Event

All American Boys

Winner of the 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Childrens literature, All American Boys is the story of the violent arrest of a black teenager, the white teenager who witnesses it, and the reverberating impact it has on their communities over the course of a week. This first-time adaptation of the novel to live, immersive theater allows the audience to move with the cast through William Alexander Middle School 51 and Washington Park, playing their own role as both voyeurs to and participants in the characters' experiences. The cast features both student and professional adult actors, and has been adapted and directed by Jody Drezner Alperin and Vicky Finney Crouch of Off The Page Education.

On Monday, July 25th, a talk-back discussion in response to the opening night of the show will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Old Stone House in Washington Park. Moderated by NPR host and acclaimed singer Helga Davis, the discussion will include participants such as Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, as well as All American Boys authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

All American Boys is made possible in part with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered in Kings County by Brooklyn Arts Council, and in part with funds from the Brooklyn Community Foundations Youth Voice Awards, for this project in collaboration with student actor Shaqur Williams.

All American Boys is a free event; however, suggested donation is $5.

*Note: this event will require the audience to be moving and standing throughout the duration of the play.

ALL AMERICAN BOYS
Copyright © 2015 by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds
Originally published by Atheneum /Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Used with the permission of Pippin Properties, Inc . and Rob Weisbach