What Was The Underground Railroad Game? (Correct answer)

A card-driven, co-operative game set in early American History, Freedom: The Underground Railroad has players working together for the Abolitionist Movement to help bring an end to slavery in the United States.

What was the punishment for the Underground Railroad?

A severe beating was the most common form of discipline, usually administered with a bull whip or a wooden paddle. The offender would be hung by the hands or staked to the ground and every slave on the plantation would be forced to watch the whipping to deter them from running away.

What was the Underground Railroad questions?

About the Underground Railroad

• What is the Underground Railroad?
• Who were “freedom seekers”?
• Was the Underground Railroad actually a railroad?
• Where did the Underground Railroad go?
• Who were the Underground Railroad conductors?
• Was the Underground Railroad run by Quakers?
• Who were abolitionists?

What was the underground railroad run by?

In the early 1800s, Quaker abolitionist Isaac T. Hopper set up a network in Philadelphia that helped enslaved people on the run. At the same time, Quakers in North Carolina established abolitionist groups that laid the groundwork for routes and shelters for escapees.

Does the Underground Railroad still exist?

It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Ashtabula County had over thirty known Underground Railroad stations, or safehouses, and many more conductors. Nearly two-thirds of those sites still stand today.

What was the punishments for slaves who ran away?

Many escaped slaves upon return were to face harsh punishments such as amputation of limbs, whippings, branding, hobbling, and many other horrible acts. Individuals who aided fugitive slaves were charged and punished under this law.

Where did the Underground Railroad go?

Routes. Underground Railroad routes went north to free states and Canada, to the Caribbean, into United States western territories, and Indian territories. Some freedom seekers (escaped slaves) travelled South into Mexico for their freedom.

When was the Underground Railroad first used?

The term Underground Railroad began to be used in the early 1830s. In keeping with that name for the system, homes and businesses that harbored runaways were known as “stations” or “depots” and were run by “stationmasters.” “Conductors” moved the fugitives from one station to the next.

How did the Underground Railroad lead to the Civil War quizlet?

How did the Underground Railroad cause the Civil War? *The Underground Railroad was a escape route for fugitive slaves in America. *Slaves would be helped by Northerners or “Quakers” who help slaves escape to Canada. *The Underground Railroad made the South mad because this was beneficial to slaves.

What happened in the Underground Railroad?

The Underground Railroad— the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, through the end of the Civil War—refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape.

How did the Underground Railroad help slaves?

The Underground Railroad was a secret system developed to aid fugitive slaves on their escape to freedom. The free individuals who helped runaway slaves travel toward freedom were called conductors, and the fugitive slaves were referred to as cargo.

How was the Underground Railroad successful?

The success of the Underground Railroad rested on the cooperation of former runaway slaves, free-born blacks, Native Americans, and white and black abolitionists who helped guide runaway slaves along the routes and provided their homes as safe havens.

Were there tunnels in the Underground Railroad?

Contrary to popular belief, the Underground Railroad was not a series of underground tunnels. While some people did have secret rooms in their houses or carriages, the vast majority of the Underground Railroad involved people secretly helping people running away from slavery however they could.

How many slaves died trying to escape?

At least 2 million Africans –10 to 15 percent–died during the infamous “Middle Passage” across the Atlantic. Another 15 to 30 percent died during the march to or confinement along the coast. Altogether, for every 100 slaves who reached the New World, another 40 had died in Africa or during the Middle Passage.

Is the movie Underground Railroad a true story?

Adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-award-winning novel, The Underground Railroad is based on harrowing true events. The ten-parter tells the story of escaped slave, Cora, who grew up on The Randall plantation in Georgia.

Underground Railroad Game Review: Slavery, Sex and Power Yesterday and Today

“Underground Railroad Game,” a critically acclaimed 2016 play by Ars Nova that is being resurrected for only two weeks, is inspired by a real-life game that co-creator Scott Sheppard was compelled to play in fifth grade as part of his school’s weird interpretation of the American Civil War. The pupils were divided into two teams: Union troops and Confederate soldiers. Points were awarded to each team for either catching black dolls that represented runaway slaves or assisting them in their escape from the United States to Canada.

The play’s two authors serve as its sole cast members, morphing in eight scenes over 75 minutes from a runaway slave and a Quaker abolitionist to fellow middle school teachers overseeing a “educational Civil War,” to an awkwardly dating interracial couple, to intense role-players engaged in a full-on explicit fantasy involving sex and violence, with a safe word (“Sojourner”) that they choose to disregard.

There’s even a tiny, subtle scene where the author-actors, Scott and Jenn, as themselves, discuss what they’re doing with their characters.

After missing the first run of “Underground Railroad Game” at Ars Nova’s theater on 54th Street and knowing nothing about it, I was surprised and stirred by the encore performance at Ars Nova’s new second theater, Greenwich House on Barrow Street in the Village.

(Some hints can be gleaned from the images.) Because of this reliance on an adrenaline shot of theatricality, I’m curious about two things: 1.

whether there has been a change in the effectiveness of the drama and themes of the show three years after its debut.

Now, it’s difficult to overlook the incisive satire that lurks behind the show’s witty banter and ferocious action.

“The underground railroad, which was responsible for the emancipation of a number of slaves,” our history instructors remind us with a smile, “was the silver lining to the black cloud that was slavery.” After a while, Stuart and Caroline’s flirtations demonstrate just how vast the chasm between black and white is: Stuart: I’m curious as to what happens to your hair when it gets wet.

1. Caroline: I’m curious to see what you’ll look like in the dark after nightfall.
2. However, when the “Underground Railroad Game” first opened its doors three years ago, Donald Trump had not yet been elected President of the United States.
3. The “Underground Railroad Game” will also return to New York in 2019, marking the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves being imported to America.
4. No matter if it was by chance or design, the year has been distinguished by a slew of plays written by black writers that have dealt in varied degrees with slavery and its legacy.
5. Love’s “Sugar in Our Wounds,” Charly Evon Simpson’s “Behind the Sheet,” Suzan-Lori Parks’ “White Noise,” Jordan E.
6. Harris’sSlave Play, which shares with “Underground Railroad Game” a preference for surprise and sexually explicit role-playing in its exploration of interracial relationships.

In the wake of these other plays, “Underground Railroad Game” must now assume its rightful position among them, as they all demonstrate in different ways that the stain of slavery has not been completely removed from the United States 150 years after its formal abolition.

Click on any photograph by Ben Arons to see it enlarged.

Ars Nova, a game of the Underground Railroad, is being played at Greenwich House. Jennifer Kidwell and Scott Sheppard wrote and performed the piece, which was directed by Taibi Magar and included Lighting Rod Special. Tilly Grimes designed the production, Steven Dufala designed the scenic design, Oona Curley designed the lighting design, Mikaal Sulaiman designed the sound design, Ryan Borque choreographed the combat choreography, and movement consultant Ryan Borque designed the sound design Lisa McGinn, Lisa Neumann, David Neumann, and Lisa McGinn, production stage manager There is no intermission throughout the 75-minute performance.

Tickets range in price from $45 to $65 with premium seats available for $90.

The Underground Railroad Game will be performed till June 15, 2019.

Related

The majority of disputes regarding inequity are fleeting. The injustice has been exposed, the struggle has been fought, and the issue has been resolved. The world continues to march forward. However, the wrongs of racism – and particularly, the wrongs of black slavery – belong in a separate category. It is partially due to the heinousness of the injustices committed, partly due to the persistence of prejudice, and partly due to the fact that the memory of the wrong is carried inside our very bodies.

1. Ars Nova’s rambling, unnerving, and troublingly humorous two-hander appears to be the case, at least on the surface.
2. To a similar extent, we know that Scott R.
3. For Stuart, the values Caroline embraces intuitively are the result of intellectual education — and not necessarily in a positive way.
4. In their efforts to exorcise the ghosts of their cultural past, they appear to grow more more tormented and stuck by history as time passes.
5. The production starts with a play inside a play that is both fun and slick in its execution.
6. We, the audience, are the middle-school assembly in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and we are unsure whether to take their crude acting seriously or to laugh at their grandstanding clumsiness in front of the whole school.
7. They want us to join in either the union or confederate armies as part of a role-playing exercise that has gotten horribly out of hand, so that we may better comprehend the competing forces of the American Civil War, which they are introducing.

This is the game of railroads in the United States.

“Are you going to reaffirm or are you going to change history?” they inquire.

Within a short period of time, the initiative has sparked some very heinous racial attitudes.

Attempts by the instructors to leave a terrible history in the past go by the wayside as the legacy of prejudice crashes headlong into the current day.

The implication is that slavery’s legacy is so pervasive that it continues to pollute and poison relationships in the most harmful psychological way possible.

When Kidwell speaks at the conclusion of a tense production that gets under everyone’s skin, he adds, “When you’re fighting your opponent, you’re also facing yourself.”

• From 4 September to 13 October, you may see them at Traverse, in Edinburgh, till 26 August, and at Soho theatre, in London. Read all of our reviews of the Edinburgh Festival

Let’s Play ‘Underground Railroad Game’: A Lacerating Comedy on Race (Published 2016)

“Sojourner” is today’s “safe word,” and it’s a good one. In Hanover, Pa., fifth-grade pupils were given those three words as a present by Teacher Stuart and Teacher Caroline. They were to be used in times of difficulty during an unusually daring history assignment. Whenever you find yourself well beyond of your comfort zone and in need of a respite, you should call out, “Sojourner,” to the delight of your peers. After seeing “Underground Railroad Game,” which premiered at the Ars Nova on Monday night and has been receiving rave reviews, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll be tempted to yell “Sojourner” on a number of occasions before the show’s conclusion.

Slavery is the subject of “Underground Railroad Game,” as you may have guessed based on the title and the safe word (which relates to the 19th-century African-American abolitionist Sojourner Truth), in this video game.

“But,” you might object, “slavery isn’t exactly a taboo issue these days.” Having won the Academy Award for best picture only two years earlier, “12 Years a Slave” is generating tremendous anticipation for the upcoming film”The Birth of a Nation,” directed by Nat Parker and based on the 1831 slave insurrection led by Nat Turner.

1. It was also on Monday night when not just “Underground Railroad Game” but also “Nat Turner in Jerusalem,” a drama by Nathan Alan Davis, premiered in New York.
2. For starters, the action takes place in the present (though it is clear that the past is always present).
3. That is not to imply that it is a pointless exercise.
4. However, as the title suggests, this piece ultimately takes you into underground realm.
5. Despite the fact that they are both in their 30s, Ms.
6. Sheppard are able to see through the flippant, “we know better” sarcasm that often permeates interracial discussion among young and deliberately liberal people.

And, under the direction of Taibi Magar and with the assistance of an incredibly creative design team, the play conjures up harrowing theatrical pictures to match its erratic language, the kind of imagery that used to drive people to Freudian psychiatrists when they appeared in their nightmares.

• Sheppard’s childhood memories of participating in a history-lesson game designed by teachers at his middle school, which inspired the play.
• Image Photograph courtesy of Sara Krulwich/The New York Times We are given an explanation of the regulations of this tournament early in the play by the happily synchronized team of Teacher Caroline (Ms.
• Sheppard), who is white, who are on stage together.
• Despite the fact that they use the same lesson plan, the same tone of voice, and the same child-friendly terminology, it is immediately apparent that Caroline and Stuart are not always on the same page.
• When Caroline and Stuart begin a romantic relationship outside of work, the divide between them grows even wider, sending them into free fall.
• The phrases “those words” don’t imply the same thing to me as they do for you.” Ms.
• Sojourner, sojourner, sojourner!

“Underground Railroad Game” demonstrates that role-playing games are not limited to the classroom.

It is only a prologue to more complex offstage costume dramas in which Caroline and Stuart hash out their affections for each other that the production’s first scene, in which the professors act out a silly vignette as a kindly Quaker abolitionist and a fugitive slave, is staged.

Kidwell and Mr.

Within the performances, the blurring of lines also dissipates the comfortable distance we feel between us and those performing on stage.

Some would say that the play repeats the same arguments a little too much, and I believe that is a valid criticism.

I’ve made an effort to avoid providing too much precise information.

A half-century later, you wouldn’t expect anything like that to be true.

Isn’t it true that we’ve converted stale and unpleasant old stereotypes into something to laugh about?

No, not at all. The film “Underground Railroad” asserts that there is still no easy way to talk about slavery’s legacy in a straightforward manner. When we go too close to this play, the arrogant and familiar comedy that attracts us eventually explodes in our faces like a toxic prank cigar.

Underground Railroad Game — Octopus Theatricals

As a result, we’ll use the term “Sojourner” as our “safe word” for today. In Hanover, Pa., fifth-grade pupils were given those three words as a present by Teacher Stuart and Teacher Caroline. They were to be used in times of crisis as part of an exceptionally daring history project. Whenever you find yourself well outside of your comfort zone and in need of a break, you should call out, “Sojourner,” lads and girls. Before the conclusion of “Underground Railroad Game,” the in-all-ways fantastic play that debuted on Monday night atArs Nova, you’ll be tempted to scream out “Sojourner” a number of times, and it’s a reasonably good chance that you will.

1. Slavery is the subject of “Underground Railroad Game,” as you may have guessed based on the title and the safe word (which alludes to the 19th-century African-American abolitionist Sojourner Truth).
2. Then there’s the fact that slavery is no longer a controversial topic these days.
3. “The Underground Railroad,” written by Colson Whitehead, is a best-selling novel.
4. This is not the case with “Underground Railroad Game.” Because it is situated in the present, for starters (though it is clear that the past is always present).
5. In no way can this be seen as being insignificant.
6. However, as the play’s title implies, you will be transported into a subterranean world.
7. Despite the fact that they are both in their 30s, Ms.
8. Sheppard are able to detect the deception in the flippant, “we know better” sarcasm that frequently permeates interracial discussion among young and liberal people.

And, under the direction of Taibi Magar and with the assistance of an incredibly creative design team, the play conjures up piercing theatrical visuals to match its erratic language, the kind of imagery that used to drive people to Freudian psychiatrists when they appeared in their nightmares.

• Sheppard’s childhood memories of taking part in a history lesson game designed by teachers at his middle school, which inspired the play’s idea and structure.
• Image Featured image courtesy of Sara Krulwich/The Washington Post We are introduced to the regulations of the tournament by the gleefully synchronized team of Teacher Caroline (Ms.
• Sheppard), who is white, early in the play.
• In spite of the fact that they have a similar lesson plan, a similar tone of voice, and a similar language, it is immediately evident that Caroline and Stuart are not always on the same page.
• When Caroline and Stuart begin a romantic relationship outside of work, the divide between them becomes larger and larger, sending them into free fall.
• I don’t understand what those phrases signify in the same way that you do.” Ms.
• Sojourner, sojourner, sojourner, sojourner.

“Underground Railroad Game” demonstrates that role-playing games are not limited to the classroom.

It is only a prologue to the more intricate offstage costume plays in which Caroline and Stuart hash out their affections for each other that the production’s opening scene, in which the professors act out a goofy vignette as a kindly Quaker abolitionist and a fugitive slave, is performed.

Kidwell and Mr.

Within the performances, the blurring of lines also dissipates the comfortable distance we feel between us and the performers on stage.

Some would say that the play repeats the same arguments a little too frequently, and I think that is a valid criticism.

To the best of my ability, I’ve avoided providing too much detail.

That would be unthinkable a half-century later, if it were feasible.

Have we not transformed tired and deplorable old prejudices into something to laugh at?

The film “Underground Railroad” asserts that there is still no easy method to talk about slavery’s impact in a straightforward way. When we go too close to this play, the arrogant and familiar comedy that hooks us ends up bursting in our faces, much like a toxic prank cigar.

CREATIVE TEAM

Produced by |JENNIFER KIDWELLandSCOTT R. SHEPPARDin collaboration withLIGHTNING ROD SPECIALDirector |TAIBI MAGAR and featuring |JENNIFER KIDWELLandSCOTT R. SHEPPARDProduction Design |TILLY GRIMESScenic Design |STEVEN DUFALA Associate Scenic Design | YOU-SHIN CHENAssociate Costume Design | CAITY MULKEARNSAssociate Lighting Design | SARAH STOLNACKAssociate Sound Design |LEE KINNEYProps Master |EMILIE GROSSMANAssociate Stage Manager | NATALIE HRATKOAssociate Lighting Design | SARAH STOLNACKAssociate Stage Manager |

NATAL

PRESS AND AWARDS

Produced by |JENNIFER KIDWELLandSCOTT R. SHEPPARDwithLIGHTNING ROD SPECIALDirector |TAIBI MAGAR and starring |JENNIFER KIDWELLandSCOTT R. SHEPPARDProduction Design by |TILLY GRIMESScenic Design by |STEVEN DUFALA. Associate Scenic Design | YOU-SHIN CHENAssociate Costume Design | CAITY MULKEARNSAssociate Lighting Design | SARAH STOLNACKAssociate Sound Design |LEE KINNEYProps Master |EMILIE GROSSMANAssociate Stage Manager | NATALIE HRATKOAssociate Lighting Design | SARAH STOLNACKAssociate Sound Design |LEE KINNEYAssociate Stage Manager |

AWARDSNOMINATIONS

Nominations for the Fringe First AwardLucille Lortel was named the 2017 OBIE Award winner for Best New American Theatre Work.

• JENNIFER KIDWELL is an outstanding lead actress in a play
• TILLY GRIMES is an outstanding costume designer
• And JENNIFER KIDWELL is an outstanding lead actress in a play.

BIOS

JENNIFER KIDWELL (Creator/Performer) is a performing artist that works in the entertainment industry. Dan Hurlin’s recent projects include: Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed (Dan Hurlin), I Understand Everything Better (David Neumann/advanced beginner group), Sans Everything (AS 220), Antigone (The Wilma Theater), I Promised Myself to Live Faster and 99 Break-Ups (Pig Iron Theatre Company), Dick’s Last Stand (Whitney Biennial 2014, as Donelle Woolford), Zinnias: The Life of C She is now collaborating with Geoff Sobelle and Nichole Canuso, and she is a member of the PITC company, a Wilma Theater Associated Artist, a co-director of the theater company Lightning Rod Special, and a co-founder of the non-profit organization JACK Her writing has appeared in the movement research journal Performance Journal45 as well as the website hyperallergic.com.

• In 2013, she was given the TCG/Fox Resident Actor Fellowship (in collaboration with PITC), with her major project being the Underground Railroad Game.
• A performer, creator, director, and teacher, SCOTT SHEPPARD (Creator/Performer) resides in Philadelphia with his family.
• Scott was a part of the initial class of Pig Iron Theatre Company’s School for Advanced Performance Training (2011-2013).
• 2014 saw him as a guest faculty member at Colgate University, where he directed and co-created the student performance, Seeing the Beast, which he also directed.
• Moreover, Scott was named to the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Performing Arts for the academic year 2016.
• LIGHTNING ROD SPECIALis a created theatre group headquartered in Philadelphia, co-directed by Katie Gould, Mason Rosenthal, Scott Sheppard, and Alice Yorke.
• Lightning Rod Special creates live performance from the bottom up, deconstructing big problems with precision and a sense of humor.

She is a graduate of the Brown/Trinity MFA program in film and television.

With Trinity Repertory Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, ShakespeareCompany, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she has worked as a director and creative developer.

She is also a graduate of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab.

The Juilliard School, Alley Theatre, and Guthrie Theater will all be performing in the upcoming 16/17 season.

Our diverse range of programs encourages thinking outside the box and fosters the creation of unique, genre-bending art.

The stomping ground and launching pad for imaginative, experimental artists of all stripes, thanks to our frenzied wealth of programming, we are the place to be.

Ars Nova pushes the boundaries of live entertainment by nurturing creative ideas into smart, surprising new work that surprises and delights the audience. Studio Usher created the original graphic design. Martha Rich created the illustration.

Underground Railroad Game – FringeArts

Using the Lightning Rod Special, Jenn Kidwell and Scott Sheppard demonstrate their skills.

Saturday, September 12

DescriptionAbout the ArtistsInterview with the Artists “Kidwell and Sheppard’s outstanding performances make the audience, or the class, laugh, cringe, and, on many occasions, do both at the same time,” says the reviewer. Defender of New Orleans The situation in which we find ourselves in terms of racial politics is desperate, and I frequently feel that there is no way out.” So, what else is there to do but laugh?” Jenn Kidwell is the co-creator and performer of the show. Please be advised that the show involves nudity.

1. We’re going to use even more problematic ways!
2. Through a series of comic and sad scenes, this fluid duo addresses and confounds difficult problems of race and the warped tales that have been developed to lessen the impact of history.
3. Participants in the creation process as well as performers Jenn Kidwell and Scott Sheppard are a married couple.
4. Dramaturg James Ijames is a fictional character created by James Ijames.
5. Sound Alex Bechtel is an American businessman and philanthropist.
6. Oona Curley is a well-known Irish actress.
7. Tom and Carol Beam are a married couple who have two children.
8. Co-Producers Cat, Annie, and Steven Bohnenberger are three members of the Bohnenberger family.
9. Co-ProducersAndrew Stone and Gene BishopCo-ProducersShelley Z.
10. Golden Jr.

AboutJenn Kidwell, Scott Sheppard + Lightning Rod Special

As students at the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training, Jenn Kidwell and Scott Sheppard began laying the framework for the Underground Railroad Game in their spare time. The Underground Railroad Game was inspired by true Underground Railroad middle school reenactments, as well as Kara Walker’s silhouettes, park ranger talks, movies, paintings, music, history textbooks, and overheard conversations. The Underground Railroad Game is available on the App Store and Google Play. Kidwell appeared in Pig Iron Theatre Company’sI Promise Myself to Live Faster, and both Kidwell and Sheppard appeared in 99 Breakups, which was presented as part of the FringeArts festival.

Philadelphia-based Lightning Rod Specialis a physical theatrical group that alternates between being rowdy and meditative, employing a highly collaborative, actor-driven style.

Hackles, and Go Long Big Softie are just a few of the titles from the author’s previous works. Photographs by Tamara Rodriguez Reichberg in color Kate Raines’ sepia photographs

Interview with creators Jenn Kidwell and Scott Sheppard

FringeArts: What is the significance of the title Underground Railroad Game? In the words of Scott Sheppard: “We chose the title Underground Railroad Game not just because the work is primarily about instructors who design an Underground Railroad game for their kids, but also because it is mysterious in the appropriate manner.” When you put a really serious and terrible moment in American history next to a wordgame, it creates an uncomfortable juxtaposition. As a result, it gives you a sarcastic wink that you can’t quite put your finger on.

1. FringeArts: Could you give us a brief description of the play’s world?
2. This tension permits us to transgress the laws of the space, resulting in circumstances that are always evolving.
3. Just when you’re becoming comfortable with your viewing assumptions, you notice that those assumptions aren’t entirely accurate.
4. It’s also an universe full with hilarious dangers.
5. FringeArts: Can you tell me about the process of developing the project from its inception to its current state?
6. I grew up in the vicinity of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the site of the notorious turning-point fight of the American Civil War.
7. Consequently, in 5th grade, a group of my instructors devised an interdisciplinary theme unit in which the entire school was divided into two teams: Union troops and Confederate soldiers.
8. However, that was the genesis of the piece.
9. We bring these experiences into the room and create impromptu scenarios based on what we have learned.

So our conflicting sentiments about Kara Walker’s silhouettes became a moment between a slave and a middle-school teacher, and our problems with romantic films and hipster racism became a great “getting to know you” scene with a twist, thanks to this transformation.

Underground Railroad Game

The moniker “Underground Railroad Game” is given by FringeArts for a reason. In the words of Scott Sheppard: “We chose the title Underground Railroad Game not just because the work is primarily about instructors who design an Underground Railroad game for their kids, but also because it is cryptic in the appropriate manner. With the wordgame, it creates an uncomfortable contrast with a very serious and terrible event in American history. Thus, you are given a wink that is both cynical and incomprehensible.

1. How would you characterize the setting of the play?
2. We cast the audience as middle-schoolers from the beginning of the film, but we also include scenes that are not fit for younger audiences.
3. Scott Sheppard: I would characterize the world of the play as a trickster world or a funhouse world, in that nothing is ever quite what it appears to be.
4. The piece is constantly one step ahead of the audience, dashing down thematic hallways and pulling the rug out from under them to disclose truths that are both potentially horrific and potentially funny.
5. We create situations in which some members of the audience laugh while others cringe at the same time.
6. “The initial premise of the play was inspired by genuine occurrences that occurred in my hometown of Hanover, Pennsylvania,” says Scott Sheppard.
7. Hanover had a thriving reenactment culture, and there were plenty of history aficionados who were attracted by the romantic appeal of the American Civil War during the time period.
8. It was the Underground Railroad game that was the most popular, in which we sneaked black dolls throughout the campus and stashed them into various boxes, or Safehouses, as the term goes.
9. The following is an interview with Jen Kidwell, who is a journalist.
10. We bring these experiences into the room and create impromptu scenarios based on what we’ve learned.

So our mixed sentiments about Kara Walker’s silhouettes became a moment between a slave and a middle-school teacher, and our issues with romantic films and hipster racism became a classic “getting to know you” scenario with a twist, thanks to this transformation.

Cast

Co-creator

Scott R Sheppard

Co-creator

Lightning Rod Special

Co-creator

Taibi Magar

Design of the Manufacturing Process

Steven Dufala

Design of Scenic Environments

Oona Curley

Designing Using Lighting

Mikaal Sulaiman

Aesthetics and Sound Design

Ryan Bourque

Choreographer for a brawl

David Neumann

Choreographer of combat situations

Underground Railroad Game — Lightning Rod Special

Choreographer for a fight

ABOUT THE SHOW

Fight choreographer

TOUR STOPS

’62 Center Williams College; Williamstown, MA – 2018; Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, Washington, DC – 2018; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland – 2018; Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Australia – 2019; Return Off-Broadway Engagement, Ars Nova – 2019; Bard Collegian Theatre, London, UK – 2019; Bard Collegian Theatre, London, UK – 2019; Bard Collegian Theatre, London, UK – 2019; Woolly It is as daringly unexpurgated as anything you will meet onstage today, and it is a fascinating, whip-smart performance work.

The Washington Post’s PETER MARKS contributed to this report.

ACCOLADES AND PRESS

According to the New York Times The top 25 plays over the previous 25 years are shown here. 2017 OBIE Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Theatre Winner of the First Prize at the Edinburgh Fringe 2018 According to the New York Times The best theater productions of 2016 According to the New York Times Featured in the New York Times as “in-all-ways spectacular,” “the arrogant and familiar comedy with which this play hooks us ends up bursting in our faces, like a deadly prank cigar,” said the critics.

Ben Brantley is the author of this piece.

A magnificent and violent excoriation of race relations in America in Ars Nova’s Malthouse set the bar early in the year, and it proved to be an unachievable goal to overcome.” “This compelling, whip-smart performance work, produced by Philadelphia performers Jennifer Kidwell and Scott Sheppard, is as daringly unexpurgated as anything you’ll meet onstage today,” according to the Washington Post.

Toby Zinman is a writer and poet.

CREATIVE TEAM

Scott R. Sheppard and Jenn Kidwell are the primary artists. Taibi Magar is the director, while Scott R. Sheppard and Jenn Kidwell are the co-creators and performers. Lisa McGinn is the stage manager. Natalie Hratko is the Assistant Stage Manager for this production. Tilly Grimes was in charge of the production design. Steven Dufala is responsible for the set design. Oona Curley is responsible for the lighting design. Tilly Grimes is responsible for the costume design. Mikaal Sulaiman is responsible for the sound design.

David Neumann is a movement consultant.

Sarah Sanford was involved in the initial development of the project.

The makers like to express their gratitude to the community of other artists who have generously contributed their time and expertise to the development of this project since 2013.

” It’s a bomb! Unafraid, ferociously uninhibited, fearless. “The most subversive aspect of the program is also its most fundamentally American characteristic: it is tremendously entertaining.” In an interview with The New Yorker’s ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Underground Railroad Game

Ben Arons Photography provided the image.

At Hanover Middle School, a pair of teachers are getting shockingly down and dirty with a lesson about race, sex, and power.

This performance is a part of the No Safety Net exhibition. During an interactive unit on the Underground Railroad, teachers take history off the page and into the classroom by putting fifth graders into a role-playing game in which Union soldiers attempt to smuggle slaves — represented by dolls — to freedom while Confederate soldiers attempt to recapture the dolls as they make their way north. The New York Times hailed this play, which made its world premiere at Philadelphia’s FringeArts festival, as “the year’s most ringing testament to theater’s continued capacity to shock,” and named it one of the finest theatrical productions of 2016.

• (Source: Washington Post) This film contains explicit language, sexual material, and nudity that is racially tinged.
• This film contains explicit language, sexual material, and nudity that is racially tinged.
• Q & A with the artist It will be Wednesday, January 17.
• In order to gain an insight into the lives and thoughts of the performers who bring their imaginations to life on stage.
• The 20th of January is a Saturday.
• For each performance, Jim and Martine will be joined by a number of community leaders who will facilitate a discussion among the audience members on the topics of the show.
• Please feel free to ask questions.

FUNDED IN PART BY

In connection with the No Safety Net Series: Underground Railroad Game, Emily Bernard shares her own experience with the N-word, including how it is used, its history, and its significance in African-American cultural expression.

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7:30 p.m. on January 17, 2018 7:30 p.m. on January 18, 2018 8:00 p.m. on January 19, 2018 2:00 p.m. on January 20, 2018 8:00 p.m. on January 20, 2018 2:00 p.m. on January 21, 2018 The Arthur Miller Theatre is located in New York City’s Theater District.

At Hanover Middle School, a pair of teachers are getting shockingly down and dirty with a lesson about race, sex, and power.

This performance is a part of the No Safety Net exhibition. During an interactive unit on the Underground Railroad, teachers take history off the page and into the classroom by putting fifth graders into a role-playing game in which Union soldiers attempt to smuggle slaves — represented by dolls — to freedom while Confederate soldiers attempt to recapture the dolls as they make their way north. The New York Times hailed this play, which made its world premiere at Philadelphia’s FringeArts festival, as “the year’s most ringing testament to theater’s continued capacity to shock,” and named it one of the finest theatrical productions of 2016.

1. (Source: Washington Post) This film contains explicit language, sexual material, and nudity that is racially tinged.
2. This film contains explicit language, sexual material, and nudity that is racially tinged.
3. Q & A with the artist It will be Wednesday, January 17.
4. In order to gain an insight into the lives and thoughts of the performers who bring their imaginations to life on stage.
5. The 20th of January is a Saturday.
6. For each performance, Jim and Martine will be joined by a number of community leaders who will facilitate a discussion among the audience members on the topics of the show.
7. Please feel free to ask questions.
8. EVENTS AND RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT

UMS LOBBY

In the production No Safety Net, this performance is included. Fifth graders participate in a role-playing game in which Union soldiers attempt to smuggle slaves — represented by dolls — to freedom, while Confederate soldiers attempt to apprehend the dolls as they make their way north. During an interactive unit on the Underground Railroad, teachers take history off the page and make it real again. It was voted one of the finest theater performances of 2016 by the New York Times, who called it “the year’s most ringing monument to the continued power of theatrical shock.” The show had its debut at Philadelphia’s FringeArts festival.

• There is no intermission throughout the 90-minute performance.
• There will be no intermission throughout the 75-minute performance!
• In order to gain an insight into the lives and thoughts of the performers who bring their imaginations to life on stage Community Dialogues on Saturday Nights.
• Join us for a community debate following the Saturday night performance of Underground Railroad Game, moderated by Jim Leija (UMS Director of Education and Community Engagement) and Martine Kei Green-Rogers (Dramaturg and Professor of Theatre, SUNY New Paltz).
• Everyone is welcome to think on, debate, and comment to the performance that you have just witnessed.

In the event that you are attending the performance on a different day, you are invited to join us for a post-performance conversation on Saturday evening (just bring your ticket stub). WEB SITES AND RESOURCES CONNECTED TO THIS ISSUE

Review: The Underground Railroad Game. Uncomfortable? Yes. Cringe-worthy? Yes.

The title of the game, The Underground Railroad Game, alone offers you a glimpse of the downward spiral into impropriety and the violation of all types of social norms that is going to take place. And it is only the beginning of the story. An unnamed woman dressed as a slave in full runaway mode is seen looking around desperately and terrified before climbing into a trunk, only to be rescued and assisted by an unnamed bearded Quaker whose intent is to assist her in escaping to freedom. The film’s opening sequence is set in the South of France.

The lights are turned on, and “Teacher Caroline” and “Teacher Stuart” address the audience as if they were in a 5th grade classroom, replete with ‘teacher voice’ cadences and an actual sounding class bell, of course.

Woolly Mammoth is now hosting an Underground Railroad Game (Photo: Ben Arons) ” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” src=”data:image/svg+xml, percent 3Csvg percent 20 alt=”” width=”700″ height=”467″ data-lazy-srcset=”700w,400w” data-lazy-srcset=”700w,400w” data-lazy-sizes=”(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px” data-lazy-sizes=”(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px” data-lazy-src = data-lazy-src “The Underground Railroad Gamenow at Woolly Mammoth is performed by Scott R.

Sheppard and Jennifer Kidwell (Photo: Ben Arons) It is admirable that you have depicted the difficulty of 5th grade teachers who are trying to come up with new and innovative ways to make history come alive and relevant to their students.

Parents of children in the Woolly audience should be aware that other shows have been cautioned about “racially-charged adult language, sexual material, and nudity.” In order to determine whether or not the content is appropriate for your family, Woolly recommended that you speak with their box office.

With the addition of a little audience involvement in the form of blue or gray plastic solders attached to the chairs, you’ve got a complete and utterly unpleasant package on top of the full Monty experience.

Sheppard, who are daring in their performance, the design components are outstanding.

It earned an Obie Award for Best New American Theatre Work in 2017, presumably due of its audacious inventiveness and unabashed provocation, despite the fact that it retains its fringe atmosphere.

Sheppard and Jennifer Kidwell, is now playing at Woolly Mammoth (Photo: Ben Arons) ” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” loading=”lazy” src=”data:image/svg+xml, percent 3Csvg percent 20 alt=”” width=”640″ height=”380″ data-lazy-srcset=”640w,400w” data-lazy-sizes=”640w,400w” data-lazy-srcset=”640w,400w”” (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640×480 pixels” data-lazy-src = data-lazy-src “The Underground Railroad Gamenow at Woolly Mammoth is performed by Scott R.

1. Sheppard and Jennifer Kidwell.
2. Throughout history, we’ve witnessed more than enough sexual violence, full servitude, and helplessness experienced by black women.
3. Moreover, this is only the beginning of the sexual tragedy turned upside down.
4. Gentle shoves turn into humorous pushes, which turn into serious shoves, which turn into all-out pummeling before you know it.
5. In yet another scenario, the same level of tension is brought crashing down by dominatrix smacking bare buttocks together.
6. I was never able to figure out why people went there.
7. When words can’t match the harshness of the truth, there are fundamental cracks in the attempt to describe American history, and this is especially true.

Making a sadomasochistic component of sexual depravity a part of the story went a little too far in my opinion.

Even yet, presenting the difficulties by imploring audience members to acknowledge the “other side” in a lighthearted manner gets the dialogue started in the right direction.

Introducing the subject from the new perspective of a teacher of grade school students forces us to confront a very sad reality.

Sheppard, with the Lightning Rod Special added in.

Taibi Magar is the director.

Sheppard star in Lightning Rod Special, which is directed by Jennifer Kidwell.

Mikaal Sulaiman was in charge of the sound design.

Steven Dufala was in charge of the scenic design. Oona Curley was in charge of the lighting design. Lisa McGinn is the stage manager for this production. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is in charge of production. Debbie Minter Jackson gave her opinion on the book.

“Underground Railroad Game” at Bard’s Fisher Center

Take a seat, classmates, for you are about to embark on an odd course at Bard’s Fisher Center. The lesson, given in a whirlwind of cutting comedy, is about American history, slavery, the Civil War, and the problematic interplay of race, sex, and power that we face in the modern era. The musical “Underground Railroad Game,” which was cowritten and performed by Scott Sheppard and Jennifer Kidwell, is based on Sheppard’s true childhood memories of a history lesson/game invented by his professors, which Sheppard shares with the audience.

Teacher Caroline (Kidwell), who is African-American, and Teacher Stuart (Sheppard), who is white, are the focus of the action as they rebuild pieces of the game on stage, exchanging brilliant, razor-sharp repartee along the way.

As Kidwell and Sheppard bushwhack their way through sensitive material including racism, sex, and power politics, humor serves as a much-needed pressure-relief valve for the characters.

• The explosive comedy “Underground Railroad Game” stars playwrights Scott Shephard and Jennifer Kidwell, who also co-wrote the script.

The play’s format causes the audience to be continually confused about where they are and when they are as the scenes go. Is this the Antebellum South, or something else? In Pennsylvania, is there a modern-day middle school? Is it Bard College? As Sheppard points out, “It imagines very real, tangible worlds, and it also dives into phantasmagoric, psychological regions,” which may be dangerous. “One of the mysteries of the work is that the earth continues slipping out from beneath the audience,” says the director.

Since making their debut with Ars Nova in 2016, they have traveled three continents and produced more than 200 performances of the play.

The two-person ensemble, which includes Sheppard and Kidwell, takes some deft juggling because they remain onstage for virtually the entire performance and are portraying various personalities.

A roller coaster ride is in store for the cast, crew, and audience as a whole, so expect sluggish rises, tumbling descents, and lots of whiplash.

“Taibi Magar’s heart and intelligence bring the play to life,” says Kidwell, who praises the director for “bringing it on home.” To see a larger version, please click here.

Kidwell is keen to point out that, despite the fact that it is referred to as a “game,” there is no winner when the buzzer goes off. ‘It’s an open invitation for people to ask questions,’ she says. “It is not motivated by a desire to elicit a desired response.” “It is a chunk that consumes its own tail,” Sheppard continues. “It is preoccupied with its own life, and rather than conveying a message, it seeks to create an environment conducive to transformation.” Bard’s annual Hannah Arendt Center conference is taking place at the same time as the performance, and the conference’s topic of racism and anti-Semitism, which is the focus of this year’s conference, offers the appropriate framework for the play’s difficult issues.

Because of its stunning fury in exposing America’s continuous relationship with racial tensions, Caleb Hammons, senior producer at the Fisher Center, confesses that “Underground Railroad Game” has been on Bard’s radar since its premiere.

$5-25.

An elementary school in Virginia had students play a ‘game’ that evoked escaping slavery and parents are upset

• Madison’s Trust Elementary School children in grades 3 through 5 were taught about the Underground Railroad in gym class, where the lesson was reinterpreted as a “game.” Parents and the Loudoun NAACP branch have expressed dissatisfaction with the school’s Black History Month curriculum. Several parents expressed concern that students were playing the role of runaway slaves because the “game” required them to avoid obstacles, as if they were attempting to flee slavery through the Underground Railroad. “The lesson was culturally insensitive to our students and their families,” Principal David Stewart wrote in a letter to parents. “I would want to express my heartfelt apologies to our pupils and the whole school community.”

An elementary school in Virginia is facing criticism from parents and the Loudoun NAACP chapter over a portion of its Black History Month curriculum; Madison’s Trust Elementary School students in grades 3 through 5 were taught about the Underground Railroad in gym class, where the lesson was transformed into a “game.”; Several parents expressed concern that students were playing the role of runaway slaves because the “game” required them to avoid obstacles, as if they were attempting to flee slavery through the Underground Railroad.

“The lesson was culturally insensitive to our students and families,” Principal David Stewart wrote in a letter to parents about the incident.