HERO: The Boy from Troy

Jayden is stuck in detention with a book about Congressman John Lewis, but he thinks that history has nothing to teach him. When John Lewis was a boy, he dreamed of being a preacher so he could help others. He didn’t have a congregation to test his vocation, but a group of singing chickens that listens to him helps him find his voice. Then, on a harrowing road trip through the South, John’s eyes and mind are opened to the injustices of segregation and racism, inspiring him to take action. As John meets Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, he ultimately becomes a leader and an American hero himself, and Jayden learns how he too can take a stand.

This new musical production in which a modern-day young person meets a Civil Rights hero offers a thoughtful lesson in an entertaining, relatable, up-to-date format. The play—written by Nambi E. Kelley with music and lyrics by Joe Plummer—was commissioned by Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s Gallery of Heroes Program, produced by First Woman LLC from New York, and supported by The Center at Governor State University, Illinois.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.