Thousand Cranes

S

TUDENT

tudy Guide

2008 - 2009 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SPONSORS STUDENT MATINEE PROGRAM Playwrights Circle ($5,000 - $7,499) National Grid Directors Circle ($1,500 - $2,799) Grandma Brown Foundation Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation

CARRIER BACKSTORY PROGRAM Regents Circle ($7,500 - $13,999) Carrier Corporation Syracuse Campus-Community Entrepreneurship

Initiative, funded by the Kauffman Foundation Syracuse University GEAR-UP Playwrights Circle ($5,000 - $7,499) KARE Foundation Directors Circle ($1,500 - $2,799) Time Warner Cable Lockheed Martin Employees Federated Fund

LOCKHEED MARTIN PROJECT BLUEPRINT Regents Circle ($7,500 - $13,999) Lockheed Martin MS2

BANK OF AMERICA CHILDREN’S TOUR Founders Circle ($14,000 - $24,999) Bank of America Producers Circle ($2,800 - $4,999) Lockheed Martin Employees Federated Fund Directors Circle ($1,500 - $2,799) Wegmans Benefactors ($1,000 - $1,499) Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

CHASE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL Founders Circle ($14,000 - $24,999) Chase

ARTS EMERGING Founders Circle ($14,000 - $24,999) Partnership for Better Education Regents Circle ($7,500 - $13,999) NYS Assembly through the office of William Magnarelli Directors Circle ($1,500 - $2,799) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

2008 - 2009 Educational Outreach Corporate Sponsors Since 1849 National Grid and its predecessor companies have been part of the Syracuse community, helping to meet the energy needs of over two million Upstate New York customers. We are proud to contribute to the quality of life through the energy we deliver and through the many ways we give back to the communities we serve.

2008 - 2009 Syracuse Stage Season Sponsors

Present

The Bank of America Children’s Tour

A THOUSAND CRANES

By Kathryn Schultz Miller DIRECTED BY LAUREN UNBEKANT DESIGNED BY KATRIN NAUMANN

PUPPETS & MASKS BY GABRIEL Q

STAGE MANAGER LAUREN TRACY

FEATURING: Sadako / Jamie Olen Kenji / Father / John Quertermous Mother / Grandmother / Nowani Rattray

Supporting the arts is a main priority of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, which is why we are so excited to partner with Syracuse Stage on this exciting project. Through innovative programs such as this one, we can effectively encourage the children in our community to embrace the arts at an early age. Bank of America is pleased to support such an important program and hopes children throughout the greater Syracuse area will take full advantage of it.

STUDY GUIDE CONTENTS Timothy Bond Producing Artistic Director Jeffrey Woodward Managing Director

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820 E. Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210 Artistic Office (315) 443 - 4008 Educational Outreach (315) 443 - 1150 (315) 442 - 7755 Box Office (315) 443 - 3275 Group Sales and Student Matinees (315) 443 - 9844 ___ www.syracusestage.org ___ Syracuse Stage is Central New York’s premiere professional theatre. Founded as a not-for-profit theatre in 1974, Stage has produced more than 220 plays in 35 seasons including numerous world and American premieres. Each season, upwards of 90,000 patrons enjoy an exciting mix of comedies, dramas and musicals featuring the finest professional theatre artists.

Stage attracts leading designers, directors, and performers from New York and across the country. These visiting artists are supported by a full-time and seasonal staff of artisans, technicians, and administrators.

Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT,) Theatre Communications Group (TCG,) the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the Arts & Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA,) the East Genesee Regent Association, and the Partnership for Better Education.

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Theatre & Education Elements of Theatre Elements of Art A Message from the Director Japan at a Glance Japanese Culture World War II The Atomic Bomb Sadako’s Vision of Peace Origami Cranes Teacher Resources Educational Outreach © 2008 Syracuse Stage Educational Outreach Edited by Lauren Unbekant and Adam Zurbruegg Design and Layout by Adam Zurbruegg Cover Design by Jonathan Hudak

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH AT SYRACUSE STAGE Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that connect to and reveal what it is to be human. Research shows that students who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and an improved ability to plan and work toward a future goal.

Last season more than 35,000 students from 24 counties attended or participated in in-depth integrated arts partnerships with Syracuse Stage. For more information, call (315) 443-1150 or (315) 442-7755.

The Bank of America Children’s Tour brings high-energy, interactive, and culturally diverse performances to elementary school audiences.

The Carrier BACKSTORY! Program brings history to life, as professional actors portray historical figures in classrooms and other venues.

Lockheed Martin PROJECT BLUEPRINT merges scientific discovery and the arts, as an actor portraying a scientist/mathematician introduces students to the connections between scientific discovery and the arts. artsEMERGING takes high school students on an in-depth exploration of a mainstage play using a multi-cultural, multi-arts lens The Chase Young Playwrights Festival challenges high school students to submit original one-act plays for a chance to see their work performed at Syracuse Stage.

Theatre & Education

“Theatre brings life to life.”

W

hen the first cave-dweller got up to tell a story, theatre began. Almost every culture has

some sort of live performance tradition to tell stories. Television and film may have diminished the desire for access to theatre, but they have not diminished the importance.

Live theatre gives each audience member an opportunity to connect with the peformers in a way he or she never could with Tom Cruise or Lindsay Lohan. The emotions can be more intense because the events are happening right in front of the audience.

Audience Etiquette A Few Reminders for Your Students

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BE PROMPT - Give your students plenty of time to arrive, find their seats, and get situated.

RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S SPACE - Remind students not to bump/kick the person next to or in front of them (or their chairs.)

LISTEN QUIETLY - Unlike those on TV, these actors can see and hear you. Talking, even in a whisper, distracts the performers and other audience members. The exception to this rule is, of course, if the performers ask for audience response.

STAY WITH US - Please do not leave, or allow students to leave, once a performance has begun, except in absolute emergencies.

APPLAUD - Polite applause lets the performers know you appreciate their hard work, but at the wrong times it can be disruptive. It is appropriate to clap between scenes and at the very end of the performance.

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Elements of Theatre

1.

Theatre usually engages

many forms of art including:

-Writing

-Visual/Design

-Music

-Dance/Movement Discussion: How are these forms of art used in A Thousand Cranes? How do they affect the play as a whole?

The main elements of drama:

2.

- Character WHO are the characters and what is their relationship to each other?

- Plot/Story WHAT is the story line? What happened before the play started? What do the characters want? What will they do to get what they want? What do they stand to gain or lose?

- Setting WHERE does the story take place?

How does this affect the characters’ behavior? How does it affect the story/ plot? How does it affect the design?

- Time WHEN does the story take place?

What year is it? What season? What time of day? How does this affect the characters, plot and design of the play?

Other Elements to Explore: Conflict/Resolution, Action, Improvisation, Non-verbal communication, Staging, Humor, Realism and other styles, Metaphor, Language, Tone, Pattern and repetition, Emotion, Point of view.

CREATING QUESTIONS FOR EXPLORATION Creating an open-ended question using an element for exploration (otherwise known as a “line of inquiry”) can help students make discoveries about a piece of theatre and its relevance to their lives.

A line of inquiry is also useful for kinesthetic activities (on-your-feet exercises.)

Examples of Lines of Inquiry: 1. How does an actor create a character using his/her body?

2. How does an actor create setting using physical actions?

3. How does an actor use the language of gesture to convey emotion/feeling?

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4. How does the use of music convey the mood of a scene?

Elements of Art There are typically six artistic elements that can be found in most pieces of art.

Artists use the elements as a ‘visual alphabet’ to produce all kinds of art forms.

The way elements are organized is referred to as the ‘Principles of Design.’

LINE is the most basic element of art. A continuous mark made on a surface can vary in appearance (length, width, texture, direction, and curve.) There are 5 varieties of lines: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zig-zag.

Try drawing each kind of line!

SHAPE is two-dimensional and encloses space.

It can be geometric (eg. circle, square, triangle,) man-made, or free-form.

How many shapes can you draw?

FORM is three-dimensional. It encloses space and takes up space. It can be geometric (eg. cylinder, cube, pyramid,) man-made, or free-form.

Look around you. Every object has a form!

SPACE is defined and determined by shapes and forms. Positive space is enclosed by shapes and forms; negative space exists around them.

Can you find the 2 kinds of space in the Joan Miro painting to the right?

COLOR is produced when light strikes an object and reflects into your eyes. It has 3 properties: Hue is the name of the color (red, blue, etc;) Intensity is the strength of the color (bright

or dull;) Value is the lightness/darkness of the color Can you describe the hue, intensity and value of your shirt’s color?

TEXTURE refers to the surface quality or ‘feel’ of an object. It can be smooth, rough, soft, etc. Textures may be actual (able to be felt) or implied (suggested visually by the artist’s technique.)

Can you draw an animal with smooth texture?

How about rough? Fluffy?

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Questions for Noticing Art Guided Looking Whether your students are observing a piece of visual art or performance art, allow them to first notice the basic elements, then encourage them to look deeper into why these elements are used in a particular manner.

1. What do you see?

Line, shape, color, etc.

2. What else do you see?

A chance to look deeper 3. What’s going on?

What is happening in the artwork?

4. Why do you say that?

What evidence do you have?

‘L’otarie Savante’ Joan Miro

‘Three Musicians’ Pablo Picasso

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A Message from the Director Dear Educator, It is my pleasure to present A Thousand Cranes, a collaboration between the Syracuse University Department of Drama and Syracuse Stage. A Thousand Cranes is the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl stricken with “radiation sickness” almost ten years after the bombing of her city Hiroshima.

You may wonder why we would want to present a play for children about such a serious topic. I believe that children today face very real struggles: at home, in their neighborhoods, and in many countries other than our own. If we can acknowledge these struggles through the power of theatre and the arts, we can empower children to make positive choices regarding their future.

As a young girl I remember reading Sadako’s story and how much it resonated with me. Here was the story of a young girl facing with dignity, grace, and an irrepressible spirit a very serious illness brought on by the effects of war. Her story not only reminds us of the fragility of life, but also of the impact a simple gesture of kindness can have on future generations. This is a story of beauty and hope.

It is my hope that you and your students will be inspired!

Sincerely,

Lauren Unbekant Director of Educational Outreach Syracuse Stage

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Japan at a Glance

QUICK COMPARISONS Between Japan and the USA

Japan is sometimes called ‘The Land of the Rising Sun,’ which the Japanese flag represents.

COUNTRY’S AGE

1,600 yrs old

232 yrs old

POPULATION

128 million

296 million

LARGEST CITY

Tokyo

New York City

(12 million ppl)

(8 million ppl)

CURRENCY

Yen

Dollar

MAIN AGRICULTURE

Rice, fish

Wheat, beef

MAIN INDUSTRY

Cars, electronics

Steel, cars

# of McDONALDS

A Thousand Cranes is set in the city of Hiroshima (above.) Today, just over one million people live in Hiroshima.

3,598

(2nd most in the world)

12,804

(Most in world)

Hiroshima is about the same distance from Japan’s capital, Tokyo, as Syracuse is from our capital, Washington, D.C.

If you could put the island of Japan inside the United States, it would stretch from Syracuse all the way to Florida!

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Japanese Culture

J

apan is a much older country than

America, so tradition is very important to Japanese people. A Thousand Cranes gives us a glimpse into some Japanese traditions. Let’s look even further!

MAJOR HOLIDAYS OBON - Our story takes place on and around the holiday of Obon, or “the day of the spirits.”

In the Buddhist religion, it is believed that the spirits of our ancestors return to Earth once every year to visit their relatives. People (like Sadako’s family) light candles and hang lanterns to light the spirits’ way.

NEW YEAR - Like in America, the Japanese New Year is celebrated on January 1. For many, it is the biggest holiday of the year. How does your family celebrate the new year?

FOUNDATION DAY is celebrated on February 11, the day the first Japanese Emperor was crowned in the year 660 B.C. That’s 2,449 years before George Washington became America’s first President!

THE DOLL FESTIVAL is celebrated on March 3 by families who have daughters. They decorate their houses with dolls and peach blossoms to bring good luck to their daughters.

SHOWA DAY is April 29, the birthday of former Emperor Showa. Whose birthdays do we celebrate in America?

RESPECT FOR THE AGED DAY is like our Grandparents’ Day - a way to show respect for our elders.

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When Sadako sees the Obon candles floating down the river, she thinks the river is burning. Looking at this picture, can you see why?

FOOD & DRINK SADO - Tea is a very popular drink in Japanese culture, both for its good taste and its many health benefits. Tea is often served on special occassions and religious holidays in a Tea Ceremony, or Sado. What food and drink does your family serve on special occassions or holidays?

SUSHI - The island of Japan is perfect for growing rice and fishing, so it wasn’t long before Japanese chefs found a unique way of combining the two. There are many kinds of sushi. Usually fish, meat, or vegetables are rolled inside a sticky rice, or placed on top of the rice. Sushi is now a popular food in the United States, too! Have you ever tried Sushi?

TEMPURA - Do you like fried food? If so, you’d love tempura. Meat, seafood, or vegetables are battered in a special flour and fried in hot oil. Tempura can be dipped in soy sauce, or rolled inside rice to make tempura sushi!

Japanese Culture (continued) HAIKU

ORIGAMI

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. All haiku are three lines long. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7, and the last line also has 5 syllables.

Origami is an old tradition of folding paper to make animals and other figures. No scissors or glue are allowed - just one or more pieces of square paper.

Haiku are usually written about nature, feelings, or experiences. They are short, so each word is very important. Here’s an example:

No one knows when the art of origami began. It may be as old as paper itself (which would make it about 2,000 years old.)

Green and speckled legs Hop on logs and lily pads, Splash in cool water.

What do you think this haiku is about?

Try writing your own!

THEATRE IN JAPAN A Thousand Cranes is a play set in Japan, but what are plays like that are performed in Japan?

Most Japanese plays are one of these styles: Noh Theatre is one of the oldest types of theatre in the world! Music and dance are used, and the actors wear masks like the one shown here.

Is origami art? Flip back to page 7 of this study guide and look at the “Elements of Art.” Does the crane pictured here show all the elements of art? What about the two pieces of origami pictured at the bottom of this page?

An origami crane is a symbol for peace all across the world. Why? Because of Sadako Saski, the little girl in A Thousand Cranes. Each year, people from many countries fold paper cranes and send them to Hiroshima in her memory.

Of course, origami artists make more than just cranes. By using more than one piece of paper (but still without glue or scissors!) you can make all sorts of shapes and creatures!

Kabuki Theatre was started by working people who could not always afford to see expensive Noh plays. Kabuki actors don’t wear masks, but instead use colorful makeup.

Bunraku Theatre is a special kind of theatre where the stars are not people, but puppets! The puppets are almost as big as a human, and it takes 3 people to bring them to life.

To learn how to make a crane for Sadako, flip to the back of this study guide!

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World War II The second World War was the largest war in history. Soldiers from dozens of different countries fought in Europe and in Asia, and in the end over 50 million people died.

How did this happen?

There are no easy answers to that question, but lets look at some important causes.

Alliances An ‘alliance’ is an agreement between two or more countries. It says that if one country is attacked, the others will help defend it. Right before the first World War, many countries began making alliances, which is why so many countries fought in that war. Most of these alliances still existed when the second World War began.

In what ways are alliances good for countries?

In what ways might they be harmful?

Germany Germany was defeated in the first World War, and the country was left in ruins. Many roads, businesses, farms, and homes were destroyed, and many people had trouble affording food and clothing. Many Germans hoped for a strong leader who could fix their problems. Adolf Hitler promised to do just that. But the German people got more than they bargained for.

War in the Pacific While the war raged in Europe, Japan (who had an alliance with Germany) was beginning to attack neighboring countries like China and Thailand. Although the United States had not yet entered the war, Japan launched a sneak attack on the USA in 1941.

On the morning of December 7, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes arrived at an American military base in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor. American President Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, and the USA was officially in the war. Soon, American troops were fighting both in Asia and Europe.

Why do you think Japan attacked Pearl Harbor before the USA had entered the war?

Hitler’s first goal was to reclaim areas of land that had been taken from Germany after World War I. These areas were given to countries like France and Austria, but in the 1930’s, Germany began to take them back with force.

Appeasement Because the first World War was so terrible, most countries wanted to avoid another war. So, when Germany began invading France and Austria to reclaim their territories, no one stopped them. These other countries adopted the policy of ‘appeasement,’ the idea that letting Germany have some of its old territories back might prevent another war.

Unfortunately, Hitler did not stop there, and in 1939 he invaded Poland, too. Now Britain and France (who had alliances with Poland) had no choice but to declare war on Germany and its allies.

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Newspaper headlines from 1939 (top) and 1945 (bottom.)

The Atomic Bomb Today, we hear a lot of talk about ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ This phrase describes bombs and other weapons that can be hundreds of times more powerful than normal bombs or guns. The first weapon of mass destruction ever built was the atomic bomb.

The A-Bomb ended the fighting in Japan during World War II, but peace came at a terrible price: hundreds of thousands of people died. One of them was Sadako Saski, the main character of A Thousand Cranes. What was the A-Bomb, and why was it used?

The Bomb While World War II was raging, scientists across the world were making many discoveries in the field of physics. They were studying energy - what it is and how it can be used. Although they were looking for ways to make our world better, they soon realized that the powerful atomic energy they were researching could also be used to make powerful weapons. Just one bomb had enough energy to destroy an entire city.

Despite the scientists’ warnings, militaries on both sides of the war raced to develop these new atomic bombs.

Each side feared that their enemies might be the first to build and use the A-Bomb.

Harry Truman When Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, he was replaced by his vice-president, Harry Truman. Truman fought in the first World War, so he knew the terror of war. Germany was close to defeat, but the war in the Pacific showed no signs of ending any time soon. With both sides so evenly matched, the war could have continued for many more years.

Truman had a tough decision to make. He knew that if the war continued, millions of people would die.

On the other hand, the USA had just finished building a supply of A-Bombs. One or two of these could knock Japan out of the war immediately. He knew that these bombs would kill many Japanese civilians, but they might save millions of lives in the long run. Truman agonized over the decision, carefully weighing all his options. This was not a decision to be taken lightly.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Finally, Truman made his decision. He sent a warning to the Japanese Emperor: surrender now or face “utter destruction.” The Emperor did not surrender, and on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Sadako Sasaki’s hometown of Hiroshima.

Top: the atomic bomb; Bottom: the ‘mushroom cloud’ over Hiroshima that rose from just one bomb.

Two days later, a second bomb was dropped on another Japanese city, Nagasaki. The two bombs killed 120,000 people, and injured countless more.

Many of the survivors seemed fine at first, but later grew sick. One of them was Sadako Sasaki. They called it ‘radiation sickness,’ but we now know it as leukemia. It was a result of the huge amount of atomic radiation energy released from the bombs.

Japan immediately surrendered and the war was over. The Japanese people, like Sadako’s family, did their best to recover from the devastation, but it would change their lives forever.

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Sadako’s Vision of Peace Sadako’s Story A Thousand Cranes is based on a true saki was just two years old when the dropped on her town, Hiroshima. Her Chan, died in the bombing, but the rest of

story. Sadako Saatomic bomb was grandmother, Oba her family survived.

Sadako grew up healthy and happy until, ten years after the bombing, she fell mysteriously ill. The illness was leukemia, or ‘radiation sickness,’ as they called it at the time. Her chances of recovering were very small. Sadako knew she was dying.

An old Japanese legend says that if a child can fold one thousand origami cranes, her wish will be granted by the gods. Sadako begins folding her cranes, wishing that she will be cured. As she gets closer to the thousandth crane, her wish changes. Instead of health, she prays for peace in the world so that no other children would be hurt by war and violence. Before she can finish, her grandmother’s spirit visits her on Oban to take her away.

Sadako’s Friends When Sadako died, her friends and classmates finished folding her cranes for her. When they had folded all the cranes, they wondered if they could do more to make sure that Sadako’s prayer for peace would be answered.

Just two years before Sadako died, the people of Hiroshima built The Peace Memorial Park as a reminder of the importance of world peace. Sadako’s friends decided to add a statue to the park. The statue would represent Sadako and all the other children who died because of the bomb. Sadako’s friends raised money to help build the statue, and sent letters to politicians. In 1958, two years after Sadako’s death, the Children’s Peace Monument was finished.

A Vision of Peace Today, another statue of Sadako stands right here in the USA, in Seattle, Washington. In Hiroshima, The Peace Memorial Park includes a museum, several monuments, and of course, Sadako’s statue. Written at the base of the statue: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in the world.”

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From top to bottom: (1) Sadako with her classmates; (2) Sadako’s friends raising money for the monument; (3) The Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima; (4) Sadako’s statue in Seattle, WA.

Origami Cranes

Page courtesy of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Imaginanary Theatre Co. © 1998 George Levenson. All rights reserved. These instructions accompany the video HOW TO FOLD A PAPER CRANE. Visit www.sadako.com or write Informed Democracy, PO Box 67, Santa Cruz, CA 95063.

Sources & Resources S!

R TEACHE

If you’d like to arrange a classroom visit from a teaching artist to supplement this performance, please contact us at (315) 443-1150.

Want to further explore any of these topics?

Here are some websites you might find helpful.

On Sadako Sasaki and the Peace Memorial Park:

The World Peace Project for Children / http://www.sadako.org

Official Site of the Peace Memorial Museum / http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/top_e.html

The Animated Story of Sadako Sasaki / http://www.himahima.co.jp/PeaceWeb/kids

On Japanese History & Culture:

Kids Web Japan / http://web-japan.org/kidsweb

Japanese Living & Culture / http://www.japan-guide.com

Infoplease: Japan / http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107666.html

Origami Lessons with video / http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/origami_for_kids.htm

Origami Crane Instructions / http://monkey.org/~aidan/origami/crane/crane1.html

On World War II & The Atomic Bomb:

Timelines, etc. / http://www.worldwar-2.net

National WWII Memorial / http://www.wwiimemorial.com/

World War II For Kids / http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/worldwarii.htm

A-Bomb Info For Kids / http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/atomicbomb.htm

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EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH at Syracuse Stage

S

yracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that connect to and reveal 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 towards 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 35,000 students from across New York State attended or participated in the Bank of America Children’s Tour, Carrier Backstory, Lockheed Martin Project Blueprint, artsEMERGING, the JPMorgan Chase Young Playwrights Festival, and our Student Matinee Program.

We gratefully acknowledge the many corporations, foundations, and government agencies whose donations support our commitment to in-depth arts education for our community. The listing below respresents support towards last season’s 2007-2008 programming.

Bank of America - Bank of America Children’s Tour Bristol-Myers Squibb Company - artsEMERGING Carrier Corporation - Carrier Backstory Excellus BlueCross BlueShield - Bank of America Children’s Tour Grandma Brown Foundation - Student Matinee Program JPMorgan Chase Foundation - JPMorgan Chase Young Playwrights Festival KARE Foundation - Carrier Backstory Lockheed Martin Employees Federated Fund - Carrier Backstory,

Bank of America Children’s Tour Lockheed Martin MS2 - Lockheed Martin Project Blueprint National Grid - Student Matinee Program NYS Assembly through the office of William Magnarelli - artsEMERGING Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office - artsEMERGING Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation - Student Matinee Program Syracuse Police Department - artsEMERGING Syracuse University Division of Student Affairs - Student Matinee Program Syracuse University GEAR-UP - Carrier Backstory Target - Student Matinee Program Time Warner Cable - Carrier Backstory US Department of Justice - artsEMERGING Wegmans - Bank of America Children’s Tour

Actor Rob North signing autographs after a performance of The Mischief Makers.

Teachers from the Syracuse City School District receiving professional development from teaching artist Reenah Golden.

1,500 students from the Syracuse City School District attended matinee performances of The Bomb-itty of Errors.

08/09

come dream with uS

August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Directed by Timothy Bond September 9 – October 4

The award-winning music-filled play that captured the attention of the theatre world and launched August Wilson’s remarkable career.

Up

By Bridget Carpenter Directed by Penny Metropulos February 25 – March 15 East Coast Premiere

A soaring new play about family and following your dreams . . . even if it takes 42 balloons tied to a lawn chair.

Music and Mischief for the Holidays

Godspell The Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Family Holiday Series; A collaboration between Syracuse Stage and SU Drama

Conceived and Directed by Ping Chong October 14 - November 2 World Premiere

By Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett Newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman Directed by Timothy Bond March 31 – May 3

Conceived and Originally Directed

by John-Michael Tebelak Music and New Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj Choreographed by Anthony Salatino November 25 – December 28

Life stories of real Syracuse residents carry us around the globe and bring us home with a more complete understanding of how we’re all connected.

A 13-year-old girl finds hope in the in face evil and teaches us all an unforgettable lesson in courage. A new adaptation of an American classic.

Filled with popular hit songs and based on the Gospel of St. Matthew, this energetic musical is a celebration of worldwide community.

Putting it Together

Crowns

The Santaland Diaries

Tales from the Salt City

A Musical Review Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Directed & Choreographed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj January 27 - February 15

At a Manhattan cocktail party, a cast of five uses Sondheim’s exquisite songs to examine the ups and downs of two relationships. Includes Sondheim’s greatest songs – and some never heard before!

The Diary of Anne Frank

By Regina Taylor Adapted from the book

by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry Directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris May 13 – June 7

A troubled young woman journeys to her ancestral home and finds healing in the warm embrace of family, church, gospel music and tradition

By David Sedaris Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello Directed by James Edmondson December 2 – January 4

Meet Crumpet, a 33-year-old starving artist turn cranky (but cute) Macy’s elf, in humorist David Sedaris’ witty gem of a lump of coal. For mature elves only.

All plays and players subject to change.

SeaSon SponSorS:

www.SyracuseStage.org

Box Office: 315.443.3275

Group Sales: 315.443.9844