2014 2015 Performance Guide for Parents Includes Story Background, Conversation Guide, Cast & Company Information, and Coloring Page! www.phamaly.org
BACKGROUND 1 Phamaly Theatre Company brings young people, educators, and world-class theatre together in classrooms and community centers across the Rocky Mountain Region. Designed to engage students and parents alike, Phamaly s Touring Program inspires audiences to think critically about their own perceptions of characters, people, and each other while exposing them to the arts, classic literature, and themes of acceptance and tolerance. The Grimm Brothers Unpredictable and cruel, the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm represent how life in Europe was perceived in the early 1800 s. German cultural researchers, authors, and lexicographers, the brothers collected and published works of folklore. With the rise of Romanticism in the 19 th century (an artistic and intellectual movement with a focus on strong emotions notably terror and horror) came a rise in the popularity of folklore; and the brothers methods for collecting and recording these stories has become the foundation for modern folklore studies. From 1807 until their deaths (Wilhelm in 1859 / Jacob in 1863), the brothers added to the collection of these stories often revising the prose and adding extensive detail to the stories. Many of the stories were grotesque and included sexual elements and dark themes, and the stories were revised to include Christian themes and to appeal to an audience of children. This collection of stories has become the brothers legacy collectively known as Grimm s Fairy Tales. Grimm s Fairy Tales Handed down from generation to generation through oral traditions, the Grimm brothers were inspired to record fairy tales to create a scholarly exposition of regional culture finding in these stories examples of past religions, faiths, and fears. Originally published in 1812, Children s and Household Tales went through many editions and volumes, with more than 211 tales in the 1857 edition. Such classic tales from the collection include Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, and of course- Rapunzel. Each step was the hardest. Each Step was a climb. But looking back on all those steps it wasn t such a terrible time. From Phamaly s touring production of Rapunzel
2 About the story of Rapunzel Published in the first edition of Children s and Household Tales, the story of Rapunzel is an adaptation of the French story Persinette originally published in mid the 17 th century. The story may also be derived from the 10 th century epic poem Shahnameh. Original Synopsis There was once a poor woman who greatly longed for a child. After a long while, it seemed that her wish would finally come true. However, the woman s house overlooked the garden of an enchantress and in that garden was some beautiful rampion (for whom Rapunzel was named). Everyday, she longed to have some of the rampion and felt that she would surely die if she did not have some. Eager to save her, her husband climbed down into the garden and stole some for her. The next day she longed for it three times as much. So her husband dutifully stole some more, only to be caught by the enchantress. Greatly angered, the enchantress allows the man to keep the food and leave free of enchantments - in exchange for his child once it is born. The child is born and the enchantress appears, names her Rapunzel, and carries her away. The child grew up to be very beautiful with magnificently long hair hair as fine as spun gold. At the age of twelve, the enchantress shut Rapunzel in a tower that lay in a forest and had no stairs and no door. When the enchantress wanted to come up, she would call for Rapunzel to let down her hair and she would climb it. Rapunzel passes the time by singing and letting her sweet voice resound. One day, the King s son hears the singing and it deeply touches him. After many weeks, he learns how the enchantress climbs Rapunzel s hair and he, too, calls for Rapunzel to let her hair down. Climbing up day after day, he asks her to marry him. They hatch a plan for Rapunzel to escape by weaving a ladder for her to climb down. Before the plan can be put in place, however, a pregnant Rapunzel reveals to the enchantress that she has been seeing the prince. The enchantress cuts Rapunzel s hair in a rage and banishes her to the desert, where Rapunzel gives birth to twins. When the prince comes to get Rapunzel, the enchantress tricks him into climbing up. Instead of finding Rapunzel, he finds the enchantress who gazes at him with wicked and venomous looks. He escapes her by jumping out of the window, but is blinded by thorns that poke him in the eye when he lands. He roams the countryside for many years lamenting the loss of his fiancée until he wanders into the desert and hears her beautiful singing. Rapunzel s tears wet his eyes and his eyesight is restored. He leads her and their children to his kingdom and they live happily ever after.
Adaptations to the story of Rapunzel The story of Rapunzel has been re-written, parodied, and utilized in many different mediums. Many film productions, including the recent Disney adaptation entitled Tangled, have become common references for the story and its characters. Additionally, Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair has become a famous identifying characteristic of the story being used in short sketches on Saturday Night Live and Sesame Street; as well as a majority of books, movies, and performance adaptations. These many adaptations have introduced a variety of different elements to the story, often creating different or conflicting iterations between individual accounts of the perceived correct re-telling of the story; including differences in how the prince is blinded, how intelligently Rapunzel is portrayed, and how the story ends. Our Production of Rapunzel A one-hour musical adaptation of Rapunzel, Phamaly presents the THEATREWORKSUSA version of Rapunzel. With Book and Lyrics by David Crane and Marta Kauffman (the writers behind the hit TV show Friends), and music by Michael Skloff the show is a hilarious, engaging, and rousing rendition of the classic story. Unlike other versions, this production focuses on the challenges of growing up (songs include The First Step is the Hardest, Growing Up, and I m Never Going Home Again ), accepting yourself and your unique challenges (songs include Me, My Hair, and I and I Wish You Could See ), and the power of love (songs include Wooing a Witch and Once Upon a Time ). Through a cast of 5 dynamic actors you will find a vengeful witch that falls in love, a prince who learns to see beauty without sight, a beautiful princess who learns the power of love, and a host of their imaginative neighbors who all live happily ever after. Rapunzel and Disability What does Rapunzel have to do with disability? That s where Phamaly comes in. Have you ever imagined that the witch who later causes Brian s blindness could be blind herself? We did and that s just what you ll see. But careful, it s not blindness that makes the enchantress so dark, it s love! And what happens to Brian when he becomes blind? He learns to see true beauty he doesn t need to see. Our version, unlike every other version we can find, doesn t restore Brian s sight. These simple examples are just the beginning of teaching inclusion and acceptance, with other concepts touching on accepting life as it is given, letting change happen, and working together to overcome a common obstacle. Additionally, our performers will engage with the students following the show to discuss their own disabilities, visible AND hidden allowing the students f friendly exposure to a world that may be unfamiliar. 3
Conversation Guide About Disability Approaching new subjects like disability can be challenging for both students and adults. By talking about disability through the lens of Rapunzel, teachers and friends can be confident in their approach. Use the questions below to help develop a dialogue about your community, disability, diversity, and inclusion. 1) Did any of the characters have traits that you didn t expect? (ie. Did it surprise you that the Witch was blind?) 2) Why do you think that you didn t imagine the characters as having disabilities? 8 3) Why do you think that Prince Brian didn t need to have his sight back? 4) Do you know anyone with a disability? How do you think they feel about curing their disability? because she was blind? Why or why not? 5) Do you think the witch was angry 6) What else do you think really made the witch angry? 7) Throughout the story, Rapunzel has to grow up and face scenarios and people who are mean to her. What do you think is the best way to combat situations and people who are mean? 8) Have you ever felt like there was an obstacle you couldn t overcome? How did you adapt? 9) Have you ever felt different? Was that a good or bad feeling? 10) What others ways could someone feel different? (ie. their race, language, or disability) 11) What can you do to help everyone feel accepted and part of a community? 12) Can you think of other characters in other stories that could (or do) have disabilities? (ie. X-men)
ABOUT PHAMALY THEATRE COMPANY The award winning Phamaly Theatre Company (formerly known as The Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League) produces professional scale plays and musicals year-round throughout the Denver Metro region, cast entirely of performers with disabilities across the spectrum (physical, cognitive, intellectual, Psychiatric, etc.). Phamaly was formed in 1989 when five students of the Boettcher School in Denver, Colorado, grew frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for people living with disabilities, and decided to create a theatre company that would provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to perform. Phamaly s mission is to inspire people to re-envision disability through professional theatre. Rapunzel Book and Lyrics by David Crane and Marta Kauffman Music by Michael Skloff Commissioned and Originally Produced by THEATREWORKS/USA Directed by Bryce Alexander Musical Direction by Mary K. Dailey & Donna Debreceni Scenic Design by Michael Grittner Costume Design by Linda Morken Technical Direction by Tyler Stauffer Props Design by Becky Toma Stage Managed by Grace Hartke On this production, Phamaly Theatre Company s production staff and crew have conceptualized, created, and coordinated all elements of set, lighting, props, and costumes. The Cast (Alphabetical Order) 9 Jenna Bainbridge (Swing/Vocal Coach) has been performing with Phamaly since she was 12 years old. Her favorite role with them was Belle in Beauty and the Beast in 2010. This past June, Jenna graduated from DU's Lamont School of Music Magna Cum Laude with a BM in Vocal Performance. After graduating Jenna started her own voice studio where she teaches people of all ages and abilities. View her work at www.jennabainbridge.wix.com. Disability: spinal cord injury. www.spinalinjury101.org Ashley Kelashian (Simon/Assistant Director) has been thrilled to perform with Phamaly for the last 3 years. In that time she has appeared in such roles as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Yente in Fiddler on the Roof and The Toy Boat in last year's touring show, The Velveteen Rabbit. Ashley is grateful for the chance to spread awareness about Dercum's Disease and to work with the amazing cast and staff of Rapunzel. I love you, Edric!. Disabilities: Dercum's Disease, Degenerative Disc Disease
The Cast Continued Lyndsay Palmer (Rapunzel/Choreographer) has been an actress for 13 years. Rapunzel is her first children's theatre role but she has worked as a nanny, a paraprofessional, and a sign language shadow performer. She uses a hearing aid when she's not onstage due to her severe hearing loss. She wants kids to know that they can have a happy ending even with a disability. Disability: Sever hearing loss (bilateral perilymph fistulas) http://american-hearing.org/disorders/perilymph-fistula/ 10 Eric Richerson (Brian) is very happy to perform in his first Phamaly touring production. His previous roles with the company include Jim in The Glass Menagerie and Sam Wainwright in It's a Wonderful Life. Eric is grateful to God, his family and his cast mates for their love and support. Disabilities: Trichotillomania, Primarily Obsessional OCD, PTSD, BPD, Psoriasis Linda Joy Wirth (Witch) has been active with PHAMALY since 1995 and is privileged to have appeared in a combined 23 productions, both with PHAMALY and in mainstream community theatre. Linda achieved her masters degree from University of Denver and has recently retired after a 28 year career in social work. Currently she presents workshops and in-services to businesses and organizations on topics ranging from disability awareness to issues of aging. She loves talking to schools as the students are so open and not afraid to ask the hard questions. Linda is mother of four and grandmother of six. Disability: blind since birth, Retinitis Pigmentosa - www.fightblindness.org. Lisa Young (Story Teller) has been performing since she was 5 years old and joined Phamaly in 2012 when she played Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors. Lisa has performed and toured with Imagination Makers in Colorado schools the Spring of 2014, infables Old and New. Lisa has a congenital heart defect which caused her to have strokes at an early age (15) and she has chronic asthma. She is married to Mike and dedicates this tour to her nephew Rudii. Disability: Stroke www.stroke.org Asthma: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America http://www.aafa.org/
For more information about Phamaly, please call 303.365.0005; visit www.phamaly.org; or email info@phamaly.org Sources (Images and Information) Brothers Grimm. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/brothers_grimm. Accessed September 23, 2014. Grimm. Elisabeth Jerichau-Bauman. www.bildindex.de. Accessed September 23, 2014. HP Electronics Cartoons. Tensile Strength.www.leapsecond.com. Accessed September 24, 2014. Illustration for the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Rapunzel. Simon Kozhi. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rapunzel. Accessed September 24, 2014. Keep Calm for Disability Awareness. www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk. Accessed September 25, 2014. Off the Shelf: A Little Something from my Personal Library. www.bookpeoplestudio.wordpress.com. Accessed September 24, 2014. On Any Other Day. A Critical Analysis of Rapunzel. www.anyotherday.com. Accessed September 24, 2014. Rapunzel. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rapunzel. Accessed September 23, 2014. Rapunzel Book Spread. Sasser, Angela. www.deviantart.com. Accessed September 23, 2014. Scarce 1924 Vintage 1 st Ed. Grimms Fairy Tales w/ DJ Edwin John Prittie Illustrations. Book Cover. www.rubylane.com. Accessed September 24 th, 2014. Acknowledgements RAPUNZEL THEATREWORKS USA VERSION Is presented through special arrangement by Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54 th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.mtishows.com The Videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
Feel free to contact us! Phamaly Theatre Company P.O. Box 44216 Denver, CO 80201 Phone: 303.365.0005 Web: www.phamaly.org Email: info.phamaly.org