5th Avenue Theatre’s Adventure Musical Theater is touring the Northwest with a kid-friendly musical about a slave’s escape to freedom.
Adventure Musical Theater will stop in Edmonds to perform “Free Boy: The True Story of Master and Slave” at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 4 at the Wade James Theater, 950 Main St. The performances are free and open to the public.
The brand new musical is based on the book of the same title by Seattle historians Lorraine McConaghy and Judy Bentley, which tells the story of a young slave’s harrowing escape from Washington Territory in 1860.
In 1855, Charles Mitchell was brought to the tiny town of Olympia as a slave in the household of James Tilton, a surveyor-general. Two years later, a U.S. Supreme Court decision held that a man’s property — his slaves — belonged to him wherever he traveled within the United States.
“Free Boy” follows 13-year-old Charles as he makes his way to freedom hiding as a stowaway aboard a train headed for Victoria, British Columbia. The obstacles the boy faces along the way dramatize the issues of the Civil War era. The battlefields may have been far from the West Coast, but the war’s problems were right here.
Featuring engaging music and powerful lyrics, this original musical tells a little-known and important piece of the history of the Northwest. It is a story of hope, risk, perseverance and, above all, the quest for freedom.
“Free Boy” is directed by Valerie Curtis Newton, with music directed by Julia Thornton and Steven Tran. The cast includes Riley Brack, Cherisse Martinelli, Aviona Rodriguez-Brown, Nathan Smith, Jordan Taylor and Nick Michael Watson.
Following the 11 a.m. performance, there will be a workshop hosted by Anya Rudnick of the 5th Avenue Theatre. Explore the story and the themes of “Free Boy” further in an interactive format.
The show is recommended for children 7 and older. For tickets, go to http://edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org/spring-classes.
Since 1994, Adventure Musical Theater has brought the joy of live musical theater to students in elementary school and middle school throughout Washington state. The touring company’s musicals are designed to engage students through storytelling, song and dance.
All productions are created by local composers and writers.
For more about Adventure Musical Theater, go to www.5thavenue.org/education/student-programs.
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