With Caruso Brown’s Old School, The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center gives a nod to Charlottesville’s black leaders, educators, and students. The play reflects Brown’s deep interest in Charlottesville’s black narrative and the lasting impact that these people, past and present, have had on the city.
In the first act, an English teacher attempts to dissolve classroom antics with little success: One boy’s behavior earns him a trip to the principal’s office, and the in-school suspension space becomes a portal called the “Pillars of Wisdom.” It launches a humorous, heartwarming journey that leads to this young black man’s discovery of his future.
Brown says this of the production’s goal: “Old School seeks to honor…the amazing spirit of both the teachers and the students for history’s sake, but also to sound the trumpet to teachers and students today.”