TA News

Northern Stage is proudly presenting Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m.  TA 8th grader Anna Hebb is one of eight actors who perform in this play, which is free and open to the public.

The YES Fall Community Engagement Project (inspired by the the Vermont READS book of the year, brown girl dreaming) is resulting in incredible state-wide recognition. After the Oct. 22 performance, students will perform at the Partnership for Literacy and Learning conference in Burlington on Monday, Oct. 23, for an audience that will include Vermont Humanities Council scholars and school teachers from across Vermont. 

Jaqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming is a powerful book of poetry about her childhood growing up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s. After reading the book together and discussing themes around childhood, race and family, Northern Stage’s Youth Ensemble Studio (YES) joined local seniors in a cross-generational collaboration, interviewing seniors about their childhood experiences.

With mentorship from Dartmouth students and Northern Stage Apprentices, YES actors adapted these stories into verse inspired by Jacqueline Woodson’s poetic style, and are presenting them alongside excerpts from Brown Girl Dreaming. Northern Stage is excited to be one of the many organizations around the state to engage with this beautiful and life-affirming book. The performance is FREE, and no reservations required.

—Northern Stage, White River Junction