Wings of Courage

April 29th, 2019, 10 – 11am Grades 3-8

This study guide will give you background information, discussion questions, and activity ideas to do with your class before and after the performance at the PAEC. Performance Information: Wings of Courage is an original play with music by Mad River Theater Works based on the life of Eugene Bullard, the first African-American military pilot. Two actors perform the play. One plays Bullard and the other portrays all of the other characters. Bullard was born in Georgia in 1895 to a black man from the Caribbean and a Native woman from the Mvskoke (Muscogee) people. As a teenager, Bullard stowed away on a ship to Europe to escape racial discrimination in America. When WWI started in 1914, Bullard fought for France first as a soldier and then as a pilot. He received 15 awards from the government of France for his actions during WWI, including the Croix de Guerre for bravery and the Legion of Honour, France’s highest order of merit. When the US entered WWI, all of the white pilots were taken into American service, but Bullard was not. He remained in the French infantry until 1919. After the war, Bullard became a famous jazz club owner and drummer in Paris. He served briefly during WWII for France then returned to the US in WW wh I p 1940. He worked various jobs and passed away in o ic ilo ne h h ts W a av fle 1961. He was buried in New York with French r bo e w fo igh ve tw bi r t t b th o w pla military honors. flig he ro e o in ne ht w th th gs s, in or ers er s 1 ld' u . ( tac Using storytelling, music, and drama, Wings of 90 s f se Th ke 3) irs a e d . t p bi Courage shows how Bullard’s determination and ow pla er ne perseverance helped him to overcome discrimination ed throughout his remarkable life. It is an uplifting tale of vision and hope that deserves to be known by every American. Look and Listen for:

How the actors become different characters and show what they feel. Why the characters do what they do. How the actors work together to tell the story. How the music helps tell the story. When the music is soft or loud, fast or slow, calm or exciting, happy or sad, etc. How the actors use objects (props). How the sets and lighting help E ss tell the story. p e lo nt t, ia Connections to history. c l e g ha le en ra m Happy, funny, sad, scary, or re ct en , er ts an s o d , c f surprising parts of the stories. a o th u nv e di e at How the story makes you feel. en nt er c io : e. n, Discussion Questions (Before and after the Performance): Bullard, 1914-17 Who has gone to a live performance before? What was it like? How is it different from going to a movie? What should you do and remember when you're there? After the performance, what new ideas or understanding do you have? What was interesting and what was challenging? What did you used to think and what do you think now? Discuss the acting, the costumes, the sets, the plot, the music, what meaning they conveyed, and what connections to other arts, stories, or their own lives the students can make. Discuss the sequence of events in the stories. (You may wish to chart this). What would happen if the actors did not tell the story parts in order? What were the problems the characters had to solve? How did they solve them? Can you think of other ways to solve the problems? How can you describe the characters? (You may wish to create bubble maps). One actor played several different characters in the play. How did he do that? What did you notice about the props? How did the actors use them? How do simple props represent more complicated ideas and happenings? How did the play use music? How did it help tell the story? Review the study guide materials about Eugene Bullard’s life. How does the play veer from the exact details? Why did they do that? Is that acceptable? Gene has a dream of going to Paris. What is your dream? How did you get that idea? What are the ways racism impacts Gene’s life? How does he deal with it? What connections can you make to people of color’s experiences today? What do you know about, and what do you wonder about, now that you’ve seen live theater? What do you know about the job of an actor? Would you like to try it? What would you like to tell the PAEC about your experience at the show? (We'd love to hear from you!) Activity Ideas (Before and after the performance):

Preview videos of Wings of Courage with your students R c ev at baylinartists.com/mad- on ht iew Recommended Reading: te tp t Co nt ://b he river-theater-works-wings/. va ur /up ay st lu ag lo lin ud ab e-S ad ar y Flying High Above Paris le tu s/2 tis gu Note aspects to look for in inf dy 01 ts ide orm -G 7/ .co a Skies: The Life of Eugene an a uid 07 m/ t the upcoming show and chart d tio e. /M wp Wi n a pd R_ - ng bo f. Y W Bullard, by Obiora N. the questions your students s o ut ou ing f C E w s- o ug ill of- Anekwe ura en fin ask. After the performance ge e B d . ull Flying Free: America's First see what questions they can ard Black Aviators, by Philip answer or investigate. S.Hart After the performance, have students respond to the show. Fearless Flyers, Dazzle Discuss the story, the costumes, the sets, the expression, Painters, and Code Talkers! how and what meaning was conveyed, and what connections World War I, by Elizabeth to other arts, stories, or their own lives the students can Dennis make. Pathfinders: The Journeys of Have students write reviews of the show. Have them include 16 Extraordinary Black what they liked, what they did not like, what parts they Souls, by Tonya Bolden remember the best, and what they think of the performers. Fly High! The Story of Bessie Students in small groups can create tableaux of important Coleman, by Louise Borden scenes in the story. A tableau is a living picture made with The Hallelujah Flight, by Phil people’s bodies. Groups of students pose themselves in a Bildner frozen scene, using their arrangement, facial expressions, Black Jack: The Ballad of and positions to convey the event and the characters. Jack Johnson, by Charles R. Additionally, students can write what their character would Smith say in the scene. Jack Johnson, by Nick Healy Have students step inside Gene's mind. Have them think Jimmy the Greatest!, by Jairo and/or write about what he feels, knows about, believes, and Buitrago cares about. Have the students create a monologue as Gene and talk about who they are and what they are experiencing. Encourage students to act out their favorite scenes from the play, using improvised dialog. Ask them to show what the characters are feeling, not just what they are doing. Have students write about their experience watching Wings of Courage using these sentence stems: “I used to think… Now I think…” Let students make puppets of the characters in Wings of Courage and act out a scene with a partner. Invent a headline for an article about Wings of Courage that tells why it’s interesting or important. Have students write a diary entry from a character’s perspective. Learn and sing songs with your students from the World War I era. Aligned standards:

Theater Anchor Standards, Responding 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work; 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work; 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Theater Anchor Standards, Connecting 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art; 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. Common Core ELA, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics. Social Studies, Economics 2.1: Understands that people have to make choices between wants and needs and evaluate the outcomes of those choices. Social Studies, History 4.1: Understands historical chronology; 4.2: Understands and analyzes causal factors that have shaped major events in history; 4.3: Understands that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of historical events; 4.4: Uses history to understand the present and plan for the future. Social Studies, Geography 3.3: Understands the geographic context of global issues and events. These materials are solely for educators' non-commercial use.

Remember: ee ur e s r o eas fo e Watching live theater isn't like going to a Pl org mor ec. nd wpa e a movie because the performers can hear w.f uid w ip g es! you! Please don't distract them, but do w tr urc ield eso laugh when something is funny, cry when f r something is sad, and clap at the end. Show the actors you appreciate their hard work and help everyone have a good time!