From Isuue #8 Spring 2005
I RISE: A Testimony of Commitment and Sacrifice for Civil Rights
An analysis of a Readers Theater Production Compiled, Edited and Directed by
Dr. Richard EmanuelThe inspiration for "I Rise"
This script was inspired by the students at Alabama State University (ASU) in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is an historically Black college/university (HBCU). Montgomery is rich with civil rights history - it was the destination for the Selma march, it was where Rosa Parks sparked the bus boycott, and much more. I teach Public Speaking and Voice & Diction classes at ASU. My Voice & Diction classes have a Readers Theater assignment as part of the course requirement.
After teaching at ASU for three years, I felt that many of my students had heard about the bus boycott, about Jim Crow, about the Niagara Movement, etcetera, but many did not know much about the pivotal people, places and events that make up the civil rights movement. When trying to convey information, you can tell someone, or you can show someone, or you can involve someone. Being involved and engaged with some of the people, places, and events of the civil rights movement seemed to make the most sense to me. Therefore, I decided to compile and edit a Readers Theater script dealing with this topic. And with the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott on the horizon (December 2005) it made sense to me to pursue the topic of civil rights. So, I decided to knit together a tapestry of historical facts, poetic expressions, songs and personal testimonies that would help illustrate the commitment and sacrifice many have made for civil rights.
I relied heavily on the Internet for source information - historical facts, speech texts, poem texts, song lyrics and the like. In all of my searching and gathering for this script, I was surprised to discover that there are only a handful of Readers Theater scripts that directly address the struggle for civil rights. One notable exception is the script "Will the Circle be Unbroken" produced by the Southern Regional Council.
I decided to take a chronological approach to the script. I knew that there was much that I would NOT be able to include the script. The goal was to get a script that could be presented in about one hour. The Voice & Diction classes meet for about one hour and one hour is a conservative audience fatigue threshold. After gathering the material - most of it electronically - it was time to put it in chronological order and begin cutting the script down to size. The script went through three major edits.
Through the editing process, the script emerged with three basic elements - factual/historical accounts, poems, and music. I tried to keep to a minimum the amount of script devoted to facts and dates, but I felt that this anchored the script and provided the context for the other elements. The historical accounts really brought the script to life as the readers presented "first-hand" the stories of various civil rights figures. One of the most powerful, of course, is the section of speech excerpts by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I also chose poems by Langston Hughes ("Mother to Son") and Maya Angelou ("I know why the caged bird sings" and "Still I Rise"). It was Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" that inspired the script title. One of the things that worked really well was splitting "Caged bird" and having stanzas read as "book ends" around some of the historical accounts.
The music included professionally produced pre-recorded music and a cappella singing by the students. The program begins with the song "Betelehemu" sung by the Seattle Men's Chorus from their "Soul Full" CD (See their web site at seattlemenschorus.com/soul.html). This is a great African rhythm song that marks the beginnings of the African American saga. The program ends with "Still I Rise" from the same CD. There may be other songs that would work as well here, but the title and lyrics were so perfect that I didn't really consider any others. The students sang, a cappella, shortened choruses of several well-known songs such as "Wade in de' Water," "Swing low, Sweet chariot," and "We shall overcome." These songs were strategically peppered throughout the script.Notes about the script
The script takes about an hour to perform in its entirety. The title of the various sections is provided for informational and organizational purposes and is not intended to be read aloud.
The script can be presented in a variety of ways - in its entirety or certain sections can be selected to suit a specific purpose. For example, the first two pages of introductory material could be presented followed by the section titled "Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott" (p.23). This would produce a dramatically shortened version. I strongly recommend that every production of "I Rise" include the Birmingham Pledge. Be sure you provide copies of the Birmingham Pledge for people to sign or provide the web address where people can sign the pledge online at http://birminghampledge.org/English.asp.
Using any portion of "Will the Circle be Unbroken" (pp.35-41), will require getting written permission from the Southern Regional Council. Their email address is info@southerncouncil.org. However, the script will flow well even with "Circle" omitted.Notes about the cast
The original cast consisted of 19 students enrolled in my Voice & Diction class. Each student was assigned multiple parts. Since the T.R. Davidson and Dr. M.L. King parts had so many lines, I tended to assign fewer other parts to the students cast in these major roles. I also had two students cast as Dr. M.L. King - one read King for one presentation, and the other read King for the other presentation. The person who was NOT reading King was "cast" as the son in Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son" (p.34). He just sat at the feet of "mother" as she read.
The cast was seated on-stage with chairs arranged in an arc. Readers in the first section ("Still I Rise") would rise and position themselves center-stage. As they completed their reading, the next group of readers for "Dred Scott" (p.3) would position themselves stage-right. As "Dred Scott" was ending, the next group would position themselves stage-left. So, the "Republican Party" group was already in position and the "Dred Scott" group was being seated as the entire cast began singing "Wade in de Water." I used this alternating stage location - center, right, left - throughout the production. However, solo readers were always placed center stage.Notes about costuming
The cast wore dark slacks, dark shoes and a white shirt. However, there are many places throughout the script where minor costuming could be used. For example, black judges robes could be worn for "Dred Scott" (p.3-4). Davidson (p.17-21) could wear a flying scarf and/or goggles around his neck, and cast members could wipe the sweat from their foreheads as they listen to Dr. King (p.33).Final Thoughts
I was somewhat apprehensive, at first, about this whole endeavor. A "white guy" using African American students to tell predominately African American audiences about the struggle for civil rights is a little presumptuous to say the least! However, Readers Theater is a vehicle by which I could simply be an enabler - enabling a younger generation of African Americans to more fully appreciate what their parents, grand parents and great grandparents struggled through.
The students truly enjoyed the production; Many of them invited family and friends who attended the performances. Audiences were receptive and responsive and they seemed to appreciate both the message and the effort.If you want to use the script
To obtain a free digital copy of the script, send your request to Dr. Richard Emanuel at EmanuelASU@yahoo.com. This script may be used royalty free (See note below about "Will the Circle be Unbroken" portion of the script). I require only advance notification of when and where your production will occur and the name of the sponsoring organization. Email advance notification to me at EmanuelASU@yahoo.com.
