to implement a fair trial. this story was brought to the broadway stage, winning 11 tony awards, including best musical. actors brandon g green and alan grant join us to talk about the scottsboro boys. >> i first became aware of where there was a similar story in my hometown where three black men were hung for allegedly raping a white woman and i was on the committee to study their story. that is when i first heard about the nine guys. and i was studying haywood patterson. 14-18. he was riding the rails through the alabama and the south. he was seeing how his life was impacted. >> tell me what you do about the scottsboro boys. >> i knew more about that rubin alabama and i knew more about the bombing and in birmingham. i read about scottsboro very late in life. -- well later in life i should say. i was in grad school when the show was on broadway. once speakeasy announced it, i have had track meets in won a tony award for best musical and it is curious that this could become a musical. tell me how this piece sits in. >> broadway and vaudeville, it is -- karen: give us a quick definition of minstrel. >> it was the precursor to vaudeville. it was set up on stages and you would have the comic relief and these folks. that you would see song and dance. karen: how does the device fit into this story? >> the story about the boys is the painting. the minstrelsy is the frame. it is a device that gets the story out. karen: and again, talk about your more dramatic -- in terms of heavyweight conveying of the story of the scottsboro boys. >> haywood tends to be the conduit for the audience, to see the dramatic side of things well tamra and bones tend to be the minstrel show, but it is grounded in the reality of the situation. so haywood tends to be the foundation of the terrible things that happen to these. i laugh, but it is the irony of the musical telling this dramatic and sad story. karen: in the news, there was a story about the young men who were accused of assaulting central cleared. this kind of thing continues to happen throughout history. what do you think is the importance of telling the story of the scottsboro boys? >> formate, i feel like it is still happening today. the same kind of profiling has happened, it has just been given a different name. have to identify what it is and why it is still happening. it is important to tell the story because i also think it is our legacy. it is important to know that it changed the lives of these nine individuals karen:. karen:they were tried and convicted and failed over and over again. >> and we have mass incarceration now where there are a lot of young black men who are in prison. you look at the statistics and you wonder why, disproportionately, there are more minorities. karen: how do you think it relates to what we see today? >> the story a few months ago, the kids who were pulled off for being loud and the one young man who wasn't even with them, but because he wore this space, he them, and the cops asked of it was true and they left him alone then but it is this whole thing of perceived guilt that we are still dealing with today. and it relates so much with the show. karen: so the story is just as fresh as ever. thank you for coming to hear some information about the production. the scottsboro boys are at the speakeasy center for the arts october 21 through november 19. this fall, the university department of drama and dance presents jim of the ocean. on october 19, the mass advocates for children will be holding their annual gala called "celebrating voices" at harvard law school. up next, one playwrights counter narrative to asian-american karen: the huntington theatre company continues their 2016 season with tiger it is about squabbling siblings albert and jennifer chen. as adults, they are epic failures. he has been passed up for a promotion and she has been dumped by her loser boyfriend. >> i hear mom and that's comforting words over and over again. suck it up. karen: they confront their parents and launch, of course, parenting, and success with wit and sharp humor. playwright mike lu joins us in the theater. this is your first time at the huntington. i have to ask, where the title, tiger style come from? >> i am riffing on the book, battle hymn of the t m i felt like the dialogue was very un-cited and so -- one-sided, and so all throughout my early career i would get this coded suggestion to write about my family, which means, "write about immigrant tales." i am third generation chinese. but when this book came out, i thought i could have high and sort of the struggles of a culture rating here. it is meant to be a playful risk. karen: it is somewhat autobiographical? >> my parents are coming to see it, so no, but my sister and i were ivy league kids and i am wrestling with what you do with that. happens? i am looking at prejudices around people of color in america. how far have we come? especially if there continue to be negative stereotypes. karen: if you don't apply your education in a more traditional way, that your parents might anticipate or expect, versus what you really like to do with your life. academic, but my grandparents were immigrants and they were very working class. and now, i think that having on to these schools and had a lot of training, if i don't do something with my life that furthers that progression it might just sort of go into the same way. karen: you should tell your parents you are healing with comedy and laughter. >> yeah. karen: the brother and sister challenge their parents at some point by taking what you describe as an american freedom tour. what is that? >> i see a lot of plays that are about rich people in their homes having arguments over wine. my family, that would never fly. your fault, they would just say no. when i see traditional plays -- i don't see my family being reflected. these kids try to shake off the expectations their parents have based on them -- placed on them. they get buffeted about and they have have the in irvine, california, and the other half we can't let the audience know how the trip results, because they have to see the play. but how long did it take you to put this piece together? and this is your first time at the huntington? >> i am so thrilled to be at the huntington because i am a new york-based playwright but when i look at huntington, those are have the guts to do. this one just had a production in la joya clay house. but between the play and boston, i rewrote 40 pages. everybody knows that new plays take a long time to develop and it is not just the finished product you are seeing in the theater. i learned a lot from those pages and e-mailed it to my director. this is still a very new play. it is a brand-new thing nobody has seen before. karen: it is a living document. working at the huntington has been wonderful places for so many young playwrights like yourself to first show your the huntington, so this is really personal for him to come back and show off what he has learned. one of our actresses, reba chen, is also a grad. karen: bu is such a good school. thank you for being here. and i look forward to watching the play and your future success. tiger style is on stage at boston center for the arts. now through november 13. karen: welcome back. the island of haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world but there are some who are working tirelessly against all odds. father joseph found haiti's microcredit bank with the mission of empowering peasant women through literacy classes and building loans. he founded schools, an orphanage, a read for station program, a health radio station, a home construction effort and a university. haiti's first rural college. almost everything father joseph builds over 25 years was destroyed by the art wake in 2010 but -- earthquake in 2010 but he strives to rebuild. his work is featured in a film that bears his name. >> in that first meeting, he national institution. he said we are going to teach them how to calculate, how to organize their business essentials. we are also going to have to teach the people how to read and write. i said you are kidding, we are going to be a bank that teaches people to read and write? in the next 20 minutes, i was totally convinced that this man had a more critical vision. karen: the film's director jeff kaufman is here in the studio. father joseph was planning to be here but unfortunately, because of a hurricane that hit his island, he has decided to stay back. of course, we understand. >> all flights were canceled but his spirit is with us. attracted you to father joseph and to creating a film project? >> i've done a wide range of films about human rights in iran, jazz in harlem in the 1930's, we are doing a new film about the playwright terrence mcnally. and what drives people to do good things in the world -- i just joseph at this human rights conference in los angeles and he was one of the most humble and normally dressed people in this room. this guy is so many things at once. that started the chain. karen: what did you learn in that first combination -- conversation? >> we talked about his rural university and we also talked organization that came out of peasant organization where you can get killed for that and organizing. it was about bringing women together. they were given the skills to read and write, to build a business, and to be the kernel of democracy. >> the more he said, the more his vision became clearer. empower the women. faith but how do you imagine he keeps his faith in the face of so many hardships that have befallen haiti? including this vast hurricane that has destroyed so many things. >> when you see him, you realize he is the real thing. his baby is not untested. at god and feels that god speak to him to get back on the path. but he is always on the path. one of the pieces in our film is footage of father joseph giving mass in the associate peasants gazebo right after the earthquake. somehow, it miraculously stood after the earthquake and i just saw photographs of it now and now it is down. it has collapsed. >> it survived the earthquake and it got destroyed by the hurricane. we also got messages from father joseph saying he is hoping they will rebuild their homes. he is raising money. karen: what else can you tell me about what has been happening in haiti since the hurricane? i know you have been in conversation with many people. >> i just got off the phone with was going to the university and his grandmother's home was wiped out. he was saying that the really cold weather starts in about a month and a half. if the peasants don't get a chance to rebuild their homes -- they have already lost their crops and animals. they need help right now because in another month, it is horrendous. karen: tell me what it was like for you working in haiti. political unrest. the hurricane gave the electoral council an opportunity to postpone the election yet again. but did you fear for your life? you are doing something that was kind of revolutionary. >> i never fear for my life. we had great people with us so we always felt well protected. there was one time when there but the people who had actually done the work over the decades, those are the real heroes. people who the film talks about preach to peasants. a young man who father joseph mentored was not an tortured and killed because forces were trying to close his bank. there are a lot of heroes but it is not just a story of the difficulties and the sgl remains one of an incredible visionary and getting people to care about the community and others. i think that is inspiring. >> to get the people to be considered in themselves. to have them given back their human dignity. , you have seen seniors, people who do not have great names are great reputations. they are not well-known that they're the ones who understand that the purpose of life is one you can share. what you have and what you are. karen: father joseph is on itunes and netflix. what would you like the audience to leave with after viewing this? they can help rebuild. not through outside organizations where the money mica dissipated but supporting directly a grassroots organization that will help right away, go to www. race in haiti.org. he is working tirelessly to get them back on their feet. karen: he will need that support all the other levels that some of the other ngos get involved with. >> that is a way to show we are all connected. karen: thanks for being here. the film is called father joseph and it is available on itunes and netflix. we send our thoughts and well wishes to the people of haiti and all those impacted by hurricane matthew. thanks for watching, everyone. have a great rest of your day. national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. fios is not cable. we're wired differently. so we wired the wagner's house with 100 meg internet. which means in the time it takes mr. wagner to pour a 20 oz. cup of coffee, tommy can download 30 songs, and jan can upload 120 photos. fast as you can download. and right now, go online to get our best offer ever or call to learn more. super fast 100 meg internet, tv and phone for just $69.99 per month online, for 2 years, guaranteed with a 2 year agreement. installation is easier than ever. and there is no cost to cancel if you change your mind within 30 days. switch now and get super fast 100 meg internet, plus tv and phone for just $69.99 per month online, for 2 years, guaranteed. cable can't offer internet speeds this fast at a price this good. ? >> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm veronique. let's begin with our top story for this week. ? in many parts of the world today, being born female means you'll probably spend your life in hardship and poverty. emily tells us about one woman who's working to change that. >> the problem is huge. for millions of girls and women around the world, every day is a struggle just to survive. but there are things we can do to help make their lives a bit better. betsy teutsch is the author of the book "100 under $100: