Drake Street
Click the title above to download a Word version of my five-act play with heroes of the heartland on a mystical street through Des Moines, Iowa. Written for teenage school students with two Otis Redding songs, Try a Little Tenderness and (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay, by permission from Time Warner. Sponsored by a grant from the Iowa Arts Council.
A few of the characters you’ll meet include a young Amelia Earhart, an old George Washington Carver, his friend Henry A. Wallace with his new hybrid seed corn, radio announcer Ronald (Dutch) Reagan, the five founders of the National Negro Bar Association, Harriett Tubman, jazz pianist Speck Red, activists JoeAnna Cheatom, Edna Griffin, Dorothy Day and other local problem-solvers living their stories of invention, creativity and perseverance.
It’s a great vehicle for students and classes writing about their own local history, interviewing elders and memorializing their stories and accomplishments.
Welcome to Drake Street!
Russell Simmons
Drake Street Productions 