Diana Wortham Theatre matinee series for students presents The Civil War, January 28-31

The Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place 2012/2013 Matinee Series for Students and Families presents eight performances of The Civil War, Monday through Thursday January 28 - 31, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m. each day. Recommended for students in Grades 3-9, all performances of The Civil War are open to school groups, homeschoolers, community groups, and families. The Civil War was a defining moment in American History: the fire of war burned away the scourge of slavery and, in time, melded the separate states into a true nation. The magic of the Theatreworks USA production, The Civil War, is that despite its deeply serious underpinnings, the show is full of humor, wit, inventive staging, and delightful dances and songs (many of which are from the 1860s).

In telling the tale of this large and complex event, The Civil War focuses on the smaller stories of some of the soldiers who are caught up in it, including Zak, a runaway slave who demands the right to fight his own fight; Will, his former best friend and “master;” Johnny, an Irish immigrant who volunteers to defend his new home; and Jackie, a girl who becomes a drummer boy. Through the lives of these few “ordinary” people, representing both Union and Confederate sides, audiences gain a sense of the war as a whole and are ultimately moved.