Washington, D.C. — More than 350 Washington-area school students will perform a selection of President Abraham Lincoln’s speeches on the historic Ford’s Theatre stage on two Fridays, February 10 and 17, at 9:30 a.m., as part of Ford’s Theatre Society’s fourth annual Target Oratory Festival. The Target Oratory Festival showcases local students who have benefitted from the integration of historical speeches and letters into History and English classes to help strengthen their understanding of history and improve their public-speaking skills.

Participating D.C. elementary and middle schools include: Alice Deal Middle School; Arts and Technology Academy Public Charter School; D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School; Oyster-Adams Bilingual School; Takoma Education Center; Watkins Elementary School; the Nannie Helen Burroughs School; and Tyler Elementary School. Students from Montgomery County’s Gaithersburg High School and Alexandria’s George Washington Middle School will present some of Lincoln’s most memorable speeches, including the Gettysburg Address and House Divided speech.

“The Ford’s Theatre Education Department is thrilled to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s 203rd birthday with the Target Oratory Festival,” said Sarah Jencks, Director of Education Programming. “Studying the words of this great American leader helps students to understand Lincoln’s ideals of integrity, courage and empathy and to feel the power of oratory from the stage.”

In preparation for the Target Oratory Festival, participating classes visit and tour Ford’s Theatre and are visited in their classrooms three times by Ford’s Teaching Artists. Students work alongside the Teaching Artists to strengthen historical understanding, reading comprehension and rhetoric skills while building a solid understanding of the great oration of Abraham Lincoln. Ford’s Theatre oratory programs are supported by Target and Ford’s Theatre 2011-2012 education sponsor BP America.

Tickets to the Target Oratory Festival
Tickets to the Target Oratory Festival can be reserved in advance, through Ticketmaster (fees apply). Tickets can also be picked up for free the day of the festival at the Ford's Theatre Box Office at 511 Tenth Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20004.

For more information on how local schools or teachers can participate, please email the Education Department at education@fords.org. Limited space is available for media to attend. Interested media should contact Lauren Beyea at lbeyea@fords.org or (202) 434-9543.

Ford’s Theatre Society
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.

The mission of Ford’s Theatre Society is to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the American experience through theatre and education. For its accomplishments, the organization was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S. government to artists, arts institutions and arts patrons.

Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford’s Theatre Society for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed Big River to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black and Liberty Smith, Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape.

Through the leadership of Wayne R. Reynolds, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, opening in February 2012. The new Center will bring the values and ideals of Lincoln from the past into the present, examining Lincoln’s multi-faceted legacy through exhibits, workshops, seminars and speakers, as well as community outreach programs.

For more information on Ford’s Theatre and the Ford’s Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Beyea at lbeyea@fords.org/ (202) 434-9543