Earthrise

A World Premiere Kennedy Center Commission Written by Lauren Gunderson Composed by Brian Lowdermilk Lyrics by Kait Kerrigan Directed by Dawn Monique Williams

Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences

Making the Impossible Possible Welcome to Earthrise

Roger That!

Get ready to fire up your imagination because we’re about to blast off to the moon in this brand new performance. It all comes to life with songs and projections that put you right in the middle of an incredible journey that took place (for real!)

50 years ago.

As you leave the theater, here are some questions to talk about together:

About the Story It’s summer 1969 and you’re about to meet Andrea, Rick, and Sophia. Their parents are rock stars. Not stars of music, but stars of science, mathematics, and space. And we catch up with them just as they are trying to do something amazing—fly humans all the way to the moon. No one could be more excited, or frightened, than our three young friends. Join them as they look up and wonder, worry, hope, and dream.

Look for…the important moment when the three friends see their home planet in a whole new way.

w How would you describe the play to someone who hasn’t seen it? w What three things did you like about the performance? Why? w How did mathematics and engineering make the mission to the moon possible? w How did the projections, scenery, and lights help you imagine mission control, space, and the moon? w What were each of the three friends worried about? How did they feel at the end? w How would you finish this line from the first song: “When I look up, I see _____________.”

(Try singing it!)

Listen for…how the songs help move the story forward and express the characters’ emotions.

w How are Sophia and her engineer dad both artists? How does the play inspire you to think about art and science?

Imagine…the next impossible thing science, technology, and creativity could make possible.

Write a story or draw a picture about it to share with family or friends.

w What do you think it will take for Andrea to achieve her goal of becoming an astronaut?

What goal do you have, and what will you do to achieve it?

Whose idea was this moon mission, anyway?

President John F. Kennedy’s! He said “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard.”

w How did Rick use science to understand what he was afraid of? How could you use science to help you understand something better? w Who do you think were heroes in the story, and why?

Calling All Grownups: Visit Us at Earthrise Command Central Our online performance guide is designed to help you and your young theatergoers learn more about the performance and extend the experience. Please visit it together, and have a blast! bit.ly/EarthriseKC

Earthrise is part of the Kennedy Center’s Human Journey representing Exploration. www.kennedy-center.org/humanjourney Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. © 2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts