PLAY GUIDE H.M.S. PINAFORE

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "PLAY GUIDE H.M.S. PINAFORE"

Dora Tate
5 years ago
Views:

1 H.M.S. PINAFORE by Gilbert and Sullivan directed by Sean Graney co-adapted by Sean Graney, Andra Velis Simon and Matt Kahler co-directed by Thrisa Hodits Nov. 17 Dec actorstheatre.org PLAY GUIDE

2 IN THIS PLAY GUIDE H.M.S. PINAFORE SYNOPSIS, SETTING, AND CHARACTERS ABOUT THE HYPOCRITES ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT WRITING PORTFOLIO BRIDGEWORK ABOUT THIS PLAY GUIDE This play guide is a resource designed to enhance your theatre experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning of theatre arts, and to encourage essential questions that lead to an enduring understanding of the play s meaning and relevance. Inside you will find information about the plot and characters within the play, as well as articles that contextualize the play and its production at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Oral discussion and writing prompts encourage your students to reflect upon their impressions, analyze key ideas, and relate them to their personal experiences and the world around them. These prompts can easily be adapted to fit most writing objectives. We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in any way that best fits the needs of your community of learners. We hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will give you the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience. 9 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS H.M.S. PINAFORE STUDENT MATINEES & THIS PLAY GUIDE ADDRESS SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS TH.Re7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work. TH.Re8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. TH.Re9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. TH.Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. TH.Cn11.1 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our play guides, please contact Jane B. Jones, Education Director, at x

3 SYNOPSIS EDUCATION DIRECTOR Jane B. Jones EDUCATION MANAGER Betsy Anne Huggins EDUCATION ASSOCIATE Lexy Leuszler RESIDENT TEACHING ARTISTS Justin Dobring Liz Fentress Asha French Keith McGill Letitia Usher Karin Partin Wells EDUCATION/TEACHING ARTIST INTERNS Jes Childress Jenn Oswald PLAY GUIDE BY Betsy Anne Huggins Jane B. Jones Huy Vo GRAPHIC DESIGN Amie Villiger 316 West Main Street Louisville, KY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Les Waters MANAGING DIRECTOR Jennifer Bielstein Join Chicago theatre renegades The Hypocrites on the high seas or, in this case, at a slumber party full of pajama-clad sailors in their playful reimagining of the popular Gilbert and Sullivan classic. Joseph, the Captain s son, falls for lowly sailor Ralphina Rackstraw but duty demands that he marry the lofty Admiral Dame Jo-Ann instead! Replete with guitars, ukuleles, and reversed gender roles, this comic tale of love, intrigue, and social satire comes to life as you ve never seen it before. SETTING On the deck of the H.M.S. Pinafore. In this production, The Hypocrites have transformed this British war ship into a slumber party. CAST OF CHARACTERS JOSEPH The captain s son, in love with the lowly sailor Ralphina. RALPHINA A sailor in love with Joseph. CAPTAIN CAT Commander of the H.M.S. Pinafore and mother of Joseph. She has feelings for Buttercup, but cannot allow herself to love a person so far below her station. BUTTERCUP A peddler of ship provisions. He is in love with the Captain, and is hiding a secret, which, when revealed, will rock the crew of the H.M.S. Pinafore. HEEBIES Dame JoAnn s favorite cousin. DAME JOANN Admiral of the Queen s Navy, she wishes to wed the Captain s son Joseph. DOT DEADEYE A villainous sailor, determined to prevent Joseph and Ralphina from marrying. TIFF NI, MANFOLK 1, MANFOLK 2 A chorus of instrument-playing and singing sailors. 3

4 The Hypocrites set sail in Actors Theatre s production of The Pirates of Penzance during the Season. Photo by Bill Brymer. 4

5 ABOUT THE HYPOCRITES The Hypocrites are an ensemble theatre company based in Chicago, Il. Founded by Artistic Director Sean Graney in 1997, the acclaimed theatre company believes that there is no deeper reason to live than being with other people; laughing, sharing stories, helping friends through personal pain, exchanging ideas. In service of this mission, The Hypocrites focus on the audience-actor relationship through their use of promenade theatre: they invite the audience to move around the performance space and even sit on stage during the show! The company produces work both old and new, with a penchant for putting a contemporary spin on classic shows. With a repertoire that spans more than 50 productions, The Hypocrites have won many awards, including the 2013 National Theatre Company Award from the American Theatre Wing, along with 23 Joseph Jefferson Awards (Chicago s version of the Tony Awards). The Hypocrites work has been seen at Steppenwolf Garage, Goodman Theatre, and many other venues around Chicago. They have also toured America with their hit production of The Pirates of Penzance, which appeared at Actors Theatre during the Season. 5

Gilbert and composer llivan collaboratively penned fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, which enjoyed enormous popularity in their own time and continue to be performed throughout

6 Arthur Sullivan W.S. Gilbert ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS Librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan collaboratively penned fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, which enjoyed enormous popularity in their own time and continue to be performed throughout the English-speaking world today. The pair was first brought together to produce a Christmas entertainment, Thespis, at London s Gaiety Theatre in Producer Richard D Oyly Carte became their most important champion; he built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their collaborations, which came to be known as Savoy Operas, and the D Oyly Carte Opera Company dedicated itself to staging their work for more than a century. Famous for their topsy-turvy plots and tunefully memorable melodies, Gilbert and Sullivan s best-loved operettas include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, and The Mikado, among many others. Their body of work made a significant impact on the development of musical theatre as a form in the 20 th century, and its popular appeal and cultural influence in literature, film, and television remains pervasive to this day. 6

7 WRITING PORTFOLIO NARRATIVE: CCRA.W.3 H.M.S. Pinafore, like much of Gilbert and Sullivan s work, critiques the British class system and British society s reliance on class and rank to dictate relationships. A repeated refrain in the play is Love levels all ranks, meaning that love can defy social status. Write about a relationship (friendship or romance) in your life that challenged the status quo. Maybe you befriended someone much older or younger than you, or you know someone who fell in love with a person from a different social background. How did this relationship come about and how did the outside world respond to it? Reflect on this in an essay contemplating how the external world can influence relationships. ARGUMENTATIVE: CCRA.W.1 The Hypocrites production of H.M.S. Pinafore genderswaps most of the roles in this play; women play roles traditionally performed by men and vice-versa. What themes or ideas from the original play do you think are highlighted by this shift in casting? How do you think the change in gender of the characters in this performance will impact an audience s understanding of the play? What benefits or drawbacks do you think might occur from this swap? INFORMATIVE: CCRA.W.2 Write a review of the performance of H.M.S. Pinafore that you saw at Actors Theatre of Louisville. What parts of the play (the actors performances, the set, props, costumes, lighting and sound design, etc.) were your favorites and why? How effective were these elements in telling the story? Back up your claims with evidence and details from your experience of watching the performance. Then make a copy and send it to the education department at Actors Theatre of Louisville c/o Jane B. Jones 316 West Main Street Louisville, Kentucky We will share your thoughts with the creative team. The poster illustration from the original 1878 production of H.M.S. Pinafore 7

8 BRIDGEWORK AT YOUR DESK 1. A key plot point in two of Gilbert and Sullivan s most famous works, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, is the mixing up of the main characters social status when they were very young. In both plays, characters that are thought to be very poor or to have low social status are revealed to be rich or royal. How many other stories that use a similar plot device can your class brainstorm? 2. Gilbert and Sullivan wrote and composed over a dozen comic operas together. In partners, work together to write a short comic song and set it to a tune, or adapt the lyrics of a popular song in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan. Perform the song for your classmates, if you dare! AWAY FROM YOUR DESK 1. Have you ever heard the phrase triple threat to describe someone who can act, sing, and dance at the same time? The members of The Hypocrites are all QUADRUPLE threats; not only do they act, sing, and dance, but they also play all of their own instruments. If someone described you as a quadruple threat, what skills would they be referring to? Maybe you can blow the perfect bubble, walk on your hands, or sing the alphabet backwards? As a class, share some of your special skills. If your class were to put on a show, what skills would you feature? 2. When H.M.S. Pinafore first premiered in 1878, the silly turns of phrase featured in the songs quickly entered the popular vernacular in London, England. This set of lyrics from the Captain s song, My Gallant Crew, Good Morning, were particularly widespread: A: What, never? B: No, never! A: What, never? B: Well, hardly ever! Form two lines, line A and line B. The first person in line B enters the scene and starts performing an action, such as pretending to mop the floor, brush their teeth or defuse a bomb (anything you can think of, really). Once the action is established, the first person from line A enters the scene and begins the dialogue using the above lines. The duo must continue the scene, making the dialogue work in their performance. A teacher or another appointed person can clap their hands, ending the scene and prompting the next students in each line to start a new scene. 8

9 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS 1. In this production, several audience members will sit on the stage, a style of performance called promenade theatre. How do you think having audience members in the middle of the action will affect the performance? Would you want to sit in one of those seats? Why or why not? 2. The Hypocrites production of H.M.S. Pinafore puts a playful, modern spin on this classic Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera from How do you think the contemporary setting and costumes will impact an audience s understanding of the play? What benefits or drawbacks do you think might occur from setting the play in a different time period than it was originally written? POST-SHOW QUESTIONS 1. How did having audience members on stage affect the performance? Did seeing other audience members seated on stage add to the experience? Was it ever distracting? How do you think the performance would have been different if those seats had been empty? 2. The popular refrain in the play, Love levels all Ranks, is flipped on its tail when Buttercup reveals that she accidentally switched Ralphina and the Captain as babies. This revelation automatically elevates Ralphina s status and lowers the Captain s, enabling both to be with the one they love. If love truly levels all ranks, why does there need to be a twist ending like this? What do you think Gilbert and Sullivan intended by leveling the social statuses of the lovers? Can love really level all ranks? 9

PLAY GUIDE SKELETON CREW

PLAY GUIDE SKELETON CREW by Dominique Morisseau directed by Steve H. Broadnax III NOV. 14 DEC. 10, 2017 IN THIS PLAY GUIDE SKELETON CREW 3 PLOT SUMMARY 4 CHARACTERS / SETTING 5 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 6 GLOSSARY