“BATTLEDRUM”

April 28, 2008

10am & 12pm

Grades 5 and Up

"I wanted to fight the rebels," wrote a 12-year-old boy, "but the man behind the desk said I was too small to carry a musket. The next day I went back and the man asked if I could hold a drum. He said I could join if I could beat a drum. I did, but was not happy to change a musket for a stick."

More than two million boys of 17 or younger served on both sides of the American Civil War as infantry, buglers and drummer boys. The drum was an important means of communication for military orders in the field. Drummer boys often found themselves on the front lines of combat in the middle of smoke-filled battlefields. Battledrum tells the story of Rufus, a Confederate orphan adopted by a troop of Union soldiers, who eventually becomes their drummer boy. Based on a wealth of compelling stories of real-life children who fought the Civil War,

Battledrum explores a complex period in American history through the eyes of young people. A sweeping tale, indelibly etched through compelling characters, daring adventure, raucous comedy, stirring music and, of course, drums.

"Fifth graders are keenly aware of the contemporary world at war - and what stuns them about the American Civil War is the discovery that kids were actively engaged in battle. Their eyes widen and they gulp. You can tell they're thinking - 'it could happen.'" -Playwright Doug Cooney

Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Music, Theater Arts