Don't Trash Your
Mother Earth

 Can Bird & Girl defeat the evil Smog King and his minions, The Wastefuls?

Will they escape the clutches of Reginald R. Poacher, III, Esquire and the murky waters of business tycoon W.P. Waterpolluter in time to save the Golden Dolphin? Watch as Girl learns that one person CAN make a difference!

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 Wednesday, June 16, 10:30 am & 1 pm

Friday, June 18 10:30 am & 7:00 pm

Saturday, June 19, 11:30 am & 2 pm

Adults: $10; Children & Students: $5

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 Original Book, Music & Lyrics by Melanie Mays & Tod Barnard

sponsored by

ONLINE HUMANITIES FORUM

Underground: The Award Winning Film and Panel Discussion

Winner of 21 awards including 2 Student Emmy Awards, the short film "Underground" co-written and produced by Tallahassee, FL native Akil Dupont, has been selected for 28 film festivals and shown in 76

countries. The film tells the story of an enslaved African American man and his family attempting to find freedom through the Underground Railroad, a series of safe houses and secret routes though which an estimated 100,000 enslaved Americans escaped forced servitude in the 1800's.

Our online presentation begins with a viewing of this film, which serves as the inspiration for the Humanities Forum to follow, in which three Florida history scholars discuss Florida's relationship with slavery and the experiences of enslaved men and women specific to this region.

Our distinguished panelists include:

Dr. Anthony Dixon

Dr. Anthony Dixon is the Founder and President of Archival and Historical Research Associates, LLC, Field Director for the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, and Adjunct Professor of History at Florida A&M University.

Jason (Jay) Welch

Jay Welch is the History, Humanities, and Art Department Chair at North Florida College. He received his Master of Arts degree focusing on modern Eastern Europe with a minor focus on American History.

David Ward

Local historian David Ward has served as the elected Jefferson County Property Appraiser, the Chair of the Jefferson County Planning Commission, and on the Boards of Directors of the Aucilla Research Institute and the Monticello Opera House.

The online Humanities Forum also features Akil Dupont, who speaks about his inspiration for creating the film, and his experiences as an emerging artist in film and live performance.

Concluding the "Escaping Slavery" presentation are film clips from a recent concert version of "Underground the Musical" which Dupont created from the film version. This musical play will be presented live and in person at Monticello Opera House as part of its new 2021-2022 Season of Shows.

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This special presentation is now available on our YouTube channel. Please consider making a donation to the Opera House before or after watching.

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