To See The Stars
Written by Cynthia Mercati
Produced by arrangement with Dramatic Publishing
Grade 8 Semester 1 MYP Drama Class Project 2010
Directed by Daren Blanck
MYP Drama 7 Journal Assignment: Copy and paste the Justice Bible Study and Triangle Web Quest questions into your Google Doc Journal. Select and complete 5 sections of the Bible Study (A-L), and 14 questions from the web quest!
On Thursday, December 2 the Grade 8 MYP Drama class presented its production of To See The Stars at the TCIS Auditorium.
The story is based on events surrounding the New York City Shirtwaist Strike of 1909, also known as the “Uprising of the 20,000”, an event that changed labor history and brought recognition of the rights of women in the American workplace. It is a story of regular people from around the world who stood up for justice and a better life.
Determined to improve the horrid sweatshop conditions she works in, Anya Rosen (played by Abby Kim) inspires Bridget Feeny (played by Emily Woo) to join her in organizing a strike against New York’s notorious Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where they work. At first the girls seek help from the local garment makers union, led by Patrick Lannon (played by Albert Jang), but no one will listen to the girls, except a young law student named Joe Russo (played by Paul Kim).
The girls convince their fellow workers including Clara (played by Margaret Suh), Ruth (Played by Lani Gobius), and Teresa (played by Esther Kim), to go out on strike anyway. They begin to draw the attention of New York society, especially Lenore Van Meer (played by Hui-lin Lei) and Violet Van der Cort (played by Kelly Lim).
The girl’s factory boss, Martin Roth (Played by Daniel Shin) uses every tactic he can come up with to put a stop to the strike, including sending in his thugs (played by Jae Yong Song, Branford Stone, and Joon Seop Hahn) and having the girls arrested for “street walking”. He goes so far that he bribes the crooked Judge Powell (played by Ku Yong Lee) to get the girls sentenced to the notorious Blackwell’s Island Prison, known as the Tombs. But the girls don’t give up, even after Clara succumbs to tuberculosis in prison and it seems as if all is lost.
Produced by arrangement with Dramatic Publishing, the play was directed by the MYP drama teacher, Mr. Daren Blanck, with technical assistance from Mr. Timo Gobius, Ms. Deb Gould, and Mrs. Marg Gobius. The student assistant director was eighth grader Jesse Miyoshi and the student stage manager was eighth grader Seong Hyeon Kim. Seventh graders Hyunoo Park and Anthony Yoo were light and sound technicians while their classmates SooA Baik, Cindy Choi, Juliet Ememanka, Gil Jang, Su Yeon Oh, Hannah Wegren, and Ethan McAllister did the set construction & painting. Eighth grader Joyce Choi assisted with costumes and make-up.
The students not only worked hard memorizing their lines, learning their character roles, painting the set, putting together costumes, and pulling together props and sound effects, but they also examined the theme of “justice” from a Biblical perspective. They discovered that if we take the Bible seriously we can’t ignore the fact that “justice” is close to God’s heart. In classroom discussions the eighth graders were encouraged to think more deeply about global justice issues including the plight of modern sweatshop laborers.
To See the Stars has won play competitions in both the states of Texas and Illinois. Its author, Cynthia Mercati was also honored with the University of Indiana’s Youth Theatre Play-writing Award in 1999. The TCIS production was its international premier.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
Some Video Clips from the Production:
