We are happy to welcome Cityview as a media sponsor for Thursday's Children! This week's issue has an awesome full-page color ad, and look for more in the coming weeks. Many thnaks to Cityview for joining the revolution!
The State Histroical Library of Iowa (loacted in the State Historical Building) is planning two events that connect to the Thursday's ChildrenProject:
Saturday, October 16 at 1:30 pm: "Tinkering with History: 1960's Students, Schools and Protest" - The first session of the 4th Historical Discovery Discusion series starts with the black armband protest and the case of TInker v. Des Moines Schools. Join State Histroical Society Librarian Susan Jellinger and Iowans who protested duirng the VIetnam war era in a discussion of how student protest changed history. Wednesday, October 27 at 11:30 am: 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.
For more information on these events, call the State Historical Library at 515-281-6897.
A Teacher/Study Guide for Thursday's Children is now available online from the LINKS page of this website. Although the Study Guide was designed as a resource for teachers whose students will attend a History Through The Arts school performance of Thursday's Children, it can also be used by teachers whose students attend one of the public performances. The Guide contains suggestions for class activities and essay assignments that can be used by any teachers who are exploring issues related to the show - the TInker case, the Vietnam War, civil rights, and 1960's culture. There is also a Student Study Guide with discussion topics and essay questions, and a list of other great internet resources.
Thursday's Children is more than a musical - it's an ongoing history project. We encourage students and teachers to visit the SHARE page on this website and contribute to the message boards. We also invite teachers to share their own ideas for class activities and lesson plans that help students explore the legacy of the Tinker case and related history and issues.
To download a copy of the Teacher/Student Study Guide, click here.
We have added two new pages to the Links section of our site that highlight two significant contributors to the Tinker case:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa helped the families of the students file suit against the school district. The ACLU continues to defend the rights of students throughout the nation - their page contains a link to their website, where you find great information on the Tinker case and other civil liberties issues.
Louise Noun was a Des Moines philanthropist and activist who helped fund the legal fees to take the Tinker case to the Supreme Court. The page presents an overview of her remarkable life and contributions, including a special tribute written by Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu.
Many thanks to the ACLU of Iowa and Chrysalis Foundation for providing information and photos for these pages!
We are thrilled to report that all eight of the school matinees for Thursday's Children are now SOLD OUT!
If you are a teacher and did not have a chance to book your class for the History Through The Arts school program, you and your students still have an opportunity to see the show by attending a public performance. There are also a number of free and inexpensive public programs and educational events connected with the show that students can attend - these are now listed on Home page of this site.
At Last! Tickets for Thursday's Children are available online through MidwesTix. Click the graphic to be directed to the website where you can place your order. You may also order tickets by phone at 515-244-2771 (although they add an extra service charge if you order by phone). Buy your tickets in person at the Gift Shop in the State Historical Museum. (For museum hours click here.) Tickets will also be available at the door one hour before performance. Tickets are $18 for Adults and $15 for Students & Seniors. Your ticket not only supports the public performances of Thursday's Children - it also helps make it possible for 2,000 Iowa students to see a school performance and attend interactive arts and humanities workshops through the History Through The Arts program. Buy Your Tickets Today!
Catch an open rehearsal of Thursday's Children as part of artstop 2010, on Saturday, September 25 from 2-4 pm in the Iowa Public Theatre at the State Historical Museum. If you've ever wondered what a working rehearsal for a new play in progress looks like, stop by for a few minutes and take a peek. Members of the company will be on hand to answer questions about the show, and you can buy tickets to a performance at the museum gift shop. Artist Bev Elllis will have a fun craft project for kids to make their own armband with an emblem of their choice. Artist Concetta Morales will have work on display under the portico.
Artstop is an annual event that connects greater Des Moines' Cultural and Entertainment Districts (including the East Village, Western Gateway, Roosevelt, Valley Junction, Court Avenue and Ingersoll Avenue) in a two day celebration of local arts and culture, Friday-Saturday, September 24-25. On Saturday, you can pick up a free bus service to shuttle you between neighborhoods. For more information, visit the artstop web site.
The State Historical Society of Iowa is hosting it's fall Women of Interest Luncheon on Friday, September 24 from 11:30-1:00 pm at the State Historical Museum, 600 East Locust in Des Moines. Enjoy lunch from Baratta's, music by singer-songwriter Mary McAdams, and catch a sneak preview of a song from Thursday's Children.
Tickets are $15 - a portion of the proceeds will benefit the History Through The Arts program and the Thursday's Children project. To make a reservation (or for more information) call Maureen Korte at 515-281-4132 or e-mail Maureen.Korte@iowa.gov.
Casting for the show is now complete - biographies and photos of new companies members will be added soon. To view the list of cast members, please visit the Cast page on this site.
Many thanks to everyone who auditioned, and to all those who helped us connect with potential company members!
We are happy to welcome the legal firm of Ahlers & Conney, P.C. as a project sponsor. Many thanks to the attorneys at Ahlers & Cooney for this generous contribution to the Thursday's ChildrenProject!
Follow Unexpected Company on Twitter for the latest updates on Thursday's Children. As we move into production for the show, look for Tweets and or Updates with special offers on discounted tickets and merchandise.
Join the Thursday's Children Revolution: Find Us - Follow Us - Friend Us - Like Us - Share with your Friends
Catch a special preview of musical slections from Thursday's Children at the ACLU of Iowa’s 75th Anniversary Conference and Celebration Dinner, on Saturday, October 9 at The Meadows in Altoona.
We are really excited to be part of this event, as it includes a workshop on Student Rights, featuring John and Mary Beth Tinker - two of the original plaintiffs in the Tinker case, and Dan Johnston - the attorney who argued the case on their behalf.
For more information, or to register to attend the conference, please visit the ACLU-IA website
http://aclu-ia.org/.
We have just added a new event for the project, at the Des Moines Public Library (downtown) on Monday, October 25 at 6:30 pm: Dressing Up or Dressing Down - An open forum on school dress codes and freedom of expression through fashion, in honor of the 1965 black armband protest and the case of Tinker vs. Des Moines Schools. Join students, educators, and parents from the greater Des Moines area for a discussion of how the Tinker case changed the way students dress in school today, and share your opinions of how dress codes impact school culture. The event will include a special preview performance of musical selections from Thursday's Children.
We have added a Community Forum to our SHARE page, and we are asking people of all ages to share their thoughts about school dress codes - are they a good thing? Please give us your thoughts in our forums.
We are happy to welcome the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa as a partner and sponsor of the Thursday’s Children Project! The ACLU-IA (formerly the Iowa Civil Liberties Union) was an integral part of getting the Tinker lawsuit to the courts. In addition to making a generous contribution to the project, representatives from the organization will be part of some of the project’s educational events. They are also helping to promote the show, giving us front page coverage on their website at: http://aclu-ia.org/ Many thanks to Ben Stone, Veronica Fowler, and the other ACLU-IA staff members who are helping with this project!
Many thanks to Principal Financial Group for its generous contribution to the Thursday's Children Project! We greatly appreciate Principal's ongoing commitment to supporting the arts in Central Iowa.
The State Historical Society of Iowa has received a grant from the MetLife Creative Connections Meet the Composer program. MetLife Creative Connections provides support for American composers to participate in public activities related to specific performances of their original music. The grant will help to support educational activities and discussions involving Thursday’s Children’s collaborating writer/composers Brian R. Lynner and Lisa Norris-Lynner, including the Meet The Composer post-performance discussion on Sunday, October 24.
Open Auditions for Thursday's Children will be held on
Sunday, August 29 from 1:30-4:30 pm in the Iowa Public Theatre at the State Historical Museum, 600 East Locust Street in Des Moines, and
Monday, August 30 from 6:30-9:00 pm in Westminster Hall at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Avenue in Des Moines.
Roles are available for 2 men (35-45), one woman (25-35), 3 young men and 1 young female who can play high school students. Check our Casting page for more information on the roles available.
Come prepared to sing: you may bring a musical selection of your choice, but you may also be asked to sing from the score of the show. Bring a headshot and résumé if you have one.
All cast members will be paid a stipend. Rehearsals begin in September. Cast members must be available for weekday school matinees October 19-22; other performances will be on evenings and weekends, with some additional promotional performances for local media and special events in the month of October.
If you can't make these auditions but would like to be considered for a role, call Unexpected Company at 515-288-9163, or send an e-mail to Producer@thursdays-children.com.
Jan Kaiser at the Des Moines Public Library was kind enough to send us this link to the Library's information page on the Tinker case. According to their reference librarians, the Library has requests from all over the country from people asking for information about the case.
We purchased a this photo on eBay - it was reportedly taken at a December 1965 school board meeting, but we do not know the name of the photographer who took the photo, or the identity of the girl.
If you know the name of this person in this photograph, please let us know. If you know how we can get in touch with her, even better - we would love to hear about her memories of the armband protest and the meeting where this photo was taken.
If you have information that will help us identify this mystery girl, please send an e-mail to producer@thursdays-children.com.
The State Historical Society of Iowa has been awarded $5,000 in grant funding from Humanities Iowa for the Thursday's Children Project. Many thanks to Humanities Iowa for supportiung this project!
We are happy to welcome 
The State Historical Society of Iowa is hosting it's fall Women of Interest Luncheon on Friday, September 24 from 11:30-1:00 pm at the State Historical Museum, 600 East Locust in Des Moines. Enjoy lunch from Baratta's, music by singer-songwriter Mary McAdams, and catch a sneak preview of a song from Thursday's Children.
We purchased a this photo on eBay - it was reportedly taken at a December 1965 school board meeting, but we do not know the name of the photographer who took the photo, or the identity of the girl.