularly indispensable
to the worldwide theatre landscape, as we become a permanent safe harbor for the unsafe and
surprising. The day will come when it will be essential to enter the La Jolla Playhouse village
in order to get a glimpse of what is about to happen in American theatre.
E d u c at i o n & O u t r e a c h M i s s i o n
The goal of the Education & Outreach department of La Jolla Playhouse is to supply exceptional arts education
opportunities that provide our community with a heightened awareness and understanding of the theatrical
process as well as explore ways in which theatre may be used as a catalyst for creative expression.
The Education & Outreach department does this in the following ways:
• We introduce young people to the joy of live theatre, through student matinees at La Jolla Playhouse and
POP Tour performances on-site at their schools.
• We bring quality arts education to San Diego area schools, through in-school programs that engage both
teachers and students in the creative learning process.
• We provide intensive theatre training through master classes, Young Performers’ Workshop and
Conservatory.
• We offer internships to build professional experience for the audacious next generation of theatre
practitioners.
• We deepen the relationships with existing patrons through pre-show conversations, post-show discussions,
audio described and American Sign Language interpreted performances.
Through these programs, we enhance the current work on our stages and position the institution as essential
to the cultural well-being of the San Diego community and the field of American Theatre.
Through these programs, La Jolla Playhouse directly impacts 30,000 children and adults a year
and positively affects the education of hundreds of thousands more
through our teacher training efforts.
La Jolla Playhouse is supported by grants from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, the County
of San Diego and the National Endowment for the Arts. La Jolla Playhouse Education and Outreach Programs are
supported by the William Hall Tippett and Ruth Rathell Tippett Foundation; Qualcomm Incorporated; Sidney E. Frank
Foundation;; San Diego Gas & Electric, Bank of America; Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation; Helen K. and James S. Copley
Foundation; John and Marcia Price Family Foundation; the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation;; Jack in
the Box Foundation; Wells Fargo Foundation; Union Bank; ResMed Foundation; Macy’s Foundation; Allianz Global Investor
Capital; Price Family Charitable Fund; the Sutherland Foundation; the City of Encinitas and Mizel Family Foundation
Community Grant Program; City of Chula Vista, Performing and Visual Arts Grant; and Target Foundation.
Table of Contents
Playwright.......................... 3
Director.............................. 3
About the Show................. 4
Standards ......................... 5
Glossary ............................ 6
Unit Plan............................ 8
Lesson One........................ 9
Lesson Two....................... 11
Supplemental Handouts.. 14
What did they
hope to accomplish.......... 15
Dear Educator:
La Jolla Playhouse would like to extend our gratitude to you for your
commitment to arts education. Integrating the arts into core curriculum
has proven to enhance literacy, heighten social awareness and help
cultivate a community of future theatre goers - for that, we thank you.
The great philosopher, Aristotle, once said, “The whole is more than the
sum of its parts.” Aristotle reminds us here at LJP that it truly takes a team
to succeed and we want to show you how La Jolla can be a resource for
your team.
One of our resources is this Engagement Guide that was created to
help supplement your current curriculum. Each lesson and activity was
designed to be “ready-to-go” using objects easily found in an typical
classroom. Using an universal lesson plan format, you can easily follow
the instructions to provide an enriching experience for your students or
just utilize it as you see fit. Either way, we hope that we have helped you in
preparing your students to be informed audience members. Our goal is to
make live theatre relevant to our audiences. It is our hope that in doing so,
we can positively impact each student’s understanding of the world around
them.
Another resource for you is our free pre-performance workshop. This
is where a LJP Artist Instructor will come to your school and introduce
key topics and themes about the play to your students in a participatory,
hands-on workshop. Don’t miss this opportunity! Availability is limited
and booking early guarantees this experience for your students.
We also have a variety of student programs available throughout the year.
Take a look at the back of this guide to learn more.
Primary Source
Scavenger Hunt................. 16
Thank you and we will see you at our next matinee!
Discussion Questions....... 25
Julia Cuppy
History of the Playhouse... 26
M.A.T. in Theatre Education and English
La Jolla Playhouse Education & Outreach Fellow
La Jolla Playhouse Education & Outreach Department
Stephen McCormick Director Education & Outreach
Paola Kubelis
Education & Outreach
Coordinator
Alison Urban
Associate Director
Education & Outreach
Julia
Education & Outreach
Fellow
Playwright
Michael Benjamin Washington
Michael Benjamin Washington’s previous La Jolla Playhouse credits include:
Bayard in the DNA Series workshop production of his play Blueprints to
Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin, directed by Phylicia Rashad; the Tinman in
The Wiz, directed by Des McAnuff; Memphis, directed by Christopher Ashley;
Most Wanted (workshop), directed by Michael Greif; and a reading of his solo
show Letters to Barack, directed by Christopher Ashley. His Broadway credits
include Mamma Mia! (original company) and La Cage Aux Folles (2005 Tonywinning revival). Off-Broadway credits include Stephen Sondhiem’s Saturday
Night. Film and television appearances: Love and Other Drugs, directed by
Ed Zwick; Gnome, directed by Jenny Bicks; 30 Rock; Glee; 100 Questions; Law
& Order. A member of Broadway Inspirational Voices, Washington received
his B.F.A. from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts and is a 1997
Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
Lucie Tiberghien
Director
Recent credits include the world premieres of The Other Thing by Emily Schwend
(Second Stage Uptown), Soldier X by Rehana Mirza (Ma-Yi), The Ashes Under Gait
City by Christina Anderson (CATF), Love in Afghanistan by Charles Randolph-Wright
(Arena Stage), Hoodoo Love by Katori Hall (Cherry Lane) and Don’t Go Gentle by
Stephen Belber (MCC). Other credits include Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría
Hudes (Arden Theater Company), Blood and Gifts by JT Rogers (La Jolla Playhouse),
Blind and The Pavilion by Craig Wright (Rattlestick), Great Falls and Flag Day by
Lee Blessing (Humana Festival and CATF), The Winning Streak also by Lee Blessing
(George Street Playhouse), Augusta by Richard Dresser, The Last Shwartz by Deborah
Zoe Laufer and We Are Here by Tracy Thorne (all at CATF), as well as the plays A Small
Melodramatic Story. Finally, The Death of Frank and Geometry of Fire, all by Stephen
Belber (Rattlestick, LAByrinth Theater Company, Synchronicity Space). She is currently
developing Stew and Heidi Rodewald’s new musical Resurrection City.
4
SYNOPSIS
About the Show
In the sweltering political and racial heat of 1963, Bayard Rustin – the brilliant proponent of non-violent civil
disobedience – is assigned to orchestrate an unprecedented march for jobs and freedom. Exiled from the Civil
Rights movement by both internal and external forces, Rustin grapples with his last chance for professional
restoration and spiritual redemption as he masterminds “a tribute to the ancestors” exactly one century after
the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
TOPICS EXAMINED IN PLAY
• Civil Rights History and Prominent Figures
• Acts of Discrimination and Their Effects
• Violent vs. Non-Violent Protestation
• Moral Integrity
• Honoring One’s Truth in the Face of Adversity
• Exercising Constitutional Rights
• Role of Religion in the Human Rights Movement
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Bayard Rustin, The Architect
Serving as a leading strategist of the Civil Rights Movement, Rustin influenced the non-violent teachings
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was the chief organizer of one of largest political rallies in U.S. History - the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This event is credited with helping pass the Civil Rights Act of
1964.
A. Philip Randolph, The Mentor
A prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Randolph served as the conduit for spreading the
message of racial equality between multiple U.S. Presidents and the many different labor organizations. He
partnered with Bayard Rustin to organize the March on Washington in 1963 where over 250,000 people
congregated in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Miriam Caldwell*, The Assistant
A recent graduate from an all girls college, she assists Bayard Rustin in organizing the March on
Washington. She is a single mother who wants to claim “her role in history” by shifting the movement’s focus
from a “civil rights” to a “human rights” campaign.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Protege
Southern pastor who, due to his impassioned rhetorical skills and dedication to social justice, quickly
became the spokesperson for the civil rights movement. He became the president of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference with the mission to harness the moral authority and organizing power of Black
churches. He lead many non-violent protests which propelled the civil rights movement into a national
spotlight. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while in Memphis, TN supporting a sanitation workers strike.
*Denotes fictional character
5
Common Core Standards
Activities address the following Common Core State Standards (www.cde.ca.gov)
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
Lesson Lesson Lesson
1
2
3*
READING
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
•
2. Determine central ideas of a text and analyze their development; summarize the
key supporting details and ideas.
•
CRAFT AND STRUCTURE
•
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
•
INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
•
•
8. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build
knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
•
WRITING
TEXT TYPES AND PURPOSES
•
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
•
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to
interact and collaborate with others.
•
SPEAKING AND LISTENING
PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
and persuasively.
•
•
•
•
2. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
National Core Arts Anchor Standards
•
•
PERFORMING, PRESENTING, PRODUCING
•
•
6. Convey meaning through presentation of artistic work.
•
•
•
CREATING
1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
•
5. Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
RESPONDING
7. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
CONNECTING
•
•
•
11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to
deepen understanding.
•
•
•
10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
6
Glossary
Civil Rights [siv-uhl rahyts]
(noun) the rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.
Discrimination [dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuhn]
(noun) unfair treatment of someone based on their membership in a group defined by race, ethnicity, sex,
sexual orientation or other factors.
De Facto Discrimination [dee fak-toh dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuhn]
(noun) unfair treatment of someone that is a matter of custom but not based in law.
De Jure Discrimination [dee joo r-ee dih-skrim-uh-ney-shuhn]
(noun) unfair treatment of someone that is based on laws.
Emancipation Proclamation [ih-man-suh-pey-shuhn prok-luh-mey-shuhn]
(noun) an executive order issued on January 1, 1863, by President Lincoln freeing slaves in all portions of the
United States not then under Union control (that is, within the Confederacy).
Integration [in-ti-gray-shuuhn]
(noun) a situation in which different groups -such as those defined by race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation or
other factors-live together and use the same facilities.
Integrity [in-teh-gri-tee]
(noun) the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
Legislative [lej-is-ley-tiv]
(adjective) having the function of making laws.
Non-Denominational [non-dih-nom-uh-ney-shuh-nl]
(adjective) not limited, conditioned, originating in, or influenced by the beliefs, attitudes, or interests of a
religious sect, or political party.
Nonviolence [non-vahy-uh-luhns]
(noun) a theory and practice that emphasizes love of all beings and a refusal to respond to violence with
violence.
Retaliation [ri-tal-ee-ey-shuhn]
(noun) an action taken as revenge or reprisal.
Segregation [seg-ri-gey-shuhn]
(noun) the separation of a specific racial, religious or other group from the general body of society.
Unconstitutional [uhn-kon-sti-too-shuh-nl]
(adjective) inconsistent with the provisions in a country’s constitution.
Verve [vurv]
(noun) enthusiasm or vigor, as in literary or artistic work; spirit; vivaciousness; liveliness.
7
Unit Plan
Essential Question
How does the play Blueprints of Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin honor the contributions made by the
activists of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and does the play suggest that the civil rights movement
changed the United States?
Framework
In this unit, the students will use primary source material in printed and electronic form as well as theatre
exercises to help simulate what it may have been like to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom either as an organizer or attendee.
Lesson Outline
(70 min.)
• Lesson One : Times Are A Changin’
• Lesson Two : Getting Ready for the Big Day (70 min.)
• Lesson Three : La Jolla Playhouse in class workshop (50 min.)
Materials
• Whiteboard and Dry Erase Markers
• Collage Materials
• Audio/Visual System
• Colored Pencils or Markers
• Individual Student Computer/Device with Internet
• Supplemental Handouts attached to each lesson
• Pencil or Pen
Bayard Rustin (left) and Cleveland Robinson (right)
8
LESSON ONE: Times They Are a Changin’
Framework
In this lesson, the students will use a personal computer or smartphone device to engage with an interactive
time line that illustrates the events leading up to the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The videos and
activities provide primary source material in the form of newsreels and informational videos that usher the
student through the long history of Black people in America. The viewing of these videos could be done
individually or as an entire class.
This lesson is inspired from PBS News Hour Extra website.
Objectives
Students will be able to
• Locate key events of the civil rights movement on a time line.
• Gather information from a variety of videos about the history of African Americans spanning from 1620 - present day.
• Recognize the acts of social injustice and their affects on the African American culture.
Materials
• Whiteboard and Dry Erase Marker
• Personal Computer/Smart Phone Device/AV System
• Magazines suitable to cut
• Class set of Glossary Handouts
• Time line KWL Chart
Anticipatory Set
Begin class by explaining that class will start with a guessing game. One word at a time, write the words from
the glossary included in this guide on the board. Explain the more difficult words to the students if needed.
Tell the students to raise their hand if they have a guess to what the new unit will be about. Don’t give them
the answer until you have written all of the words on the board. Once complete have the students make an
informed guess. Pass out the glossary terms with the full definitions to the students. Have them save the
handouts for later.
Interactive Discovery
Ask the students to stand up for this next exercise. They will be voting with their feet by going to different
areas of the room. Tell the students that there is an imaginary line that starts with “Never” on the left,
“Sometimes” in the middle of the room and “Always” on the right. Read the controversial statements to them
out loud and have them respond by going to the part of the line that they agree with the most. After each
phrase have them pair up with a neighbor and take a few moments to discuss why they chose that part of the
line.
(Continued on page 10)
9
LESSON ONE: Times They Are a Changin’
(Continued from page 9)
Statements:
1. People are never satisfied with what they have;they always want something more or something different.
2. People should read only books that are about real events, real people, and established facts.
3. There is nothing that young people can teach older people.
4. Only people who earn a lot of money are successful.
5. Playing a game is fun only when you win.
6. Decisions that people made quickly are always wrong.
7. People behave differently when they wear different clothes.
8. When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.
9. Attending a live performance is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television.
10. Learning from the past has no value for those us living in the present.
Modeling
As an entire class, visit the website PBS News Hour Extra Interactive Time Line by clicking on the link. Orient
the students to the time line and show them how to navigate the site. Pass out the handout titled “Time
line KWL Chart.” Explain to the students how to fill out the KWL chart. Read the title of the first video “First
Enslaved Africans are Brought to America”. Using this title, have students fill out the first two columns to
activate prior knowledge on “What I Know, What I Want to Know”. After they watch the video have them
individually write down in the third column titled “What I Learned.”
Group Work
Have the class share what they learned from watching the first video with a partner. This will be their partner
for the rest of the class. Have them continue filling out the KWL chart for the rest of the videos on the time
line.
Closure
About 10 minutes before the end of class, have each student go back through their charts and choose one
thing that they learned from watching the videos. Go around the room and have each student share their one
item. Try not to have them repeat one that had already been said. Transition with a short discussion on how
these acts of injustice have contributed to present day America. What is the same? What is different? What
current events show that it has or has not changed? Explain to the students that next class they will explore in
more detail the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Specifically, what it took to bring over 250,000
people together for the same cause.
Extension Activity
Using their responses from the short discussion, have them brainstorm a list of actions that could be done to
diminish racial discrimination in their school, city, state and country.
10
LESSON TWO: Getting Ready for the Big Day
Framework
In this lesson, the students will use primary documents to identify the people responsible for organizing
the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and analyze actions it took to make the march successful.
They will use the information gathered from the documents to inspire a short devised theatre performance
reenacting a moment that might have happened at the March on August 28, 1963.
This lesson is inspired from PBS News Hour Extra website.
Objectives
Students will be able to
• Analyze primary documents for a deeper understanding regarding the events of the civil rights movement.
•Utilize textual evidence to support their artistic choices in developing a new work.
•Present an example of devised theatre for an audience based on historical information.
Materials
• Whiteboard and Dry Erase Marker
• Class set - March on Washington Final Plan Manual
• Class set - March on Washington Program
• Class set - March on Washington Primary Documents Questions
• Class set - The Goals of the March on Washington What Did They Hope to Accomplish
Anticipatory Set
Have the students push all the tables and chairs to the perimeter of the classroom. Have them stand in a circle
facing each other. Give them the directive that they must work together as a team. There goal is to count to
20 (or a higher number depending on the size of the group). However, there is no talking except for saying a
number. Only one person may say the number at a time and if two people say the number simultaneously, the
entire group must start over at the number one. Allow this exercise to start and allow them to fail multiple
times, reinforcing each time by saying “Making a mistake is perfectly acceptable but giving up is not.” After a
few tries, give them a reminder that “Don’t be limited by what you can’t do. Be liberated by what you can do.”
Encourage them to find a way to work together to reach their goal. (Don’t tell them this but they will discover
eye contact or gestures to be helpful.)
(Continued on page 12)
11
LESSON TWO: Getting Ready for the Big Day
(Continued from page 11)
Anticipatory Set Discussion
Once the class has reached their goal, have them all sit on the floor from where they are standing and
engage in a short discussion. How did it make them feel when they failed? How did it make them feel when
they succeeded? Take a moment to identify the strategies that worked and the ones that didn’t. Seque the
conversation to finding the parallels to working in “real life” in a team. When have they worked in a successful
team and when wasn’t it successful? And, what does it mean to be successful? Transition the conversation one
more time to talk about the team of people who were responsible for organizing the March on Washington for
Jobs and Freedom. Many students will be familiar with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech but
many of them will not realize what it took to provide Dr. King that platform. The march was so important to the
civil rights movement that it is considered the defining moment for legislative change for generations to come.
Modeling
Pass out the two documents titled “Final Plans for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”
and “Program for March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” Introduce the definition of a primary
source document by saying “Primary sources are documents or physical objects which were written or
created during the time under study.” In this case, the civil rights movement in 1963; specifically the
March on Washington. Orient the students to how the information is organized within the documents.
Group Work
Have students work in groups of four to do a scavenger hunt with the documents utilizing the list of questions
on page 16 of this guide. They can either assign certain numbers to each other and work individually, or they
may work together, it is up to them. In either case, it is a race. The group to have all answers complete, correct,
and given to the teacher first, wins. You may choose to have some type of reward for the winner. Make sure to
go over all of the answers as a group so that all groups have the information from the documents.
Performance Laboratory
Once the students have completed the scavenger hunt, they should now have a better understanding of what
the day entailed. Facilitate a class-wide brainstorm of the individuals who may have been present on that
day. Remind them that over 250,000 people attended the March. These people could include all different
vocations, races, genders - anyone that the students can justify being present in Washington DC and associated
with the March. Once you have a significant list of people that were or could have been present, explain to the
students that these people will now serve as a “Character Bank” that they will draw from in creating a group
reenactment. Each group must come up with a scenario where their chosen characters (selected from the
Character Bank) might have interacted with each other on the day of the March. Then, as a group, they must
create a full story with a beginning, middle and end that will then physically enacted. Each group member
must fully participate by having a character from the Character Bank and each person must have at least two
lines of dialogue.
(Continued on page 13)
12
LESSON TWO: Getting Ready for the Big Day
(Continued from page 12)
Each group will have 15 minutes to develop, practice and present their reenactment to the class. The title of
their scene should be called “Getting Ready for the Big Day.” They should use specific people, events, topics,
and details found in the primary source documents. As you circle the groups, make sure that they are not
repeating each other and that each group has different characters represented.
Performance
Have each group present their scenes to the class. Make sure that the students say their names and the
character that they are portraying before they begin. Ask the audience members to, while they are watching,
pick one person from each scenario that they identify with for whatever reason that comes to them. Have
them write down the character and the reason why on a piece of paper. After the performance, call on
individual audience members to tell the class the person who they chose and the reason why.
Closure
After the students have presented, have them sit in a circle to debrief on the experience. What were some
of the discoveries made about the March on Washington? Based on the primary source documents, what
assumptions can we make about what it was like on the day of the March? How did it make them feel to play
other people? What was it like to actively identify with one of the characters? Were they surprised by with
whom they identified? *If you have elected to have a pre-performance workshop with a La Jolla Playhouse
Artist Instructor, this activity will be explored further during the workshop.
Extension Activity
Pass out the worksheet titled “The Goals of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: What Did
They Hope to Accomplish” to the students and ask them to read through the goals. Have them keep in mind
the obstacles African Americans faced up to that point in 1963. Ask them to think about, and answer, the
questions. Then have them imagine what the authors of the goals had hoped the effect would be if the goals
were met. Write their answer in “Anticipated Effect.” Ask students to put a check next to any goal that they feel
has been met since 1963 to 2015.
13
Supplemental Handout
KNOW
What I want to know more about...
WONDER
What have I learned...
LEARN
Name ______________________
What I think I know...
14
What did they hope to accomplish?
1. Read the goals below and then write the anticipated effect the authors had for each goal.
Goal
Passage of meaningful civil rights legislation.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
Immediate elimination of school segregation.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
A program of public works, including job training, for the unemployed.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
A federal law prohibiting discrimination in public or private hiring for a job.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
A $2-an-hour minimum wage nationwide.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
Withholding federal funds from programs that tolerate discrimination.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
Enforcement of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution by reducing congressional
representation from States that do not allow all citizens to vote.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
A broadened fair Labor Standards Act to areas of employment that were currently
excluded.
Anticipated Effect
Goal
Authority for the Attorney General to take someone to court if they have violated
the constitutional rights of others.
Anticipated Effect
2. Put a check mark next to any goal that you feel has been met since 1963, an “x” next to any goal that has
not been met, and a question mark next to any goal that you aren’t sure if it has totally been met since 1963.
3. In general, think about which goals have been met, haven’t, and aren’t fully met yet and give reasons why
you believe it is so. Choose one example from each group and try to analyze why it has or hasn’t been met.
4. Why do you think that the organizers of the March chose to present their demands in this way? Evaluate
whether this method was effective at the time, and how effective has it been over the last 52 years.
15
Primary Source Scavenger Hunt
Using the document “The Final Plans for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,”
answer the following questions:
1. Do you recognize any names of the people who sponsored the March? Who? What kinds of organizations
are sponsoring the march?
2. Summarize “Why We March” in seven sentences.
3. Is the “What We Demand” list in the planning manual different from the “What We Demand” list in the
program? If it is, how is it different?
4. How will their demands be presented to congress?
5. Who will march?
6. List the immediate six tasks
7. How do the organizers suggest marchers come to Washington?
8. What do the organizers suggest marchers bring to eat?
9. Who are the marshals and what is their job at the march?
Using the program from “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” answer the following:
1. What is the overall message of the Statement in the program for “March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom”?
2. How many religious organizations were involved in the March? Which ones?
3. Do you notice anything missing from the program that you might find in a program for an event in 2015?
16
Primary Sources
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Post Show Discussion Questions
1. How did the role of music used in the play illustrate the characteristics of the people in the play? Did the
music change and if so, why?
2. Bayard Rustin said, “We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers...” What do you think
he meant by that? Based on what you saw in the play, what decisions were made based on this belief? Were
the decisions made by Rustin successful? Why or Why not?
3. During the Civil Rights movement there were many different beliefs about how to motivate political
change. Some people encouraged violence while others did not. What do you believe would be the best way
to motivate political change in this country today and why?
4. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is most famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech that was presented at the March
on Washington for Jobs and Freedom which Rustin organized. This speech was one of many exciting moments
of the presentation. Who were the other people present at this March? What was the effect of that March?
Was the March successful? Why or why not?
5. Each audience member will have an unique experience watching a play due to having different life
experiences. Based on your own life experience and now seeing the play for yourself, what do you believe
was the intended message or theme of the play? What could be learned from this message?
Resources
“Teaching Tolerance: A Time for Justice” Unit
³Reprinted with permission of Teaching Tolerance, a project of the
Southern Poverty Law Center. www.tolerance.org <http://www.tolerance.org>
PBS News Hour Extra - “The Civil Rights Movement; a Time for Change” Lesson Plan
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons_plans/the-50th-anniversary-of-the-march-onwashington-lesson-plan-a-time-for-change/
“Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin” by John D’Emilio
“Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” Documentary
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La Jolla Playhouse: A Brief History
Under inspired leadership, La Jolla Playhouse has become the place to see what’s next on the American theatre
landscape. The Playhouse’s brilliant and innovative productions of new plays and musicals, including 75+ world
premieres, 44 commissions and 38 American or West Coast premieres, have merited over 300 major honors,
including 35 Tony Awards for its 26 productions that have transferred to Broadway, along with the 1993 Tony
Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
From Broadway to Moscow, a long list of Playhouse productions have gone on to other stages around the
world. These include Roger Miller and William Hauptman’s Big River, The Who’s Tommy, Lee Blessing’s A Walk
in the Woods, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Matthew Broderick, Tony Kushner’s Slavs!,
Lifegame, Lisa Kron’s 2.5 Minute Ride, Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters, Randy Newman’s Faust, the West Coast
premiere of Rent, the American premiere of Jane Eyre, the world premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Billy
Crystal’s 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife – both developed as part of the Playhouse’s
signature Page To Stage play development program – the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis now playing on
London’s West End, Peter and the Starcatchers, as well as the currently running Tony Award-winning Broadway
hit Jersey Boys. The Playhouse also presents a wide range of award-winning education programs that enrich the
community and serve more than 30,000 children, students and adults each year.
La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and was revived in
1983 under the leadership of Des McAnuff, who served as Artistic Director from 1983 to 1994. McAnuff was
succeeded by Michael Greif, who served as Artistic Director from 1995 to 1999. The theatre is currently led by
Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.
Under Ashley’s leadership, the Playhouse has launched several new programs, including the Without Walls
series of site-based and immersive work, the DNA New Work Series and the Resident Theatre Program.
The Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre in residence situated on the magnificent campus of the
University of California, San Diego. La Jolla Playhouse is located on the corner of La Jolla Village Drive and Torrey
Pines Road in La Jolla, California.
Pre and Post Show Workshops Available
To have a La Jolla Playhouse Artist Instructor come to your classroom to conduct
a drama based workshop that connects to the themes and ideas presented in the
performance please contact:
Paola Kubelis, Education & Outreach Coordinator
858-228-3046 or email: [email protected]
Limited workshop space available! Book early!
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