Quill has written and produced six 50-minute musicals designed to be performed in connection with school history curricula. Each History Musical begins with five students bored with their current history homework assignment. Mr. History magically appears with his History Trunk. He convinces the students to time- travel with him into the past and become the characters they are studying. How? With the costume pieces and props in his Trunk. Put on Paul Revere’s hat and you “become” Paul Revere. Pick up James Madison’s quill pen and you “become” the Founder of the Constitution. When the students are finished experiencing the drama and excitement of history “first-hand”, as it were, they come back to the present fired up with the feeling that history is fun.
Our musicals need no lighting, no elaborate sets, and no video, so they are easy to travel. What they do need is the audience’s imagination and participation: each of our shows involves the audience in the plot; we use the “live-ness” of theatre to bring history to life.
The Last Full Measure
The heartbreak and joy in the lives of six citizens are played out against the backdrop of this greatest battle in the Civil War, ending with a stirring anthem of Lincoln’s famous Address.
Everybody’s Watching
This musical dramatizes the compromises necessary to launch our nation, along with the light-hearted fun of the witty Benjamin Franklin and the burning passion of James Madison. When the crucial votes are cast, the audience votes, too!
Dream
Follow Dr. King as he works to master his own anger, discovering his nonviolent philosophy in the process. This philosophy is sorely tested during the boycott. From the Montgomery jail to the KKK, experience the hatred of those violent days and the love and courage it took to overcome it.
Quest for the West
Several boxes are arranged and re-arranged to become boats, campfires, and mountains as we follow this exciting journey into the unknown. Thanks to the generosity and courage of Sacajawea and other Native Americans, the triumph belongs not just to the white men, but to all of us.
Paul Revere Rides Again
This musical captures the drama of Revere’s discovering the British plans and then riding to disrupt them. It features a vaudeville song-and-dance by the two ends of Revere’s horse, who complains that he does all the work and Revere gets all the credit.
Glory Road!
In the exciting chase sequence, the audience helps deceive the slave catcher so that Harriet can lead her runaways to safety. The title anthem sets the hopes and dreams of slaves to stirring music.
Quill’s history musicals dramatize core themes of American History that are universal and relevant today, such as:
- Freedom and democracy
- Exploration, expansion and discovery
- Civility, cooperation and compromise
- Leadership and perseverance
- Equality, diversity and human rights
- Personal sacrifice in times of war and peace
Nothing educates about history and inspires like entertainment:
- Songs are remembered
- Characters, experiences, values and emotions are brought to life, enabling students to identify with them
- Audiences are re-connected to the past
- The interplay of history, imagination and emotion keeps students entertained while learning
