Show Guide: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

SHOW GUIDE

by John Glore

Inside Dear Educators, Wayne State University is proud to produce plays for young people’s enjoyment and to actively explore the beauty, diversity, complexity and challenges of the world around them through the dramatic arts. We wish to support the development of their creative voice, imagination, and understanding of drama and its role in our global society.

experience back into the classroom.

This play guide is designed to be a tool in helping you prepare your students for our performance as well as extend the production

Activities presented assist in achieving the Michigan Common Core State Standards (MI-CCSS).

Your comments and suggestions about this guide, presentation and/or programming are welcome. Email theatrepr@wayne.edu.

THE PLAY Synopsis & Characters The Original Stories

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THE CREATORS The Playwright The Author The Illustrator

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES Before the Play 6 Activities 6 Words to Learn 6 Related Michigan Common Core State Standards 7 After the Show 8 Hands On 8 MORE TO SEE 9

Your Students’ Role You may wish to have a discussion with your students before attending the play.

Remind your students that they have an important role to play at the performance being the audience. It is because of the audience that the theatre exists. It will be their energy and response that will directly affect the actors onstage.

Young audiences should be reminded that live theatre is not like watching TV, a movie or DVD; the actors cannot pause or be rewound, there are no commercial breaks for running to the bathroom, the volume cannot be turned up to hear better if someone other than the actors are talking.

Encourage your students to listen and watch the play. They can laugh and cheer for their favorite characters. At the end of the play, applause is appropriate and is the opportunity for your students to thank the actors while the actors are thanking you for the role you played as the audience.

Theatre and Dance at Wayne Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY BOX OFFICE Hilberry Theatre, 4743 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI 48202 ADMINISTRATION 4841 Cass Ave., Ste. 3206, Detroit, MI 48202 MARKETING 4841 Cass Ave., Ste. 3206, Detroit, MI 48202

John Wolf, Chair and Executive Producer theatreanddanceatwayne.com | theatreanddance.wayne.edu

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SHOW GUIDE Content borrowed with permission from South Coast Repertory.

All rights reserved. With the exception of classroom use by teachers and individual personal use, no part of this Show Guide may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Some materials published herein are written especially for our Guide. Others are reprinted by permission of their publishers.

The Play

Illustration by Lane Smith

Synopsis

Characters

We all know fairy tales. They’re the stories full of wonder, magic and enchantment that usually have a happy ending: the good guys live happily ever after, and the bad guys get what they deserve (hence the phrase “a fairy tale ending”).

The Stinky Cheese Man doesn’t have any of those. Instead, it’s full of fairly stupid tales.

Jack, the narrator Red Ren Cow Patty Boy Surgeon General Legal Guy

Join Jack, the narrator, and a slew of wacky characters as they tell ridiculous stories including “The Princess and the Bowling Ball,” “Little Red Running Shorts,” “Cinderumpelstiltskin” and, of course, “The Stinky Cheese Man.” But along the way, Jack will have to deal with a couple of chickens who never know when to enter, a few unexpected songs—and a giant who wants nothing more than to get his revenge. (from the South Coast Repertory’s stud guide)

The Story of Chicken Licken Chicken Licken Ducku Lucky Goosey Loosey Foxy Loxy The Princess and the Bowling Ball Prince Queen King Princess The Really Ugly Duckling The Ugly Duckling Cruel Neighbors The Other Frog Prince Frog Princess

Little Red Running Shorts Little Red Running Shorts Wolf Jack’s Bean Problem Jack Giant Cinderumplestilstkin Cinderella The Stepmother The Stepsisters Rumplestilstkin The Tortoise and the Hair Tortoise Rabbit Owl The Stinky Cheese Man Little Old Man Little Old Lady The Stinky Cheese Man Cow Fox

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The Play The Stories

the story warns of being too much of a “chicken.”

The Princess and the Pea Hans Christian Andersen first published this tale in 1835. It tells the story of a prince who can’t seem to find a suitable princess. One stormy night, a young woman arrives at the castle looking for shelter. She claims to be a princess, so as a test, the Queen places a pea under the 20 mattresses on which the girl is to sleep. In Illustration by Edmund Dulac the morning, the girl, who has the delicate skin of a true princess, complains of a sleepless night because of a lump in her bed. The prince, convinced, marries the princess.

Illustration by Lane Smith from The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales parodies a number of famous children’s stories. Many of these stories are fairy tales—fantastic stories that often contain magic—which generation after generation passed down orally before writers like Charles Perrault (aka Mother Goose), the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen finally recorded, reimagined and published them during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Fables (namely those of Aesop), which are simple stories that contain a clear moral, also inspired some of The Stinky Cheese Man’s tales. While none of the original stories are fairly stupid—some of them are altogether strange! Check out the original stories.

Illustration by Lilian Obligado, Golden Books

Illustration by Richard Scarry, Golden Press

The Story of The Little Red Hen This folktale teaches the value of perseverance and a good work ethic. In it, The Little Red Hen finds a grain of wheat, which she hopes to plant in order to make bread. She asks a variety of animals for help throughout the process—planting, growing, harvesting, baking—but all refuse to help. When The Little Red Hen finally finishes the bread, everyone wants to help eat it, but The Little Red Hen enjoys it all by herself.

The Story of Chicken Little The story of a chicken who believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on her head. She decides to warn the king, and a variety of other animals join her along the way. In the end, Chicken Little and her comrades meet a fox, and he lures them back into his den. In some versions, the fox eats them all; in other versions, they escape. Whatever the outcome,

Goldilocks and the Three Bears In the best-known version of this story, Goldilocks, a young girl, ventures into the woods and finds the home of a family of bears. The bears aren’t home, so Goldilocks goes inside. She tries the bears’ porridge, chairs and bed—always finding Baby Bear’s things a perfect fit for her. When the bears return home, they find Goldilocks Illustration by Jessie Willcox asleep in Baby Bear’s bed. Goldilocks awakens, Smith sees the bears, runs from the house and is never seen by the bears again.

Illustration by Bonnie and Bill Rutherford, Golden Press

The Gingerbread Man This folktale tells of a little old woman who bakes a gingerbread man who escapes before she can eat him and then he her as he’s running away. As he travels the countryside, he evades each creature trying to eat him. Finally, a fox catches the cookie man—and devours him.

The Frog Prince The Brothers Grimm popularized this folktale about a princess who meets a frog when she loses her gold ball in a pond. The frog promises to bring it to her if she lets him eat off of her plate and sleep on her pillow for three nights. After the third night, the princess awakens to find a prince. The food from her plate and the three Illustration by Philipp Grot nights on her pillow ended the magic spell that Johann made him a frog. The prince and princess marry, and they live happily ever after. In other versions of the tale, only a kiss from the princess can break the spell.

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The Play (continued)

Illustration by Milo Winter, Rand McNally & Company

The Ugly Duckling Hans Christian Andersen’s 1843 tale tells of a little duckling whose flock ridicules him for being ugly until he finally runs away. After a long and difficult winter, the ugly duckling spies some swans and approaches them, hoping they’ll kill him and put him out of his misery. But then he sees his reflection in the water and realizes he’s grown into the loveliest swan of them all.

Jack and the Beanstalk This folktale tells the story of Jack, a poor lad whose mother sends him to market to sell their cow. Along the way, Jack exchanges the cow for magic beans, from which a giant beanstalk grows. Jack climbs the beanstalk and finds a giant and his wife. The giant’s wife likes Jack and helps him steal a variety of riches from the cruel giant. On Jack’s third and final visit, the giant pursues the lad down the beanstalk.

Illustration by Robin Jacques But the clever Jack chops it down, and the giant dies. Jack and his mother, now rich, live happily ever after.

Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood, a young girl with a red cloak, travels through the woods with a basket of food for her ill grandmother. Along the way she meets a wolf. Little Red tells the wolf where she is headed and then stops to pick some flowers. The wolf arrives at the grandmother’s house, eats the grandmother and then waits— Illustration by Jesse Wilcox Smith disguised by the grandmother’s nightgown—for Little Red. In the first published version by French author Charles Perrault, the story ends after the wolf devours Little Red, as well. In subsequent versions, a lumberjack cuts the unharmed Little Red and her grandmother out of the wolf ’s stomach.

Rumpelstiltskin First published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, “Rumpelstiltskin” tells the tale of a miller who lies to the king and says his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king means to test her ability and locks her in a room full of straw. A strange littleman visits the distraught woman and spins the straw into gold for her in exchange for her Illustration by Anne Anderson first-born child. Years later, the maiden, now married to the king, has a child. The little man returns to claim his reward and says that he’ll change his mind only if the queen can guess his name. Eventually she learns the man’s name is Rumpelstiltskin, and when she guesses it, Rumpelstiltskin

flies into a rage and stamps his feet so hard that he splits in two.

Cinderella “Cinderella” tells the story of a young maiden whose father remarries a woman with two daughters of her own. The stepmother and stepsisters are jealous of the maiden’s beauty and force her to become a maid. They nickname her Cinderella because of how dirty she becomes after cleaning the fireplace. When Illustration by Sylvester Charles the kingdom’s prince throws a ball, Cinderella Herbert arrives in a beautiful gown given to her by her fairy godmother. No one recognizes her—not even her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella leaves the ball at midnight under strict instructions from her fairy godmother. The prince pursues her, but only finds one of her glass slippers. He decides to search the kingdom for the beautiful maiden using the shoe, but it fits no one. But when Cinderella tries on the glass slipper, it fits. Cinderella and the prince marry and live happily ever after.

Illustration by Arthur Rackham

The Tortoise and the Hare In this fable written by ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, the hare, known for his speed, insults the slow-moving tortoise. The tortoise challenges the hare to a race, and the hare accepts. During the race, the hare stops for a short nap since he’s so far ahead of the tortoise. But when he awakens, he sees the tortoise cross the finish line and win the race. The fable teaches that the “slow and steady wins the race.”

The Boy Who Cried Wolf “The Boy Who Cried Wolf ” is one of Aesop’s most famous fables. In it, a young shepherd sounds the alarm on multiple occasions to alert his fellow villagers that a wolf is attacking his Illustration by Francis Barlow flock. Each time, the villagers discover the boy is lying, and eventually they no longer trust him. So when a wolf really does attack the flock, no one from the village comes to help the shepherd; they believe he’s merely “crying wolf.”

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The Creators Playwright John Glore John Glore is the Associate Artistic Director of South Coast Repertory (SCR), in Orange County, Calif. He is an award-winning playwright whose work for young audiences includes his adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, which debuted at SCR in 2010 and has since moved on to numerous productions nationwide; an adaptation of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, which had its professional premiere at the Coterie Theatre and has since had dozens of productions nationwide; and his newest, an adaptation of Laura Amy Schlitz’s The Night Fairy, which has been produced at SCR and Imagination Stage in Washington, D.C. Other plays for young audiences include Wind of a Thousand Tales, Folktales Too, Rhubarb Jam, and The Day After Evermore. His plays for adults include On the Jump (produced by SCR and Arena Stage in Washington D.C.), The Company of Heaven, Preludes and Fugues, and City Sky (a scenario for a dance piece). With the performance trio Culture Clash he has co-authored adaptations of two plays by Aristophanes, The Birds and Peace. In addition to the theatres already named, his work has been produced at Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Round House Theatre, The Children’s Theatre Company, First Stage, Childsplay, Oregon Childrens Theatre, the Getty Villa and many others. He received a 2000 Playwrights Fellowship from the California Arts Council and has occçasionally taught playwriting and related subjects at UCLA and Pomona College.

Author Jon Scieszka Jon Scieszka (pronounced She-ska; it rhymes with Fresca) was born in Flint, Michigan on September 8, 1954. His mother, Shirley, worked as a registered nurse. His dad, Louis, was an elementary school principal at Freeman Elementary.His dad’s parents, Michael and Anna, came to America from Poland.

“Scieszka” is a word in Polish. It means “path.” Jon went to Culver Military Academy for high school.

He had some spectacular teachers there, and became Lieutenant Scieszka. Jon thought about being a doctor and studied both Science and English at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. He graduated in 1976, lived in Detroit, then moved to Brooklyn, NY to write instead. He earned his MFA in Fiction from Columbia University in New York in 1980, then painted apartments. Not knowing what he was getting into, Jon applied for a teaching job at an elementary school called The Day School in New York City. He started as a 1st grade Assistant Teacher, graduated to teaching 2nd grade, taught 3rd and 4th grade Math, 5th grade History, and then some 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Teaching school, Jon re-discovered how smart kids are, and found the best audience for the weird and funny stories he had always liked to read and write. He took a year off from teaching to write stories for kids. He sent these stories around to many publishers, and got rejected by all of them. He kept painting apartments and writing stories.

Through his wife Jeri, who was working in NY as a magazine art director, he met a funny guy named Lane Smith. Lane was painting illustrations for magazine articles, and working on his first children’s book. Jon gave Lane his story—A. Wolf’s Tale. Lane loved it. Lane drew a few illustrations for the story and took it to show many publishers. He got rejected by all of them.

“Too dark,” they said. “Too sophisticated,” they said. “Don’t ever come back her, okay?” they said. Jon and Lane liked A. Wolf’s Tale. They kept showing it around. They kept getting rejected. Finally, Regina Hayes, an editor at Viking Books said she thought the story and the illustrations were funny. She said she would publish the book. And she did, in 1989, with the title changed to: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!. 3 Pigs! has now sold over 3 million copies and has been translated into 14 different languages. Over the last 19 years, Jon and Lane have worked together on 8 picture books and 8 Time Warps. Lane’s wife Molly Leach has designed all of their picture books. Jon’s

books have won a whole mess of awards, and sold over 11 million copies all around the world. Jon is now working on a giant pre-school publishing program called Trucktown. It’s a world where all of the characters are trucks.

And all of the trucks act like real preschoolers—loud and crazy and wild and funny.Jon still lives in Brooklyn with his wife Jeri. They have two children: a daughter Casey, and son Jake.

Illustrator Lane Smith Lane Smith has written and illustrated a bunch of stuff including Grandpa Green which was a 2012 Caldecott Honor book and It’s a Book which has been translated into over twenty five languages. Other works include the national bestsellers Madam President and John, Paul, George & Ben. His titles with Jon Scieszka include the Caldecott Honor winner The Stinky Cheese Man; The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs; Math Curse; and Science Verse among others. He has also illustrated Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky; The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders; Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea; and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. In 1996 Lane served as Conceptual Designer on the Disney film version of James and the Giant Peach as well. His books have been New York Times Best Illustrated Books on four occasions. In 2012 The Eric Carle Museum named him an Honor Artist for “lifelong innovation in the field of children’s books.” In 2014 he received the Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement award. Lane and book designer Molly Leach live in rural Connecticut. He is represented by Steven Malk of Writers House.

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Classroom Activities Before the Show

1. Ask the students about their favorite fairy tales. What was the main character’s goal and what obstacles did they overcome?

What did you like most about the story and why? Did it teach you any lessons?

2. The Stinky Cheese Man’s stories are a new spin on many different folktales, including fairy tales and fables. Talk to the students about folk literature and oral stories. Discuss the differences between a fairy tale, a fable, a myth, a legend and a tall tale.

3. Help the students research some of the writers who recorded the famous fairy tales and fables featured in The Stinky Cheese Man, including Charles Perrault (“Mother Goose”), The Brothers, Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen 4. Ask the students which story from The Stinky Cheese Man they’re most excited to see come alive on stage.

Activities

1. Assign one of the original fairy tales parodied in The Stinky Cheese Man book to each of your students. Have the students report on the original story, and then compare it to the parody version. If the stories aren’t available in the library, most can be found easily online.

2. Read another book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Math Curse) and ask the students how it’s similar to The Stinky Cheese Man. How are they different?

3. Discuss the use of illustrations in fairy tales, including Lane Smith’s distinctive style. Have the students illustrate a cover for their favorite fairy tale.

4. Have the students create their own take on fairy tales. Have them come up with a few silly titles first, and then have them pick their favorite one and write the story or tell it aloud.

Words to Learn

Have the students match these vocabulary words with the correct definition and then listen for them during the performance.

1. Porridge 2. Prejudiced 3. Frantic 4. Fowl 5. Stereotype 6. Lackey 7. Visage 8. Homely 9. Bowels 10. Jowls 11. Misbegotten 12. Verboten 13. Vile 14. Quirky 15. Pluck 16. Quack 17. Savory 18. Lug 19. Drone

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.

j. k. l. m. n. o. p. q. r. s.

Courage and determination Not permitted or allowed A soft, thick food made from boiling grains To think unfairly that a group of people or things are the same based upon certain similarities.

Having a dislike for a person or a group of people based on assumptions To talk nonstop in a monotonous tone One who pretends to be something they are not A face An organ in the body that helps to digest food; also used to describe the deep, inner parts of something Physically repulsive A bird; usually one that is raised for food The jaw and cheeks of an animal or human A big, clumsy person A spicy or salty taste, as opposed to a sweet taste Not attractive Deformed; badly planned Displaying unusual habits or behaviors, often in a charming way Showing fear and worry A servant SHOW GUIDE • 6

Answer key: 1C, 2E, 3R, 4K, 5D, 6S, 7H, 8O, 9I, 10L, 11P, 12B, 13J, 14Q, 15A, 16G, 17N, 18M, 19F

Classroom Activities - Michigan Common Core State Standards Before the Show Speaking and Listening [Sharing of any writing project orally in class will also fit under the Speaking and Listening (SL) Standard] CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1, 2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and text with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.1, 7.1, 8.1, [9-10.1, 11-12.1] Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in small groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and text, building on others; ideas and expressing their own clearly [and persuasively].

CCSS.ELA-LITERACT.SL.1.1, [2.4] Describe people, places, things and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly [audibly in coherent sentences].

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4, [4.4, 5.4] Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details [to support main idea or theme] speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4, 7.4, 8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details: appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4, 11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supportive evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience and range of formal and informal task.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL. (6.2,) 7.2, 8.2, [9-10.2, 11-12.2] Determine (a theme) two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including ts relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; [including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account: provide an objective summary of the text.]

Reading: Literature CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9, 2.9, 3.9, (5.9, 6.9) Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. (in different forms or genres in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what the “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what the perceive when they listen or watch.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL 7.7 Compare and contrast a written story, drama or poem to its audio, film, staged or multimedia version, analyze the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g. lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

SHOW GUIDE • 7

Classroom Activities After the Show

Hold a class discussion when you return from the performance and ask students the following questions about their experience.

1. What did the set look like? How was it used throughout the play? Did it change or move? Was there any space other than the stage where the action of the play took place?

2. How did the lights set the mood of the play? How did they change throughout?

3. What did you think about the costumes? How did the actors use them to establish their different characters? Which costume was your favorite?

4. How did the songs add to the performance?

5. Ask the students what they thought of the actors’ performances. Discuss the different ways in which the actors created their many characters. What did they do with their voices? What did they do with their physicality? Which performance was your favorite and why?

6. How was the play different from what you thought it would be?

7. How is watching a play different from watching a movie?

Now turn the discussion to the content of The Stinky Cheese Man. 1. Talk to the students about adapting a book for the stage. How did the play differ from the book? How were the stories different? How did watching actors perform the characters live on stage change what you thought of the stories? Were there any characters in the play that aren’t in the book?

2. What story did you like best and why? Was your favorite story on the stage the same as your favorite story in the book?

3. What other fairy tales would you like to have seen poked fun at in The Stinky Cheese Man? 4. Did you like having Jack speak directly to you as audience member? How did that change the storytelling for you? Did it feel like you, the audience, were involved in the story?

Hands-On

1. Have the students illustrate their favorite scene in The Stinky Cheese Man from memory.

2. All the songs in The Stinky Cheese Man were set to familiar melodies. Have the students write an additional song for the show set to their favorite tune.

3. The Stinky Cheese Man is made out of cheese, bacon and olives. What other ingredients could you make a tiny man out of?

Have the students write their own creative recipes.

4. Choose a fairy tale not featured in The Stinky Cheese Man and read it as a class. Have the students then collaborate on a humorous theatrical adaptation in the style of The Stinky Cheese Man. Maybe there’s a narrator who tries to keep things on track— and don’t be afraid to have characters from other fairy tales interrupt the action!

Awards

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales deconstructs and parodies fairy tales that became popular in the Romantic era that straddled the 18th and 19th centuries. Because of its lack of rigid moral absolutes, its inconsistent narrator, its interactive nature and the way it even sends up the expectations of a physical book, The Stinky Cheese Man is praised as the epitome of postmodern children’s literature.

Here are some of the many awards the book won 

• The New York Times Best Illustrated Book (1992) • Caldecott Honor (1993) • Parents’ Choice Award, Silver Story Books United States (1992) • Parents’ Choice Award, Best 25 Books in 25 Years (2003) • ABC Children’s Booksellers Choice Award (1993)

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More to see

Our season is full of exciting plays, musicals, and dance concerts. Included below is a list of each production and specific school matinee performances. If you’d like to bring a school group to any of these, please contact our group sales manager at 313-577-0852 or visit our website to submit your reservation online. If you’d like to come to a public performance, call the box office at 313-577-2972 or order your tickets online at theatreanddanceatwayne.com.

XTIGONE Studio Theatre at the Hilberry

By NAMBI E. KELLEY

COMPANY ONE SPRING DANCE CONCERT Hilberry Theatre

By TONY KUSHNER

Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.

Friday, March 1 at 10 a.m.

Company One is comprised of Wayne State University dance students. Members are given the opportunity to create their own choreography, work with professional guest artists, and get involved in their community. The resulting work is performed several times, in multiple settings ranging from classrooms to proscenium theatres.

In present day Chicago, Xtigone mourns the death of her brothers, mowed down by a rival gang. Instead of dealing with the reality of violence in the city’s streets, her uncle intends to bury the bodies without investigation. Will Xtigone risk death by opposing her uncle? Using hip hop, poetry, dance, and dialogue that speaks with an urban voice, this re-imagining of Sophocles’ Antigone tells the story of the ill-fated Xtigone and her quest for her community’s truth.

VENUS Studio Theatre at the Hilberry

by SUZAN-LORI PARKS

AS YOU LIKE IT Hilberry Theatre

By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Tuesday, March 26 at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, April 3 at 10 a.m.

Friday, Nov. 2 at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m.

Traveling from her home in southern Africa for what she hoped would be a better life, Saartjie Baartman became an unfortunate star on the 19th Century London freak show circuit. This Obie Award-winning play, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, gives vibrant life to the story of a young black woman’s journey to London, her rise to fame as the “Hottentot Venus,” and her eventual relationship with a French scientist.

Inspired by the true story of Baartman, Venus is a tragic-carnival, an intense and devastating journey honoring the life of Baartman and examining the way we live and love today.

Knocking down the traditional rules of romance, As You Like It is one of William Shakespeare’s most hilariously subversive comedies. Being removed from the court by Duke Frederick, Duke Senior takes refuge in the wild and wonderful Forest of Arden. Duke Frederick, threatened by Duke Senior’s daughter, Rosalind, banishes her as well. Fearing the unknown, Rosalind and her faithful cousin disguise themselves as boys in order to survive the wilderness. Come along on this topsy-turvy journey into one of the most joyous adventures the Bard ever penned.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Bonstelle Theatre Based on the story by CHARLES DICKENS Adapted by JOHN WOLF and TOM AULINO Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m.

A Detroit family tradition, now in its third joyous year! Join Ebenezer Scrooge on a ghostly adventure in Dickens’ classic story. When the miserly old Scrooge is visited by his former business partner, now deceased, he begins a journey into the past, present and future to learn the true meaning of Christmas.

Will the old codger redeem himself? Can the spirits inspire him to a greater purpose? Find out this Christmas at the Bonstelle Theatre. At just 75 minutes, with no intermission, A Christmas Carol is perfect for school groups.

ANGELS IN AMERICA - PART I: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES Hilberry Theatre

By TONY KUSHNER Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m.

In Part I of this two part epic, Prior Walter, a young man living in NYC in 1985, is diagnosed with AIDS. His boyfriend, Louis, struggling to cope with the disease and his own fears, abandons him. Alone, Prior struggles until he’s visited by ancestral ghosts who herald the coming of a fierce angel. At the same time, Joe Pitt, a conservative but closeted Mormon, is offered a high profile job in Washington, D.C., by his mentor, the McCarthyist lawyer Roy Cohn. Joe’s wife Harper, who struggles with her own illness, refuses to move. In the seven-time Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, playwright Tony Kushner explores evolving values in America.

MAMMA MIA! Bonstelle Theatre Music and Lyrics by BENNY ANDERSSON and BJÖRN ULVAEUS And some songs with STIG ANDERSON Book by CATHERINE JOHNSON Originally Conceived by JUDY CRAMER Tuesday, April 9 at 10 a.m.

Over 54 million people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story and the music that make Mamma Mia! the ultimate feel-good show. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!

ANGELS IN AMERICA - PART II: PERESTROIKA Hilberry Theatre

By TONY KUSHNER Tuesday, April 30 at 10 a.m.

Following the events of “Part I: Millennium Approaches,” “Perestroika” continues the complex and fantastical examination of homosexuality, race, and AIDS in 1980s America. Fighting illness and losing hope, Prior Walter is hesitant to become the prophet as demanded by the Angel. Roy Cohn is hospitalized, diagnosed with “liver cancer,” and under the care of Belize.

Harper has disappeared and Joe’s mother has arrived to try to put her family back together. Perestroika is the thrilling conclusion to the is epic tale of love, loss, and destiny.

SHOW GUIDE • 9