Download 2013–14 SeaSon Production Study Guide

 2013–14 SeaSon Production Study Guide
1 Capital Repertory Theatre
2013-2014 | 33rd Season
TABLE OF CONTENTS
03 - A Letter from our Education Department
04 - About Us
05 - Attending a performance
06 - About the Playwright: Patrick Barlow
07-09 - The Characters
10 - Synopsis of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
11 - About the Author: Charles Dickens
12-13 - About the Novel
14 - Historical Context: Timeline
15-16 - Adaptations of the Classic
17-18 - Literary Context
19-20 - Teachable Themes and Topics
20-22 - Puppetry
23-25 - Ideas for Curriculum Integration
26 - The Production: Who’s Who
26 - Elements of Design
27 - Resources Consulted
28 - Teacher Evaluation
29 - theRep’s Mission in Action!
Venus In Fur
By David Ives
SEP 27-OCT 20
A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
NOV 22 – DEC 22, 2013
*Recommended for grades 3-12
The Mountaintop
By Katori Hall
JAN 17 – FEB 9, 2014
*Recommended for grades 9-12
Gypsy
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Mar 14 – APR 13, 2014
*Recommended for grades 9-12
The God Game
By Suzanne Bradbeer
MAY 2 – MAY 25, 2014
*Recommended for grades 9-12
*Portions of this study guide were taken from the Delaware Theatre Company’s Teacher
Resource for their 2012 production of A Christmas Carol.
CAPITAL REP’S ON-THE-GO! SCHOOL TOUR
(We come to you!)
By Karen Jones Meadows
In-School Tour FEB 3 – MAR 1, 2014
(No shows FEB 17-21)
*Recommended grades 3-6
By Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill & Maureen Aumand
In-School Tour MAR 24 – APRIL 12, 2014
*Recommended grades 3-6
2 Winter 2013
Dear Educator:
Welcome to Capital Repertory Theatre!
Here at theRep we are excited to provide
young people with an opportunity to
experience a live theatrical performance.
We are thrilled that you will be attending
a matinee performance of A Christmas
Carol, one of this season’s main stage
productions.
We hope you will find this guide to be a useful tool. You have permission to reproduce anything in this guide
for use in your classroom, i.e. historical context or the themes. It is designed to introduce the cultural and
historical context of the play as well as provide resources and ideas for integrating the theatre experience with
your curriculum.
Capital Rep performances are likely to generate questions and opinions among your students. Our hope is
that you will join us for a talkback with the cast following the performance where you and your students can
share your questions and reactions with the performers.
The arts provide young imaginations with stimulation, points of reference, and intellectual resources for the
mind and spirit. Our goal is to make live theatre attendance possible for all students in the Capital Region.
Over 16,000 Capital Region students attended Student Matinees and Capital Rep On-The-Go! School Tour
performances last season. We hope to continue to grow and serve the needs of the Capital Region education
community.
Let us know how you are using theatre in the classroom! Your success stories help us to keep the program
funded. We love to receive copies of lesson plans, student work related to our performances and your letters.
These are important testimonials to the value of the arts in education.
Fill Out the Teacher Evaluation and get a FREE pair of tickets to Capital Repertory Theatre! Completing the
evaluation form at the back of the guide will help us to continue to provide programs that serve the needs of
Capital Region students – and you will receive a pair of tickets to a future Capital Rep production.
We look forward to hearing from you!
With deepest gratitude,
MARGARET E. HALL
KATHERINE STEPHENS
3 Capital Repertory Theatre is a non-profit professional producing theatre. In its 33-year history, Capital Rep
has produced more than 5,000 performances for the people of the Capital Region.
A member of LORT (League of Resident Theatres), Capital Rep strives to bring quality work that explores the
essence of the human condition through the stories of people, events, and phenomena that shape our
contemporary lives. Theatre, at its best, entertains, cajoles and inspires by engaging the heart and mind
through its most powerful ally – the imagination.
There are two basic types of theatre companies: producing and presenting. Capital Rep is a producing
theatre. The theatre hires a director and designers for the set, costumes, lights, and sound. The Theatre’s
Artistic Director and the director select appropriate actors for all the roles in the play. Then they all come to
Albany, where the play is built and rehearsed.
In addition to the theatre space, Capital Rep has a scene shop where sets are built, a costume shop where
costumes are constructed and cared for, offices where the administrative staff of the company works, a
rehearsal hall where the shows are rehearsed and housing facilities for actors. The resident staff of the
Theatre works with visiting artists to put the production together.
In contrast, presenting theatres host shows that have been designed built and rehearsed elsewhere. A
theatre company at many different theatres frequently presents shows of this kind regionally, nationally or
even internationally over an extended period of time. What you will see at Capital Rep or on our On-The-Go!
tours is unique to Capital Rep where it was built. No one from anywhere else will see this production just as
you see it!
4 ATTENDING A PERFORMANCE
.
Being a member of an audience is an important job. Live theatre couldn’t exist without you! That
job carries with it some responsibilities. Follow these suggestions in order to have the best theatre
experience possible!
BRING WITH YOU  ideas, imagination, an open mind, observation skills and a sense of wonder.
LEAVE BEHIND  cell phones, pagers, pen lights, food and drink and anything else that might
distract you, the performers or other members of the audience.
THINGS TO DO BEFORE A PERFORMANCE  learn about the show you are going to see, arrive
on time, find your seat, visit the restroom.
DURING A PERFORMANCE:
PLEASE DO  applaud, laugh, pay attention and notice little details, think about questions you
would like to have answered by the actors after the show, stay in your seat until intermission and the
end of the show.
PLEASE DON’T  talk, sleep, eat or drink, distract others, exit the theatre during the performance.
.
2013 – 2014 EDUCATION SEASON
THE MOUNTAINTOP
JAN 17 – FEB 9
GYPSY
MAR 14 – APR 13
THE GOD GAME
MAY 2 – MAY 25
5 ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: Patrick Barlow
From the Delaware Theatre Company’s Teacher Resource
Patrick Barlow is a British actor, comedian, and playwright. The
founder and artistic director of a comedy duo known as The
National Theatre of Brent, Barlow has created dozens of
comedy shows based upon characters imaginary and real such
as the Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Chatterley, Prince Charles
and Princess Diana, and Rasputin. His adaptation of Alfred
Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps was immensely successful in London’s
West End, and critically acclaimed during its Tony-Award
winning Broadway run. A Christmas Carol is one of his newest
endeavors in creating a comic retelling of classic stories and
films. Barlow’s adaptation calls for the incorporation of
traditional acting along with puppetry and music to enhance the
telling of the story.
.
READ!
.
.
.
.
The 39 Steps
by Patrick Barlow
Great Expectations
By Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities
By Charles Dickens
Additional Reading from Patrick Barlow and Charles Dickens
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens | Oliver Twist By Charles Dickens
6 THE CHARACTERS
Article from the Delaware Theatre Company’s Teacher Resource
featuring costume renderings by Karen Ann Ledger from Capital Repertory Theatre’s production
The five actors in the play take on many roles. Here are some of the most important characters they
play.
ACTOR 1
Ebenezer Scrooge is a stingy man who has cut off all his relationships in his pursuit of earning more
money. He makes loans to people and charges them a fortune in interest, and seems to have no
regard for people or their situation. He hates Christmas and the Christmas spirit of love, forgiveness
and generosity.
ACTOR 2
Bob Cratchit is one of the protagonists of
the story. A loving husband and father, he
works hard to support his family although his
employer, Mr. Scrooge, pays him very little.
He is somewhat timid when confronted by
Scrooge, knowing that he cannot afford to
lose his job.
Jacob Marley is Scrooge’s former business
partner. Marley, who died on Christmas a
year earlier comes back as a ghost to warn
Scrooge to change his ways and become a
kinder, more generous person.
7 ACTOR 3
Fanny was Ebenezer Scrooge’s sister. She was devoted to her brother and is seen by Scrooge when
he visits his past. Fanny has since died, but her son Fredrick lives on.
Isabella was Scrooge’s former fiancé. Though he loved her, Scrooge chose work and pursuit of
riches over his relationship with her, so she broke off their engagement, leaving him hurt and bitter
about relationships.
The Spirit of Christmas Present is a jolly, boisterous spirit who tries to teach Scrooge about the
current and ongoing joys in the world around him.
ACTOR 4
The Spirit of Christmas Past is a ghost who takes Scrooge on a journey to watch scenes from his
life in order to learn what he used to value in his heart.
Mrs. Cratchit is Bob’s loving wife and the mother of his children.
8 ACTOR 5
Fredrick is Ebenezer Scrooge’s nephew. The son of Fanny, Fredrick tries to honor his mother’s
memory by inviting his Uncle Scrooge back into the family fold at Christmas. Despite his uncle’s rude
behavior, Fredrick manages to keep a cheerful attitude towards Ebenezer.
Mr. Grime was Ebenezer’s cruel schoolmaster when Scrooge was just a child.
The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come is a ghost who shows the cold and empty future Scrooge has
in store for him.
.
Doug Trapp*, Kristyn Youngblood & Kevin Kelly*
interact with puppet in the Capital Repertory Theatre
production of A Christmas Carol
PUPPET 1
Puppet 1 is playing Tiny Tim, the son of Bob Cratchit. Throughout the play, various actors will
animate the puppet and give him a voice.
9 Synopsis of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption, told in five staves, or what might be thought of as chapters; “Marley’s
Ghost,” “The First of the Spirits,” “The Second of the Spirits,” “The Last of the Spirits,” and “The End of It.” Dickens
seems to hope that every member of mankind may recognize his or her faults and failures, strive to change them, and
thus improve the world.
From: “A Christmas Carol Christmas Book” p. 63 (See RESOURCES CONSULTED)
“Part one presents the unredeemed Scrooge in all his miserly glory and concludes with the warning
appearance of Marley’s Ghost.
Part two takes Scrooge into the first stage of his education, the rediscovery of his own childhood
Christmases. The Ghost of Christmas Past introduces Scrooge to the child and young man he once
was and invites him to compare that compassionate, sensitive, and imaginative creature with the
chilly, selfish, old skinflint he has become.
In part three, Christmas Present then shows him current examples of Christmas celebrated well, and
Scrooge sees thee celebrations from his new and softened perspective.
In part four, the last of the spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come uses fear – Scrooge’s fear of
his own mortality, the universal fear of dying alone and unloved – to complete the conversion.
In the fifth part, we see the enlightened Scrooge making up for the omissions of many Christmases
past. This contrite Scrooge does not devote his life to social work; instead, he acts out his
reformation on a personal level. He buys a prize turkey and sends it anonymously to the Cratchits,
and he promises a large donation to the philanthropic gentlemen he had snubbed the previous day.
He makes friends with the nephew he has rejected, and gives his clerk a raise.
A Christmas Carol was not written as social propaganda, although it certainly arose partially from
social concerns. As Dickens’ biographer, Edgar Johnson, says: ‘What Dickens has in mind is not any
economic conception…but a feeling of the human value of human beings.’
CREATE!
For Elementary Students:
Discuss the different spirits / ghosts within the story. Then have students select one of the ghosts
and have them draw (design) a picture of that spirit.
10 About the Author: Charles Dickens
.
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on
February 12, 1812. His father, John Dickens, made his living as a
British Navy Pay officer but he and his wife did not manage money
well. They frequently lived beyond their means and were in debt
most of their lives.
In 1817, John Dickens was transferred to Chatham, a rural port in
Kent. It was here that young Charles went to school and discovered
his love of literature. The family’s financial condition worsened but
Charles was apparently unaware until the family moved to London in
1822.
Upon arrival in London, Charles was shocked to learn that the family
could no longer afford to send him to school. Many of the family’s
possessions were sold in order to pay back mounting debt. The
young boy’s father secured him a position in a blacking (shoe
company) factory. To make matters even worse, John Dickens was
arrested and sent to Marshalsea debtor’s prison. As was the custom
of the time, his wife and younger members of the family went with
him to live in his one room cell. Charles was left on his own for
several months until the death of his grandmother supplied his father with the money to free himself.
In 1827, Dickens took a job as office clerk and errand boy for the law firm of Ellis and Blackmore. At 17 he became a
free-lance reporter. He toyed with the idea of becoming an actor and worked very closely with the theatre and actors for
the rest of his life. In 1833, at the age of 21, he became a published author when is short story, A Dinner at Popular Walk,
was published in Monthly Magazine. Over the next few months, he published several stories in several publications using
several different pseudonyms. The one he used most often was Boz, the childhood nickname of one of his brothers.
In 1835, he was asked by the publisher Macrone to allow is “sketches” to be published in book form. Two volumes
called Sketches by Boz were published in February and August of 1836. On April 2 of the same year he married
Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of an editor. Following the success of Sketches by Boz, Dickens was approached by a
new publishing firm, Chapman and Hall, and was asked to write a 20 part serial novel. Required to submit one 12,000
word installment per month, Dickens produced The Pickwick Papers. In the next few years, Oliver Twist and Nicholas
Nickelby were published in the same fashion.
Dickens traveled to America in 1842 and was welcomed by his American contemporaries, Washington Irving and Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow. His family grew and grew, much to is dismay- he would ultimately father 10 children. Even with
his great literary success, his lifestyle was quickly eating up all the money he could make.
In 1843, in need of some quick money to care for is growing family, Dickens decided to write a Christmas book, which
was A Christmas Carol. Dickens published many Christmas books, though none achieved the popularity of his first. He
went on to write many more books including Hard Times, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and A Child’s History
of England. He died of a stroke in 1870 while working on the never finished Edwin Drood.
11 About the Novel: A Christmas Carol
It’s History:
.
In 1843, Charles Dickens needed money. With five
novels - The Pickwick Paper, Oliver Twist, Nicholas
Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, and Barnaby
Rudge - already under his belt, Dickens was the
best-known living writer in England. Like his
previous novels, his sixth novel, Martin Chezzulwit,
was being presented in a serial form, meaning that
it was published a chapter at a time, in magazines.
By the middle of 1843, however, sales had
dropped drastically, and Dickens was expecting
his fifth child.
In October, Dickens was one of the main speakers
at a fund-raising forum on the problems of the
poor. He had lived much of his youth as a poor
child, but had always enjoyed school, and argued the need for education:
“And this I know, that the first unpurchasable blessing earned by every man who makes an effort
to improve himself…is self – respect – an inward dignity of character, which, once acquired and
righteously maintained, nothing—no, not the hardest drudgery, nor the direst poverty—can
vanquish. Though he should find it hard for a season even to keep the wolf—hunger—from his
door, let him but once have chased the dragon—ignorance—from his hearth, and self-respect and
hope are left him. You could no more deprive him of those sustaining qualities by loss or
destruction of his worldly goods, than you could, by plucking out his eyes, take from him an
internal consciousness of the bright glory of the sun.”
For the plot of the tale, he “borrowed” from one of his earlier sketches, published seven years prior; the story
of an old miser named Gabriel Grub who changes his ways after a visit from goblins of the past, present and
future. A Christmas Carol was written in a whirlwind, completed in six weeks. During this time, Dickens rarely
slept or ate, and what began as a merely commercial venture became a labor of love.
As he did with much of his work, Dickens borrowed a great deal of detail from his own life for the story. The
Cratchits’ home bears a strong resemblance to one of the homes Dickens lived in as a boy. The character of
Tiny Tim seems to be a mixture of his own brother Fred (called “Tiny Fred”), who died in infancy, and his
sister Fanny’s son, who was sickly and crippled as a boy.
When Dickens delivered his manuscript to his publishers, Chapman and Hall, they were unconvinced. When
they suggested publishing his story as a pamphlet, or in a magazine, Dickens was irate. Already unhappy with
the firm, he proposed an extraordinary solution: he would use Chapman and Halls facilities, machinery and
materials, but would take on all financial responsibilities for the publishing. In return, he would keep all the
profits, after paying only a small royalty to the publishing house.
12 A Christmas Carol was given a very expensive publishing treatment. Dickens took great care to see that the
edition was bound in cloth, with gilt-edged pages. Four full-page, hand-colored etchings and four woodcut
vignettes were included in the first volume. Despite this extravagance, Dickens insisted that the book be sold
for a modest price. The book sold 6000 copies in its first five days of publication, but because it had been so
expensive to produce, it earned little for Dickens. To make matters worse, the story was plagiarized and
published in a daily newspaper. Dickens sued and won easily, but was unable to collect from the pirates who
went bankrupt. Worse still, the court costs were greater than his profit from the book!
Sales of the book continued steadily, and by the following Christmas the story was being referred to as a
“national institution.” It is important to understand that the time the book was published, Christmas was not
the holiday it is today. It was celebrated as a time of quiet rest and religious observance. Small gifts were
given to children. The idea that the holidays should be a time of raucous communal celebration and
“goodwill to all men” was relatively strange to Dickens’ audience. Christmas itself seems to have been
transformed by Charles Dickens.
Dickens said that in order to preserve the supernatural elements of the story, A Christmas Carol should only
be read aloud by candlelight, in a cold room. In 1853, he put his idea into practice when he gave the first
public reading of the story. Eventually, Dickens would make a comfortable secondary income from these
readings, which he took quite seriously, committing the text to memory and writing in stage directions for
himself. He toured America a second time, reading A Christmas Carol and several of his other works in
public, to great acclaim.
Preface Quote
“I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put
my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it
haunt their houses pleasantly and no one wish to lay it.
Their faithful friend and Servant, C.D.
December, 1843.”
13 HISTORICAL CONTEXT
A Timeline for Charles Dickens’ world of A Christmas Carol
1837 - Victoria becomes Queen of England Rules until 1901 1838 -­‐ Bestseller Oliver Twist begins serial publication in monthly
installments 1841 -­‐ Great Britain has 18.5 million people; US 17 million; Ireland 8 million
1843 -­‐ January Edgar Allen Poe publishes “The Tell-Tale Heart” 1843 -­‐ American reformer Dorothea Dix reveals to the
Massachusetts legislature shocking conditions in prisons and
asylums 1843 -­‐ December: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol 14 Adaptation / Parody
Adaptation: (n) something that is changed or modified to suit new conditions or needs.
Parody: (n) a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing.
There have been many different adaptations or parodies of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol through the
years. Theatre, film, television, opera and radio adaptations of this classic novel exist. Here are a
few:
Scrooge; Marley’s Ghost, the 1901 short British film, which also happens to be the earliest
surviving screen adaptation.
A Christmas Carol, a 1908 film starring Thomas Ricketts as Scrooge
In 1934 Lionel Barrymore starred as Scrooge in a dramatization of A Christmas Carol on the CBS
Radio Network. He began the tradition on December 25, 1934 and would continue until 1953. In 1958-59 there was a production called Mister Scrooge, an opera by Slovak composer Jan
Cikker.
Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol
the 1962 TV Cartoon Mickey’s Christmas Carol the1983
animated short film featuring
various Walt Disney characters with
Scrooge McDuck playing Ebenezer
Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob
Cratchit and Goofy as Jacob Marley Scrooged the 1988 movie starring Bill Murray as Frank Cross (the
adapted version of Scrooge,) updates the story once again. A Muppets Christmas Carol In
1992 the story was re-told by the
Muppets, and featured noted stage
and film actor Michael Caine as
Scrooge, Gonzo as Charles Dickens
– narrating the story – and Kermit as Bob Cratchit. A Christmas Carol 1997 saw an animated production of the story featuring the voice of Tim
Curry as Scrooge, as well as the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Michael York and Ed Asner.
15 Christmas Carol, the Graphic Novel was created in 2004, drawn by
Dick Matena.
A Christmas Carol the 2009 film directed by Robert Zemeckis, featured
Jim Carey as Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts, from Walt Disney
Pictures and ImageMovers Digital. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a film parody starring Matthew
McConaughey, 2009
WRITE!
Students are to create a short story adaptation of their favorite Fairy Tale;
Song; Poem Short Story, etc…
Middle-school and High-school students might take on the challenge of adapting
their favorite song (with appropriate lyrics) into a short scene, which could then be
performed for their classmates.
WRITE!
Students are to create a
adaptation of their
OR
Song; Poem Short Story, etc…
short story
favorite Fairy Tale;
Students could draft an outline for a parody of Dickens’ story, like that in the
movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
MS / HS students might take on the challenge of adapting their favorite song (with
appropriate lyrics) into a short scene, which could then be performed for their
classmates. Or students could draft an outline for a parody of Dickens’ story, like that in
the movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
16 LITERARY CONTEXT
Prisons, workhouses, orphanages—As early as 1601, England made
parishes legally responsible for looking after their own poor, through
funding by the collection of a poor-rate tax from local property owners.
The 1601 Act made no mention of workhouses although it provided that
materials should be bought to provide work for the unemployed ablebodied—with the threat of prison for those who bought to provide work
for those who refused. It also proposed the erection of housing for the
“impotent poor”—the elderly, chronic sick, etc.
“Christmas is Coming, the Goose is getting fat! Please to put a
penny in the old man’s hat. If you haven’t got a penny, a ha-penny
will do, if you haven’t got a ha-penny then God bless you!” The words
reflect both the celebration of a time of plenty, and that charity should be
given to the less fortunate according to the giver’s means.
.
Liverpool workhouse circa 1925
“Money-changing hole”—Beyond Marley’s comment that, “My spirit
never walked beyond our counting house,” Dickens was never clear
about Scrooge and Marley’s exact business. If it were a counting house
for sea captains, it would have been a place to balance accounts, pay fees
due, and figure profit before or after sea journey. It may be that they
were indeed, money changers. In any event, it seems clear that the longdead Marley feels the business, or at least the way Scrooge and Marley
practiced it, was less than honorable
17 VOCABULARY
By Leslie Tucker, Dramaturgical Intern at theRep
Spectre – a ghost
Sixpence- small silver-colored coin used in Britain until 1971; sixpence was worth six
old pennies. For conversion information, see our Resources page.
Half a crown – equal to 2 shillings and sixpence, the coin was in use until 1971
Profligate - utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute
Fetter -a chain or shackle placed on the feet
Vestige - a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or
in existence
Bailiff - an officer, similar to a sheriff or a sheriff's deputy, employed to execute writs
and processes, make arrests, keep order in the court
Frivolity - not serious or sensible in content, attitude, or behavior; silly
Succinctly- marked by brevity and clarity; concise
Toil - hard or exhausting work
Transmute - to change the form, character, or substance of
Poulterer - Also called: chicken farmer, a person who rears domestic fowls,
especially chickens, for their eggs or meat
Festoon- a decorative chain of flowers, ribbons, etc, suspended in loops; garland
Exigency - the state of being exigent; urgency
Frippery - ornate or showy clothing or adornment
Cognizant - aware; having knowledge
Infinitesimal - infinitely or immeasurably small
Skullduggery - underhand dealing; trickery
Chicanery - verbal deception or trickery, especially in legal quibbling; dishonest or
sharp practice
Thimblerigs - to cheat or swindle, as in this game
Aberrant - departing from the right, normal, or usual course
Pettifogging - to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters
Reprieved - to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned
person)
Farthing - a former British bronze coin, worth a quarter of an old penny, that ceased
to be legal tender in 1961
Desist - to cease, as from an action; stop or abstain
Blithe - joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful 18 TEACHABLE THEMES AND TOPICS
From the Delaware Theatre Company’s Teachers Resource
Charles Dickens and the Forty Thieves
In Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, a pivotal scene occurs where a young Ebenezer Scrooge has his favorite storybook taken away by the stern schoolmaster, Mr. Grimes. Grimes refers to stories such as Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Robinson Crusoe when he rebukes the boy Scrooge for spending time reading fiction instead of doing his mathematics lessons. Although many film and stage versions of A Christmas Carol do not make references to the storybooks Scrooge loved as a boy, in the original novel, Dickens does indeed characterize the young Scrooge as a reader delighting in tales of adventure about Ali Baba, Robinson Crusoe, Valentine and Orson, and other heroes and villains. In fact, many of Charles Dickens’ characters in his other novels have a similar love for the romance of an adventure story. David Copperfield takes refuge from his wicked stepfather by reading the storybooks left to him by his father. Pip of Great Expectations and Little Nell of The Old Curiosity Shop at times find their situations similar to characters from stories they’ve read or been told. Dickens’ own love for stories bubbles forth in his essay “A Christmas Tree” as he tells of seeing objects on the tree that remind him of his favorite book characters – Robin Hood and the Sultan, Red Riding Hood and Ali Baba. Dickens was clearly a lover of books and literature, and he paid homage to the glory of stories in many of his works. For his adaptation, Patrick Barlow uses this joy of books as one of the vehicles that transforms Ebenezer Scrooge from a coldhearted miser to a warm and generous man. Though not entirely faithful to language of the original novel of A Christmas Carol, these changes to the tale are based in the histories Charles Dickens has given to his characters, and even celebrate that same love of literature Dickens enjoyed. British Money: Pounds, Shillings, Pennies, and Bobs? In the opening scene of the play, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited in his counting-­‐house by many patrons, including Mrs. Lack, a woman who has seven children, a husband out of work, and bills to pay. Scrooge: So, what shall we say? . . . . Five pounds?
Mrs. Lack: Five pounds sir! Oh, my goodness, thank you sir!
Scrooge’s suggestion of “five pounds” is his offer of a loan of over $300 in today’s American money. (Although a British pound today is comparable to about $1.60, in the 1840s, that amount of money had the same purchasing power as $300 would have in 2012.) Throughout the play, the characters refer to several different denominations of British money, from pounds (abbreviated with the symbol £) to shillings to farthings. Below is a table explaining the different forms of British currency of the 1840s, with approximate values compared to today’s American dollar. * * Values of money change constantly depending on circumstances such as inflation and global exchange rates. 19 British Currency
Worth (1840’s)
Form of money
Comparison to Today’s
Value in Dollars
Penny
Basic unit
Coin
Shilling
Equal to 12 pence
Coin
Approximately $0.25
(25 cents)_
Approximately $3
Bob
Slang term for a shilling
Coin
Approximately $3
Crown
Equal to 5 shillings or ¼ of a pound
Coin
Approximately $15
Pound
Equal to 20 shillings, or 4 crowns, or 240
pence
Pounds came in coins and paper
notes (for larger amounts)
Approximately $60
Sovereign
The same as a pound
Gold coin
Approximately $60
Other old terms for British money include “guinea,” which was a gold coin worth just over 1 pound, and a “farthing,” worth just one-­‐fourth of a penny. A “quid” is a slang term for a pound.
Just as American currency has changed over the years, so has British money. One of the biggest changes to British currency values occurred in 1971 when “decimalization” occurred, making British money based in powers of 10. Therefore, a pound is now worth 100 pence. Rather than shillings, the British now use a coin worth five pence. Although not a general custom, some British citizens still use the familiar term of “bob” for the five-­‐penny coin. Charles Dickens makes a pun on the senior Cratchit’s name “Bob” as a connection between him and his small salary paid him by Scrooge. Certainly the many references to poverty and wealth in A Christmas
Carol would have made readers and audiences understand Bob Cratchit’s meager earnings early in the story, and the impact of Scrooge’s raising his salary after the night of ghostly visitors. PUPPETRY
By Leslie Tucker, Dramaturgical Intern at theRep
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Puppetry goes back as far as 21,000 B.C. where it used in various religious ceremonies.
They are some of the oldest man made objects in the world though their origin is somewhat
undefined.
Some scholars argue that they - began, and - were popular in Ancient Greece, while others
say puppetry likely started in China.
The writings of Ancient Greek Philosophers Plato and Aristotle suggest that puppets existed
even if what they were used for is unclear.
Early Africans, Indians, and Chinese people used puppets to act out tales of gods and
demons.
Puppets range in many different sizes. They can be as small as finger puppets or large enough
to fit a puppeteer inside.
20 Arguably the most popular marionette and glove puppet show is Punch-and-Judy. Punch and Judy began in Italy, in the 17th century, as a puppet form of Commedia dell’Arte. The
show is performed inside a booth, a style that has been used since Victorian times, with one
puppeteer inside. Punch, now extremely popular in England, made his first appearance in England
on 9 May 1662. Punch and Judy has inspired many in the world, so much so that puppets are still
used to enhance shows today.
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Types of Puppets Today
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Finger puppets are small and made from fabric. They are worn on the finger.
Glove or hand puppets is a very popular form of puppetry and is usually made from fabric that covers the whole
hand and part of the arm.
Rod puppets are controlled by long thin rods that controls the puppets arms.
Shadow puppets are a very old form of puppetry that comes from China. They are a cut-out figure that is held
between a source of light and a screen to make it seem like there are humans moving.
Marionettes are puppets with strings attached to its arms and legs to make it move. Italy is considered the
home of the marionette because of the influence of Roman puppetry.
Human body puppets cover the body and can be operated with more than one puppeteer. Chinese dragons
used in festivals is an example of one.
Puppets Around the World
ASIA
The term Wayang Kulit - or shadow puppetry - derives from the Indonesian word
for shadow - or bayang. Wayang kulit uses figures made from buffalo hide, and is
considered the oldest freestanding puppet form. Wayang Kulit is prevalent in Bali,
and other areas of Indonesia.
Bunraku, a traditional form of Japanese puppet theatre, was founded in
Osaka in 1684. Bunraku is a high-level of stage art that was named for the
theatre where puppet drama was performed. Each puppet is human sized
and requires three puppeteers to manipulate the puppets. The fact that
the puppeteers appear openly, in full view of the audience, elevates
Bunraku to being considered the most highly developed puppet theatre
art in the world.
India has a long tradition of rod puppets, puppets seen only in
the states of West Bengal, Orissa, and Jharkhand - and in West
Bengal these puppets used to be the size of humans, like the
Bunraku puppets. Tholpavakoothu is another puppet tradition
in India, that of shadow puppets, and is distinctive of Kerala
India. The plays the puppets of India perform are based on
selected verses from the Tamil epic Kamba Ramayanna, which
is the story that describes the life of King Rama of Ayodhya. 21 In Thailand we find another type of rod puppet called the Hun Krabok. The Hun Krabok tends to
look very human, and made its first appearance in Bangkok. Hun Krabok is regarded as a high art
form in Thailand, for it expresses moods, actions, and dance styles, and all through the use of
puppets.
EUROPE
Italy is considered the home of marionette puppets. Marionettes were used to
perform morality plays in the Christian church and were also used in the Italian
comedy art form Commedia dell’Arte.
In Great Britain Punch and Judy became a very popular puppet show that can be
traced back to the Italy. The show was performed in an easily transportable booth
and traveled all around Europe. There is also a German version of Punch and Judy
except punch is known as Karperle and Judy is known as Grete. Punch and Judy
inspired much of the puppetry that exists across Europe today.
NORTH AMERICA
The United States used new technology in the 20th century to combine puppets
with television, this began as early as the 1940’s. An example of this would be
The Muppets and Sesame Street. This inspired many imitators and is recognized
all around the world.
AFRICA
Sub-Saharan Africa puppet traditions derived from Ancient Egypt. Today,
puppetry continues as a popular form, often within a ceremonial context. One
type of puppet found in Africa is the Bamana puppet or headdress, and come
from Mali. Sogo bo, the puppet masquerade drama of the Bamana, is an
exploration of the moral universe. Additionally, Ekon, an Ibibio men’s
association, uses puppets to parody village life and satirize the prominent
members of the community.
22 Ideas for Curriculum Integration
Teachers: Some of these may be best approached before the show!
English and Language Arts
This adaptation of A Christmas Carol is performed utilizing 5 Actors to portray all of Dickens’
characters, why would a playwright choose this technique?
What are the characteristics of a good story? How does Dickens’ A Christmas Carol qualify as a good
story?
Compare and contrast the original story with this version. What portions were left out? What were
left in? Why do you think Patrick Barlow chose to keep some items and remove others?
Adaptation. Try your hand at taking a segment from a piece of literature, and making a scene out of
it. What portions of the original will you keep? Which will you discard? How will your characters
speak to each other? Will you use the original dialogue, or make up some of your own? (Choose
literature with a good amount of dialogue already present, such as the O’Henry short story, “The Gift of the
Magi.”)
Story-telling:
Try your hand at taking a good short story (you may want to use a legend or two), and turning it into
a story-telling exercise.
Then take a simple list of events that happened to you (going to the store to buy some milk, for
example), and add some of the qualities of a good story.
Social Studies
Research the English Victorian era of 1845, when Dickens’ story takes place.
Prisons, workhouses, orphanages – explore the history of these places – why are they so
interrelated? What are their present-day counterparts?
Math
Prior to 1971, England had a very specific way of dividing its money. There used to be 10 pence in a
shilling and 20 shillings in a pound. Use this as the basis for a lesson on different bases (pennies or
pence, for instance, would operate in base 12, while shillings operated in base 20). In what way
might this be similar to our own money (nickels work on base 5, quarters of base 25)?
23 Math (continued)
One pound, three shillings and sixpence would have been written as £1 3s 6d, but when spoken
would probably have been expressed in shillings, i.e. twenty-three and six, meaning twenty-three
shillings (20 shillings for one pound, plus three separate shillings) and sixpence. Just think about that
for a moment and then try and add £1 3s 6d and £5 18s 11d together! (Answer - £7 2s 5d)
Research the relative value of coins from different countries, and/or from different periods of time. If
you were traveling to England today, how would the cost of a McDonald’s Quarter-Pounder (in
pounds) compare to the cost here (in dollars)? If you bought the same product in France, what would
it cost in Euros?
Art
Puppets play a major part in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol. How believable was the puppetry that you
saw? Why do you think theatre productions use them?
How are puppets used in different cultures? Research Bunraku and Victorian shadow puppets.
What’s the difference between a puppet and a marionette? (A good example of the difference can be found
by comparing the “Lonely Goat-herd” scene from “The Sound of Music” as compared to the “Hi Lilli, Hi Lo”
scene from the 1953 movie, “Lilli” starring Leslie Caron, based on the musical, “Carnival.”)
John Leech, who provided illustrations for the first edition of Dickens’ book, was concerned about the four of
them that were to be in color. In the day, “in color” meant “hand-tinted,” rather than done by machine of any
sort! Research and describe the process of hand-tinting.
Hand-tinting is not so different from the process that set and costume designers go through when they move
from sketches to renderings. Explore the process of costume design, particularly renderings; make some
sketches of either set or costume pieces, make several copies (photocopies are fine), and use colored pencils
or water colors to give a sense of the color you want for each sketch.
Make a Marionette Puppet (For Younger Students)
Supplies: 9-oz. party cup, matching color card stock (heavy paper), eyes, nose, black marker, feather
boa, glue, tape, yarn or string, craft stick, and heavy duty thread.
1. Print out the pattern onto card stock (heavy paper) that matches your cup color. Cut out the
pattern.
2. Punch a small hole in the middle of the bottom of the paper cup. Cut a piece of yarn or string
about two feet long. Poke one end of the string through the hole to the inside of the cup. Put your
hand inside the cup and pull the string down.
24 Make a Marionette Puppet (Continued)
3. Tie a big knot about five inches from the end of the string. Pull up on the string from the outside
of the cup to bring the knot up against the bottom of the cup, make sure it won't come out.
4. Punch a hole in the feet pattern on the circle and stick the pattern up inside the cup to the
position you would like it to hang. Note where the hole meets the string and tie the feet to the string
at that point.
5. Glue or tape on the hands and ears. Draw a bunny face on the cup or glue eyes and a nose on the
cup.
6. Tie the other end of the string to the middle of a craft stick about six inches from the bottom of
the cup.
7. Punch tiny holes in the toe of each foot and tie a piece of thread to the feet. Tie the other end of
the thread at each end of the craft stick. Make sure the thread is long enough so that the legs hang
down freely.
8. Move the ends of the craft stick up and down to move the feet.
25 THE PRODUCTION: Who’s Who
The Director: Michael Bush
Musical Director: Marcy McGuigan
Kevin McGuire*
(Actor 1 – Scrooge)
Doug Trapp*
(Actor 2)
Marcy McGuigan*
(Actor 3)
Kristyn Youngblood
(Actor 4)
Kevin Kelly*
(Actor 5)
*=Member of Actor’s Equity
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
Designers work within many different confines when designing a show.
• Where is the production physically taking place, what is the stage / venue
like?
• Where does the show take place: in a house, an office, a school, the forest,
multiple locations, etc.
• When does the show take place: what time period – 1800’s, 1914, 2013,
2045, etc.; what time of year is it (does this change during the show)?
What time of day is it (does this change during the show)?
• What is the mood of the show? (Is it a comedy, a tragedy, is it serious or
light? Is it a controversial topic?)
• Who is the show for; adult audiences, youth audiences, both etc.?
• How much money can the designer spend creating their design? What is
their budget? What needs to be purchased, built, repurposed, etc.?
• How long do they have to design and create their design so that it is ready
and safe for the actors?
• What is the directors’ concept for the show & how does that affect the
designer?
THE
PRODUCTION
TEAM
Ashley Dumas*
(Stage Manager)
Paul dePoo
(Set Designer)
Karen Ann
Ledger
(Costume Designer)
Cory Pattak
(Lighting Designer)
Brad Berridge
(Sound Designer)
Stephanie
Klapper
(Casting Agent)
26 RESOURCES CONSULTED
Capital Rep is not affiliated with any of these sites—we just think they’re good!
A major source for information in theRep’s 2005-06 study guide came from the following text.
Although the book apparently has no ISBN number, copies can be found via a number of booksellers,
through a Google search.
A Christmas Carol Book, Tim Halliman, Text, David James, Photography, Rudolph deHarak &
Associates, Inc., Book design Entertainment Partners, Inc., Producers of “A Christmas Carol”
Television Special Copyright, 1984 International Business Machines Corporation (Little Brown) Armonk,
New York, 10504.
A collection of Dickens’s speeches on the web:
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54sls/index.html
A full (but very readable) website about the relative value of money from different time periods,
countries, etc can be found here: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/current/howmuch.html
Another good source for information on English currency: http://home.clara.net/brianp/money.html
You can also find all sorts of currency calculators at: http://eh.net/hmit
WEBSITES:
www.google.com
www.dictionary.com
www.wikipedia.org
http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00659/history.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00659/history.html#
http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/history-indonesian-puppet-theater-wayang
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/focus/shadow-puppetry.htm
http://www.chineseshadowpuppetry.com
http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/whats/index.html
http://ccrtindia.gov.in/puppetforms.htm
http://www.hamillgallery.com/SITE/Puppets.html
http://www.hamillgallery.com/SITE/Puppets.html
http://www.culturenetworks.org/hunkrabork-thaipuppet.html
OTHER:
*Capital Repertory Theatre’s 2005-06 Production Study Guide of A Christmas Carol.
*The Delaware Theatre Company’s 2012 Teacher Resource for Patrick Barlow’s A Christmas Carol.
27 TEACHER EVALUATION: A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Fill this out and get 2 Free Tickets!
Your feedback helps us to constantly improve programming and attract additional underwriting. Please take
a moment to fill out this form. You are encouraged to make multiple copies so that all of the teachers in your
group may respond.
All teachers who submit a completed evaluation will be given a free pair of tickets to a future Capital Rep
production.
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Please check all that apply:
____Today’s performance price was affordable for my school.
____My school required a subsidy in order to afford today’s performance.
____My school would provide performances for more students, more often, if additional funds were
available.
Any additional information / comments welcome, please attach them to this evaluation.
Name:_____________________________School:__________________________
Phone:_____________________________E-mail:__________________________
The completed form may be submitted by email ([email protected]) or by mail (Capital Rep Education
Department, P.O. Box 1985, Albany, NY 12201-1985).
28 29