The Left Hand Singing
by Barbara Lebow

March 20 - April 11, 2009

Directed by Terry Veal

Carpenter Square Theatre presents "The Left Hand Singing," a drama about the disappearance of three young civil rights workers during "Freedom Summer" of 1964. Barbara Lebow's fascinating story takes a personal look at the triumphs and tragedies of the American Civil Rights Movement.

The title of the play derives from a classical piece of music by Ravel written for a pianist who lost the use of his right hand. In her northern college dorm room, Linda, a Jewish girl from New York City, is studying that composition for her Music 101 class. As the play progresses, Wes meets Linda and her roommate, Honey, to study for their philosophy class, but more importantly, they are making plans for the summer. While others might be planning a backpacking trek across Europe, Wes, Linda and Honey want to make a difference in the world. Specifically, there is a voter registration drive in Mississippi for African-Americans that needs volunteers. Interwoven with their story is the story of their parents who receive frightening calls from Mississippi in early June that the three have disappeared.

Soon, the music and play's title become a metaphor for the loss of their children. As the play progresses, we see the college students locked in time in 1964, ever idealistic and struggling with their identities. Their parents age and change over the ensuing years and deal with their losses in different ways. We see some of the parents become more politically active, while others bend under the weight of their grief. All in all, through her vivid characters, playwright Barbara Lebow personalizes the motivations of America’s civil rights activists and brings our recent history to life.

In an interview with The Atlanta Jewish Times, playwright Barbara Lebow said that she was inspired by news coverage of the dedication of a civil rights memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. The news story included interviews with parents who lost their children during the violence of one of the marches.

"It struck a chord with me on many levels," she recalled. "I had just moved to Atlanta with my two children, so I was a transplanted Northerner. I saw the civil rights era from a different geographical perspective. But primarily, I was emotionally drawn to the stories of these parents. And the play deals with how these parents are affected by the idealism of their children."

Lebow also drew on her own personal experiences for informing the play. "There’s a scene where one of the characters talks about going with her daughter to hear Martin Luther King preach in a synagogue. That really happened to my mother and me. It was a powerful experience."