What is Thursday's Children?
Thursday's Children is an original, two-act musical created by Brian R. Lynner and Lisa Norris-Lynner. The story is inspired by the events of the 1965 black ramband protest that lead to the landmark civil rights case of Tinker v. the Des Moines Independent Community School District.
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 p.m.
October 24, 31 and November 7 at 2:00 p.m.
LOCATION: The Iowa Public Theatre in the State Historical Museum
Buy Tickets for Thursday's Children
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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.
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Who Are Thursday's Children?
 In December of 1965 a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa 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. For more on the history behind the story of Thursday's Children, click here.
Thursday's Children explores how the choices we make in our youth shape the people we become. In our story, "Thursday's Children" are four (fictional) high school students. Act One takes place in 1965 in the days leading to the armband protest and follows the students as they consider how wearing the armband may affect their friendships, families, and futures. Act Two shows us that future, visiting the characters (and their children) 25 years later, at the beginning of the First Gulf War.
The title for the show comes from the old Mother Goose rhyme that begins, "Monday's child is fair of face..." Thursday's Child, according to the rhyme, "has far to go." For more about the story of the musical Thursday's Children, click here.
When Can I See a Performance of Thursday's Children?
Act One of Thursday's Children will be performed as a stand-alone production as part of the State Historical Society of Iowa's History Through The Arts program at the Iowa Public Theatre in the Iowa State Historical Museum in Des Moines, with student matinee performances October 19-22, 2010. For more on this program, click here.
The full production will be presented for eight performances between October 23 and November 7, 2010. Tickets are not yet available, but please check back for information on show times and tickets. If you would like to sign up for our e-mail list to be updated on project progress and events, click here.
Public Educational Programs
The State Historical Society of Iowa and its partners have planned a number of educational activities to accompany Thursday’s Children. These include:
Saturday October 16, 1:30 pm, State Historical Museum: “Tinkering with History: 1960s Students, Schools and Protest”: Join State Historical Librarian Susan Jellinger and a panel of civil rights and peace activists for a discussion of student protest in Iowa during the 1960s and its impact on our history.
Saturday, October 23, 6:30 pm, Iowa Public Theatre: Pre-show Panel Discussion about the history and impact of the armband protest and the Tinker case, with a panel including Mary Beth Tinker, Dan Johnston (the attorney who argued the case on behalf of the Tinkers), and a Vietnam veteran, a peace activist, and members of the legal community.
Sunday, October 24, 4:00 pm (approximately), Iowa Public Theatre: Post-show Meet the Composer Discussion with Thursday’s Children author/composers Brian R. Lynner and Lisa Norris-Lynner. The Lynners will describe their process for creating the show and answer audience questions about the production.
Monday, October 25, at 6:30 pm, Des Moines Public Library (Central): Dressing Up or Dressing Down: A forum on school dress codes and freedom of expression through fashion. Join in a discussion of how the Tinker case helped changed the way students dress in school today, and share your opinions of how dress codes impact school culture. The event will include a structured debate of the dress code issue by members of the Roosevelt High School Debate Team and a performance of a musical selection from Thursday’s Children.
Friday, October 29, 6:30 pm, Iowa Public Theatre: Pre-show Panel Discussion of the legal issues surrounding the Tinker case and its legacy with a panel of Iowa lawyers and judges. A Cocktail Party Fundraiser precedes this event.
Wednesday, October 27 at 11:30 am at the State Historical Building: Lunch 'n' Learn Presentation on The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien's collection of VIetnam War stories, augmented with a display of war diaries and photographs.
Saturday, October 30: ‘60s Halloween Eve at Thursday’s Children: Audience members who come to the show dressed in 1960s costume will receive a $3 discount off their ticket to the performance. After the show, they can attend a 1960s-style “Sock Hop” hosted by Gateway Dance Theatre at their studio at 315 East 5th Street (about 2 blocks away from the Historical Building.) Sock Hop participants will have the opportunity to learn dances from the 1960s and meet and mingle with cast and crew members from the Thursday’s Children company. One does not need to wear a costume or attend the performance to attend the Sock Hop, which is open to all ages. It begins at 7:00 pm and continues until midnight. (More information will be available at www.gatewaydance.org.)
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