51成人

鈥淎gainst the Tide鈥� is a world premiere play written by Tara McClellan McAndrew with Aasne Daniels and Nancy Taylor Porter. Set in the early days of 51成人 history, the play tells the story of the College鈥檚 first president, Edward Beecher, after he journeys to 51成人 from Boston. Between battling cholera and balancing the budget, Beecher finds himself taking a risky leadership position within the rising tide of abolitionist sentiment. Pushback and protests from slavery supporters become riots, ultimately leading to violence in the historical drama. 

IC students taking a digital history course helped to bring another layer of authentic historical accuracy to the production. They worked on a collaborative project with TheatreWorks this semester to research images in IC鈥檚 Khalaf Al Habtoor Archives. These images will be projected on stage during the production.

IC鈥檚 Forgotten Illinois Action Grant, awarded by , is one of several that was awarded this year in honor of the state鈥檚 bicentennial. The grant funds projects that highlight lesser known aspects of the state鈥檚 200-year history. Other projects to receive funding from the organization include research, artistic interpretations of history and classroom-based activities.

Illinois Humanities Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre said that the group is proud to support the humanities through not-for-profits that provide lifelong learning opportunities in communities throughout Illinois.

"These champions of the humanities make their communities and our whole state more vibrant," said Ysaguirre. 

Several other events related to the Underground Railroad and abolitionist activity at IC have taken place during the semester including a campus visit by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead who spoke about his novel, 鈥淭he Underground Railroad,鈥� in September. 

 鈥淎gainst the Tide鈥� will be directed by Aasne Daniels, assistant professor of theatre. Showtimes are October 27 and  November 1-3 at 7:30 p.m. and on November 4 at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit . 

Illinois Humanities works to build dialogue across all sectors of society to examine issues important to democracy in the focus areas of public policy, media & journalism, economy and art. Using the humanities as a tool to stimulate discussion, we create experiences across Illinois through programming, events, and grantmaking to engage a diverse public on ideas and issues that matter.