THE BACKGROUND
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In March of 1859, the largest sale of human beings in the history in the United States took place at a racetrack in Savannah, Georgia.
This educational presentation will be prepared for in-person performances and for virtual performances - based on current regional and/or institutional safety measures.
This is an abridged and facilitated hybrid presentation / performance based upon the award winning book "Day of Tears" by Julius Lester - led by Librarian / Performer Kelly Campos.
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REHEARSALS / PERFORMANCES
Actors will record a staged reading - rehearsed but not memorized - of the script using a teleprompter.
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There will be 1 virtual rehearsal before your recording date at a time agreed upon by the cast.
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CASTING
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1 Adult Black Woman
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Mattie / Slave 4 - Mary / Adult Emma
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30s/40s
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2 Adult Black Men
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Will / Slave 3 - Bob
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30s/40s
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​Jeffrey / Slave 2
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20s/30s
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1 Adult White Man
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Master / Slave Seller / Slave Buyer
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30s-50s​
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2 Tween White Girls
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Sarah & Frances
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10-13
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1 Tween Black Girl
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Emma
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12-14
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Sides can be viewed and downloaded here.
Submissions can be uploaded here.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, educator, activist, and musician Julius Lester, known for a body of work focused on African-American culture, history, and folklore, as well as for his fierce advocacy for books for black children by black creators, died on January 18, 2018 after a brief hospitalization. He was 78. Lester wrote “Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue,” which won the American Library Association’s Coretta Scott King Award in 2006. The book is written in script format.
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ABOUT THE HISTORY
In March of 1857, the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States took place at a racetrack in Savannah, Georgia. During the two days of the sale, raindrops fell unceasingly on the racetrack. It was almost as though the heavens were crying. So, too, fell teardrops from many of the 436 men, women, and children who were auctioned off during the two days. The sale would thereafter be known as "the weeping time."
The owner of the slaves, Pierce Butler, had inherited the family's Georgia plantations some twenty years earlier, along with his brother John. But Pierce had squandered away his portion of the inheritance, losing a rumored $700,000; now he was deeply in debt. Management of Pierce Butler's estate was transferred to trustees. The trustees sold off Butler's once-grand, now-neglected Philadelphia mansion for $30,000. Other Butler properties were sold as well. But it was not enough to satisfy creditors, much less to ensure that Butler would continue to live in luxury. So the trustees turned to the Georgia plantations and their "moveable" property -- their slaves.
Read the full PBS Article here.
See the historical marker and read another article here.
