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CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION by Annie Baker directed by Meredith McDonough Jan. 24–Feb. 12 2017 502.584.1205 actorstheatre.org PLAY G U I D E IN THIS PLAY GUIDE ABOUT THIS PLAY GUIDE CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION This play guide is a resource designed to enhance your theatre experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning of theatre arts and to encourage essential questions that lead to an enduring understanding of the play’s meaning and relevance. Inside you will find information about the plot and characters within the play, as well as articles that contextualize the play and its production at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Oral discussion and writing prompts encourage your students to reflect upon their impressions, analyze key ideas and relate them to their personal experiences and the world around them. These prompts can easily be adapted to fit most writing objectives. We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in any way that best fits the needs of your community of learners. Please feel free to make copies of this guide, or you may download it from our website at actorstheatre.org. We hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will give you the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience. 3 PLOT SUMMARY AND CHARACTERS 4 SETTING 6 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 7 GLOSSARY 8 WRITING PORTFOLIO & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 9 BRIDGEWORK CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION STUDENT MATINEES AND THIS PLAY GUIDE ADDRESS SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS TH.Re7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work. TH.Re8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. TH.Re9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. TH.Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. TH.Cn11.1 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our play guides, please contact Jane B. Jones, Education Director, at 502.584.1265 x3045. 2 EDUCATION DIRECTOR Jane B. Jones EDUCATION MANAGER Betsy Anne Huggins EDUCATION ASSOCIATE Lexy Leuszler RESIDENT TEACHING ARTISTS Liz Fentress Keith McGill Talleri McRae Letitia Usher EDUCATION/TEACHING ARTIST APPRENTICES Elliott Talkington Victoria Masteller PLAY GUIDE BY Maddi Fuller Victoria Masteller Elliott Talkington GRAPHIC DESIGN Amie Harris 316 West Main Street Louisville, KY 40202-4218 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Les Waters MANAGING DIRECTOR Kevin E. Moore CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION PLOT SUMMARY In her creative drama class at the local community center, middle-aged bohemian Marty coaches an unlikely assortment of small-town Vermonters: a recently divorced carpenter, a high school junior, a former actress, and Marty’s own husband. As they tackle Marty’s imaginative, improvisational, and sometimes awkward theatre games, their real lives gradually infiltrate the classroom—inspiring transformations both personal and profound. Annie Baker’s enormously popular comedy is a beautifully crafted, tender portrait of the tiny leaps of faith and creativity that spark unexpected insight. CHARACTERS SCHULTZ – At the age of 48, Schultz finds himself unhappily alone after his recent divorce from his wife of many years. He works primarily as a carpenter and makes chairs in his spare time. JAMES – He is 60 years old and is married to Marty. He has an estranged daughter from a previous marriage whom he attempts to contact throughout the play. MARTY – Marty, 55, is the Co-Executive Director of the community center where the play is set. In addition to teaching drama, she leads classes in other subjects, such as jewelry and pottery. She is married to James. Marty longs to move to New Mexico. LAUREN – Sixteen years old, Lauren is the youngest student in Marty’s class. She is in high school and is figuring out what she wants to do with her life. She is considering becoming a professional actress, so she is disappointed when she realizes the acting class is only going to be theatre games and not scene work. THERESA – At the age of 35, she’s recently moved to Vermont from New York City after ending a toxic relationship. She is an actress and is also studying acupressure. 3 SETTING The play is set in a dance studio at a community center in the fictional town of Shirley, Vermont. The studio is windowless and contains a wall of mirrors and a big blue yoga ball. The play takes place over six weeks during the summer. Springfield, Vermont. Springfield is a good example of what the fictitious town of Shirley in Circle Mirror Transformation would be like, with a medium-sized population of about 10,000 people, a town hall, and many festivals. Springfield, Vermont. 4 Springfield, Vermont. With its early 1800s architecture and proximity to waterways, Springfield shares characteristics with the fictional town of Shirley. In this map of the United States, Vermont is highlighted in red. Part of New England, Vermont is characterized by its stunning natural landscape of dense mountainous forests. Vermont is known for its maple syrup, hiking trails, and ski slopes. 5 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Annie Baker ANNIE BAKER grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her full-length plays include John at Signature Theatre, The Flick at Playwrights Horizons (Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Hull-Warriner Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Price, Obie Award for Playwriting), Circle Mirror Transformation at Playwrights Horizons (Obie Award for Best New American Play, Drama Desk nomination for Best New American Play), The Aliens at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (Obie Award for Best New American Play), Body Awareness at Atlantic Theater Company (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play/Emerging Playwright), and an adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya at Soho Rep (Drama Desk nomination for Best Revival), for which she also designed the costumes. Her plays have been produced at over 150 theatres throughout the U.S., and have been produced internationally in over a dozen countries. Other recent honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, Steinberg Playwright Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, and the Cullman Fellowship at the New York Public Library. She is a Residency Five playwright at the Signature Theatre. 6 GLOSSARY DOMINEERING: Forcing one’s will over another in an aggressive way. In one of the exercises in the play, Lauren (roleplaying as Theresa) claims that her ex-partner, Mark, was “domineering” and made her forget who she was. MANIPULATION: The ability to handle, control, or move your body or the body of someone else in a skillful manner. Marty “manipulates,” or adjusts, Schultz’s arms into a new position in order for him to better embody a character physically. MORALISTIC: Having or showing strong opinions about what one believes is right and wrong. In the exercise described under domineering, Theresa claims that her expartner, Mark, was “judgmental and moralistic” while also “always lecturing [her].” TRANSFORM: To adjust a word or action to exemplify change. In an exercise in the play, everyone mirrors Theresa who repeats the word “WOOP” and does a gesture with it. Marty instructs Lauren to “transform” the word “WOOP” by giving it another gesture. By doing so, she changes how the word is understood by everyone else. MEISNER TECHNIQUE: An acting technique developed by renowned actor and teacher Sanford Meisner. The goal of Meisner technique is to allow actors to be in the moment while acting, rather than focusing on the result. Actors use improvisation and rely on their impulses in order to obtain a sense of authenticity in their performances. One of the scenes in the play shows Schultz and Theresa participating in a Meisner exercise in which one person says “I want it” while the other responds with “You can’t have it.” This exercise allows actors to play with the intention behind the words they are speaking while also promoting active listening between scene partners. 7 WRITING PORTFOLIO NARRATIVE: CCRA.W.3 INFORMATIVE: CCRA.W.2 In Circle Mirror Transformation, Marty’s students are taking a risk by trying a new class that pushes them outside of their comfort zone. Think about a time when you took a chance on a new class, activity, game, or team. How did it feel to be in this new experience? Were you scared or excited? In retrospect, what did you learn? Write a onepage personal narrative or monologue about the first day of the new class or activity. A monologue is a theatrical tool in which a character delivers a long speech to another character in order to express what they are thinking or a point they need to make. Write a review of the performance of Circle Mirror Transformation that you saw at Actors Theatre of Louisville. What parts of the play (the actors’ performances, the set, props, costumes, lighting and sound design, etc.) were your favorites and why? How effective were these elements in telling the story? Back up your claims with evidence and details from your experience of watching the performance. Then, make a copy and send it to the education department at ARGUMENTATIVE: CCRA.W.1 Annie Baker is a contemporary playwright who is known for her “slice of life” plays that encapsulate how it feels to live in our current world. In her style, Annie Baker goes against conventional philosophies about what makes something dramatic, including her colloquial use of language. Baker uses a magnifying glass to look at seemingly low-risk situations, such as taking a community center’s acting class, in order to highlight their complexity. She is interested in mining the small, often forgotten moments of our lives for the drama buried within. Based on your comparisons, what makes Circle Mirror Transformation dramatic? Write an essay about why this story should be in play structure, or if it would be better served as a short story, film, or some other medium. Actors Theatre of Louisville c/o Jane B. Jones 316 West Main Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202 We will share your thoughts with the creative team. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS POST-SHOW QUESTIONS 1. Circle Mirror Transformation focuses on characters attending a community center class. The audience is never shown the private lives of the characters outside the class. How does the setting of the play affect the audience’s understanding of the characters? What might we learn, or miss, by only seeing the students in a class? How does our public behavior differ from our private behavior? What do we present to others, and what do we try to conceal? 1. 2. The students in Marty’s class are enrolled for different reasons, not really knowing what the outcome of the class will be for them. James takes the class because his wife, Marty, is the teacher. Schultz takes the class because he is lonely. Lauren takes the class because she wants to become an actress. By the end of the class, the characters change in unexpected ways because of their connections with each other. Do you think we are predestined to meet certain people who help us change? Or do you think we meet people completely by coincidence? Annie Baker purposefully adds short and long pauses in her plays to create a realistic atmosphere. In fact, Baker writes in her Author’s Note how much time a “short” or “long” pause should take. Think about the different moments that the pauses were taken in Circle Mirror Transformation. Sometimes they were taken when a character was processing emotions like heartbreak or anger. Other times the pauses are taken for a character to think or during moments of focus. Consider what those moments would be like without the pauses. What effect would that have versus the effect you experienced in the play? Would it be different? The same? Do the pauses change how we perceive the character’s journey? 2. During one of the first classes, Lauren says, “I signed up for this class because I thought we were gonna act.” Marty replies, “We are acting.” Lauren thought acting could only be done through rehearsing scenes or putting up a play, but Marty believes acting can also take the form of games. This is one of many examples in the play in which the characters’ expectations do not align with reality. What other examples do you see in the play where the characters’ expectations do not align with reality? How do these moments affect what the characters choose to do with their lives? 8 BRIDGEWORK AT YOUR DESK 1. 2. Many of the games featured in Circle Mirror Transformation require or create a place of self-reflection for the participants. Through the games, the audience learns about the characters’ wants, needs, and dreams. In the final class, the students play a game in which they describe where their classmates end up in ten years. Using newspaper and magazine clippings, make a collage of who you will be in ten years. This can include where you want to live, what kind of job you want to have, how your personal style will transform, and hopes for travel and family life. Reflect on your collage: what do your aspirations say about your life right now? What are the steps you’ll need to take to achieve your goals? After you are finished transcribing, did it surprise you how often people are interrupted or use filler words? Did the pauses, stumbles or interjections tell you something about underlying meaning in the conversation? If one person speaks more, what does that say about their character? Can you tell, based on how the conversation went, how familiar or comfortable the people were with each other? Annie Baker is known for her ability to make dialogue sound natural by mirroring common speech patterns. One of the ways she replicates these patterns is by including lots of pauses and filler words (“um,” “uh,” “er,” “ah,” “like,” “okay”) in her work. Listen to 20 seconds of either a podcast interview or live radio broadcast, and try to transcribe it. Emulate Annie Baker’s rules for describing speech patterns by: Example text from Circle Mirror Transformation: Now that you have taken a deeper look at the creation of natural dialogue by the podcast, text example, and personal reflection, try creating your own dialogue. Think about the circumstances of the characters: are they strangers or close friends? Are they in a new or familiar place? SCHULTZ. Night terrors. MARTY. Huh. Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know what it is. SCHULTZ. It was night terrors. MARTY. Yeah. SCHULTZ. Becky went on medication for… she went on some kind of epilepsy medication. It helped her. MARTY. Huh. (Pause.) MARTY. And it’s a real— SCHULTZ. It’s a real thing. It’s a real thing. Look it up online. Writing “pause” for when there are approximately two seconds of silence. Writing “long pause” for silences longer than four seconds. Using ellipses (“…”) for when a thought trails off and an emdash (—) for when someone interrupts either their own thought or someone else’s. We have provided a toolbox using text from Circle Mirror Transformation for further clarity. WHEN TOOLBOX WHAT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE (pause) When there is a two-second pause. Write in the word “pause.” When there is a four-second or longer pause. Write in the words “long pause.” When a thought trails off. Write in ellipses. … SCHULTZ. Becky went on medication for… she went on some kind of epilepsy medication. It helped her. When someone interrupts either their own thought or someone else’s thought. Write in an emdash. — MARTY. And it’s a real— SCHULTZ. It’s a real thing. It’s a real thing. Look it up online. (long pause) AWAY FROM YOUR DESK 1. EXAMPLE MARTY. Huh. (Pause.) MARTY. And it’s a real— Group Counting, a theatre game featured in Circle Mirror Transformation, challenges a group to count to ten together. At the start of the play, the group can barely get past the number four without having to restart, but by the end of the play, the group is able to count to ten together easily. In the game, only one student is allowed to speak at a time. One student begins the exercise by saying “one,” then another random student says “two,” and so on. There is no predetermined pattern of who says what number, and students cannot communicate who will say the next number with gestures or sounds. If two or more people shout out a number at the same time, the group must all start back at “one.” Try this game in your classroom with groups of no fewer than four students. Work on the game until each group is able to count to ten without having to restart the game. How challenging is this game? Are there tools or techniques that aid in accomplishing the game? Why do you think Marty used this game in her classroom? What can students learn from Group Counting? 2. James and Theresa are partners in the Gibberish Game, in which they can only say the words “ak mak“ or “goulash.” Though James is speaking in gibberish in the game, he is able to communicate that he has feelings for Theresa. Try this improv game in class; two participants should engage in a conversation using only the words “ak mak” and “goulash.” Before the start of the game, the teacher should secretly give one of the participants a clear objective of what to achieve during the conversation. When the conversation is over, reflect on the scene. Were you able to figure out what the characters were trying to communicate? What did the actors do with their physicality and voices to accomplish their goals? 9