Ruth and the Green Book

Eight-year-old Ruth and her family are traveling from Chicago to Alabama in the 1950s. The family is turned away from hotels, gas stations, and restaurants. Finally, Ruth’s family is introduced to “The Green Book.” Created in response to the humiliation and violence experienced by Black Americans while traveling in the Jim Crow South, this pivotal publication was an indispensable guide for Ruth’s family and many others to find a safe, welcoming route to travel through segregated America.

Using an innovative combination of puppetry and animated projections that are inspired by the book’s evocative illustrations, this collaboration between Artistic Director Jon Ludwig and author Calvin Alexander Ramsey celebrates the great guidebook that helped pave the direction to an America where everyone is welcome.