{"id":1442,"date":"2026-05-26T10:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/?p=1442"},"modified":"2026-05-27T16:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:01:11","slug":"american-dream-deferred-meet-the-cast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/2026\/05\/26\/american-dream-deferred-meet-the-cast\/","title":{"rendered":"American Dream Deferred Meet the Cast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our cast members were asked: “What do you hope the American Dream will become and what song about America encompasses that dream?” Here’s what they had to say!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aref Dajani responded that he hopes that the American Dream will become fully inclusive to every community who lives on the periphery today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His song\u2026 “Born This Way,” by Lady Gaga<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Alexis Ross responded that her hope for the American Dream is the rise of the Matriarchy and the song that encompasses that for her is, “You Don\u2019t Own Me,” by Lesley Gore. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cathy McCoskey’s hope and dream is that America will return to being a land that believes in all people and where kindness is valued over ruthlessness, greed, and the pursuit of personal gain. She believes kindness can solve many issues we face today. The song \u201cPut a Little Love in Your Heart,\u201d by Jackie DeShannon, encompasses her hope for the American Dream because love and kindness go hand in hand.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Chrissy Miller feels the American dream is constantly evolving and its meaning varies from person to person. However, her hope is that everyone regardless of class, race, sex, and background will have equal access to all that America offers: democracy, freedom, promise, and opportunity. Our nation was built on the blood, sweat, and tears of many and we can’t forget the sacrifices that were made and continue to be made. My hope for our nation is that we can move past struggles and focus on a promising future of equality, opportunity, and harmony for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A song that Chrissy feels really encompasses that is Louis Armstrong’s What A Beautiful World which was also her wedding song!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Arthur Glover ays, “I’m gonna steal some lines from a song that I believe is the American Dream: It’s a dream that needs all the love you can give everyday of your life for as long as you live. The American dream is not a destination. It is a journey that we are all on and it takes a lot of hard work, dedication to craft, love of yourself, family and neighbors to make it come true. It takes early to bed and early to rise to make a person healthy wealthy and wise.” <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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DIrector Brett Jordan hopes that the American Dream centers equity, justice, and making the world better for future generations and the song she thinks encompasses her dream is \u201cKeep Marching\u201d from Suffs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Kieth Flores went directly to the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. While it isn’t specifically about the ‘American Dream’ it encompasses aspects of his dream. “Imagine there’s no countries, It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion, too. “It’s not necessarily “NO countries” but the notion that multiple countries influence the dreams of the home-family unit-work in America without the fear of one’s religion, ethnicity or country of origin, or sexual preference being held against them. The song goes on to say, “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man.” The notion that ALL have equitable allocation of resources to live a balanced life such that poverty and want (from East coast, to West coast, North or South) would be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In response to the question, Sally Ann Flores simply stated, “Equitable access. For everyone.” Her song is from the Musical Hamilton, “The Room Where It Happens.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Liz Masi believes the American Dream is a story about equity, freedom, and access that reads as a myth. Her hope is that we don’t allow corruption and broken systems to stop us from fighting to make progress towards these ideals for all. When she sees children and young people taking a stand against injustice, her hope is renewed. The song she thinks encompasses the American Dream is Church and State by Brandi Carlile. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Karen Flynn hopes the American Dream will become more easily reachable and offer tremendous opportunities through perseverance. In other words, don\u2019t give up. While not a song specifically about America, she thinks many people can relate to the powerful message in \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow\u201d as a way to reach their American dream by moving on from the past, leaving behind negativity, and focusing on a brighter future. It represents hope, personal resilience, and the necessity of looking forward.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Alicia Braxton: My hope is that the American dream becomes something that can be passed down. Not money, not property, something more. The ability to look at your children, your nieces and nephews, or your friends\u2019 children and say your life will be bigger than mine. And really mean it. That\u2019s what I think about when I hear \u201cWheels of a Dream\u201d from my favorite musical, Ragtime. Coalhouse and Sarah standing over their son, imagining a road that opens up for him in a way it never quite opened for them. It\u2019s not a protest song, it\u2019s not an anthem, it\u2019s a glimpse into the future. Two parents daring to hope out loud that the child they\u2019re singing to grows up and the road is real, that\u2019s the America still worth dreaming about.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sarah Hall: To me, I hope the American Dream will become one of strength, equality, and one where everyone can live in harmony. Every person should get the opportunity to live a successful and fulfilling life without barriers standing in their way. A song about America that encompasses this dream is “This Land is Your Land.” This song holds to the belief that America is made for everyone and there should be no barriers and a place of opportunity for all.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Martin Bestimt said, “What I hope for America is, it returns to a land that governs and grows based on what is right and good, not who has the power and how they keep it.” <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Abigail Mitchell stated that her hope is for it to become, “a reality for those that are often forgotten and overlooked by society. I think that “This Land is Your Land” is a wonderful song that really encompasses what America should be. I also have fond memories singing that song in elementary school!”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Eric Yeh told us, “That with respect to what I hope the American Dream will become: I hope that everything calms down in general and people are able to be nicer to each other. I hope people can rediscover the greatness we have all around the country. The song “New York” from the show Two Strangers makes me happy. When you listen to it, you get to experience how someone not from America could love it so much, seeing it for the first time.” <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Kelly Dobkins says, “I hope we can get back to the American Dream of hope and equality instead of where we are now.” Her song: Not Ready To Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Harry Davis said, “I hope the American Dream will turn again toward equal justice across class lines, that those people who have the most will be held to account just the same as those who have the least.” The song, American Tune, by Paul Simon, carries that meaning. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jonathan Greene believes “the American Dream should be the idea that everyone in the country receives equal access to a meritocracy that provides the potential to create a better life. A life devoid of the fear of not having a place to live or be what you want to be. A life filled with the security that anyone can have access to opportunities that allow them to provide for their loved ones. A life where when and where you are born do not determine how and when you live\u2026 and die.” The song that encompasses his dream is Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our cast members were asked: “What do you hope the American Dream will become and what song about America encompasses that dream?” Here’s what they had to say! Aref Dajani responded that he hopes that the American Dream will become fully inclusive to every community who lives on the periphery today. His song\u2026 “Born This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1442"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1465,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442\/revisions\/1465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blt-online.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}