By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – Watching a history lesson come to life can be a magical, entertaining and educational experience. Actor Kyle Blanchette treated the third-grade students at the Francis J. Kane Elementary School to a live theatrical performance April 14, portraying Benjamin Franklin from the time he was a child through his senior years.
“I love what I do because I get to work with young children each day and truly inspire them,” Blanchette said. “This is important … as all of these shows are about historical figures. The students get to really understand that there is not really a difference between themselves and these people that we hold on pedestals if they are willing to read and educate themselves and become better members of American society.”
Benjamin Franklin is known for many things. He was an important founding father, a tradesman, inventor, diplomat, scientist and politician.
Through costume, wig and voice changes, Blanchette, who is from Young Audiences of Massachusetts, took the audience through the life of Benjamin Franklin. The program began with a journey back to the year 1787. As the youngest child of 16 brothers and sisters, young Benjamin lived in a rather rambunctious household. His father was a candlestick maker and did rather well financially.
At the age of 10, Franklin joined his father at his shop and helped contribute to the family. He hated the smell and the hard work. He knew he needed to learn a trade and make a living so he joined his older brother at his print shop. He mastered the art of writing and printing but set sail aboard a ship heading to Philadelphia at the age of 17.
In his early 20s, Franklin opened his own printing shop and printed the “Pennsylvania Gazette.” He married his wife, Debra and had three children. He opened the first free school library and organized the local fire department. He invented the Philadelphia Fireplaces, which gave more heat while burning less wood.
“During the American Revolution, his advice was sought after,” Blanchette said. “He was so beloved, that when he died at the age of 84 in the year 1790, there were 20,000 people at his funeral.”
During his lifetime, Franklin also experimented with electricity after noticing the charges that were in the stormy skies. Using this information, Franklin invented the lightning rod, which helps protect homes today from lightning strikes.
To demonstrate this to his audience, Blanchette used a Van de Graaff generator, an electrostatic machine, to show a charge moving a piece of yarn, tape or other small items.
Some of the lesser known things he invented include swim fins, bifocal reading glasses and the first battery. He also designed the first American paper money and printed it.
When the program concluded, the students got a chance to ask questions. When asked about his face on the $100 bill, Blanchette said: “He was one of our most important founding fathers.”
The program was sponsored by funds from the Kane Parent-Teacher Organization and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
For more information about Young Audiences of Massachusetts, visit yamass.org.
