Study Guides

Book, Music and Lyrics by Joan Cushing
Based on the books by Harry Allard

Recommended for Elementary Students (Kindergarten to 3rd Grades)
Running Time: 60 Minutes 

Miss Nelson’s class is the worst behaved in the whole school. Spitballs flying across the room, paper airplanes sailing every which way and uncontrollable children send gentle, long-suffering Miss Nelson over the edge. But the students of Room 207 are in for a surprise when Miss Nelson goes missing and is replaced by Viola Swamp, a no-nonsense substitute who assigns piles of homework! The students learn lessons of appreciation and respect as they set out to find their beloved Miss Nelson … but will they ever get her back?

Sponsored by LCEC

by ERIC COBLE
BASED ON THE BOOK BY ALAN GRATZ

Recommended for Middle to High school Students (6^th - 12^th Grades)
Running Time: 60 Minutes 

Refugee is a powerful stage adaptation that follows the harrowing journeys of three young people from different times and places, each fleeing their homeland in search of safety and freedom.

• Josef, a Jewish boy in 1939 Nazi Germany, boards a ship with his family in hopes of escaping the horrors of the Holocaust.

• Isabel, a Cuban girl in 1994, sets out on a homemade raft bound for America to escape political unrest and economic hardship.

• Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015, journeys across war-torn landscapes seeking refuge and a new beginning in Europe.

Though separated by time and geography, their stories are woven together onstage to show the timeless and universal experience of being a refugee. As they face unimaginable dangers—violence, loss, and uncertainty—they also show courage, resilience, and the hope for a better life.

Using minimal sets, six actors, and dynamic storytelling, the play highlights the emotional and historical impact of refugee crises across generations, reminding audiences of our shared humanity and the importance of compassion.