ELLIS ISLAND The American Dream
Book and Music By Cheryl Kemeny
Photos of a recent production
Age Range: Middle School to High School (Can be adapted to include adults and/or elem. school children) Cast Size: 30-60 Running Time: Approx. 2 hours
Also available in a shortened choral/concert edition.
"America, open your arms to a poor wandering soul." These opening lyrics set the tone for this epic adventure. Set in 1907 (the peak immigration year), the show tracks the lives of several immigrant families and individuals as they trek to America, some escaping from tyranny, through storm and illness, in search of the American dream of liberty and prosperity.
The visions and anxieties of characters such as Irish revolutionaries, Swedish, Italian, Hungarian and West Indian families, a Russian anarchist, and a Jewish ballerina escaping pogroms, are craftily interwoven to climax in a double wedding presided over by Commissioner Watchorn at the Ellis Island kissing post. This epic show gives youngsters a sense of the joys, fears and hardships that our immigrant forefathers experienced.
The large cast offers opportunities for younger middle school boys and girls, as well as those in high school.
Note: This show was written for the centennial celebration of Ellis Island, and was performed there on July 4th, 1992, on an outdoor stage, with sailboats and the NYC skyline as a background! An awesome theatre experience. -C.K.
Click title to see an Adobe PDF file score sample , or 'real audio' to hear a clip:
One Way Ticket To America: big production opener, "..open your arms to me.." [real audio]
Nine AM To 7 PM: multiple solos, "..a never ending stream of humanity.." [real audio]
Another Island: solo "..I can be who I am in my safe little world, far away from the world outside..." [real audio]
A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words: solos, choruses, "..they'll be a rarity.." [real audio]
Home/ Under The Boot Of The Tsar: solos, choruses, "..no homesickness here.." [real audio]
The American Dream: full cast, "..we're more than we seem.." [real audio]
Crystal Theatre Publishing 12 June Avenue Norwalk, CT 06850 Phone & Fax: (203) 847-4850 crystalt@crystaltheatrepublishing.com
