FORD’S THEATRE SOCIETY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PRESENTS
YOUTH ORATORS FROM AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN
SPEAK LIKE THE PRESIDENT
AND
ORATORY IN AMERICAN CULTURE
MAY 12, 19 AND 24

Washington, D.C.— Middle school students from Oyster-Adams Bilingual School in Adams-Morgan and Truesdell Education Campus in Petworth take to the Ford’s Theatre stage for a 30-minute Speak Like the President program on May 12 and 19, at 3:30 p.m. Additionally, student orators from Central High School in Capitol Heights, M.D. will present Oratory in American Culture on Monday, May 24, at 7 p.m. The events feature student performances of historical and original speeches inspired by the great words of Abraham Lincoln and other American orators who followed in his tradition.

Speak Like the President and Oratory in American Culture are the culmination of a year-long study of the rhetoric and oratory of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and others, specifically designed to encourage students to explore Lincoln’s life and legacy, what it means to be a leader and to envision positive change in our shared world. As they progress, students write and deliver their own speeches, perform on the Ford’s Theatre stage and take trips to hear oratory in action in Congress and the Supreme Court. Speak Like the President is an after-school program operating through a partnership of Ford’s Theatre teaching artists at Oyster-Adams Bilingual School in Adams-Morgan and Truesdell Education Campus in Petworth. Oratory in American Culture is a year-long class co-designed and co-taught by Ford’s Theatre teaching artists and Central High School English and drama teachers, wherein students meet for 90 minutes every other day. Both programs are free for D.C. Public and Public Charter Schools. These programs are supported in part through grants provided by Target and the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation.

Tickets to Speak Like the President
Tickets are free and required for all visitors ages two and older. Tickets for Speak Like the President may be reserved in advance in person at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office or via Ticketmaster at (202) 397-SEAT or ticketmaster.com. There is a $1.50 convenience fee for reserving Speak Like the President in advance. Tickets reserved through Ticketmaster will also be subject to Ticketmaster fees. A limited number of day-of tickets may be available from the Ford’s Theatre box office on May 12 and 14 starting at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are distributed on a first-come basis.

Admission to Oratory in American Culture
Admission to the Oratory in American Culture on May 24 does not require a ticket. Seating is available on a first-come basis. No advance reservations necessary. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Ford’s Theatre Society
Since reopening in 1968, more than a hundred years after President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ford’s Theatre has celebrated Lincoln’s legacy and explored the American experience through theatre and education. Under the leadership of Director Paul R. Tetreault, Ford’s Theatre has been recognized for the superior quality of its artistic programming. From the nationally acclaimed Big River to the world premieres of The Heavens Are Hung In Black and Meet John Doe, Ford’s Theatre has begun to make its mark on American theatre. For its accomplishment, the organization was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts. For more information, visit www.fords.org.