www.cmu.edu/news: The story of John Henry, the super-strong railroad man who died with a hammer in his hand, is being brought to life Feb. 9-18 at The August Wilson Center in downtown Pittsburgh.
Anya Martin, an adjunct professor in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama, was inspired to create the play several years ago after reading "Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend" by Scott Reynolds Nelson.
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It's always exciting to see articles posted on here about new productions based on diverse history, considering the fact that most people are not exposed to anything but white history. I remember the topic of the representation of race was a common theme in the article about the lack of Native American stories told through theatre, along with many other articles that relate to this issue in different matters. With the need for the representation of diversity in theatre and film, new productions like these are exciting to see popping up, because it shows a recognition for the issue as well as the beginning to the start of hearing these untold stories through the world of theatre. The article points out the notion that while these histories may lay in books, more people are willing to sit and watch a play to deal with the subject matter, and it's great to see more and more theatre's taking an initiative on that fact.
This is so exciting! Having Anya as a professor, I was aware that she was working on a project that was very meaningful to her, but I never knew that her story was that of John Henry. In class with her, a lot of these issues and conflicts came up, not because she was working on a piece that studied the same issues, but because they were problems that were relevant to use today. I think that says a lot about her piece already. That even though it's a story that probably takes place many years before our time, it is still relevant. It is also really cool to hear how many collaborators were from the community of Carnegie Mellon. I can't wait to see this show. I am excited to see what the collaboration of so many has made of a story that seems so distant to many of us, but is closer than we see.
This article is really cool to me for many reasons. First, John Henry is a story I began hearing when I was growing up, so seeing this story come back to be relevant in my life is really cool. I think the fact that there are people who are so interested in this story we tell our children brings up an important point that while telling children stories is important, the more you know about the story the better you can progress it through the child’s life and the more they will learn from it. This leads me to the second major thing for me which is the interdisciplinary coordination occurring within Carnegie Mellon University for this project. Being lead by the school of drama with assistance from a history professor is so cool to see and really might be a good practice to continue for me to follow as my time here — at a university with so many people with very specific specialties — to take advantage of those with deep knowledge in a certain area to progress not only my own work but my own knowledge.
I first encountered the story of John Henry in early elementary school when it was told to my class as a folktale. It has stuck with me all these years although until Anya began discussing her project with our directing class I hadn’t thought about it for years. It is not a story that gets retold often and frankly I wasn’t even sure if it was that well known. But I know from being in class with Anya that this piece means a lot to her, and it’s not surprising as she and her collaborators have spent four years workshopping this story. When we spent a couple weeks with a play during design for the stage, breaking it down, rereading, and analysing it before beginning work on a project it was the most time I had spent thinking about one text. I can’t imagine the layers and intricacies you discover and developing when spending years with a story. But the story they have developed sounds fascinating and I hope I will be able to see it and to gain a little more insight into the social context for a folk hero who, in defeating the machines, also met his end. For John Henry, dying with a hammer in his hand was better than living under the oppression of these machines.
I really hope I have the opportunity to see this production. The story of John Henry is one that I have heard mentioned many times but have never actually heard entirely. This is a great opportunity for people like me who are unfamiliar with the story to be exposed to it. I love that recent events in race relations have influenced Anya Martin's conceptualization of the piece and it'll be interesting to see these influences reflected in the piece. It also makes me happy to see members of the CMU community working in the field on pieces that they feel are important to the world.I know the school encourages faculty and professors to continue working outside of the school which I think is extremely important to the success of our students. Members of the faculty are the best examples for students to stay motivated to create art work that is relevant to them.
When I moved to the US in third grade the first unit in our reading class was about American folktales and legends, and John Henry's story was always my favorite. Obviously it was very watered down as it was in a picture book for eight year olds, but I still thought that they were extremely interesting. I had the full intention of going to see this play anyway to support Anya but now that I know the subject matter I think it's even more interesting. Last semester in directing Anya was always very politically aware and encouraged us to bring current events into the pieces that we presented. I can't wait to see how she'll incorporate recent events into the story of John Henry, as I think that it will shed light to the struggles that he lived through and the obstacles that he faced. Like Taylor said, it's great that this production will bring forward a time in Black history that is typically only talked about from a white perspective.
I’m always glad to hear that CMU alum and actively creating relevant theatre. The sophomore DP’s had the pleasure of having Anya as our Fundamentals of Directing teacher. There she talked with us a little about what went into creating this show. I was shocked to learn that this project was 4 years in the making. After reading this article and looking a little more into the project though, I can see why it took so long to produce. Gathering and distilling primary sources can take quite a long time, and it seems like there were a wide variety of people contributing to what they thought the story should be. I think it’s very important, especially for a narrative about African American history, that the creative team be inclusive and diverse. I was glad to see that one of the other primary contributors to the production was a Professor of History at CMU. I sadly don’t think I’ll be able to see Anya’s show, but I wish it success.
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