Character Building: A Musical: From Talks by Booker T. Washington

By Martin Blank

Heart-stirring and inspiring...Character Building is a theatrical testament to one of the most influential characters in Black History. It's a reminder of what matters in the character one calls one's own--this powerful and pertinent musical is a hugely rewarding experience. -DC Metro Arts

A beacon of hope and a historical reminder of strength in the midst of adversity...Character Building's messages are invaluable lessons of courage and fortitude. -DC Theater Scene

Insights assume an espe­cially hard hitting flavor couched in a story of self-discovery and how to live a meaningful life...Character Building should be high on the list of anyone seeking to capture the spirit of Booker T. Washington. -Midwest Book Review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martin Blank
• Release date: May 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463796375

Martin Blank

Martin Blank (playwright) is the author of ten plays, the most recent of which, the full-length spy thriller "The Law of Return," was produced Off-Broadway at the Fourth Street Theater. He has served as Artistic Associate for the American Place Theatre, New York City, as well as Literary Manager, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Founding Artistic Director, Theater J. He attended the University of Maryland and the Yale School of Drama. More at: MartinBlankAuthor.com

Book preview

Character Building: A Musical

Adapted by Martin Blank

from talks by Booker T. Washington

CHARACTER BUILDING received a staged reading September 5, 2016, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

CHARACTER BUILDING premiered at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington, D.C., on February 3, 2018. It was directed by Martin Blank. Musical direction was by Scott Farquhar. Set design was by Halsey Taylor, lighting design by Jason Aufdem-Brinke, and costume design by Kristina Lambdin. The stage manager was Alaska Harris.

Cast:

Booker T. Washington ............. Gregory Burgess

CHARACTER:

Booker T. Washington, an African-American man in his forties

TIME: September, 1899

SETTING: Dr. Washington’s reception room used for fundraisers and student gatherings

Character Building runs 50 minutes with no intermission.

For my daughter Frances and son Maximilian

(Lights up.)

BOOKER

My life had its beginning in the midst of the most miserable, desolate, and discouraging of surroundings. I was born a slave on a plantation in Franklin County, Virginia.

I’m not quite sure of the exact place or exact date of my birth. Still, I suspect I must have been born somewhere at some time. As nearly as I have been able to learn, I was likely born near Hale’s Ford, Virginia, in 1858 or 1859. The earliest impressions I recall are of the plantation and the slave quarters. I lived with my mother and a brother and sister till after the Civil War, when we were all declared free.

Immediately upon emancipation, I set about my life’s mission: to get an education and, more importantly, to give an education to as many young colored people as possible.

Now, I taught myself how to read. I worked in salt furnaces and coal mines. And I earned my degree from Hampton Institute. Then I attended Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. At twenty-five, I became the first leader of Tuskegee Institute, a black teachers’ college in Alabama. Today, it is called Tuskegee University.

At the start of Tuskegee, my male and female students literally built their own school: making bricks, constructing classrooms, and growing and raising livestock, to provide for the most basic of necessities. Every Friday, I would give informal talks about how to lift oneself up. How to be of service to others. In sum, to build character.

Looking at a group of eighteen year olds, it was clear that other than making the arduous trip to our in-progress campus, most had never traveled from their place of their birth.

[[[Music for Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? begins.]]

This is what I passed along to those earnest souls who wanted to secure knowledge…

DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL,

DELIVER DANIEL,

DELIVER DANIEL?

DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL,