THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM: 1963
“In September of 1963, my family traveled to Birmingham and was there when this tragedy struck our nation’s daughters and rocked me to my ten-year-old core.”
Full-Length Theater for Young Audiences Musical, no Intermission
2M, 2W, 2B, 1G,
By Christopher Paul Curtis
Adapted by Christina Ham
Composer, Lyrics, & Orchestrations by Darius Smith
Meet the Watsons of Flint, Michigan: Mama, Dad, little sister Joetta, big brother Byron, and ten-year-old Kenny. When Byron can’t stay out of trouble, the whole family piles into their “Brown Bomber” and drives south to visit Grandma Sands for the summer. But along the way, they’ll experience a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
Christopher Paul Curtis’s Newberry Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning book is told through Kenny’s ever-witty perspective and captures hilarious family antics alongside poignant observations of Birmingham’s tragic church bombing. Experience the beloved story of a family’s bond and endurance amidst one of the darkest periods in America’s history.
Please click here for a selection of the play in PDF format
WORLD PREMIERE
March 14-22, 2019
Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.
directed by Faye M. Price