Dallas Chilren's Theater's MOST VALUBALE PLAYER at The Bushnell This April
Ebbet’s Field, Brooklyn, New York, 1947 …Before a crowd of 26,623 Americans, an African American baseball player suits up in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and takes second base. On that day, despite hisses, walkouts and even death threats, Jackie Robinson heroically breaks the “color” barrier for the National Baseball League and forever changes the world of sports!
Hartford, CT – February 18, 2010 – In celebration of the indomitable human spirit, Dallas Children’s Theater On Tour proudly presents the real life drama Most Valuable Player, the story of Jackie Robinson, touring throughout the United States from September 2009 through May 2010. The tour will stop in Hartford for a one night engagement at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Most Valuable Player: Jackie Robinson is part of The Bushnell’s Robinson & Cole Family Series.
Tickets for Most Valuable Player: Jackie Robinson are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting The Bushnell Box Office at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford or by calling (860) 987-5900. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.bushnell.org. Tickets prices are $12 for children and $18 for adults. Ticket prices do not include all applicable fees. This show is recommended for children in grade 4 and up.
Most Valuable Player was conceived by Gayle Cornelison and was written by Mary Hall Surface and the original cast of the California Theatre Center. This compelling drama focuses on Robinson’s personal sacrifices and triumphs as he ventures beyond the Negro League to integrate baseball without violence. Robinson overcomes threats, taunts and other forms of racism, putting aside his own pride and anger for the good of all African American players. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey recruited Robinson challenging him to “have the guts to not fight back . . . can you conquer the enemy of prejudice with the strength of your spirit?” Robinson’s courage and dignity under enormous pressure opened the gates of the ballpark for other African Americans and changed the entire nation.
Jackie Robinson still serves as an inspirational source of strength, persistence and the unlimited potential of all humanity. As Robinson himself states, “Lord knows I’m no politician. But I have changed things . . . with my glove and with my bat. Every time a black child, a Mexican child, ANY child, gets a door slammed in his face, I’ll be standin’ right beside him . . . Jackie Robinson’s gonna be there, battin’ a thousand for anybody who needs me.”
Jackie Robinson, the grandson of a slave, excelled in sports at a young age. With the encouragement of his mother, he attended UCLA and became the first person to receive four varsity sports letters while there. After an overseas stint during World War II, Robinson signed his first professional baseball contract with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League.
On August 28, 1945, Major League Baseball broke its apartheid agreement when Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed Robinson. Through much of Jackie’s early career, he endured the indignities and barriers of racism both on and off the field – indignities that would have caused a lesser man to quit. In Jackie’s case, these impediments only served to inspire him to higher standards. During his ten season career with the Dodgers he compiled a lifetime batting average of .311, stole home plate more than 19 times, was named to six All-Star teams, received the coveted MVP award and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Through it all, he remembered Branch Rickie’s words; he fought racism with the “strength of his spirit.” He was a landmark in American history, in the world of sports, and in the battle for civil rights in the United States.
Most Valuable Player covers the years from 1935 to 1949 in Jackie Robinson’s life, moving fluidly through time and place employing the use of imaginative staging and ensemble acting. The set design and projections of original photos and voiceovers establish the various locations in Jackie’s life and recall both the painful isolation and excitement of his “glory days.”
For anyone who loves baseball or American history, for anyone who loves a good story about an underdog who becomes a winner, Most Valuable Player is a “grand slam” hit about a true American hero.
About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
The Bushnell is Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, hosting more than 350 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. The Bushnell is home to two theaters- the historic 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall, and the 907-seat Belding Theater, a state-of-the-art performance hall that opened in 2001. The Bushnell’s nationally recognized, award-winning, arts-in-education program, PARTNERS® (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), now in its 17th year, is a cross-community educational effort serving 21 schools and educational organizations in eight districts across Connecticut. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a not-for-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.
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With support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.