| New York 2019 ISPA Congress - Performance - Voices of a People’s History |
Voices of a People’s HistoryPerformance
Building on the work of historian Howard Zinn (1922–2010), Voices of a People’s History of the United States brings to light little known voices from U.S. history, including those of women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and laborers. By giving public expression to rebels, dissenters, and visionaries from our past—and present—we work to educate and inspire a new generation of people working for social justice. The goal of Voices is to encourage civic engagement and to further history education by bringing the rich history of the United States to life through public readings of primary-source materials. Voices recognizes the eloquence of ordinary people, as well as extraordinary and well-known figures from our history. By involving celebrated actors, musicians, and public figures in readings, Voices inspires audiences to delve more deeply into historical texts and to see history as a lively, relevant, and contemporary subject, not just a matter of books sitting on the library shelf. But we do not rely on professionals alone. Voices also arranges readings that combine professional artists with students and union members or community organizers. In this way, we engage people at all levels of the dramatic and educational process, from selecting texts, to interpreting them, to adding new voices to the performances. We also work with teachers and educators in all walks of life to develop resources for the teaching and exploration of history from below. And we work with theaters, actors, and artists interested in history. |
