Court martial play script pdf samahaara is presenting a hindi play, swadesh deepaks court martial, on 30 december at nift auditorium, madhapur at pm. It was named after jurist and civil war general charles devens. How military justice has shaped america from the revolution to 911 and beyond bray, chris on. Mar 23, 2012 court martial at fort devens by jeffrey sweet 23 03 2012 the next play being put on by the emerson theater collaborative etc is a historical play about black women in the army during wwii. Mar 29, 2012 courtmartial at fort devens, at the castillo theater, depicts a littleremembered insurrection in the waning months of world war ii. Court martial at fort devens by jeffrey sweet i am drawn to. First published in 2007 court martial at fort devens open library. The nearby devens reserve forces training area is located in lancaster. Court martial at fort devens continues through feb. Courtmartial at fort devens steel river playhouse 2. Mar 25, 2012 court martial at fort devens, by jeffrey sweet, tells the true story of a group of africanamerican women who joined the womens army corps during world war ii to be trained as medical assistants, only to be assigned to washing floors and toilets due to a white officer.
Early life edit sweets father was james sweet, a science writer for the university of chicago who aided supreme court chief justice earl warren in drafting two anti mccarthy speeches. Fort devens was named in honor of brevet major general charles devens, a massachusetts son who served in the union army during the civil war. Armys new england headquarters for 79 years, fort devens was closed in 1996. Ordered to return to duty or face a courtmartial, morrison, murphy. Fort devens is an inactive united states army military installation in the towns of ayer and shirley, in middlesex county and harvard in worcester county in the u. Courtmartial at fort devens courtmartial at fort devens, by jeffrey sweet, tells the true story of a group of africanamerican women who joined the womens army corps during world war ii to be trained as medical assistants, only to be assigned to washing floors and toilets due to a white officer. If that play jeffrey sweets courtmartial at fort devens, then the only answer is yes. Flyovers jefferson award, american enterprise and the action against sol schumann prizes from american theatre critics association, court martial at fort devens audelco award, the value of names dozens of productions internationally since its 1982 premiere, bluff and stay till morning jefferson nominations. Bolzenius black members of the womens army corp wac line up for inspection in england. Courtmartial at fort devens tells of a confrontation during wwii between privates who happened to be black women, a white colonel determined to keep them in their place, and the heroic black lawyer who took their case with a little help from eleanor roosevelt. The fort devens strike was something i knew nothing about. In the end, green, morrison, murphy, and young chose courtmartial over a.
Based on a surprising historical discovery, court martial at fort devens tells of a confrontation during wwii between privates who happen to be young black women, a colonel determined to keep them in their place, and the heroic black lawyer who takes their case with a little help from eleanor roosevelt. These women were typically relegated to cleaning duties with no opportunities for promotionan issue that sparked protest back in fort devens, massachusetts. Court martial at fort devens victory gardens theater. Group for anyone that worked, lived, or was stationed at fort devens, ma.
Important for emerging studies in intersectionality, this book focuses on four africanamerican servicewomen who, after going on strike, preferred court martial to giving in. Courtmartial at fort devens, jeffrey sweets historylesson play, is excellent for the first hour. The hindi play court martial, failed to captivate the attention of the city a lot of loopholes that could be noticed in the presentation of a strong script. A longrunning production of porch started it all in 1979, followed over the years with highly regarded productions of ties, the value of names, flyovers, bluff, the action against sol schumann, immoral imperatives and. On march 20, after just two days of testimony, the four women were found guilty and sentenced to one year of imprisonment and hard labor. Sweets father was james sweet, a science writer for the university of chicago who aided supreme court chief justice earl warren in drafting two antimccarthy speeches. This was in part due to the americans insatiable fascination with the. The chaplin may be reached at 9787963652 or dsn 3122563652. Minimal a raised platform in the center of the stage around which chairs are placed. Hunsaker was convicted by a military judge of one specification of disobeying a lawful order, one specification of rape. The black women soldiers who demanded opportunities what it. Not two weeks had passed since she and her codefendantsprivates mary green, alice young, and johnnie murphyhad opted for the courtmartial rather than return to their duties. To begin with, the defendants were servicewomen, an unheard of possibility just three years before. Feb, 2007 courtmartial at fort devens dramatizes an obscure true story from 1945, when africanamerican women soldiers were courtmartialed for refusing to accede to blatant bigotry.
Glory in their spirit goodreads meet your next favorite book. Courtmartial at fort devens, a play by jeffrey sweet at the castillo theater, revisits racial injustice within the military during world war ii. First published in 2007 courtmartial at fort devens open library. Located in central massachusetts, devens is a 4,400 acre mixeduse community and an award winning model for military base reuse.
The fort devens strike and courtmartial was one the most publicized courtsmartial of world. Steel rivers court martial at fort devens marks a powerful. Although closed in 1996, the fort was reopened the next day as the devens. On march 9, 1945, fiftyfour members of the fort devens black wac detachment filed into. Jul 29, 2019 the black wacs at fort devens, therefore, saw the strike as their best option in a system that failed to adequately recognize them as members of the armed forces. Court martial at fort devens deftly juxtaposes action with narration and flashback to tell this littleknown tale. Following the march 20, 1945, courtmartial and conviction of the four wacs, the army. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Singapore where she coadapted and performed in the book of living and dying at the singapore arts festival, commissioned by the finger players theatre singapore and teatri sbagliati italy. Jeffrey sweet born may 3, 1950 is an american writer, journalist, songwriter and theatre historian early life. Feb, 2015 court martial at fort devens continues through feb. Courtmartial at fort devens by jeffrey sweet playscripts inc.
Barksdale was convicted by a military judge of four specifications of disobeying a commissioned officer, one specification. Daily herald chicago playwright jeffrey sweet builds court martial at fort devens on a cantmiss theme the resistance against prejudice and injustice and caps it off with an equally cantmiss theatrical device the. Jeffrey sweets courtmartial at fort devens at castillo theatre. Courtmartial at fort devens opens littleknown chapter in. A unit of african american world war ii waacs, trained as medical technicians at a massachusetts army hospital, end up instead mopping floors, thanks to the racist, sexist colonel in charge. Briefly, can you summarize the events at fort devens and why they were protesting. During world war ii, four african americans at fort devens, massachusetts went on. Courtmartial at fort devens at castillo theater the new. The fort devens strike was one of the most wellpublicized disciplinary cases of world war ii, aided by both the black and mainstream press that catapulted this otherwise routine courtmartial of african american military personnel onto the national stage. This is the official facebook page of the installation of fort devens reserve forces training area. On march 19, 1945, in the crowded makeshift courtroom in the headquarters building of fort devens, massachusetts, private anna morrison took the stand. How military justice has shaped america from the revolution to 911 and beyond. Sep 01, 2008 uarts performance for the philly fringe festival. Jan 29, 2015 court martial at fort devens runs feb, 6 through 15 at steel river playhouse, 245 e.
Court martial at fort devens new york debut, new federal theatre, winner of 6 audelco awards including best ensemble cast and best production of the year and charleston olio opposite tony award winner phylicia rashad at the national black theatre festival. The story of the four women who underwent courts martial to stand up for themselves and their colleagues is interesting and powerful. Courtmartial at fort devens opens littleknown chapter. Courtmartial at fort devens at castillo theater the new york times. Glory in their spirit is a compelling, deeply researched book. Based on a true story about the africanamerican wacs womens army corps in world war ii, sweets drama reveals the actual events that caused two black female soldiers to walk out the door on military orders that smacked of prejudice. She recently answered some questions about her forthcoming book. Court martial at fort devens closed march 11, 2007 chicago buy tickets and see show information. Instead, the women were ordered to return to duty or else face a courtmartial. Jun 01, 2019 the fort devens court martial of black wacs would be no ordinary trial. Jeffrey sweet born may 3, 1950 is an american writer, journalist, songwriter and theatre historian. The black wacs at fort devens, therefore, saw the strike as their best option in. They were also african american women, thereby ensuring a novel public platform for the contentious issue of segregation. The regional premiere of jeffrey sweet s courtmartial at fort devens reminds us that america fell short of the ideals it fought for in wwii.
These women faced a double bind underestimated, dismissed, and mistreated because they were black and because they were women. Olivia jane smith on courtmartial at fort devens court martial at fort devens written by jeffrey sweet directed by mary beth easley thursdays, fridays, and saturdays at 7. Courtmartial at fort devens at castillo theater the. African american repertory theater offers up important.
Fort devens was the home of the 10th special forces group mountain, less 1st battalion based in west germany, from 1968 until the groups move to fort carson, colorado in 1995. Court martial at fort devens new york debut, new federal theatre, winner of 6 audelco awards. Courtmartial at fort devens deftly juxtaposes action with narration and flashback to tell this littleknown tale. Listings broadway offbroadway nyc restaurants books and cds.
They chose this highly unpleasant course of action as a desperate attempt to be heard. Behind the chairs, racks, or lockers from which to extract props and costumes. Jeffrey sweets play is based on an interesting episode, and as issues of race and sex boil over on the front burner, its certainly resonant this election year. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Services of all faiths and denominations can be found within a five to twenty minute drive from fort devens. The black women soldiers who demanded opportunities essay.
Fort devens 1993 former usasa army security agency duration. Court martial at fort devens is profound, thoughtprovoking. Nov 15, 2018 the fort devens strike and courtmartial was one the most publicized courtsmartial of world war ii. It was also the home of the 39th engineer battalion cbt until the 39th was inactivated in 1992. Daily herald chicago playwright jeffrey sweet builds courtmartial at fort devens on a cantmiss theme the resistance against prejudice and injustice and caps it off with an equally cantmiss theatrical device the highlycharged courtroom trial scene. Read online fort devens and download fort devens book full in pdf formats. The garrison exists to support military training and. As bray reminds us, the history of american military justice is inextricably the history of america, and courtmartial powerfully documents the many ways that the separate justice system of the armed forces has served as a proxy for americas ongoing arguments over equality, privacy, discrimination, security, and liberty. The chaplain is located at the fort devens welcome center, located in bldg 683, 61 quebec street, devens, ma. Trials of black servicemen were routine, yet those involving women in uniforman impossibility until the creation of the wac just three years beforewere rare.
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