Rosewood Center’s Young Adult Relevant Drama

and

Dallas Children’s Theater’s 2009-2010 National Touring Company

Present 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

The Heroic Story of Jackie Robinson 

May 7 – May 23, 2010 

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! 

(Dallas, Tx)  In celebration of the indomitable human spirit, DCT’s National Touring Company brings their highly praised production, MOST VALUABLE PLAYER, home to the Rosewood Center.  It’s the inspirational story of one of America’s true heroes, Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break the color-barrier of professional, major league baseball, May 7 –

May 23, 2010 at DCT’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts. 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER was conceived by Gayle Cornelison and was written by Mary Hall Surface along with 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. DCT’s National Tour Director, Sally Fiorello, says, “He was a pioneer in the civil rights movement, a courageous advocate who led by a nonviolent example.  He was a great baseball player, as well as a great man.”  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”. 

TEXAS RANGERS HOST DCT FOR CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH

Actor Rick Spivey who plays Jackie Robinson in DCT’s National Touring Production of MOST VALUABLE PLAYER will throw the ceremonial first pitch when the Texas Rangers host the Oakland A’s on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 pm.  Fans are encouraged to arrive early to witness this exciting collaboration between the Texas Rangers and Dallas Children’s Theater in honor of Jackie Robinson! 

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.  It’s a lesson in dignity and integrity that continues to reverberate today! 

Enjoyed by ages 11 and up (historic language used).

CAST

Jackie Robinson – Rick Spivey

Branch Rickey/Ensemble – Charles Ryan Roach

Leo Durocher/Ensemble – Cody Hinson

Pee Wee Reese/Ensemble – Joe Aholt

Ruth Warton/Ensemble – Billie Bryant

Featuring the voices of Phillis Cicero, Sean Massey, Rhianna Mack,

Philip John Garno, Marco Salinas, Andy Long & Douglass Burks

ARTISTIC TEAM

Director - Andy Long

Set & Video Designer - Randel Wright

Lighting Designer - Linda Blase & Melissa Cashion

Costume Designer - Barbara Cox

Sound Designer - Marco Salinas

Stage Manager - Philip John Garno

Technical Director – Phil Zychowski

Tour Manager - Sally Fiorello

DALLAS CHILDREN’S THEATER, STUDIO THEATER

ROSEWOOD CENTER FOR FAMILY ARTS

5938 Skillman Street, Dallas, Texas 75231

PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES:

Fridays                         May 7, 14, 21              7:30pm

Saturday                       May 8                          1:30pm

Saturdays                     May 15, 22                  1:30pm & 4:30pm

Sundays                       May 16, 23                  1:30pm & 4:30pm

Performance times: Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturday, May 8 at 1:30pm; Remaining Saturdays at 1:30pm & 4:30pm; Sundays at 1:30pm & 4:30pm

Ticket Prices:

Friday - $18 Adult & Youth Section A; $12 Adult & Youth Section B

Saturday/Sunday - $23 Adult / $21 Youth Section A; $18 Adult / $16 Youth Section B

Saturday/Sunday senior discount - $20 Section A, $16 Section B

Saturday/Sunday college student discount - $19 Section A, $14 Section B

DCT Box Office: 214-740-0051

Tickets also available on-line!  www.dct.org

Weekday Student Matinee shows also available Tuesdays through Thursdays.  Please call ArtReach Booking at 214-219-2049. 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER is sponsored by The Hersh Foundation 

Dallas Children's Theater's 2009-2010 Season is sponsored by WFAA-TV Channel 8; 103.7 Lite FM; Maintenance of Dallas, Inc.; The Rosewood Foundation; Target; TACA; Charles Schwab & Co.; M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation; The Hersh Foundation;  Vinson & Elkins; Texas Instruments Foundation and the Dee and Charles Wyly Family.  Co-produced by El Centro Community College and supported in part by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts.  American Airlines is the official airline of Dallas Children's Theater

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