Discovering Justice

Plan a field trip with Young Audiences and Discovering Justice, a nonprofit organization that aims to teach students about democracy by educating them about justice. Young Audiences' artists perform programs that explore important events in American history relating to the concept of justice and the workings of our legal system. These performances take place at the John Joseph Moakley or John Adams Courthouse in Boston.

Give your students the opportunity to:

• discover our system of justice though the arts.
• experience history through an interactive drama performed in a courtroom
• participate in a lively discussion with a judge or lawyer following a performance.
• learn about the art and architecture of the U.S. courthouse from a docent tour guide.
  

Note that schools must provide their own transportation.  Prices vary according to the program. For more information or to schedule a field trip, please contact Discovering Justice's Program Coordinator, Amory Files, at 617-748-9634 or at cmcdonald@discoveringjustice.org.  

Please click on the program name to the left for more information about the performance.

Three Mill Girls: We are not Machines
presented by "Characters" Educational Theater
Meet three mill girls who have different perspectives on their work in the mills. Mary Paul is "pro-mill," Sarah Bagley instigates turn outs and strikes, and Mary Harvey, an Irish immigrant worker, displays a complex range of attitudes from gratitude to outrage. The program explores various topics, including immigration, industrialization, labor history, prejudice, Victorian morals and women's history. Performance time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.
Grade Levels: 7-12

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
English Language Arts
History and Social Sciences
Theater
Science and Technology
Women's Studies
Multicultural Studies

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Sojourner Truth: A Woman Ain't I!
presented by Kathy Woods
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was born into slavery in Hurley, New York as Isabella Baumfree. During her 29 years as a slave, she developed a close relationship with God, walked away from slavery, and then renamed herself Sojourner Truth. Joining other notable Abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, Sojourner took to the road to free her people, and continued to be an activist for the post-Civil War Rights of the freed slaves and women suffragists. Veteran actor, singer, and teacher Kathryn Woods, uses Sojourner's own words and spiritual music to recreate this inspiring woman, recalling her years as a slave, celebrating her relationship with God, and sharing poignant stories of her days walking through this land.  (This program does not advocate any particular religion.)
Performance time: 1 hour
Grade Levels: 3-12

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
English Language Arts
History and Social Science
Music
Theater
Other Connections
African-American Studies
Multicultural Studies

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Phebe Emerson: Eyewitness to Revolution
presented by Inter*Act performances by Jan Turnquist
Join Phebe Emerson on April 19, 1775—the fateful day when the Redcoats marched into Concord from Lexington. Mrs. Emerson, the wife of Concord’s minister in 1775, witnessed the famous battle that took place on that day. Phebe brings a fresh perspective to this historical event, discusses how the townspeople felt about the American Revolution, and reviews the events leading up to it. The grandmother of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Phebe gives students a sense of daily life in Colonial America, and provides an informational foundation for understanding the "flowering of New England" during the 19th century. Programs are tailored to the age group and may be adjusted to meet your needs.
Grade Levels: 3-12
Performance time: 1 hour

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
English Language Arts
History and Social Science
Theater
Women's Studies

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Ellen Craft: Running 1,000 Miles to Freedom
In 1848, Ellen Craft and her husband William made a most remarkable escape from slavery in Georgia to freedom in the North. Rather than travel via the Underground Railway, they took the "above-ground" railroad. Often mistaken as a Caucasian woman due to her light complexion, Ellen disguised herself as a white man, while her husband posed as her slave. Mrs. Craft tells the true story of their escape from slavery, their year in Boston, their subsequent escape to England, and their eventual return to Georgia, where they started the Woodville Cooperative Farm School several years after the Civil War had ended.
Performance time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Grade Levels: 7-12

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
English Language Arts
History and Social Sciences
Theater
Women's Studies
Multicultural Studies

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Schedule:

Phebe Emerson:
Eyewitness to Revolution
1/18/08 Adams
1/25/08 Moakley
3/14/08 Adams
5/02/08 Moakley
6/06/08 Moakley

Three Mill Girls:
We are not Machines
3/13/08 Adams
3/20/08 Moakley
4/17/08 Adams
6/12/08 Moakley

Ellen Craft :
Running 1,000 Miles to Freedom
1/17/08 Adams
1/24/08 Moakley
4/10/08 Moakley
5/01/08 Moakley

Sojourner Truth:
A Woman Ain't I
2/07/08   Moakley
2/08/08   Moakley
2/14/08   Adams
2/15/08   Adams
4/11/08   Moakley
4/18/08   Adams

All programs begin at 10:30am.
Audience Limit is 80.

CLICK ON THE PROGRAM NAME FOR A DESCRIPTION.