Great Expectations. Education Pack

Transcription

1 Great Expectations Education Pack

2 Welcome! Welcome and Contents This Education Pack has been put together for teachers and drama groups in order to encourage students to explore the process of adapting this story for the stage, and to do so through discussion, practical participation and research. We want to encourage all to read the book and watch the play, so we have created this with the intention of sharing the joy of exploring everything that surrounds the story, and the excitement of staging a theatrical production. We really hope this is useful to you and enjoyable to all who use it. Contents 3. Meet the Team 21. Characters 26. Activities and Discussion Points 42. Get in Touch! Many thanks, Great Expectations Tour 2018 Front Cover: Nichola McCauliffe as Miss Havisham. Photo credit Matt Austin Unless otherwise stated, all photos are from a royalty-free web site 2

3 Meet the Team! Katherine Senior and Matthew Parish formed Tilted Wig Productions in Katherine and Matthew have 10 years experience producing and touring plays throughout the UK with Creative Cow a Devonbased theatre company they co-founded in From the very beginning of our careers as actors touring the depths of the British countryside, setting up shows in pubs and skittle alleys and wherever else anyone would take us we have worked hard to create a professional ensemble company of actors. Our shows now tour to some of the biggest theatres in the UK, yet that same ethos is still the driving force behind Tilted Wig Productions. Whether Tilted Wig is producing a classic play or an exciting new adaptation, for each production they aim to bring together a vibrant and innovative creative team. Over the years Katherine and Matthew have formed strong relationships with top venues all over the country, and with their inaugural production of Great Expectations they re proud to be co-producing for the very first time with Malvern Theatres. 3

4 We have spoken to the Adaptor, Director, Producers and Designer about process, favourite moments and all things in between! Let s meet them Quick activity Make a list of all of the different people who you think are involved in making a play. Which would be your favourite job? Nichola McCauliffe as Miss Havisham. Photo credit Matt Austin 4

5 Introducing the Adaptor, Ken Bentley How did you adapt Great Expectations into a play? The first thing I do when adapting is deconstruct the novel. I use a spreadsheet to do this so I can see a timeline of how the story works, what the themes are, and what the components are. Once I've deconstructed the novel I then reconstruct a shorter version of the same story using as many of the original components as I can. 5

6 What is the biggest challenge about adapting such a famous novel? How do you decide which moments to include? The biggest challenge is working out what to cut, then hoping you haven't cut somebody's favourite scene! In cutting a story down in size it's very easy to concentrate on plot and overlook the themes, so I make sure I fully understand the themes of the story before I start planning the adaptation. That usually helps determine what stays and what goes, and it means most of the important and memorable moments from the novel find their way into the adaption. 6

7 What is your favourite part of the process? I get the biggest kick out of planning and restructuring the adaption. The prep is really hard work. That's when you have to make sure you don't leave a stone unturned, so you can be certain you haven't missed something important when you start planning. And the writing I find fun. Once you know what needs to happen it's quite entertaining to help the characters make it all play out on the page. But the planning is the stage I enjoy most. It's like solving a four dimensional puzzle. It can be tough going at times, but I get a huge sense of satisfaction when I've solved it. 7

8 Why did you decide to put Dickens on stage? Dickens often performed public readings of his work and toured several times during his lifetime. Theatre scenes feature in a number of his stories, but his enthusiasm for theatre and for speaking can also be seen in his writing. Just as much as they're written to be read, his words are written to be spoken. Compared to many of his contemporaries and many authors since his dialogue adapts effortlessly and is rich in character. Just look how Joe speaks compared to Herbert. Dickens was a man who relished language and dialect in both its written and spoken forms, and that's one of many reasons why his work adapts so well to the stage and screen. 8

9 Introducing the Director, Sophie Boyce Couzens What is the director s process for a production like this? Script and story telling For this particular production, the first thing that happened was a read-through of the script. This was brilliant as it was a chance to hear the characters being brought to life by a group of actors. I then discussed the script with the Adaptor and Producers before the next draft was created. After that, it was really about continuing to familiarise myself with the script. It is important to know it inside out so that all creative decisions start from the story that we are telling. As this adaptation is being created specifically for the production, the script is still changing which is really exciting. With this production, it was immediately clear that it celebrates the ensemble of actors, so I needed to look at how we bring this story to life by collaborating as a company to tell Pip s journey as the central story. 9

10 Design I have also been meeting with James Turner, the Designer, in order to share ideas and to develop the set. The play jumps from location to location at some speed, and in keeping with a production that relies on multi-roling and ensemble storytelling, the set is not naturalistic, but is instead a physical representation of Pip s world expanding, his isolation, and his sense of being an outsider looking in. As a director, once this becomes clearer the process can really take off as you can begin to imagine different moments, or be inspired to find creative and exciting ways of telling the story as an ensemble. These conversations also then take place with Max Pappenheim and Ollie King, Sound Designer and Musician, and Richard Williamson, the Lighting Designer. As each of these conversations take place, new ideas emerge. Photo of model designed by James Turner 10

11 Casting A key part of the process is casting. For this production, we have assembled a company of actors who are excellent collaborators, as an ability and desire to play and contribute ideas is essential for a production such as this where the story is mammoth and the challenge is to ensure playful clarity. Rehearsals Over the next month of so I will continue to develop ideas, draw up a rehearsal schedule, continue regular conversations with creatives and get as ready as possible for a month of rehearsing in London. I can t wait! What is your favourite part of the process? My favourite part of the process is the technical rehearsal. I love the moment when everything, every idea, every thought suddenly comes together. It also means we are only days away from the first audience seeing the production, and this is what it s all been about. 11

12 Introducing the Producers, Matthew Parish and Katherine Senior When did you first have the idea to produce Great Expectations and why? We have produced a couple of Dickens' books in the past. We did a small tour of Hard Times in 2011 and we produced our own adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 2015 which was a great success. His writing is suited for the stage brilliantly and works so well in a story-telling ensemble format. We did Great Expectations at drama school 15 or so years ago so it has long been in our mind to potentially tour it. It was just a case of the right time and circumstance. Dickens reaches out to a large demographic which is a driving force behind what we take on tour. 12

13 What is the hardest or most complicated thing about producing a tour and why do you think touring is important? I don't know what the hardest part of touring is. I suppose it is complicated to juggle the venues in to a logistically suitable tour and it is always tough to bring the show in on an affordable budget. When you hear "commercial" producer the thought tends to be that there is a lot of money but it is the opposite we have no public funding and so have relied solely on box office for all 19 of the shows we have toured. For the first time for us, we are co producing with Malvern Theatres which helps a great deal. We are able to share the risk. I think this is an important part of the future of touring. In this vein, collaborating with theatres is vital because it will keep touring theatre alive in the regions and this is crucial for a diverse programme of quality visiting companies that comes at a more affordable ticket price to London. 13

14 Which bit of the process do you enjoy the most? There are so many elements to running a theatre company. We started out as actors so I suppose you could say we are actor-managers as in days past. While Matthew has turned his focus very much on the producing side of the company, I still act in the plays we tour (when parenting duties allow!) and I also do quite a bit of the design, artwork and creative side of things. This partnership has worked well in the last 10 years and makes the job mostly enjoyable! Bringing a new company together is always very exciting. Casting and introducing new creatives to the team and keeping it fresh and vibrant is an integral part of building a company for each project. This ensures we don't get stale and introverted which is also key. Of course one of the most enjoyable parts is the first night of a show, teetering on the edge and wondering if all the hard work will pay off and we send our audiences home with perhaps something more than what they came with. 14

15 A note from The Designer, James Turner Please can you briefly explain the process of the designer for a production like this? My job as the designer starts with the script. For something like Great Expectations, which has so many scenes and spans such a long time period with a variety of locations, the first step is to break down the script into chunks and make a list of all the locations/characters/times/props and important events. I often then sketch out a storyboard of the play with stick figures and start to formulate ideas around that. I meet regularly with the Director and we talk through the play and start to play around with concepts, ideas and rough designs. We share lots of images, works of art, architecture, paintings, fashion shoots etc. and discuss what we like and what feels right for the play. 15

16 Set design As our ideas formulate I start to sketch things, first quickly and then more precisely as the ideas progress and take shape. I build a model of the theatre and start to work in 3D, creating a 1:25 scale model. I use miniature figures to stand in for the actors and with the Director we start to place people on the set and think about how we might stage the show. At first the model is quite rough, just made of white card, so we can think about shapes and form before moving onto colour and texture later. Once we are happy with the design I build a final model which is very precise and has all the details, textures and materials and is painted. I also produce technical drawings so that a set builder can build the full-sized set based on my model and drawings. Photo of model designed by James Turner 16

17 Costume At the same time a similar process happens with costume. I break down the script and make lots of lists of who is in what scene and what they might wear. I gather lots of research images and start to sort these by character and then start designing the costumes. I produce a drawing for each character plus a selection of reference photos to go with each one, which I then share with the costume supervisor and costume makers who will create the finished costumes. 17

18 Please can you describe the design of the set and costumes for Great Expectations and ideas that led to it? The design for Great Expectations is a bit like a giant music box, or 'story box' as we are thinking of it. We always knew there would be a small cast playing all the parts and also narrating Pip's story so that was our starting point. We had the idea that everything required to tell the story would come out of this box, rather than from off stage. We wanted something quite skeletal that could be used in different ways for all the many locations without lengthy scene changes. Our aim has been to keep things light and fast moving. But we also wanted the set to have a few tricks or surprises during the play, to open up in unexpected ways to change the space and keep things interesting. I liked the idea of wrought-iron which felt very suitable for the period and also links to Joe Gargery's work in the forge as a blacksmith, the job that Pip is apprenticed into before he comes into his mysterious fortune. We also wanted the set to be a bit like a playground for the actors, something that they could climb on and sit on and use in different ways. 18

19 The idea behind the the costumes is that we have a very definite ensemble or troupe of actors, all dressed in the same base layer of clothing that they then add one or two items to in order to become the different characters. Again this was to allow speed and fluidity in the play and also to let the acting take centre stage, and to enjoy the theatricality of the same person playing 5 or 6 parts. Dickens writes such brilliantly big characters that we felt we didn't need much to bring them to life. 19

20 What is your favourite part of the process? My favourite part of the process is the white card model, which is the first time I start to work in 3D, building a scale model of the theatre and starting to explore our ideas for the set. It's when those first ideas start to take form and I get a sense of what the final design might look like, but it's still early on in the process so anything is still possible and ideas form and change quickly. There is also a lot of freedom and flexibility at this part of the process, before having to consider the practicalities and budget or having to figure out how things will work in reality, so the ideas can be big and bold (and sometimes bad) before they are reigned in at the next stage. 20

21 Characters Pip At the beginning of the play, Pip is a kind-hearted young boy who desires to see the best in everyone. He does not hesitate to help Magwitch, although this is perhaps driven by his naivety in believing Magwitch s threats. However, after visiting Satis House, Pip begins to look upon his life and environment in a different light, and almost immediately desires to be less common. As this feeling grows stronger he becomes snobbish towards Joe, the blacksmith, and the life Joe lives as a blacksmith, which is also the foreseeable road for Pip. Once he learns of his fortune, he very quickly moves into the life of a gentlemen, and is keen to learn and adapt, hiding his less advantageous upbringing. He spends money fast and furiously, with little concern for the consequences. Things take another turn for Pip once Magwitch is revealed as the true benefactor to his fortune. Despite initial disappointment and anger that his money has been inherited from a criminal, he shows great compassion to Magwitch and risks all for his safety. This same kindness is demonstrated in his support of Herbert s business. Throughout all of this, ever since his first visit to Satis House, he yearns for Estella and is heartbroken when she marries Drummle. He does not forget her in their time apart and they are finally reunited. 21

22 Miss Havisham Miss Havisham hates all men and wants to seek revenge for being abandoned on her wedding day many years earlier. Since this hurtful moment, she has allowed herself to become extremely bitter and resentful and is still wearing the wedding dress from all those years before. She also hasn t touched the wedding cake and table, which was laid out ready for the celebrations. She adopted a young girl, Estella, and she plans to use Estella to wreak her revenge on all men. However, as Estella and Pip grow up, she begins to realise that she has not done the right thing and regrets the pain and hurt she has caused to them both. Joe Joe is a blacksmith and is married to Pip s sister, Mrs Joe. He is true, honest, simple and kind. He has only ever wanted the best for Pip and supports Pip no matter what, even when this kindness is not returned. In contrast to the other character s in the play, Joe remains dignified throughout, despite being the source of ridicule and entertainment due to his language and mannerisms. By the end, Joe is married to Biddy and seems to have found true happiness. 22

23 Estella Estella, who was adopted as a young girl by Miss Havisham, has been raised to never love and to have no heart. She is consequently rude to Pip, and is the reason that he believes that he is common. She is beautiful, and after being educated and moved to London, she warns Pip that she cannot love him, because she has no heart, but uses her beauty and appeal to tease other men and make them look foolish. However, after being left a widow by Drummle, she realises that she made mistakes, and that she should not have rejected Pip s love. She is far more humble, and now expects very little, but hopes for friendship. Mrs Joe Mrs Joe is strict, vocal and physically aggressive towards Pip, her younger brother who she has raised. She is keen to impress members of the community with higher social status than she, and is dismissive of her husband Joe, for being a blacksmith. She is murdered by Orlick, leaving Joe to raise Pip with the help of Biddy. Biddy Biddy is gentle, kind and fair. She is a good teacher to Pip, and after Mrs Joe s death, she marries Joe. 23

24 Abel Magwitch Magwitch is an escaped convict who initially terrifies young Pip when he meets him on the marshes, and scares him into providing him with food and drink. After a fight with another escaped convict, Compeyson, who had been an accomplice of Magwitch years before, but later framed him at court, Magwitch is caught again and sent away. During this time he remembers Pip, who reminds him of a child he lost, and becomes his anonymous benefactor. Magwitch returns to London to see Pip, who is disappointed to learn that Magwitch is his benefactor, but later befriends him. Jaggers Jaggers is a very successful criminal lawyer in London. He is Pip s guardian, but is very careful not to reveal to the true identity of Pip s benefactor and allows Pip to go on thinking that it is Miss Havisham. He is very clever at controlling conversations, and does not allow Pip to reveal information to him that he should not hear. Later in the play, when Pip learns more about the truth, Jaggers does demonstrate a softer, genuinely caring side, in his desire to protect Estella and offer her more opportunities. Magwitch is in need of an escape, as he should not be in the country, and is helped by Pip but gets caught and injured in the attempted escape and eventually dies in a prison cell. 24

25 Herbert Pocket Herbert is a friendly, well raised young man who becomes Pip s best friend when he first moves to London and becomes a gentlemen. Herbert is patient, eager to help and supports Pip through everything, including the attempted escape of the convict, Magwitch. Herbert falls in love and pursues his career. Pumblechook Pumblechook is pompous and big-headed. He often visits the Forge to see Mrs Joe, and takes great delight in delivering the news that Pip is to go and play at Satis House. He annoys Pip by asking him mathematical questions on the way, and then later tries to impress Pip as he helps him prepare for his time in London. Bentley Drummle Bentley Drummle is arrogant and unkind. He enjoys making fools of other people, and is very snobbish in his attitude and mannerisms. He does not get on with Pip, and enjoys teasing Pip about his affections for Estella. After marrying Estella, he dies, leaving her a widow and little property. Orlick Orlick is Joe s assistant in the Forge and is very unhappy and resentful about the fact that Pip is to made Joe s apprentice. His resentment and angers leads to the murder of Mrs Joe, which he finally confesses as he attempts, unsuccessfully, to attack Pip. Wemmick Wemmick is employed by Jaggers as lawyer s clerk and is also devoted to looking after his Aged Parent. He is very kind to Pip and is a source of guidance and advice throughout Pip s time in London. 25

26 Activities and Discussion Points 1. Multi-roling Bringing character to life In our production of Great Expectations, we have 8 actors and a musician playing all of the roles. Exercise 1 As part of the adapting process, and before auditions, the adaptor and director need to have a conversation about which actors will multi-role as which characters. This can be a bit of a logistical challenge, but is very important! Make a suggested character allocation for our 8 actors ensuring all of the characters listed on pages are allocated. Discuss your character allocations with other groups. What are the similarities? And differences? Here s a clue. 5 are male, 3 are female. And there s a rather wonderful musician too! After seeing the production, discuss what you thought of our choices and the different ways the actors portrayed the characters? 26

27 Exercise 2 Try this activity below to explore the process an actor may go through to differentiate between characters. 1. Walk around the room as a group taking time to observe all the traits of your walk: How fast is your pace? How big is your stride? Where are your eyes looking? What s happening with your arms, shoulders, neck? Are you easily distracted or walking with purpose? Take time to really examine your own rhythm. 2. Once you are confident you have identified your own style, begin to look around the room, without changing yours. Pick one classmate to study and spend time getting to know their own style. Remember do not change yours yet as someone may be studying you. 3. Once everyone is ready, have a go at now copying the walk that you have just studied, thinking about all the different aspects and taking time to get it accurate. Switch in between your own walk and this new walk to ensure you have adopted all of your classmate s style. 27

28 4. Split into two groups. Half the group walk in a line as themselves, and then change to a classmate s style on the return journey. The other half now comment on the different characteristics of the two walks. Switch over and repeat. These exercises will act as a great introduction to looking at how to create physicalities for characters. Some elements of a style can be incredibly subtle, and yet can actually reveal a huge amount about the character. Now let s translate this into the characters in Great Expectations 5. Pick 2 characters from the Great Expectations character breakdowns and create their walks. Remember, there may be subtle changes or there may be stark differences, but spend time making clear decisions about the different physicalisation. 6. Split into two groups again and guess which characters your classmates have picked. If they picked the same character as you did they make different decisions? Discuss how you came to your decisions in order to learn about other actor s interpretations of the characters. 28

29 2. Social status Status improvisation exercise As a group, discuss the different levels of status in society, and how an individual s status can change. A group of people will often respond to each other in a manner dictated by their perceived status. To demonstrate this, divide the group in half. Half are the actors and half the audience: Each actor is given a numbered playing card between 1-10; 10 being the highest possible status and 1 the lowest. The actors hold their cards to their foreheads, so they do not know the value of their own card, but everyone else does. Improvise a scene, such as a party, in which actors treat the other actors as though they have the status of their card s value. For example, if they have a low number, they might be ignored and if they have a high number they should be treated with respect. After the improvisation, the actors have to guess their own status. Then let the audience have a go at acting and vice versa. 29

30 Now let s discuss status in Great Expectations Is Pip interested in status? What evidence is there to suggest this? Using the character breakdowns on page 21-25, put the characters in the play in order of status from highest to lowest. 30

31 3. The Great Expected Party Guests 1. Split into two groups. One group is the audience. 2. From the other group, pick one person to play the party host. They must leave the room or go somewhere they cannot hear or see the rest of the group. 3. Everyone else in this group is given a piece of paper, previously prepared by the teacher, with a character name on it from Great Expectations. Everyone keeps the character they are given to themselves. 4. The party host comes back into the group and the guests line up by the front door wherever you have imagined this to be. 5. One by one the guests enter the party and the host must guess who each of their guests are based on their characteristics and conversation about their interests. The guests cannot use names and do not know who their fellow guests are. For example, Herbert Pocket may be the most delightful guest who is very keen to help the host and make new friends and Molly may be quietly handing out drinks and clearing up. 31

32 To take it further 6. Also give each guest a theme from the play on a different piece of paper to incorporate into their act. For example wealth might mean that the character comments on their own wealth or perhaps the wealth of the host. The host now has to guest the character and the theme. 32

33 4. Finding wealth! 1. In partners or groups, imagine you have just won the lottery! And it s a lot of money! 2. Now individually, get a pen and paper and write non-stop for 3 minutes about what you would spend the money on. The pen must not stop moving even if you are just repeating the word money or I don t know what to write. Be strict on yourself to keep going! 3. Now come together as a group again and share your answers. 4. Next, improvise a scene, acting out some of the answers you came up with in the stream of consciousness. Now let s apply this to Great Expectations 5. Consider Pip s choices in Great Expectations: Do you think you would have made different choices? Are there clues beforehand in Pip s character that allow us to predict Pip s reaction to this new found wealth? 33

34 5. Reviewing Great Expectations Review the production! What did you think of the: Adaptation Set Actors Use of music? 34

35 6. Storytelling as an ensemble In groups of 4 or 5, in 15 seconds create a freeze-frame of: A horse and carriage The evening school The Christmas Day hunt for Magwitch The Christmas Day meal The Finches drinking The ball at Richmond Once you are frozen, the teacher will come over and say your name in turn. You then say one line of dialogue each that could be said that scene, for example: Faster horses! What delightful company! This exercise enables you to test your understanding of the different moments in the play, your knowledge of the different characters and styles, and to develop your skills of working as an ensemble. 35

36 To take it further In groups create the entrance to Miss Havisham s dressing room at Satis House. Pip first arrives outside Satis House, then journeys into a dark, candlelit room, and then into the dressing room. In the book the description can really paint the scene. On the stage we want to show this without describing too much of what the audience are seeing. Consider how you can do this as a group and what props or design elements you may need. Refer to the book to ensure you are really capturing the atmosphere of Satis House. 36

37 7. Test your knowledge and your skills in court! How do you compare to Jaggers?! 1. Split into teams. 2. The teacher will read out opinions that a character from Great Expectations may have. 3. One team has to argue that it is true that the character holds this opinion, the other team that it is false, by putting forward a persuasive argument as if they are in court. 4. The teacher gives a point to the most persuasive argument that is most grounded in the understanding of the story. Examples: Joe is pleased that Pip is moving to London. Miss Havisham blames herself entirely for Pip and Estella s heartache. 37

38 8. Just a minute 1. Get into groups of 4 and number yourselves 1-4 within that group. 2. Based on the popular Radio 4 game, the teacher or classmates pick a theme or character from the play. The aim is to be the person talking about that topic at the end of the minute. 3. Person number 1 will start talking about that topic but can be challenged by the other 3 for hesitation, deviation or repetition. When challenged the time is paused. 4. If the challenge is successful, it is passed to the person who challenged and the minute continues. 5. The winner is the person talking at the end of the minute. 38

39 9. Stuck in time Miss Havisham has paused her whole life at the moment on her wedding day that she found out that Compeyson would not marry her. Imagine you had paused time at a moment in your life, meaning you are still wearing the same clothes and you are still in the same room. What would you have missed? Discuss your examples as a group. What has Miss Havisham missed by remaining bitter and stuck in time? What could her life have been like if this hadn t happened and what influence would this have had on those around her? Up on your feet! 1. A small group create a short scene of Miss Havisham watching Pip and Estella play. 2. Someone from the audience shouts STOP and taking over from Miss Havisham suggests something that will take the scene elsewhere, or changes the consequence of the scene. For example, Why don t we go to the shops together? 3. The others in the scene follow this suggestion. 4. Repeat this from the beginning with different STOP suggestions. Discuss the impact the changes had on all of the characters and what the knock-on effect might be on the rest of the story. 39

40 10. Crossword 40

41 Across 1. Professional swindler, counterfeiter, and general law-breaker (9) 5. A good teacher, kind and supportive (5) 9. The clocks are stopped at twenty to (4) 10. Money and education give Pip many more (13) 12. The cause of Miss Havisham's death (4) 13. A theme in the play and a choice between right and wrong (6) 14. Pip s secret benefactor (8) 16. The husband of Pip's sister (3,7) 18. Tool used to remove the leg irons (4) 20. A group of people within society who have the same economic and social position (5) 21. Short for Philip Pirrip (3) 22. Jaggers' clerk (7) 23. Something easy to lose but hard to gain (6) Down 2. Insufferable, pompous man who enjoys setting Pip maths questions (11) 3. Young girl adopted by Miss Havisham (7) 4. What Pip becomes when he moves to London (9) 6. A dish best served cold. Miss Havisham seeks it on all men (7) 7. Pip has a strong inner sense of right and wrong (10) 8. Magwitch and Compeyson (8) 10. Joe's assistant at the forge (6) 11. Pip is Joe s apprentice to become a (10) 14. Jilted at the alter by Compeyson (4,8) 15. Pip's companion in London (7,6) 16. The London lawyer (7) 17. Pip requests Biddy s help with this (9) 19. Candlelit, dark, cobwebbed (5,5) 41

42 Get in Touch! Please get in touch if you have any questions about the production, this education pack or Tilted Wig! Website: