A behind-the-curtain look at the artists, the company and the art form of this production. COMMON CORE STANDARDS Speaking and Listening: 1; 2; 6 Language: 1; 4; 6 NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS Arts: 4 English Language Arts: 1; 4 BLUEPRINT FOR THE ARTS Theater: Developing Theater Literacy; Making Connections This section is part of a full New Victory School Tool TM Resource Guide. For the complete guide, including information about the New Victory Education Department check out: NEWVICTORY.ORG/SCHOOLTOOLS 5
[ ] FLY American History + Tap Dance + Video Projections + Perseverance = The year is 1943: Allied forces liberate Rome; British and US troops storm the beaches of Normandy; and, on an airfield in Alabama, four brave young men join the first black military aviators in United States history. FLY, a theatrical action-adventure, beautifully employs dance and video projection to illuminate the tremendous courage and resilience of the Tuskegee Airmen. From training to combat, experience the anguish, fears and triumphs of a brotherhood who fought for freedom abroad and at home. Thrilling, inspired and uplifting, FLY soars. WHERE IN THE WORLD IS FLY FROM? PACIFIC OCEAN NORTH AMERICA X ATLANTIC OCEAN SOUTH AMERICA CLOSER LOOK AT FLY X NEW BRUNSWICK Crossroads Theatre Company, based in New Jersey, was the first African American theater to receive the prestigious Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1999. Established in 1978, Crossroads Theatre Company has produced over 100 works, many of which were world-premiere productions by leading African and African American artists. FLY features a Tap Griot, who tells the inner-stories of the four main characters by expressing their anger, fear and triumph through dance. A griot is a storyteller, musician and poet, with word origins in West Africa. Referring to the character in FLY as a "Tap Griot," we understand this character to be an important storyteller through his movement, and we know that the way he expresses himself is in line with the rich tradition of how history has been maintained throughout the ages by mankind. NEW JERSEY In 1869, New Brunswick hosted the first ever intercollegiate football game, played between Rutgers and Princeton. Approximately 400,000 workers commute from New Jersey to NYC every day! DID YOU KNOW: The 992 pilots and over 15,000 ground personnel who served with all-black units of the U.S. armed forces during WWII paved the way for complete military integration in 1948. 6
INSIDE THE ART FORM WHAT DO YOUR STUDENTS KNOW NOW? Prior to exploring FLY with your students, find out how much they already know about Tap Dance, Video Projection and WWII. Have you ever been to the theater before? What did you see? What are some rhythms you can create using only your feet and hands? Can you tell a story using only rhythm? Have you ever tried tap dancing yourself? TAP DANCE Born from the the melting pot of America, tap dance fuses African tribal dancing with Scottish, Irish and English hornpipes and jigs. It s defined best as a rhythmic step dance with hard-soled shoes or shoes to which taps have been added. This fusion first premiered in the 1820s and has since evolved into an integral part of our country s cultural canon. To this day, people around the globe are still wowed by the talents of the late Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and living legend Savion Glover. In FLY, the character known as the Tap Griot expresses the emotion of the characters through his rhythm and movement, telling the inner stories of the Tuskegee Airmen. Have you ever seen video projection used on stage? How might you use video projection to assist in telling a story? What do you know about World War II? Do you know anything about the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II? If so, what? VIDEO PROJECTION While some shows have elaborate physical sets to place a scene onstage, FLY uses five screens behind the actors to transport the audience. Projection is an art form that can be used in many ways; in theater it can be a tool to illustrate setting and contextualize the action on stage. These screens not only give the audience visual context of location, but they also provide historical photographs and other information regarding WWII and the Civil Rights movement. 7
HANDOUT HISTORY OF THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black servicemen to serve as military aviators during WWII. Before 1940, there were no African Americans flying in the US Military due to the overtly prejudiced Jim Crow laws. However, the Tuskegee Experiment proved to be a catalyst for change in July 1941, when 13 individuals were recruited to train at the Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in Alabama. Five men completed the program by the following March of 1942, which entailed primary training on the ground and secondary training requiring 60 hours of flight and a solo cross-country flight. At the time, there were about 40,000 African Americans enlisted in the military. By 1945, this number had increased to 1.2 million, with black men and women serving on the homefront, in the Pacific and in Europe. Between 1942-1946, 992 pilots graduated from the TAAF, with 450 serving overseas in either the 99th Fighter Squadron or the 332nd Fighter Group. WWII exposed great hypocrisy within the United States. Many considered the Tuskegee Airmen to be fighting two wars, one against the Axis Powers of the world and one against outright racism exhibited by fellow Americans. These trailblazers changed the course of history at a time when an antilynching bill was voted down. The Tuskegee Airmen served a nation not willing to serve them, stated former Secretary of State, Colin Powell. It was their dedication and highly successful work that led to Harry Truman s executive order in 1948 demanding equal treatment and opportunity in the US Armed Forces, ensuring that all would have a shot at earning an officer ranking regardless of their skin color. 75 years later, the sacrifices and battles fought both on the homefront and overseas by the Tuskegee Airmen continue to shape our country and politics. In 2007, then-senator Barack Obama spoke of his career in public service and how it was made possible by the path heroes, like the Tuskegee Airmen, trail-blazed. Two years later, he was inaugurated as the first black president of the United States, and President Barack Obama made sure to personally invite many veteran Tuskegee Airmen to the celebration.
UNIT PLAN BRAINSTORM Check out these ideas for how to incorporate FLY into a unit plan! Then, use the specific activities from this guide that are recommended for each topic. PERSONAL STORIES/INTERVIEWS (ELA, SOCIAL STUDIES) FLY is a show inspired by the personal stories of the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII. Have your students reflect on a defining moment in their lives or their family s lives. Then have them write a list of questions and pair up to interview each other about this defining moment. At the end of the activity, ask them to share with someone else in the class what they learned about their partner. To support this unit, refer to the Creativity Page, What s Your Story? in the En Route section. ART INSPIRED BY HISTORICAL EVENTS (ELA, SOCIAL STUDIES) Though in itself a work of fiction, FLY is inspired by historical events. Ask your students to explore two works of different mediums that are inspired by the same event (for example, the movie Red Tails ). How does a movie depict history differently than a short story or painting? How are they similar? To expand their artistic exploration vocabulary, use activities Theatricalize the Timeline in the Before section and Monologue to Movement in the After section. HEROES (ELA, SOCIAL STUDIES) The Tuskegee Airmen were catalysts of change in the United States. They faced much adversity and discrimination, even while operating as distinguished pilots in the army. Have your students reflect on other heroes who have faced struggle and adversity. How did these figures overcome the obstacles in their path? What impact did their resolve have on history? How is today's world different because of their sacrifices? For inspiration, use the Creativity Page 6 Figures in the After section. 9