WELCOME
Explore how a playwright creates a play inspired by real life events, and step into the role of playwright yourself!
Roundabout Teaching Artists Karla Hendrick and Karim Muasher will host your experience before and after your virtual field trip for 72 Miles to Go...
To begin, play the video below.
EXPLORING THEME
10 minutes
Read these quotes from the cast and creative team:
He believed being as Americanized as possible was the only way to survive, so he learned to speak English with no accent, refused to teach his children Spanish, and denied anything culturally Mexican. I feel like I’m on this life-long search to understand who we are and what the Mexican-American identity means to me.
— Hilary Bettis, Playwright
I believe we're all hyper-aware of the volatile subject of immigration in this country, but we lose sight of the individuals in the midst of the politics surrounding the subject. Perhaps because I'm an immigrant also, I've always been curious as to what it means to be an American and how attitudes towards previous waves of immigrants have morphed over time.
— Jo Bonney, Director
I think this play is about sacrifice. Everyone in this journey has to give up a part of themselves to survive.
— Jacqueline Guillen, Actress
If you’d like to know even more, check out these interviews in our UPSTAGE Guide.
PROMPT
What do you think this play is about?
EXPLORING CHARACTER
10 minutes
Meet the characters and explore their relationships in this interactive game.
Play Now →To further explore The Dream Act and DACA, check out the summary article and first-person experiences from our UPSTAGE GUIDE.
MAKE A PREDICTION
We have explored the themes and characters of 72 Miles To Go… Based on this information choose a character and make a prediction about the problems, or conflicts, that a character might experience in the play.
PROMPT
Make a prediction about the problems, or conflicts, that character might experience in the play.
Curtain up!
Your teacher or group leader will provide you with a link to watch the show. The link will expire 72 hours after you click it. The virtual student matinee concludes end of day Friday, April 24.
Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes, with no intermission.
POST SHOW
10 minutes
After watching the show, take a moment to check in with yourself:
- What are you thinking about?
- What are you feeling?
- What does this story make you wonder about?
- How did watching a recording change your experience as an audience member compared to a live event in a theatre?
We recommend discussing your answers to these questions with friends and classmates.
For more post-show activities, check out the UPSTAGE GUIDE.
A Resource Guide from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs
The City of New York supports all its residents, regardless of immigration status. Access to help, in over 200 languages, is a phone call or click away. Here’s a quick roadmap to help you or someone you know get started:
ENGLISH | ESPAÑOL
POST SHOW: Playwriting
15 minutes
The final scene of this play is set in 2016. What do you think the future holds for these characters?
Step into the role of playwright:
- Choose to write a 5-line dialogue between two characters or a monologue with one character.
- RESEARCH information concerning the Dream Act and DACA in this UPSTAGE GUIDE excerpt.
- Next, choose a family occasion. Something like a dinner, a birthday, or maybe even this pandemic.
- With your research, characters, and setting, you have the given circumstances to let your imagination flow.
- Finally, share this writing with someone you trust.
- If you’re comfortable, share it on social media using the hashtag #After72Miles. Write it out, read it, or perform it!
Thank you so much for joining us for this virtual preshow workshop. If you have any questions or feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Email education@roundabouttheatre.org.
From our homes to yours, please stay safe, keep connecting with us, and we look forward to seeing you at Roundabout in person again soon.
Major support for 72 Miles to Go… is provided by the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater and the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.
This production is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
- Alec Baldwin
- James Costa and John Archibald
- Linda L. D’Onofrio
- Peggy and Mark Ellis
- Jodi Glucksman
- Sylvia Golden
- Angelina Lippert
- K. Myers
- Katheryn Patterson and Tom Kempner
- Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater
- Ira Pittelman
- Mary Solomon
- Lauren and Danny Stein
- Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
- The Tow Foundation
