EDUCATION
STUDY GUIDE
Study Guide Contents 3.)
Production Information
4.) Introduction 5.)
Letter from Community Engagement and Education Team
6.)
Meet the Director
7.)
Music, Lyrics and Books
8.) Characters 9.) Synopsis 10.)
Take as Old as Time...
12.)
Beauty and the Beast on Film
13.)
17th Century Inventions
14.)
French Cuisine
16.)
Questions for Discussion
18.) Projects
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19.)
Elements of Drama
20.)
Elements of Design
21.)
Educational Outreach at Syracuse Stage
SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
Director of Community Engagement & Education Joann Yarrow (315) 443-8603
Associate Director of Education Kate Laissle (315) 442-7755
Community Engagement & Education Assistant MiKayla Hawkinson (315) 443-1150
Group Sales & Student Matinees Tracey White (315) 443-9844
Box Office (315) 443-3275
Written by Len Fonte Designed and written by MiKayla Hawkinson
PRESENTING SPONSORS
College of Visual and Performing PRODUCTION OF
SPONSORS
MUSIC BY
BOOK BY
LY R I C S B Y
Alan Menken Howard Ashman & Tim Rice Linda Woolverton O R I G I N A L LY D I R E C T E D B Y
Robert Jess Roth O R I G I N A L LY P R O D U C E D B Y
Disney Theatrical Productions
SENSORY-FRIENDLY SPONSOR
O R C H E S T R AT I O N S B Y
VOCAL ARRANGEMENTS BY
Danny Troob
David Friedman Michael Kosarin
I N C I D E N TA L M U S I C B Y
DANCE ARRANGEMENTS BY
Glen Kelly
MEDIA SPONSORS
DIREC TED BY
Donna Drake CHOREOGRAPHY/ FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY BY
MUSIC DIREC TION BY
Anthony Salatino
Brian Cimmet PROJEC TIONS
SEASON SPONSORS
SCENIC DESIGNER
LIGHTING DESIGNER
SOUND DESIGNER
DESIGNER
WIG DESIGNER
Czerton Lim
Thomas C. Hase
Jacqueline R Herter
Katherine Freer
Robert Pickens
COSTUME
FLYING EFFEC TS
A S S O C I AT E
COSTUMES
C O O R D I N AT O R
PROVIDED BY
CONDUC TOR
S TA G E M A N A G E R
CASTING
Maine State Theatre
Gretchen Darrow-Crotty
ZFX, Inc.
Jacob Stebly
Laura Jane Collins*
Harriet Bass Casting
Robert Hupp
Jill A. Anderson
Kyle Bass
Ralph Zito
Artistic Director
Managing Director
Associate Artistic Director
Chair, Department of Drama
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, New York, NY. Tel: 212-541-4684. Fax: 212-397-4684. www.mtishows.com. The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. November 22, 2019 - January 5, 2020
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Welcome!
As you take your students on the exciting journey into the world of live theatre, we hope that you’ll take a moment to help prepare them to make the most of their experience. Unlike movies or television, live theatre offers the thrill of unpredictability. With the actors present on stage, the audience response becomes an integral part of the performance and the overall experience: the more involved and attentive the audience, the better the show. Please remind your students that they play an important part in the success of the performance.
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A FEW REMINDERS...
audience etiquette BE PROMPT Give your students plenty of time to arrive, find their seats, and get situated. Have them visit the restrooms before the show begins. RESPECT OTHERS Please remind your students that their behavior and responses affect the quality of the performance and the enjoyment of the production for the entire audience. Live theatre means the actors and the audience are in the same room, and just as the audience can see and hear the performers, the performers can see and hear the audience. Please ask your students to avoid disturbing those around them. Please no talking or unnecessary or disruptive movement during the performance. Also, please remind students that cell phones should be switched off completely. No texting or tweeting, please. When students give their full attention to the action on the stage, they will be rewarded with the best performance possible. GOOD NOISE, BAD NOISE Instead of instructing students to remain totally silent, please discuss the difference between appropriate responses (laughter, applause, participation when requested) and inappropriate noise (talking, cell phones, etc). STAY WITH US Please do not leave or allow students to leave during the performance except in absolute emergencies. Again, reminding them to use the restrooms before the performance will help eliminate unnecessary disruption.
Dear Educator, The best way of learning is learning while you’re having fun. Live theatre provides the opportunity for us to connect with more than just our own story, it allows us to find ourselves in other people’s lives and grow beyond our own boundaries. We’re the only species on the planet who makes stories. It is the stories that we leave behind that define us. Giving students the power to experience stories and create their own is part of our lasting impact on the world. We invite you and your students to engage with the stories we tell as a starting point for you and them to create their own. Sincerely, Joann Yarrow, Kate Laissle, and MiKayla Hawkinson Community Engagement and Education
2019/2020 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SPONSORS Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that explore and examine what it is to be human. Research shows that children who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and improved ability to plan and work toward a future goal. Many students in our community have their first taste of live theatre through Syracuse Stage’s outreach programs. Last season more than 15,500 students from across New York State attended or participated in the Bank of America Children’s Tour, artsEmerging, the Young Playwrights Festival, Backstory, Young Adult Council, and/or our Student Matinee Program. We gratefully acknowledge the corporations and foundations who support our commitment to in-depth arts education for our community.
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Meet the Director Donna Drake
Broadway: Original production of A Chorus Line, Sophisticated Ladies, Woman of the Year, The Wind in the Willows, 5678-Dance, It’s So Nice to Be Civilized, and the original production of The 1940s Radio Hour. She directed four Broadway concerts of Nothing Like a Dame for BC/EFA. She is co-writer and director for the acclaimed singing string quartet, Well-Strung, having debuted at London’s West End, Leicester Square, New York City, and currently on National Tour. Awards: an Emmy nomination, four Drama Desk nominations, a Mac Award nomination, a Theatre World Award, and an Off-Broadway Alliance nomination.
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Drake choreographed Catherine Zeta-Jones for the American Film Institute (AFI) Awards, 2009, and the AFI Awards, 2011, honoring Morgan Freeman and starring Betty White. She directed a new children’s show Addy & Uno, currently running Off-Broadway, and John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean for Off-Broadway, national, and international tours. TV: Drake choreographed Julie’s Greenroom, starring Julie Andrews; Monica’s Mixing Bowl; Disney’s Johnny & the Sprites; ABC TV’s Dear Alex & Annie, One life to Live, and The Edge of Night (contract roles). Regional: The Wizard of Oz, starring Mickey Rooney and Eartha Kitt; Romance in the Dark, starring Jennifer Holliday; Nothing Like a Dame, BC/EFA 200406; All the World’s a Stage at Carnegie Hall. Additional: A Chorus Line, National Tour, AIDA, Cats, Chicago, Godspell, Hairspray, Sister Act, Rent, Tommy, Damn Yankees, NEWSicle, Annie, Love Always, Patsy Cline, Smokey Joe’s Café, Sweet Charity, Honk!, Lucky Guy, Beauty & the Beast, Anything Goes, and Chess. National tour and documentary film for Varla Jean Merman, Christmas with the Crawfords, The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors, The Buddy Holly Story, The Medium, and John Tartaglia at 54 Below, NYC. Miss Drake is currently teaching acting at Pace University in New York City. Visit DonnaDrakedirector.com for more.
Music, Lyrics and Book Alan Menken (composer) wrote the scores for Disney’s animation and stage versions of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Aladdin, as well as the animated films Pocahontas, Hercules, and Tangled. He also scored the films Home on the Range, Enchanted, and Sausage Party. For the stage, he wrote the scores for Little Shop of Horror, and A Bronx Tale:The Musical, Newsies, Sister Act, and Leap of Faith.
Linda Woolverton (book) in the 1980’s Woolverton wrote the children’s television animation Ewoks, Real Ghostbusters, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Duck Tales. She wrote the script for the Disney animation Beauty and the Beast. She co-authored The Lion King and The Incredible Journey: Homeward Bound. She also scripted the Disney film Malificent and its sequel, as well as director Tim Burton’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as well as Alice Through the Looking Glass. For the stage she adapted Beauty and the Beast, wrote the book for Disney’s stage musical Aida, as well as the book for the musical LeStat.
Howard Ashman (lyrics) with Alan Menkin wrote the musical Little Shop of Horrors, book and lyrics for Smile then moved open to the Disney animated films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. He died in 1991 before finishing the songs for Aladdin.
Tim Rice (lyrics) is an English lyricist and author best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. Among his many credits are Chess with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA. With Alan Menkin, he wrote lyrics for Disney’s Aladdin, the stage version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and King David. With Elton John, he provided lyrics for Disney’s The Lion King. Most recently He wrote the lyrics for a musical version of From Here to Eternity. SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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Characters Belle a spunky, bright young woman who reads voraciously and is determined to find adventures like the ones in the books she reads. Beast/Prince Maurice
The handsome but thoughtless prince who is transformed into a hideous beast. He is easily angered, but learns to love.
Belle’s eccentric inventor father.
Gaston The vain macho hunter who pursues Belle. He can’t understand why she isn’t interested in him. Le Fou Gaston’s sidekick. In French, his name means crazy. Lumiére
The sophisticated maître d’ of the castle, he has been transformed into a candelabra. His name means light in French.
Cogsworth the stuffy and fussy mantle clock who once managed the castle. Mrs. Potts the warm-hearted motherly mistress of the kitchen, now transformed into a teapot. Chip Mrs. Pott’s young son, now a chipped teacup. Babette A flirtatious feather duster who was a saucy maid. Madame de la Grande Bouche a former opera diva, now a wardrobe. Her name means Madame Big Mouth. Monsieur D’Arque the proprietor of the insane asylum, the Maison de Lunes (House of Lunatics). Ensemble The townspeople, the enchanted objects, and the mob.
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A handsome prince rejects an enchantress seeking shelter and is transformed into a hideous beast. As part of the spell, his servants also become enchanted household objects. The enchantress says that the Beast must learn to love another and earn her love before the last petal falls from a rose left under a glass dome. If he fails, the effects of the curse will become permanent. Time passes. In a nearby town, Belle, a beautiful young woman who is the daughter of an eccentric inventor reads voraciously and longs for adventure. She is pursued romantically by Gaston, a vain hunter. On his way to an inventors convention Maurice becomes lost in the woods. After escaping a wolf attack, he finds himself at the Beast’s castle. The enchanted staff welcomes him, but the beast has him imprisoned as a trespasser. When Belle sees that Gaston’s sidekick, LaFou is wearing Maurice’s scarf, which he found in the woods, she sets off to find her missing father. Arriving at the Beast’s castle, she finds her father locked up. She makes a deal with the Beast to remain with him in her father’s place. Hopeful, the enchanted staff works hard to amuse her. She enters a forbidden room and sees the rose. Angry, the Beast shoves her and she runs out of the castle. In the woods, Belle is attacked by wolves, but is saved by the Beast, who is injured. She helps him back to the castle and attends to his wounds. To thank her, he gives her his library, and they dine together.
Walter Crane illustration for Beauty and the Beast
Synopsis
Back in the village, in an attempt to blackmail Belle into marrying him, Gaston plots to have Maurice committed to an insane asylum because of his story of a Beast holding Belle captive. In the castle, Belle and the Beast dance, and he plans to tell her he loves her. Belle admits that she’s happy there, but misses her father. The Beast lets her see her father in a magic mirror. Maurice is sick and lost in the woods. Even though the last petal of the rose is about to fall, the Beast releases Belle to save her father. She finds him and brings him back to their home in the village. Gaston leads a mob to their home to take Maurice to the asylum, but Belle shows them the Beast in the magic mirror. Seeing a fearsome Beast in the mirror, the townspeople, led by Gaston, storm the castle. The household puts up a brave defense, but the dispirited Beast offers little resistance until he sees Belle. Gaston fatally stabs the Beast, but loses his balance and falls to his death. Belle tells the dying Beast that she loves him, and as the last petal of the the rose falls, he is transformed into the handsome prince he once was.
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Tale as old as Time... As with many fairy tales based on folklore, stories similar to Beauty and the Beast have been around for thousands of years. The myth of Cupid and Psyche by the Roman writer Apuleius is perhaps the most famous ancient antecedent. However, similar tales can be found in Chinese, Italian, Russian, and Norse folklore, among others. The Beauty and the Beast adapted and popularized by Disney has its origin in the 1740 French novel La Belle et la Bete by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Sixteen years later, Jeanne-Marie Leprince De Beaumont shortened and simplified the tale and established the basis for most future versions. The Brothers Grimm included a similar story “The Singing, Soaring Lark” in early editions of their Kinder - und Hausmärchen. Included are shortened versions of the tale.
The tale of Beauty and the Beast starts to take its familiar form in Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve’s 1740 novel Beauty and the Beast. In this incarnation, written for adults, the prince who will become the Beast is, as a child, left in care of an evil fairy. When as an adult he refuses her advances, he is turned into beast until someone not knowing of his past or that he has human intelligence agrees to marry him. Beauty, a princess who is the daughter of a king and a fairy banished to the fairy world for marrying a mortal, is cursed to marry a beast. The evil fairy who cursed the prince attempts to kill Beauty, but the plot fails, and Beauty is ensconced in a magic castle until she is old enough to marry the Beast and end both their curses. More about this original version of the story can be found at https://www.pookpress.co.uk/7-variants-of-beauty-and-the-beast/
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Walter Crane illustration for Beauty and the Beast
In the Italian fairy tale “Zelinda and the Monster,” the beast is a fire-breathing dragon. As captives in the monster’s palace, marble statures attend to Zelinda and her father in the Monster’s palace. Zelinda is threatened by their captor to marry him or her father will die. She sees her ailing father in a magic mirror and agrees to marriage. The dragon is then transformed back into the King of the Oranges, cursed by a witch until a beautiful girl consents to marry him. Zerlinda and the Monster can be read at https://www.pookpress.co.uk/zelinda-and-the-monster-story/.
Tale as old as Time... The most familiar version of “Beauty and the Beast” was penned by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont who writes of a merchant with six children. Of his three girls, the youngest, deemed by all “The little Beauty” earns her sisters’ jealousy. The merchant loses his fortune, but his luck seems to change. A vessel with goods is due to arrive in port. The merchant sets out to reclaim his wealth and asks his daughters what gifts he can bring back to them. The older two want expensive finery, but Beauty requests only a rose. Unfortunately, the ship is lost. On the way home, the merchant becomes lost in the woods, and finds himself at the gates of a palace. Inside, he finds it is warmed by a fire in the hearth. Delicious food is laid on a table, and in a bedchamber, fresh clothing for the morrow. His host is nowhere to be seen. In the morning, after a breakfast set on the table, he starts out for home. As he passes through the palace garden, he sees a beautiful rosebush and, remembering Beauty’s request, cuts a blossom. Suddenly, a ferocious beast stands before him, roaring and warning him to prepare to die for stealing a rose from his garden. Quaking with fear, the man tells how his daughter had requested the gift of a rose. The Beast replies that the merchant must come back in three months unless his daughter is willing to die in his place. Beauty’s hapless father is sent home to deliver the grim message. To save her father, Beauty goes to the Beast. As she wanders about the palace, she finds a library for her use, an enchanted harpsichord that will play beautiful music for her alone, and a magic mirror that lets her see her father back home. The Beast, a truly fearsome creature, asks if he may dine with her. Their dinners together become a ritual Beauty looks forward to. After three months, he asks if she will marry him. She kindly says no, but he regularly asks her to marry him. She always gently refuses, but says she will stay with him always if he allow her to visit her father one last time for a week. After she’s given a ring that will transport her back to the Beast when she wishes, she is magically back at her father’s home. As the week comes to an end, her sisters trick her into staying, but before long she wants to return to the beast. Using her ring, she finds herself back at the palace, but the Beast is nowhere to be found. Frightened for him, she runs into the garden, where she finds him unconscious. She revives him with water, but he says that he is dying because of the betrayal. She begs him not to die, but to be her husband. Immediately he is transformed into the handsome prince he has always been. Her whole family is transported o the palace. The two jealous sisters are transformed into statues until the understand what they have done. Beaumont’s story, with all of its beautiful details, can be read at https://www.pookpress.co.uk/beaumont-beauty-beast/.
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Beauty and the Beast on Film There have been several film and television adaptations of Beauty and the Beast. Aside from the successful Disney animation and live action productions, the most important is surrealist poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau’s 1946 French film La Belle et Le Bête (Beauty and the Beast). It generally follows Beaumont’s story, but adds the adventure element later found in the Disney versions with the addition of Avenant, a suitor for Belle, who appears as an early version of Disney’s Gaston. Belle is guided through the Beast’s palace by enchanted candelabras held by human arms. She is given a glove that will transport her back to the Beast and a golden key to his great riches. In his attempt to kill the beast, Avenant is shot by an arrow from a statue of Diana and becomes a beast himself. Beauty finds the dying beast, who because of her love is returned to his original form as a handsome prince who had been transformed into the Beast because his parents did not believe in spirits. The trailer for La Belle at La Bête can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsXkv1mpRUk
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17th Century Inventions 1604 First English Dictionary 1608 First refracting Telescope 1620 Earliest human powered submarine 1629 Giovanni Branca invents the steam turbine 1642 Mechanical Calculator/ adding machine 1656 Dutch mathematician and scientist Christian Huygens invents a pendulum clock 1660 Ice cream was made available to the general public, in France. 1670 First reference to a candy cane is made 1676 Robert Hooke invented the universal joint for construction and mechanics 1679 French physicist, mathematician, and inventor Denis Papin invents the pressure cooker
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French Cuisine Souffles A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish which originated in early eighteenth-century France. It is made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert Vincent de la Chappelle, a court chef for King Louis XV, created the first written record of a soufflé. The traditional French dish was then made famous by Chef Antoine Beauvillier, who created the first fine French restaurant and made the dish the center of his menu. https://www.eggs.ca/recipes/basic-souffle
Croissants
This signature pastry of France was actually created in Austria and was called a kipferl. In 1683 when the invading Turks attempted to tunnel underneath the walls of Vienna during the Ottomann siege of the city, bakers working through the night heard the sounds of the Turks digging and alerted the city’s defenders. King John III of Poland arrived in time to defeat the Turks. Austrian bakers wanted to celebrate their victory by creating a pastry that would symbolize the crescent moon that appears on the Turkish flag. The kipferl, the German word for “crescent”, became that symbol. The kipferl made its way to France in 1770 when Austrian-born Marie-Antoinette was offered in marriage to the future Louis XVI. Marie-Antoinette felt homesick when she arrived in France and missed Austrian cuisine. The royal bakers decided to make kipferl in her honor, which they subsequently named, “croissant.” https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bakers-croissants-recipe
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French Cuisine Macaron
The macaron cookie came to France in the early 17th century from Italy when Catherine de Medici of Florence married the future king of France Henri II. Initially, macarons were simple cookies made from almond flour, egg whites, and sugar. In the 1890s, La Maison Laduree, a famous Paris bakery, began sandwiching buttercream, ganache, and jam between the two almond cookies to create the modern macaron we know and love today.
Baguette Long loaves of bread were common throughout French history, but the baguette as we know it today was not created until the invention of the steam oven in the 19th century, which allowed the bread to have a golden, crunchy crust with a soft white inside. Today, over 10 billion baguettes are consumed every year in France.
https://preppykitchen.com/french-macarons/ https://bakingamoment.com/crusty-french-baguette-recipe/
Did you know? “There were two groups of guilds – first, those that supplied the raw materials; butchers, fishmongers, grain merchants, and gardeners. The second group were those that supplied prepared foods; bakers, pastry cooks, sauce makers, poulterers, and caterers. There were also guilds that offered both raw materials and prepared food, such as the charcutiers and rôtisseurs (purveyors of roasted meat dishes). They would supply cooked meat pies and dishes as well as raw meat and poultry. This caused issues with butchers and poulterers, who sold the same raw materials. The guilds served as a training ground for those within the industry. The degrees of assistant-cook, full-fledged cook and master chef were conferred. Those who reached the level of master chef were of considerable rank in their individual industry, and enjoyed a high level of income as well as economic and job security. At times, those in the royal kitchens did fall under the guild hierarchy, but it was necessary to find them a parallel appointment based on their skills after leaving the service of the royal kitchens. This was not uncommon as the Paris cooks’ guild regulations allowed for this movement.”
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1.) The enchanted household sings “Be Our Guest” to welcome Belle. How is hospitality an important part of Beauty and the Beast? In real life is it important? What are som of the ways you experience great hospitality? 2.) With encouragement from Gaston, the townspeople quickly turn into an angry mob that wants to kill the beast. Does this happen in real life? What do the townspeople fear? What are some of the ways people react out of fear? 3.) Transformations are an important part of Beauty and the Beast. Are transformations only physical? Who and what transform in the show? Are any transformations explored in the music? Which songs? 4.) Read the Beaumont version of “Beauty and the Beast.” The Disney musical makes substantial changes to the traditional story. Can you identify those changes?
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5.) What does the story say about what society expects from young women? How does Belle stand out? How are the Beast and Gaston similar and how do they differ? 6.) Lumiere was turned into a candelabra. Cogsworth was turned into a clock. Some objects act as symbols. They carry meaning. Why do you think these characters were changed into these objects? 7.) Belle loves to read and is very happy when the Beast gifts her with a library. What kinds of books would be in your ideal library? What subjects? Are there any specific titles you would want to have there?
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Write your own fairy tale with these characteristics: a young person is endangered in some way by a villain who is helped by magic. The young person must go through some kind of ordeal, face evil, and emerges a better person. Much of the charm of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast comes from the enchanted castle staff like Lumiére and Cogsworth. By drawing, collage, or writing, create a household object with human characteristics.
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elements of drama PLOT
What is the story line? What happened before the play started? What do the characters want? What do they do to achieve their goals? What do they stand to gain/lose? THEME
What ideas are wrestled with in the play? What questions does the play pose? Does it present an opinion? CHARACTER
Who are the people in the story? What are their relationships? Why do they do what they do? How does age/status/etc. effect them? LANGUAGE
What do the characters say? How do they say it? When do they say it? MUSIC
How do music and sound help to tell the story? SPECTACLE
Any piece of theatre comprises multiple art forms. As you explore this production with your students, examine the use of:
WRITING VISUAL ART/DESIGN MUSIC/SOUND DANCE/MOVEMENT
ACTIVITY
At its core, drama is about characters working toward goals and overcoming obstacles. Ask students to use their bodies and voices to create characters who are: very old, very young, very strong, very weak, very tired, very energetic, very cold, very warm. Have their characters interact with others. Give them an objective to fulfill despite environmental obstacles. Later, recap by asking how these obstacles effected their characters and the pursuit of their objectives.
How do the elements come together to create the whole performance?
Other Elements: Conflict/Resolution, Action, Improvisation, Non-Verbal Communication, Staging, Humor, Realism and other styles, Metaphor, Language, Tone, Pattern and Repetition, Emotion, Point of View.
INQUIRY
How are each of these elements used in this production? Why are they used? How do they help to tell the story?
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elements of design LINE can have length, width, texture, direction,
and curve. There are five basic varieties: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zig-zag. SHAPE is two-dimensional and encloses space.
It can be geometric (e.g. squares and circles), man-made, or free-form. FORM is three-dimensional. It encloses space
and fills space. It can be geometric (e.g. cubes and cylinders), man-made, or free-form. COLOR has three basic properties:
HUE is the name of the color (e.g. red, blue, green), INTENSITY is the strength of the color (bright or dull), VALUE is the range of lightness to darkness.
TEXTURE refers to the “feel” of an object’s surface. It can be smooth, rough, soft, etc. Textures may be ACTUAL (able to be felt) or IMPLIED (suggested visually through the artist’s technique).
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SPACE is defined and determined by shapes and forms. Positive space is enclosed by shapes and forms, while negative space exists around them.
Educational Outreach at Syracuse Stage Children’s Tour
Backstory
Each fall, the Bank of America Children’s Tour brings high-energy, interactive, and culturally diverse performances to elementary school audiences. Each performance is fully staged with scenery, costumes, and sound. You need only provide the stage, cafeteria, classroom, or any open space. Performances include a talkback with the actors and our helpful study guide for further classroom exploration. Pre- or postshow sessions with our talented teaching artists can be arranged upon request.
Each winter, the Backstory program brings history to life as professional actors portray historical figures in classrooms and other venues. Previous presentations have included historical figures such as Anne Frank; Ace, a Tuskegee Airman; and Annie Easley a human computer for NASA.
YAC: Young Adult Council
Each spring, Syracuse Stage invites Central New York high school students to write original ten-minute plays and other performance pieces for entry in our annual Young Playwrights Festival contest. Our panel of theatrical and literary professionals evaluates each student’s play. Semifinalists are invited to a writing workshop at Syracuse Stage where their plays will be read and critiqued. Finalists will see their plays performed as staged readings by Syracuse University Department of Drama students at the annual Young Playwrights Festival. The festival is free and open to the public. The 2019 season was our largest year to date with 365 entries.
THE YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL (YAC) at Syracuse Stage seeks to give teens a voice in the programming designed for them while exploring how theatre impacts their lives. The program focuses on peer led discussion and events in addition to advocating for theatre and arts participation to fellow students. The Syracuse Stage Young Adult Council (YAC) is a group of high school students from the Central New York area that meets bi-monthly to create and implement preshow events that will help inspire the next generation of theatregoers. YAC members can also take advantage of opportunities to learn from professional theatre artists at Syracuse Stage and through workshops, internships, and shadow programs.
Professional Development: Evening Teacher Workshops
Young Playwrights Festival
Summer Youth Theatre Experience Come and play with professional teaching artists of Syracuse Stage as we dive into the magical world of creativity and performance. This four-week program for middle school students is presented in collaboration with SALTspace & the Near Westside Initiative.
Professional Development classes for theatre teachers and community members covering a variety of theatre topics and taught by Syracuse Stage professionals. These workshops are designed to increase the skill sets for those working in a theatre setting. SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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MAR 11 - 29
By Reginald Rose | Directed by James Still Co-Produced with Indiana Repertory Theatre
By Peter Shaffer | Directed by Robert Hupp Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama
ANGRY MEN
NOV 22 - JAN 5
Disney’s
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Music by Alan Menken | Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice | Book by Linda Woolverton | Directed by Donna Drake Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama
JAN 22 - FEB 16
THE WOLVES
By Sarah DeLappe | Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson | Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama
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AMADEUS APR 15 - MAY 3
ONCE
Book by Enda Walsh | Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová | Based on the Motion Picture Written and Directed by John Carney | Directed by Mark Cuddy Co-Produced with Geva Theatre Center
MAY 27 - JUN 14
YOGA PLAY
OFF SUBSCRIPTION
OCT 9 - 27
SEP 4 - 21
THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN WORLD PREMIERE
By Keenan Scott II | In association with Brian Moreland and Ron Simons | Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III | Co-Produced with Baltimore Center Stage
APR 1 - 5
COLD READ
A FESTIVAL OF HOT NEW PLAYS
Playwright-In-Residence Octavio Solis Solo Performer-In-Residence Bill Bowers Featured Local Playwright Charles Martin Curated by Kyle Bass
By Dipika Guha Directed by Robert Hupp
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