Michigan Opera Theatre
The Michigan Opera Theatre presents works relevant to the large ethnic groups that make up the local community. “Margaret Garner,” for instance, is a new American opera written by novelist Toni Morrison that tells the true story of a fugitive slave in pre-Civil War America. The goal for the Michigan Opera Theatre and their partner opera companies in Cincinnati and Philadelphia was to engage more diverse audience members, particularly from their local, prominent African American communities.
To prepare young audiences for the dialogue that followed the Margaret Garner performances, an educational website was created in collaboration with the state public school curriculums. After each performance, representatives from the Freedom Center facilitated dialogue sessions intended to explore the significance and meaning of Margaret Garner's story. Additional elements included a workshop taught by Freedom Center staff, which was designed to improve teaching about the American slavery experience among educators teaching grades 7 through 12.
Resource Link: www.motopera.org
Also check out www.margaretgarner.org.
David DiChiera, General Director
ddd@motopera.org
313-961-3500
1526 Broadway
Detroit
MI
48226
In partnership with Americans for the Arts' Animating Democracy Initiative (www.americansforthearts.org/animatingdemocracy/), NCDD's Leah Lamb researched arts-based civic dialogue programs in order to help dialogue & deliberation practitioners strengthen their work by linking it to the arts. NCDD hopes these resources will inspire you, and encourages you to connect with the artists, many of whom are interested in working with D&D practitioners.
