History & Theatre at 3rd & Chestnut

Had a great time Wednesday accompanying the 7th grade class on their field trip to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia today. I am a big history nerd, especially when it comes to the American Revolution. That period has been an interest of mine ever since I learned as a kid that I shared a birthday with George Washington. I am also fascinated by museums and libraries - I could spend all day getting lost in them reading, learning, dreaming... of course that wouldn't do on this trip. It was my job as chaperone to keep an eye on a group of 17 students as they were led around the museum by one of the education tour guides. It was the perfect opportunity to do what I ask my students in the TYA class at NYU to do: watch how the youth in the audience react to what is being presented and the students did not disappoint.

The museum uses a few techniques to gauge audience interest. The layout meanders through the second story of the building much like the snake depicted in the "Join or Die" drawing featured prominently on the wall in one of the first rooms on the tour. Each of the rooms is dimly lit - no doubt this is to protect the artifacts within, but it also serves to help illuminate the items, statues, and stories most important to the narrative of the museum. The students and I also received character cards that included the name and some basic background information about a real person who lived at the time of the Revolution. We were told by the guide that at the end it would be revealed whether or not the person on our card survived the war. It was a technique reminiscent of the passport given to visitors at the United States Holocaust Museum when I went many years ago.

There was at least one statue, or tableaux, present in the museum rooms depicting important steps on the road from Stamp Act to the Treaty of Paris. These seemed to capture the students' attention most, as did the various interactive touch screens in other locations. The figures were so close and so lifelike that I found that if I imagined enough, it almost seemed as if I was there in the moment. The most engaging part of the trip for the students seemed to come at two separate moments. First, we boarded a replica of the bow of a privateer's sloop where seven students were pressed into service to load and fire a cannon. They took the work seriously and were deeply engaged in the moment. It was unfortunate, however, that the rest of the tour group was disengaged. With four cannons on the ship, I wonder what it might take to get everyone involved in that activity. The second most engaging moment came at the end of the tour when students came face to face with photographs of the people listed on our cards (everybody's character survived). It was fascinating to watch as they eagerly sought out the picture with a name plate that matched the name on their card. Many were surprised by how the person looked in the portrait; the photographs were of the people in old age. The students also touched the photos as if to have a more personal connection through touch.

The final message from the tour guide was that the spirit of the Revolution continues on in America today as we constantly strive for a better life and society. It was a great message that was alluded to at least once or twice along the way. I find it empowering to leave an audience with a big question to think about after an experience like this; that is one of the great powers of theatre. Did it work in the museum setting? It did for me. How well it resonated with the students is something I would need to follow up on with them. We quickly left the gallery for lunch (an hour later than we typically eat at school), so thoughts quickly shifted from the revolution to our stomachs, I'm sure. That only emphasized the importance of a follow up event like a post-show discussion, or something else along those lines. My TYA class at NYU often advocates for these although I am often skeptical of how well they work.

Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman

One other thing I enjoyed was that our tour guide took a moment to tell one of her favorite stories from the museum: that of Mum Bett, an enslaved woman from Massachusetts who successfully sued for her freedom under the Massachusetts Constitution in 1781. It set a prescident that allowed for other slaves to sue for their freedom and eventually led Massachusetts to become the first state to abolish slavery. Mum Bett, or Elizabeth Freeman as she was later known, was a topic of discussion during the TYA class at NYU yesterday as we discuss the play, The Judgement of Bett by R.N. Sandberg along with Harriet Jacobs a dramatization of Harriet Jacob's slave narrative adapted by Lydia R. Diamond. I love tying together theatre and history and was happy to have this connection on the tour. Looking forward to considering it again in class tomorrow; perhaps it is something that I can bring - at least in part - to the 7th graders, as well.

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