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ENRICHMENT GUIDE BY EDWARD ALBEE DIRECTED BY JAMES MacDONALD Play Guides sponsored by WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF TABLE OF CONTENTS THEATRE ETIQUETTE 3 CAST, ARTISTIC TEAM AND CHARACTERS 4 ABOUT THE DIRECTOR 5 SYNOPSIS 6-7 CHARACTERS 8 ABOUT THE PLAY 9-10 ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT 11-13 INSPIRATIONS 14 THEMES 15-16 PRODUCTION ELEMENTS 17-18 QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 19 FURTHER READING/REFERENCES 20 CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT 21-22 2 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF THEATRE ETIQUETTE Going to the theatre is an engaging and interactive experience. We want you to be an active participant when you see our shows; laugh when it’s funny, cry when it’s sad, gasp when it’s shocking, and enjoy the experience as much as possible. But we want you to do this in the most respectful way possible, for both the performers and your fellow audience members. To ensure the most positive experience, please review the following information prior to arriving at the theatre. The following items are not allowed in the theatre: •Food and drink (except that sold during intermission and/or permitted by the Citadel Theatre, such as bottled water and ice cream) •Cameras and other recording devices (please note that taking photographs or other recordings in the theatre is strictly prohibited by law) Basic courtesy: •Turn OFF and put away all electronic devices such as cell phones, iPods, video game systems, etc. prior to entering the theatre •Do not place your feet on the seat in front of you. •The actors onstage can see and hear the audience during the performance – it is important that audience members not talk, move around, or fidget during the performance, as this can be distracting for the actors, as well as fellow audience members. •There is no dress code at the Citadel Theatre, but we respectfully request that patrons refrain from wearing hats in the theatre. •For the safety of those with allergies, please refrain from using perfumes or scented products before coming to the theatre. •Please do not place backpacks or other bags in the aisle in front of your feet, as this may impair the ability of persons to exit the row in an emergency. Inappropriate behavior: Citadel Theatre representatives watch carefully during performances for inappropriate behavior, especially behavior that could endanger an actor or audience member. Inappropriate behavior includes, but is not limited to: •Talking in the audience •The use of laser pointers or other light or sound-emitting devices •Interfering with an actor or the performance (tripping, throwing items on or near the stage, etc.) Audience members identified as engaging in this type of behavior will be removed from the theatre during the performance or at intermission. 3 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF CAST AND ARTISTIC TEAM CAST MARTHA BRENDA ROBINS GEORGE TOM ROONEY NICK JASON CLIFT HONEY AVA JANE MARKUS CREATIVE TEAM JAMES MACDONALD Director DAVE HORAK Assistant Director LESLIE FRANKISH Set and Costume Designer NARDA MCCARROLL Lighting Designer MICHELLE CHAN Stage Manager SANG-SANG LEE Apprentice Stage Manager Season Sponsor: Presentation Sponsors: Media Sponsors: 4 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF ABOUT THE DIRECTOR JAMES MacDONALD, Director For the Citadel, James has directed 15 productions over the past ten years, and performed in many others, including five years as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. As a dramaturge, director, and actor, James has been involved in the development of over 40 new Canadian plays, including directing the world premieres of Miss Shakespeare (Musical TheatreWorks); Vimy (Citadel – Sterling Award); With a Twist (Lunchbox Theatre); and The Myth of Summer (Alberta Theatre Projects). Other directing credits include Julius Caesar (Stratford Festival); The Old Ladies (Shaw Festival); and Fire (Canadian Stage – Dora Award). James is the founding Artistic Director of Edmonton’s Freewill Shakespeare Festival, a position he held for six years. He is the Program Director for the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program. 5 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF SYNOPSIS Act One – "Fun and Games" George and Martha engage in dangerous emotional games. George is an Associate Professor of History and Martha is the daughter of the President of the college. After they return home, Martha reveals she has invited a young married couple (Nick, a Biology professor, and his wife, Honey) over for a drink. As the four drink, Martha and George engage in scathing verbal abuse in front of Nick and Honey. The younger couple is first embarrassed and later enmeshed. Martha taunts George aggressively, and he retaliates with his usual passive aggression Nick and Honey become increasingly unsettled and, at the end of the act, Honey runs to the bathroom, because she had had too much to drink. Act Two – "Walpurgisnacht" Traditionally, "Walpurgisnacht" is the name of an annual witches' meeting (satiric in the context of the play). Nick and George are sitting outside. As they talk about their wives, Nick says that his wife had a "hysterical pregnancy." George tells Nick about a time that he went to a gin-mill with some boarding school classmates, one of whom had accidentally killed his mother by shooting her. This friend was laughed at for ordering "bergin." The following summer, the friend accidentally killed his father while driving, was committed to an asylum, and never spoke again. George and Nick discuss the possibility of having children and eventually argue and insult each other. After they rejoin the women in the house, Martha and Nick dance suggestively. Martha also reveals the truth about George's creative writing escapades: he had tried to publish a novel about a boy who accidentally killed both of his parents, but Martha's father would not let it be published. George responds by attacking Martha, but Nick separates them. George suggests a new game called "Get the Guests." George insults and mocks Honey with an extemporaneous tale of "the Mousie" who "tooted brandy immodestly and spent half her time in the upchuck." Honey realizes that the story is about her and her "hysterical pregnancy." The implication is that she trapped Nick into marrying her because of a false pregnancy. She feels sick and runs to the bathroom again. Martha starts to act seductively towards Nick in George's presence. George pretends to react calmly, reading a book. As Martha and Nick walk upstairs, George throws his book against the door. Honey returns, wondering who rang the doorbell (Martha and Nick had knocked into some bells). George comes up with a plan to tell Martha that their son has died, and the act ends with George eagerly preparing to tell her. 6 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF SYNOPSIS cont. Act Three – "The Exorcism" Martha appears alone in the living room, shouting at the others to come out from hiding. Nick joins her. The doorbell rings: it is George, with a bunch of snapdragons in his hand, calling out, "Flores para los muertos" (flowers for the dead), a reference to the play and movie A Streetcar Named Desire, also about a marriage and outside influences. Martha and George argue about whether the moon is up or down: George insists it is up, while Martha says she saw no moon from the bedroom. This leads to a discussion in which Martha and George insult Nick in tandem, an argument revealing that Nick was too drunk to have sex with Martha upstairs. George asks Nick to bring Honey back for the final game – "Bringing Up Baby." George and Martha have a son, about whom George has repeatedly told Martha to keep quiet. George talks about Martha's overbearing attitude toward their son. He then prompts her for her "recitation," in which they describe, in a bizarre duet, their son's upbringing. Martha describes their son's beauty and talents and then accuses George of ruining his life. As this segment progresses, George recites sections of the Libera me (part of the Requiem Mass, the Latin mass for the dead). At the end of the play, George informs Martha that a messenger from Western Union arrived at the door earlier with a telegram saying their son was "killed late in the afternoon...on a country road, with his learner's permit in his pocket" and that he "swerved, to avoid a porcupine." The description matches that of the boy in the gin-mill story told earlier. Martha screams, "You can't do that!" and collapses. It becomes clear to the guests that George and Martha's son is a fiction. George has decided to "kill" him because Martha broke their rule of never speaking of him to others. Nick and Honey leave, realizing that the cause of their hosts' shameless antics was their inability to conceive. The play ends with George singing, "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" to Martha, whereupon she replies, "I am, George...I am." 7 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF CHARACTERS MARTHA – A large, boisterous woman, 52, looking somewhat younger. Ample, but not fleshy. She is the daughter of the president of New Carthage University. She is married to George, though disappointed with his aborted academic career. She attempts to have an affair with Nick. GEORGE – 46, Thin, hair going grey. George is married to Martha, in a once loving relationship now defined by sarcasm and frequent acrimony. HONEY – 26, a petite blond girl, rather plain. She has a weak stomach, and is not the brightest bulb of the bunch. NICK – 30, her husband. Blond, well put-together, good looking. Nick has just become a new member of the biology faculty at New Carthage University. 2012 Broadway Revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”. 8 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF ABOUT THE PLAY BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened on Broadway October 13, 1962. It was directed by Alan Schneider and had Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey, and George Grizzard as Nick. Because of the unusually long length of the play (over 3 hours), a second cast was hired to do matinee performances of the show. The show ran until May 16, 1964, closing after 664 performances. The original mounting of the show costing $42,000. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won three 1963 Tony Awards including Best Play, Best Actor and Actress. The play was selected as the winner of the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but was later revoked. The advisory board for the award overruled the drama jury because of the play’s then controversial subject matter, resulting in no Pulitzer Prize for Drama being awarded that year. More recent productions on Broadway include a 2005 revival of the show, which won the Tony Award for best Actor that year. The play was revived again in 2012, opening exactly fifty years after the original production. This mounting of the show starred Tracy Letts as George, the Pulitzer Prize wining playwright for his own show August Osage County. Tracy Letts won the Tony Award for Best Actor in 2013 for his portrayal of George. Melinda Dillon and Arthur Hill in the Original Broadway Production FILM ADAPTATION An film version of the play was released in 1966 with the screenplay adaptation done by Ernest Lehman. The film was directed by Mike Nichols and starred Elizabeth Taylor as Martha, Richard Burton as George, George Segal as Nick, and Sandy Dennis as Honey. The Film was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, taking home five, including, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Cinematography (Black and White), Best Art Design (Black and White), and Best Costume Design (Black and White). Because of the controversial nature of some of the dialogue, some lines were altered for the film. Warner Brothers executives insisted on changing Martha’s line, “screw you” to “goddamn you”, however the phrases like “hump the hostess” remained in the film. In the audio release of film on an LP, profanity was put back into the dialogue, and the UK release of the movie also includes unaltered dialogue. George Segal, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor in the 1966 film 9 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF THE PLAY Continued ACT NAMES Act I of any drama introduces the characters, themes, subjects, and ideas that will be prominent both in the first act and throughout the drama. The title of Act I, "Fun and Games," suggests part of the theme of the entire drama — George and Martha's complex game of avoiding reality and creating illusions. Therefore, the title of the first act introduces the use of games as a controlling idea for not only the first act, but also for the entire drama with the last game, "Killing the Kid," being the game that also ends the drama. The titles of the second and third acts make a rather direct comment on the action of each act. The title of Act II, "Walpurgisnacht," refers to the night of April 30 which is the time of the annual gathering of the witches and other spirits at the top of Brocken in the Harz Mountains located in Southern Central Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the Witches' Sabbath. During this night, witches and other demons dance, sing, drink, and become involved A Walpurgisnacht celebration in Sweden, 1920 in all sorts of orgies. This is a night where any type of behavior can be found among the participants, and in literature, or in general language, the term "Walpurgis Night" has come to refer to any situation which possesses a nightmarish quality or which becomes wild and orgiastic. Thus, in Act II, as Honey proceeds to get extremely drunk, the others, especially Martha and Nick, dance in an obvious sensual, semi-orgiastic manner. The scene ends in a bizarre manner — a fifty-two-year-old woman takes a twenty-eight-year -old man upstairs for a seduction while her husband quietly reads a book with full knowledge of what is happening upstairs. In Act III, "The Exorcism," we see the meaning of the term "exorcism" being applied to Martha. During the course of the act George eerily recites the Kyrie Elieson and uses incantations, adjurations, and other necessary devices in order to free Martha of the illusion that their "child" exists and to bring her back to a world free of fantasy. 10 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF THE PLAYWRIGHT EDWARD ALBEE Born Edward Harvey on March 12, 1928 somewhere in Virginia, he was adopted just over two weeks later, at which point his last name changed to his family name, Albee. Edward's adoptive father, Reed A. Albee, owned several theatres, which is where Edward first got his taste for theatre. After attending private and military schools while growing up, Edward studied at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut in 1946. Albee was expelled after a year for skipping class and refusing to attend chapel. In his late teens Edward left his parent’s home due to his uncomfortable relationship with his adoptive parents and their disapproval of his aspirations to become a writer. Albee started playwriting in the 1950s, with some of his shorter plays of the time, like The Sandbox (1958), and The Zoo Story (1959) getting him attention. During his career, Albee wrote over thirty plays and received an overwhelming amount of critical acclaim. Albee’s Broadway debut was with his play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1962. Even though this play was selected as a winner for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it was never awarded due to protests from the awards advisory council over the play’s controversial subject matter. Since 1962, three of Albee’s plays have won the Pulitzer Prize including, A Delicate Balance in 1967, Seascape in 1975, and Three Tall Women in 1994. Albee has been awarded two Tony Awards, both for Best Play, in 1963 for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and in 2002 for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? In addition, Edward also received a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2005. Albee has won three Drama Desk Awards, was given the Nation Medal of the Arts in 1996, Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award in 2005, the Edward MacDowell Medal for Lifetime Achievement in 2011, the Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Lambda Literary Foundation in 2011, and the American Award for Literature in 2015. In 1985 Albee was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame, and in 2009 was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the Bulgarian National Academy of Theater and Film Arts 11 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF PLAYWRIGHT Continued... OTHER PLAYS BY EDWARD ALBEE THE ZOO STORY The Zoo Story was Albee’s first play, a one act that was written in three weeks in 1958. The show premiered in 1959 in West Berlin as part of a double bill with Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett. The Zoo Story is about two men who meet on a park bench in Central Park - Peter, a middle-class family man, and Jerry, who is socially isolated and longs for human connection. A DELICATE BALANCE A Delicate Balance, is Edward Albee’s first Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The play premiered in 1966, but had a revival on Broadway in 2014 starring Glenn Close. Agnes is an upper-class woman in her late 50s who contemplates losing her mind. Agnes shares a home with her husband Tobias, but her sister Claire lives in their house as well. Agnes and Tobias’ daughter Julie is going through her fourth divorce and is anticipated to return home. Near the end of the first act, Agnes and Tobias’ best friends Harry and Edna, frightened by something unknown, show upasking to stay. Julie, is irritated by Harry and Edna who are staying in her room. Edna advises Julia to grow up, which Julie A Delicate Balance (1997-98) by Edward Albee, directed by responds to by reminding Edna that she is a guest Neil Munro at the Citadel Theatre. Fiona Reid (Claire), Jan Alexin the house. Agnes discusses the death of her son andra Smith (Julie) and Hazel Desbarats (Edna) and expresses concerns over Tobias is being unfaithful. Julia continues to get annoyed, and pulls a gun on Harry and Edna, saying that they do not belong in the house. Edna insists that her and her husband are welcome in the house and that they can stay there forever if need be. The next morning Agnes confronts Tobias telling him that it is his duty to deal with the Harry and Agnes. Claire, Julia, Tobias and Agnes discuss the Harry and Edna Situation further, who later join the conversation themselves. Harry tells Tobias that if the situation was reversed, he and Edna would not want Tobias and Agnes staying at their house. Tobias agrees that he does not like having Harry and Edna in the house, but he assures Harry that he and Edna can stay. Edna and Harry pack up their car and leave. 12 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF PLAYWRIGHT Continued... OTHER PLAYS BY EDWARD ALBEE SEASCAPE Seascape opened on Broadway January 26, 1976 and was directed by Albee himself. Seascape won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1977, Albee’s second. Like many of Albee's plays, Seascape focuses on communication in interpersonal relationships. Nancy and Charlie, an American couple on the verge of the major life change of retirement, are having problems in their relationship. They are discussing these matters on the beach when another couple appears, two human-sized lizards named Leslie and Sarah who speak and act like people. The lizards have evolved to such a degree that they no longer feel at home in the sea and are compelled to seek life on the land. What the lizards experience with Nancy and Charlie nearly drives them back to the sea, but with an offer of help from the human couple, they decide to stay. This relatively happy ending is not common in many of Albee's previous plays, and some critics find it refreshing. The nod to absurdism is not only found in having half the cast being human/lizards but also in a few staging elements. For example, several times throughout the play a jet flies above, and each time Nancy and Charlie repeat the same dialog for two or three lines. THREE TALL WOMEN Three Tall Women opened in 1991 in Austria, and was the third play that Edward Albee won a Pulitzer Prize for, winning the 1994 award for drama. The play has four characters, three of which are actually the same woman at ages 26 (C), 52 (B), and 90 (A). The other character is their son, who doesn’t speak, but is a large topic of conversation. The first half of the play takes place in A’s bedroom and consists of A telling stories of her life. C challenges A with nonsensical or inconsistent parts of her story telling but is discouraged by B who used to A’s behavior. Act one ends with A having a stroke in the middle of one of her stories. In Act 2 the audience becomes aware of that the characters are all the same woman, just at different points in her life. The son of the women comes to sit beside A’s bed and does not see or interact with A, B, or C. B and C are not happy to see their son because of a rift between them. The son is from the woman’s marriage after the age that C is currently. The son leaves and the other characters discuss what the happiest moment in their life is. A has the last word saying that the moment it’s over, is the happiest moment in their life. Three Tall Women (1995-96) by Edward Albee, directed by Diana Le Blanc at the Citadel Theatre. From top: Martha Henry (A), Fiona Reid (B), and Jennifer Wigmore (C). 13 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF INSPIRATIONS TITLE The play's title alludes to the English novelist Virginia Woolf, a feminist writer who explores her own characters’ emotional and physiological motives. Woolf had bipolar disorder, which is the same disease that the main characters George and Martha are speculated to have. The title is also a reference to the song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" from Walt Disney's animated version of The Three Little Pigs. Because the rights to the Disney song are expensive, most stage versions, and the film, have Martha sing to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush", a melody that fits the meter fairly well and is in the public domain. In the first few moments of the play, it is revealed that someone sang the song earlier in the evening at a party, although who first sang it (Martha or some other anonymous party guest) remains unclear. Martha repeatedly needles George over whether he found it funny. Albee described the inspiration for the title thus: I was in there having a beer one night, and I saw "Who's Afraid Illustration of Virginia Woolf by Bett Norris of Virginia Woolf?" scrawled in soap, I suppose, on this mirror. When I started to write the play it cropped up in my mind again. And of course, who's afraid of Virginia Woolf means who's afraid of the big bad wolf . . . who's afraid of living life without false illusions. And it did strike me as being a rather typical, university intellectual joke. CHARACTERS In an interview, Albee acknowledged that he based the characters of Martha and George on his good friends, New York socialites Willard Maas and Marie Menken. Maas was a professor of literature at Wagner College (one similarity between the character George and Willard) and his wife Marie was an experimental filmmaker and painter. Maas and Menken were known for their infamous salons, where drinking would "commence at 4pm on Friday and end in the wee hours of night on Monday" (according to Gerard Malanga, a Warhol associate and friend to Maas). The primary conflict between George and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? derived from Maas and Menken's tempestuous and volatile relationship. Martha and George share the names of President George Washington and his wife Martha Washington, America's First Couple. 14 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF THEMES MENTAL ILLNESS AND MARITAL DISFUNCTION The play is incredibly fast paced and full of tongue twisters, very Albee-esque, but examines the breakdown of a marriage of a couple that are also each other's glue. Both Martha and George exhibit signs of bipolar disorder but in an even more rapid succession. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by episodes of mania and episodes of depression, either or can precede the other. Perhaps due to the self-medication of excessive consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, Martha and George are able to showcase a condensed version of their manic depressive states to their guests. A possible cause for their fractured mental states is the play's big reveal: the son they speak so adoringly, and so mysteriously about, does not exist. "A protracted and painful struggle with infertility seems to be part of the answer." Post-partum depression affects nearly 9-16% of women, and what is forgotten is that it can also affect up to 10% of men, both prenatal and/or post-partum. But what happens to the couples who experience that depression when the child isn't even present? Some couples make the decision, and possible mistake, of having a child to save a marriage. George and Martha don't have that option, yet lie about a child as a game to keep some type of nuance in their union. The possibility that both George and Martha may have bipolar disorder, or some type of mental disorder, is harrowing on both. It is vital for them to have "open communication" and to "adjust to the tendencies of each other", unfortunately, George and Martha butt the issues of their marriage with bouts of jealousy, rash insults, and twisted games to test the boundaries of each other's human emotional capacity. They demonstrate the characteristic of bipolar disorder or social disorder in their inability to recognize others' discomfort. Or perhaps they aren't mad at all and fully aware of their intentions. That would then make them emotional and mental sadists. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1966 film. 15 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF THEMES Cont. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC IMAGES IN MARRIAGE Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was a sensation in its own time because of the powerful themes that it touched on. By writing a play, with its inherent tension between actors and audience, rather than a novel or a short story, Edward Albee uses his genre to illustrate one of these themes. He brings up the idea of private and public images in marriage. Inherent in this idea of public and private faces is the theme of phoniness. Many couples, Albee seems to say, project false images of themselves in public situations. In fact, that phoniness is generally preferred to exposing all of one's problems and indiscretions to the world. Elizabeth Taylor And Richard Burton as Martha and George in the 1966 film. Yet, Albee also shows that people not only make up images of themselves for their friends and neighbors, they create illusions for their husbands and wives as well. Both of the couples in this play make up fantasies about their lives together in a somewhat unconscious attempt to ease the pains that they have had to face along the way. Over the course of the play, both kinds of masks are torn off, exposing Martha, George, Nick, and Honey to themselves and to each other. Perhaps, though, this exposure frees them as well. Sandy Dennis and George Segal as Honey and Nick in the 1966 film. 16 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF PRODUCTION ELEMENTS Designing the Set The Maquette The maquette is an indispensible tool for set designers in the theater, a suitcase-sized, extensively detailed stage model used to communicate a scaled vision of a production to directors, producers and actors. Maquettes are models of exquisite craftsmanship, evoking a sense of dollhouse awe in the viewer. Many designers now really work their ideas out in 3-D instead of sketching them out on paper. They'll make paper models, culminating finally in what we call the presentation model. The designer will be brought in at the beginning of rehearsals and present his or her vision for the play. Actors talk about how important a model is for them to visualize the space because they won't be able to see the sets for a while. And, of course, it's very helpful to a director, because not everybody, even the greatest director, has the faculty to go from a two-dimensional sketch to three dimensions. Maquette of Set for the Citadel’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Designed by Leslie Frankish 17 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF PRODUCTION ELEMENTS Cont. PROSCENIUM STAGE A proscenium theatre is a specific style of theatre. Several features define a proscenium theatre, and this particular theatre layout is extremely common; if you have ever been to see a live performance, especially in a high school auditorium, chances are high that you have seen a proscenium theatre. In addition to proscenium style theatres, it is also possible to find black box theatres, theatres with thrust stages, theatres in the round, and numerous other configurations of stage and audience. The classically defining feature of a proscenium theatre is the proscenium arch which frames the stage for the audience. In addition, the audience faces the stage directly, with no audience on the sides of the stage, and the stage in a proscenium theatre is typically raised, allowing the audience to see more clearly. Modern proscenium theatres sometimes lack the proscenium arch, but they are still called “proscenium theatres” because they retain the other characteristics of this style of theatre. Proscenium theatres originated in the 1600s, and became immensely popular by the 1700s. There are certain advantages of a proscenium theatre, such as the fact that the stage doesn't have to be as open, allowing people to conceal props, sets, and orchestras in the wings or near the stage without having these things visible to the audience. A proscenium theatre also creates a sense of staged grandeur, with the proscenium arch acting almost like a picture frame, giving the audience the sense that they are looking into a scene. 18 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Explain the significance of the title, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. What is the significance of sexuality in the play? Why do Martha and George decide to tear each other apart in front of Honey and Nick? How does religion, pagan and Christian, function in the play? Why do you think George tells the story about his childhood friend who accidentally killed both of his parents? What implications could it have thematically? What is the significance of everyone drinking so much? Why is it important that George is a history professor, whereas Nick is a biologist? How do these two disciplines relate to their characters? Why would Edward Albee set this play at a cocktail party (rather than at a family dinner or on a vacation or at an amusement park, etc.)? A great deal of what goes into a play is visual rather than simply literary. How would you set up the stage if you were directing this play? What costumes would you use for the characters? What actors would you cast in the parts? What significance does Honey's weakness and vomiting have? Why would Albee create her to be so often sick? Albee gives each Act of the play titles—Act One (Fun & Games); Act Two (Walpurgisnacht); Act Three (The Exorcism). What is the significance of each of these titles? Do you think they are appropriate given what occurs in each of the Acts? Setting has a significant role in storytelling. What does the set add to the play? If the setting changed, how would it affect the story and would it be as/more/less effective? 19 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF REFERENCES/FURTHER READING Wikipedia 1966 film http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Afraid_of_Virginia_Woolf%3F_%28film%29 1966 Film http://www.filmsite.org/whos.html 1967 Oscars http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1967 Play Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Afraid_of_Virginia_Woolf%3F Broadway.com http://www.broadway.com/shows/whos-afraid-virginia-woolf/ Three way comparison http://www.broadway.com/buzz/164592/make-me-a-drink-a-50-year-boozing-brawling-retrospective-of -edward-albees-whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/ Internet Broadway Database http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=2919 Edward Albee Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Albee Edward Albee Biography http://www.biography.com/people/edward-albee-9178576#synopsis The Zoo Story Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zoo_Story The Zoo Summary http://www.gradesaver.com/the-zoo-story/study-guide/summary A delicate Balance Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Delicate_Balance_%28play%29 A Delicate Balance 2014 revival http://www.adelicatebalancebroadway.com/about Seascape Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seascape_%28play%29 Three Tall Women Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Tall_Women Cliff notes http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/w/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/critical-essay/the-significance-orimplications-of-the-titles-of-the-acts Sparknotes http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/afraidofwoolf/characters.html Virginia Woolf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf 20 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT Curriculum Connections: Participation as an audience member at the Citadel Theatre aligns with the Alberta Education Curriculum. We’ve outline below some (but not limited to) objectives which are developed through the viewing of live theatre: Drama (Elementary) Third Goal To foster an appreciation for drama as an art form Objectives The child should: 1. develop an awareness of an respect for potential excellence in self and others 2. Develop a capacity to analyze, evaluate and synthesize ideas and experiences 3. Develop an awareness and appreciation of the variety of dramatic forms of expression. Specific Learner Expectations: Intellectual—develop and exercise imagination; develop concentration Emotional—explore emotion; control emotion; express emotion Social—understand others; discipline self; develop appreciation of the work of self and others; cope with emotional responses Integrative—learn to respond to stimuli; e.g., music, pictures, objects, literature; test and reflect on the consequences of dramatic decisions Drama (Junior High) GOAL I To acquire knowledge of self and others through participation in and reflection on dramatic experience. Objectives The student will: • strengthen powers of concentration • extend the ability to think imaginatively and creatively • extend the ability to explore, control and express emotions • extend the ability to explore meaning through abstract concepts develop the ability to offer and accept constructive criticism GOAL III To develop an appreciation for drama and theatre as a process and art form. Objectives The student will: develop awareness of various conventions of theatre develop awareness of drama and theatre by viewing as great a variety of theatrical presentations as possible develop the ability to analyze and assess the process and the art develop recognition of and respect for excellence in drama and theatre 21 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT Drama 10-20-30 GOAL I To acquire knowledge of self and others through participation in and reflection on dramatic experience. Objectives The Student will: extend the ability to concentrate extend understanding of, acceptance of and empathy for others demonstrate respect for others — their rights, ideas, abilities and differences (S) demonstrate the ability to offer, accept, and reflect upon, constructive criticism. GOAL II To develop competency in communication skills through participation in and exploration of various dramatic disciplines. Objectives The Student will: demonstrate understanding of integration of disciplines to enrich a theatrical presentation. GOAL III To develop an appreciation of drama and theatre as a process and art form. Objectives The student will: • explore various conventions and traditions of theatre • broaden knowledge of theatre by viewing as great a variety of theatrical presentations as possible ( • demonstrate the ability to assess critically the process and the art • demonstrate recognition of and respect for excellence in drama and theatre • develop an awareness of aesthetics in visual and performing arts. 22