On January 21, students in the Intro to Acting course marked MLK Day by attending The Right to Dream at the Bellevue College Carlson Theatre. The touring educational drama, about the Civil Rights Movement, was created by Seattle theater company Living Voices.
The play gives an overview of civil rights struggles as seen through the eyes of a fictional character, a teenage girl. The solo actor narrates her way through a stream of famous events (the March on Washington, lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Summer), all projected on a screen behind her. She interacts with the video, talking to other characters whose voices are pre-recorded with gaps for her side of the dialogue.
OLS Students found the performance powerful and moving. Here is some of their reflections:
“I was almost about to cry happy tears because [the ending] was joyful…Towards the end of the play, I didn’t expect that any of her family members were going to show up and that she was going to be alone. But the part [when] she saw her dad after a long time makes you have a good feeling inside your heart.” — Nadine
“The play was very inspirational to me…I would recommend this show to anyone who wants to learn about history. This show is perfect for a lesson on the civil rights movement.” — Sydney
“The play made me feel like even though black people have more rights now than they did then, we still have some work we need to do.” — Gordon
“I would recommend this show to a friend for two reasons. The first reason is because you will learn a lot during the show. The second and final reason is because the actress did a really good job with her character.” — Hailey
The unusual style of presentation is also economical, a necessity in not-for-profit theater. In just one hour, the students got to see how drama can be educational as well as entertaining, the effectiveness of live theater mixed with technology, and a little of the “business” side of show business.
Living Voices not only provides actors with paid employment, but their thrifty approach has enabled them to tour the country with original historical plays since 1992.
Intro to Acting is an elective course OLS Students can take to obtain their associate degree from OLS. To learn more about our program register for an Information Session.
Last Updated February 6, 2020