Hi TADA! Friends and Family,
Missing Theater? Me too. Two of my favorite theatrical productions are on my mind right now. Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me, filmed during its Broadway run last year, can now be seen on Amazon Prime; and Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, from which the iconic line “I am not throwing away my shot” comes from, can be seen on Disney+.
I’m thinking of them because of the political moment we are in right now and because you can actually watch them now even during the pandemic. There are many reasons to be angry, frustrated and scared in this country. There have been for hundreds of years. There are also reasons to have hope and to fight to make this country what we need it to be for all of its people.
VOTE
By voting you are part of the process. You are taking your shot– you are making your opinion matter. You are changing the country. Not just by voting for President but by voting for local and state officials. Over the last few months we have seen how much this matters, that people are affected by how different states, cities and towns function. We see how important it is that we all work together if we are to rid the nation of COVID-19, systemic racism, and hatred of all kinds.
SPEAK UP
Let other people know what matters to you and how the outcome of this election will affect you personally. Speak to your kids and their friends. As Ahrens and Flaherty said in Ragtime’s song “Make Them Hear You”:
Go out and tell our story
Let it echo far and wide
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
HEAR and SEE
Really see and listen to what is being said to you and around you by people of all ages. This is how you learn, and learning is a part of growing. I have been doing so much of this over the last year especially. Don’t stop learning until you are no longer living. While you can, live your life to make the world better.
The History Mystery is available on TADA!’s YouTube– a TADA! musical for you to hear and see (with your kids) that I hope inspires, especially during this time.
I’ll end with this: VOTE. Click here to locate your polling place, find early voting locations, and more. And if you’ve already voted, watch a play or musical!
Best,
Janine Nina Trevens
Executive & Producing Artistic Director