In-School Performances

MAD RIVER THEATER WORKS

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Performance Highlights

05.17.12
Matt Haimovitz
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Boston, MA

05.18.12
Turtle Island Quartet
Sunset Concerts
Los Gatos, CA

05.19.12
Matt Haimovitz
Stulberg Competition
Kalamazoo, MI

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Wings of Courage
Smack Dab
Cool, Calm, Ready

Program Descriptions

John Henry

John Henry is a well-known figure of American folklore. Born in poverty in rural West Virginia, John Henry’s incredible size and strength became legendary as he worked laying track for the railroads that crisscrossed the countryside in the late nineteenth century. No one could match his skill or his endurance, until the invention of the steam-powered driver, that is. We remember John Henry for his famous contest with this newfangled machine. John won the day, but died soon afterwards of a broken heart. John Henry realized that ordinary men could not compete with the iron workhorses of the industrial revolution and that the days of men like him were numbered. John Henry, uses storytelling, drama, and music to bring the story of an American legend to life. It is a tale that speaks to young and old alike and carries a strong contemporary parallel about the importance of our humanity in the face of changing technology.

  • Curriculum: History, Character Education, Music
  • Grades K-6
  • Duration: approximately 50 minutes plus a Question and Answer session
  • Music: contains live music (electric guitar)

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