Little Women the Broadway Musical Play Guide

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PLAY GUIDE

Book by ALLAN KNEE Lyrics by MINDI DICKSTEIN Music by JASON HOWLAND

Directed by BOB BAKER

April 30 – May 22, 2011

Maclab Theatre

Play Guides Sponsored by:

http://www.citadeltheatre.com/rentals_maclab09.php

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About the Play: The Process

Cast and Crew

Biographies

Synopsis of Little Women the Broadway Musical

Louisa May Alcott

Musicals!

Historical References: America in the 1800’s


Glossary

19th Century Fashion

The Play Review

Script Segment #1 (Social Expectations)

Script Segment #2 (Social Expectations #2)

Script Segment #3 (First Love)

Script Segment #4 (Staying True to your Dreams)

Lesson Plans: Gender Roles

Lesson Plans: Thematic Play-Building

Script Segment #5 (Melodrama)

Lesson Plans: Melodrama

Bibliography

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5-11

12-13

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18-19

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21-22

23-24

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27-28

29-30

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32-38

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

(L-R) Lana Sugarman, Shannon Taylor, Melissa MacPherson, Josée Boudreau

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Little Women is the story of the March sisters: brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo; romantic Meg; pretentious

Amy; kind-hearted Beth, learning lessons big and small while their father is away serving as a war-time chaplain in

1800s Virginia. Louisa May Alcott wrote the novel Little Women or, Margaret, Jo, Elizabeth and Amy in her own family

home in Massachusetts.

The novel was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, and is loosely based on the author’s own childhood experi-

ences, growing up with her own three sisters. The novel’s success spurred on sequels by Alcott, and the book has since

become an American classic, adapted in many forms from television to film to the Broadway musical presented here at

the Citadel.

The story’s success is widely attributed to the realistic and heartwarming story of these young sisters, as we follow

them over a few years as they come of age. A strong sense of sisterhood in Little Women, not unlike the camaraderie

and brotherhood of The Three Musketeers, was a perfect fit for the participants of the Citadel/Banff Centre Profession-

al Theatre Company. This romantic, spirited musical version of Louisa May Alcott’s masterpiece originally ran on Broad-

way in 2005 before touring 30 cities in the continental United States. The music and adaptation of the novel by Jason

Howland, Mindi Dickstein and Allan Knee are very faithful to the original literature, focusing on romance, tragedy and

the rising independence of the March sisters.

About the Play: The Process

Play Guide

Shannon Taylor as Jo. Josée Boudreau as Beth.

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JOSÉE BOUDREAU............................................... Beth, Clarissa JEREMY CRITTENDEN.......................................... Laurie, Monk SUSAN GILMOUR.................................................Marmee, Hag ALANA HAWLEY...................................................Hag, Maid KRIS JOSEPH.........................................................Braxton DAVID LEYSHON...................................................Professor Bhaer JAMES MacDONALD.............................................Mr. Laurence, Monk DAVID MacINNIS..................................................Troll MELISSA MacPHERSON........................................Meg, Monk ERIC MORIN..........................................................Rodrigo MELISSA OEI.........................................................Hag, Maid ADRIAN PROSZOWSKI..........................................Knight JONATHAN PURVIS...............................................Troll JUSTIN SPROULE...................................................John Brooke, Troll LANA SUGARMAN.................................................Amy, Rodrigo 2 SHANNON TAYLOR................................................Jo COLLEEN WINTON.................................................Aunt March, Mrs. Kirk Director.................................................................BOB BAKER Assistant Director..................................................BRENDA BAZINET Music Director.......................................................DON HORSBURGH Choreographer .....................................................PHILLIP NERO Set & Costumes Designer......................................LESLIE FRANKISH Lighting Designer ..................................................MICHAEL WALTON Sound Designer......................................................MICHAEL LAIRD Fight Director.........................................................PAUL GELINEAU Voice, Speech & Text Coach...................................BETTY MOULTON Wig Designer/ Assistant Costume Designer...................................CORY SINCENNES Assistant Music Director.........................................RYAN SIGURDSON Fight & Dance Captain............................................JONATHAN PURVIS Stage Manager.......................................................MICHELLE CHAN Assistant Stage Manager.......................................HOLLY CLARK Apprentice Stage Manager....................................SAM VANSLUYTMAN

The play is approximately 2 ¼ hours with one intermission of twenty minutes.

Cast & Crew

Play Guide

Book by

ALLAN KNEE Based on the novel by LOUISA MAY ALCOTT Music by

JASON HOWLAND Lyrics by

MINDI DICKSTEIN

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

JOSÉE BOUDREAU Beth, Clarissa Josée most recently played Mme. Gaudet in The Three Musketeers on the Maclab Stage. Last season at the Citadel she played Belle in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. Having been a participant in the Citadel/Banff Theatre Program, Josée is honored to be working amongst some of the best talent in Canada. A graduate from The Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, some of her favourite theatre credits include Maria/Liesl understudy in The Sound Of Music for Mirvish Productions; Maria Elena in The Buddy Holly Story for Confederation Centre; Neifile in The Decameron Workshop for Berkeley Street Theatre; featured performer in such productions as The Golden Mickeys, Twice Charmed, Disney Dreams and Hercules aboard the Disney Magic for Disney CruiseLine and Canadian Explosion for Stage West. Shout out to Bruce and the Talent House gang! A heartfelt thank you also goes out to my loving family, my friends and Michael for their endless support and encouragement! Bon spectacle!

JEREMY CRITTENDEN Laurie, Monk Jeremy was last seen playing Planchet in The Three Musketeers on the Maclab Stage. Recent credits include The Stranger in The Life Inside for The Belfry Theatre; Coneybear in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for The Belfry Theatre/Arts Club; Matthew in Altar Boyz and Bobby in Cabaret for the Arts Club and Man 1 in The World Goes Round. He is the winner of three Ovation Awards and has been nominated for two Jessies. A graduate of the Citadel/Banff Cen-tre Professional Theatre Program, Jeremy sends love to his fiancé JM and their dog, Sebastian. www.jeremycrittenden.ca

SUSAN GILMOUR Marmee, Hag Susan was most recently seen at the Citadel playing Mme. De Lannoy in The Three Musketeers and as The Drowsy Chaperone last season. Other Citadel credits include her one woman show I Dreamed a Dream, Man of La Mancha, Oliver! and The Beggar’s Opera. Other theatre credits include Les Misérables for Imperial Theatre (New York), Royal Alexandra/Princess of Wales Theatres (Toronto), Pantanges Theatre (L.A) and Asian/African tour; Broadway and Be-yond for Town Hall (New York); Into the Woods, My Fair Lady and The Threepenny Opera for Stratford Festival; Rob Roy at the Edinburgh Festival; Cats and Sylvia for Theatre Aquarius; Pelagie and Larry’s Party for Canadian Stage/National Arts Centre; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Calgary Stage West/Drayton; Guys and Dolls and Kiss of the Spiderwoman for St. Lawrence Centre; Evita for TheatreCalgary/Drayton/Neptune Theatre; Anything Goes for Drayton; Man of La Mancha for Neptune Theatre and Anne of Green Gables for Charlottetown Festival.

ALANA HAWLEY Hag, Maid Alana was most recently seen playing Constance in The Three Musketeers on the Maclab Stage. She is a graduate of the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training, the U of A BFA Acting Program, Tarlington Training (film/T.V.) and The Speech Studio (Speech Arts and Drama). Past theatre credits include Dorcus in The Winter’s Tale, Grace in Bar-tholomew Fair and Princess of France in Love’s Labour’s Lost for Stratford Shakespeare Festival; Queen Elizabeth in Richard III and Viola in Twelfth Night for Birmingham Conservatory; Zanda in The Clink and Flaminia in The Double In-constancy for Studio Theatre; Flora in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, Regan in King Lear and Kitty Packard in Dinner at Eight for the U of A Drama Department; Third Witch in Macbeth and Ophelia in Hamlet for PGTW. Musical theatre credits include Oliver! for Prince George Playhouse and Grease for the St. Albert Children’s Theatre. She has enjoyed working with artists from across the country, participating in the New Plays Festival with Theatre BC and partaking in the Na-tional Artists Program at the 2005 Canada Games.

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

DAVID LEYSHON Professor Bhaer David was recently seen on the Maclab Stage as Rochefort in The Three Musketeers. Most recent credits include Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls for Chemainus Theatre Festival; This Could be Love for Lunchbox Theatre and Evelyn Strange for Vertigo Theatre. Other credits include My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding for Mirvish; An Ideal Husband for Theatre Calgary; Little Shop of Horrors for Persephone Theatre; A Christmas Carol for the Grand Theatre; Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew and All’s Well that Ends Well for The Stratford Festival; seven seasons with The Shaw Festival, including roles in The Importance of Being Earnest, The Cassilis Engagement, Major Barbara, Misalliance and High Society; Blood Brothers for Theatre Aquarius; The Mystery of Edwin Drood for Vertigo Theatre; Cinderella for Globe Theatre and The Fantasticks for Theatre Calgary.

JAMES MacDONALD Mr. Laurence, Monk James’ most recent appearance at the Citadel was as De Treville and Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers. His other Citadel acting credits include A Christmas Carol, Blackbird, Pride and Prejudice, Measure for Measure, Amadeus, Ein-stein’s Gift (Sterling Award), Wit, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Importance of Being Earnest, Othello and Of Mice and Men (Sterling Award). Elsewhere, his credits include the title roles in Macbeth and Henry V for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, as well as appearances at most of Canada’s major regional theatres. James is also an artistic associate at the Citadel, where over the past six years he has directed Billy Bishop Goes to War, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, The Blonde, the Brunette, and the Vengeful Redhead, Fire (Dora Award), Shining City, Vimy (Sterling Award), Equus, I am My Own Wife and Stones in his Pockets. Elsewhere James’ directing credits include Julius Caesar for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, The Old Ladies for the Shaw Festival, and seven productions for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, where he was artistic director for five years. James is the Program Director for the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Pro-gram. Next season at the Citadel, he will direct God of Carnage.

DAVID MacINNIS Troll David is excited to be returning to the Citadel to be part of the Robbins Academy Professional Theatre Program and the two amazing shows that are part of that – The Three Musketeers and Little Women, the Broadway Musical. Recent thea-tre credits include The Liars for Shadow Theatre; The Little Dog Laughed for University of Alberta; i google myself for Northern Light Theatre; A Christmas Carol for the Citadel Theatre and The Seed Savers for Workshop West Theatre. Da-vid has written two one-man shows which both premiered at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival: Secondhand Sneakers & The Hundred-Mile Hump (2009) and The Sandkeeper Canto (2010). Film and television credits include Heartland; The 4400; Stargate: Atlantis; Stargate: SG-1; Surviving Disaster; Dead Like Me, Santa’s Slay, Like Mike 2 and Ginger Snaps III. David is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program.

MELISSA MacPHERSON Meg, Monk At the Citadel, Melissa has appeared as Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers, Courageous, as Babette in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, Julius Caesar, Noises Off and the Citadel/Theatre Calgary co-production of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. Other credits include The Woman in Black for Theatre Network; Little Shop of Horrors and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for Mayfield Theatre and Macbeth, Richard III, As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing for Freewill Shake-speare Festival.

KRIS JOSEPH Braxton Kris was most recently seen playing Athos in The Three Musketeers on the Maclab Stage. His recent credits include A Christmas Carol, Mother Courage, The Changeling and Macbeth for Canada’s National Arts Centre; The Turn of the Screw and Airport Security for Gruppo Rubato; The Pillowman for Vision Theatre; How The Other Half Loves and Doubt for Gladstone Productions; A Midwinter’s Dream Tale for Company of Fools; Facts for Great Canadian Theatre Company and three seasons with the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival (appearing in Macbeth, Measure for Measure, Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It and more). Kris is a four-time Rideau Award nominee, and shares a Rideau with Patrick Gauthier for co-writing The Churchill Protocol, which appeared at the Edmonton Fringe in 2007. He currently lives in Ottawa, but was born in Swift Current and raised in Lloydminster, Edmonton and Regina.

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

ERIC MORIN Rodrigo Most recently at the Citadel, Eric appeared as D’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers. Previously at the Citadel, Eric ap-peared in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. Most memorable credits include the bad boy Luke in Angelwalk’s 2010 Dora-nominated production of Altar Boyz; Fred and Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol for Silvermist Productions; three sea-sons with Smile Theatre; Lt. Brannigan in Guys and Dolls for Port Hope; Riff/Baby John in West Side Story for The Grand Theatre; The Boyfriend, Annie Get Your Gun, Pirates of Penzance and The Music Man for Drayton Entertainment; Iachimo in Cymbeline at The Royal Welsh College and the title role in Richard III and Jason Sherman’s world premiere Enemies at Ryerson. Eric is a graduate of the distinguished Ryerson Theatre School Program, is a recipient of the Alan Lund Scholar-ship Award and attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama as an exchange student where he had the oppor-tunity to take part of a Master Singing Class with Stephen Sondheim. Many thanks to the Banff Centre and the Citadel for their tireless commitment and passion towards fostering and further developing my talent. Much love to Mom, Dad and Adam.

MELISSA OEI Hag, Maid At the Citadel, Melissa was most recently seen as Queen Anne in The Three Musketeers. A native Vancouverite, Melissa is a graduate of Studio 58 and Langara’s Film Arts Program. Favourite roles include Lady M in Macbeth for Kaleidoscope; Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls for Studio 58; Ado Annie in Oklahoma! for TUTS and various roles with Carousel Theatre where she has worked as an actor and a teacher for the past four years. Melissa is the recipient of the Antony Holland Scholarship, Aida Broadbent Award, OVATION award for Outstanding Newcomer and Best Actor at the 2010 Unlock the Vault Film Festival. Much love to Gaelan for his unending support.

JUSTIN SPROULE John Brooke, Troll Justin was most recently seen as Aramis in The Three Musketeeers on the Maclab Stage. Originally from Winnipeg, Justin has spent the last 10 years working in Western Canada. Some favourite stage credits include The Wild Party for Pint Size Tall Productions; Death of a Salesman for Winnipeg Jewish Theatre; Maria Rasputin Presents for Forte Musical Theatre; Go Back For Murder for Vertigo Theatre; Equus and A Christmas Carol for the Citadel Theatre and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Comedy of Errors for The Shakespeare Company. Recent screen credits include Mon Ami for TrueHype Pro-ductions; Desolate for Grant Productions; World War Geek for WWG Productions; Hamlet; but you didn’t hear it from me for JCA Communications; Pie Day for Anctil Inc.; The Ridge for Ridge Productions and Passchendaele for Passchendaele Films Inc. Voice credits include The Law of Ueki, Hunter x Hunter and Behind the Curtain. Justin is a graduate of the BFA acting program in Edmonton. Justin would like to thank Bob Baker and the Citadel for this wonderful experience and his family for their continued support.

ADRIAN PROSZOWSKI Knight Adrian was most recently seen at the Citadel as King Louis in The Three Musketeers. Selected credits include playing Sam-my in Blood Brothers for the Thousand Islands Playhouse; several seasons with Shakespearean troupe A Company of Fools (Ottawa); Michael in Unity 1918 for Theatre Aquarius; Rad in 1,000 Cranes for Carousel Players; Goldfish A and Fido the Pup in Desperate Housepets for the 2005 Summerworks Festival, 2006 Toronto Fringe and Louis in Michel Marc Bou-chard’s Heat Wave for Sudbury Theatre Centre. Adrian is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School, trained in modern dance with Le Group de la Place Royale (Ottawa) and is Artistic Director of Theatreworks Productions (Toronto, Ontario). Adrian thanks his family and friends for their support.

JONATHAN PURVIS Troll, Fight & Dance Captain At the Citadel, Jonathan was most recently seen as Jussac in The Three Musketeers. He currently resides in Calgary, Al-berta where he graduated from the Mount Royal University acting program. Other Citadel credits include Disney’s Beau-ty and the Beast and The Forbidden Phoenix. On the Calgary stage, Jonathan has recently been seen in Love’s Labour’s Lost with the Shakespeare Company; Dying City at the Motel Space; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Beauty and the Beast for Theatre Calgary; Gnomes and The Princess and the Peabrain at the Calgary Fringe and Almost, Maine, a Jeezum-Crow production, and FLOP! with Quest Theatre. He has also performed The Forbidden Phoenix at LKTYP Theatre in Toronto and MTYP Theatre in Winnipeg. Jonathan also dedicates extensive study to dancing, gymnastics, martial arts, stage com-bat, singing, and acoustic guitar. Jonathan would like to thank Mom and Dad for always pushing him forward and being there when he needed them.

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

LANA SUGARMAN Amy, Rodrigo 2 At the Citadel, Lana was most recently seen as Clouet and Betane in The Three Musketeers. Selected theatre credits include The Waves for HarleyDog Productions; Ebenezer Scrooge: A Carol for Christmas for SilverMist Productions; Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice for St. Lawrence Shake-speare Festival; A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Alchemy; Romeo and Juliet and Othello for Classical Theatre Pro-ject; Emily Elizabeth in Clifford the Big Red Dog (US tour) and four different productions of The Vagina Monologues. Lana is a graduate of Sheridan College and Red Deer College. Much love to her ‘sisters’ and the incredible creative family she became a part of in January. Upcoming for Lana is Macbeth with Driftwood Theatre.

SHANNON TAYLOR Jo Shannon was most recently seen at the Citadel as Mme. Gallard in The Three Musketeers. Having recently spent her summer performing in PEI, she is thrilled to explore the west coast, although Toronto is her home base. Selected theatre credits include Johnny Belinda and Pygmalion for The Montgomery Theatre; the English language premiere of Michel Marc Bouchard’s Madonna Painter for Factory Theatre; Extremities for Surface/ Underground Theatre; Schoolhouse for 4th Line Theatre (07/08); Emily, Inspector General and Redemption for Talk is Free Theatre and Sound of Music and Inherit the Wind for Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Shannon would like to thank Bob Baker for this opportunity, her family for their continued support and Peter for helping to make this all happen.

COLLEEN WINTON Aunt March, Mrs. Kirk Most recently at the Citadel, Colleen appeared as Mere D’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers. Other Citadel credits include The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Crucible and Burn This. Her acting career includes the Stratford, Shaw and Charlottetown Festivals, the companies of CATS and Show Boat and extensive film and TV cred-its plus the award winning The Black Rider for November Theatre; Guys and Dolls and Nothing Sacred for the Van-couver Playhouse and Dames at Sea and Gypsy for the Arts Club. She has directed Merry Wives of Windsor, Taming of the Shrew, Waiting for the Parade, Little Shop of Horrors and Queen Lear and been honoured with 3 Jessie nomi-nations, a Jessie Award, and an Ovation Award. She makes her home in Vancouver with actor Russell Roberts and 2 wonderful sons.

BOB BAKER Director Since returning to his hometown of Edmonton twelve years ago, Bob Baker has rejuvenated and expanded the Citadel Theatre as Artistic Director. Programming eleven or twelve full-scale theatrical productions each year, in-cluding family programming and the cutting-edge Rice series, Mr. Baker has ushered in an era of growth at the Cita-del. Last season, Mr. Baker was instrumental in incorporating five of the Citadel’s existing creative development programs under one umbrella: The Robbins Academy. The Robbins Academy consists of the Eldon and Anne Foote Theatre School, the Citadel Young Companies, The Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program, ongoing Play Development activities and Audience Outreach, creating Canada’s newest and most comprehensive program for creative development in professional theatre. Mr. Baker was recently honoured with a University of Alberta Distin-guished Alumni Award, is a member of Edmonton’s Cultural Hall of Fame and is a recipient of a PACE award from Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes. Mr. Baker has directed 38 plays for the Citadel and his pro-duction of A Christmas Carol has become, for the last eleven years, a beloved Edmonton family tradition. He was the artistic director during the successful turn-around of both the Phoenix Theatre in Edmonton (1982-87) and the Canadian Stage Company in Toronto 1990-98). He has won Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards for his direction of Popcorn (2000), Cabaret (2002) and The Pillowman (2007). Mr. Baker is consistently inspired by the dedication and talent of theatre artists and their desire to grow and learn.

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

BRENDA BAZINET Assistant Director An actor, director and acting instructor, Brenda is delighted to be returning to the Citadel where she has appeared in Equus and The Goat. Selected directing credits include Splendor in the Grass, Unity 1918, Problem Child, Featuring Loretta, Adult Entertainment, Of the Fields Lately, Love List, Blown Sideways Through Life and The Sea. A Gemini Award winning actor, she has appeared in over one hundred television and film productions. A four time Dora Award nominee, she has played leading roles on stages across Canada. Selected acting credits include Harvest for Persephone Theatre; Hamlet for Resurgence Theatre; Old Love for Thousand Island Playhouse/Theatre Orangeville/Lighthouse Festival; Ring Round the Moon and Wild Duck for Soulpepper; The Price for Sudbury Theatre Centre; End of Civilization for Factory Theatre; Death of a Salesman for Neptune Theatre and Leaving Home for Blyth Festival. Upcoming, Brenda will be playing Linda Loman in the Citadel’s production of Death of a Salesman.

DON HORSBURGH Music Director As Robbins Academy faculty, Don has been enjoying connection with both Citadel Theatre Young Companies and the Citadel Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program participants. Most recently, he was music director for Hunch-back on the Shoctor Stage. He is recently returned from Winnipeg where he music directed White Christmas for M.T.C. and Joseph and his Amazing... for Rainbow Stage. Last season Don was the music director for Beauty and the Beast, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and, previously, was the music director for The Wizard of Oz and the music director / composer for Pride and Prejudice, provided original music for The Constant Wife and Blithe Spirit. His history with the Citadel Theatre also includes West Side Story (co production with Theatre Calgary), Oliver!, Guys & Dolls, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Into the Woods, Aspects of Love and Duddy. At the Stratford Festival Mr. Horsburgh has provided original music for 19 productions and music directed Threepenny Opera over a fourteen season tenure. He is the recipient of five Dora Awards for his contributions to Rigoletto; A Little Night Music; Fire and Lilies and a Sterling Haynes Award for outstanding music direction for Cabaret.

PHILLIP NERO Choreographer Most recently at the Citadel, Phillip was choreographer for The Three Musketeers. Last season, Phillip choreo-graphed Beauty and the Beast and previous to that The Wizard of Oz. Most recently Phillip directed and choreo-graphed a brand new musical called Big Time Operator at Sheridan College. Other credits include Cinderella, Chica-go, A Chorus Line, West Side Story and assistant choreographer for The Lord Of The Rings in London England.

LESLIE FRANKISH Set & Costume Designer Last year, Leslie was the senior production designer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Her selected Citadel credits include set and costume design for The Three Musketeers, Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Carol, Oliver!, The Constant Wife, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast (Sterling Award), Blithe Spirit, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Measure for Measure and Present Laughter. Leslie began her design career at the Cita-del in the 1980’s as a resident designer for the Citadel Youth Theatre. Other resident designer positions include The Phoenix Theatre, 1984 – 1987 and The Shaw Festival, 1988 – 1999 where she designed Pygmalion, Misalliance and Mrs. Warren’s Profession. As well, Leslie has designed for major theatres across Canada including set and costume design for Angels in America I and II, Singer and Into the Woods for Canadian Stage Company; Hard Times, Lilies and Claptrap for the National Arts Centre; La Bête for Theatre Calgary and A Little Night Music and The Caretaker for the Vancouver Playhouse. Upcoming projects are set & costume designs for Heartbreak House for The Shaw Festi-val and The Homecoming for The Stratford Festival.

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

MICHAEL WALTON Lighting Designer Most recently at the Citadel, Michael designed lighting for The Three Musketeers. Other recent credits include The Tempest, As You Like It, King of Thieves, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet for Stratford Festival; The Year of Magical Thinking for Belfry/NAC/ Tarragon; The 39 Steps, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Oliver! and Blood Brothers for Theatre Aquarius; The Cryptogram for Belfry Theatre; Mimi (or a Poisoner’s Comedy), East of Berlin and Generous for Tarragon Theatre; The Last Five Years, The Drawer Boy, Sexy Laundry, Moonlight and Mag-nolias and Over the River…for The Grand Theatre; ‘Night Mother for Soulpepper; A New Brain for Acting Up Stage; Offensive Shadows for Studio 180; Norway. Today and Tiny Dynamite for Theatre Smash; Oliver! and This Is How It Goes for Neptune Theatre; The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? and The Last Five Years for MTC; The Vertical Hour for PTE and Associate Special Effects Designer, The Lord of the Rings for Kevin Wallace Inc.; London and Toronto. Michael now calls Stratford home.

MICHAEL LAIRD Sound Designer Based in Toronto, Michael’s work has been heard in theatre productions throughout North America. Selected sound design credits include Evil Dead: The Musical (Off Broadway, Toronto & Montréal); Stuff Happens for Studio 180 & Mirvish Productions; Our Class, The Overwhelming, Blackbird and Offensive Shadows for Studio 180; A Beautiful View for da da kamera (Dora Award nomination); A Year with Frog and Toad, The Princess and the Handmaiden, Forbid-den Phoenix, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and The Wizard of Oz for LKTYP; Such Creatures for Nightswimming; Through the Leaves, Festen and Marion Bridge for Company Theatre; Noble Parasites for Theatre Passe Muraille and Norway. Today, Tijuana Cure and Tiny Dynamite for Theatre Smash. Associate sound design credits include Sweeney Todd and Beauty and the Beast for the Citadel Theatre; Kiss Me, Kate for Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Silicone Diaries for Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

PAUL GELINEAU Fight Director Paul most recently was the fight director for The Three Musketeers on the Maclab Stage. Last season, Paul was the fight director for As You Like It. Paul was Director in Residence at the Citadel for the 1997-1998 season and was re-sponsible for the violence in Peter Pan, West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Paul is fotunate to have cre-ated havoc and violence all over the world. Paul served as Artistic Director of Keyano Theatre from 1999-2008 and is the founder and first AD of Theatre Kingston. He is one of 7 certified Fight Masters with Fight Directors Canada, and an honorary fight director ex-officio with The Society of American Fight Directors. He served as the president of FDC between 2000-2004. He holds an MFA in directing from the University of Alberta.

BETTY MOULTON Voice, Speech and Text coach Betty Moulton has taught voice, speech, text and worked as a coach for over 30 years in U.S., U.K. and Canadian professional actor training programs. A Professor at the University of Alberta teaching voice in the BFA acting pro-gram, she devised and now heads the new MFA program in Theatre Voice Pedagogy, training new theatre voice specialists. Professional theatre coaching credits include Catalyst Theatre’s Hunchback and Nevermore, As You Like It last season and Pride and Prejudice for the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program and this season the upcoming Little Women. She spent 10 seasons as company voice, speech and text coach for the Colorado Shake-speare Festival in Boulder (37 productions). Selected theatre companies and acting studios where she has given master classes and workshops include Shakespeare in the Red in Winnipeg, Freehold Studio Lab in Seattle, and the Free Will Players in Edmonton.

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Cast & Crew

Play Guide

CORY SINCENNES Wig Designer/Assistant Costume Designer Most recently at the Citadel, Cory worked on The Three Musketeers. He is a recent MFA graduate in theatre design from the University of Alberta. Cory previously attended Carleton University, where he obtained a degree in archi-tectural studies. He has also studied design at Ryerson Theatre School. His set, costume and lighting designs have been seen throughout Ontario, Alberta, Vancouver as well as in Germany and Austria. Recent design credits include Billy Bishop Goes to War for the Citadel; Mump and Smoot: Cracked, Communion, Hardcore Logo: LIVE and The Woman in Black for Theatre Network; Dog and Grumplestock’s for Surreal SoReal Theatre; Ribbon for Ground Zero and The Good Woman of Setzuan for Studio Theatre (Thesis Production Design).

RYAN SIGURDSON Assistant Music Director Ryan is an Edmonton-based music director, actor and composer. Earlier this season, he was the narrator/pianist in Billy Bishop Goes to War. At the Citadel, Ryan has been musical director of A Christmas Carol for the past two sea-sons and he played keyboard for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Recent music directing credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for the Citadel Young Musical Company and the Mayfield Theatre; Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s for Teatro La Quindicina (Sterling Award) and Assassins for Studio Theatre. A graduate of the Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan University, Ryan’s acting credits include Cabaret at the Citadel; Evita at the May-field Dinner Theatre; Saturday Night and Floyd Collins for Leave It To Jane Theatre and The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito for Concrete Theatre. Ryan’s composing credits include The Infinite Shiver and Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s (Sterling Award) for Teatro La Quindicina and Water’s Daughter for Northern Light Theatre.

MICHELLE CHAN Stage Manager Earlier this season, Michelle was stage manager for August: Osage County, A Christmas Carol and Billy Bishop Goes to War. Last season at the Citadel, Michelle was stage manager for Beauty and the Beast, Sweeney Todd, A Christ-mas Carol and Blackbird. Other Citadel stage manager credits are The Wizard of Oz, The Forbidden Phoenix, Vimy, Wingfield’s Inferno, The Pillowman, Bird Brain, Fully Committed, Vanya, Shakespeare’s Will, Wingfield on Ice, Stones In His Pockets, Homeward Bound and The Sword in the Stone. Assistant stage manager credits at the Citadel include Beauty and the Beast, Oliver!, Peter Pan, Blithe Spirit, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Sound of Music, Grease, Servant of Two Masters, Hamlet, Cabaret, and Art. Other favourite stage manager credits include God’s Eye with Paper Tiger Productions; A Body of Water, Madagascar & Afterplay for Blarney Productions; Ilsa Queen of the Nazi Love Camp for Workshop West; Evelyn Strange, Cocktails at Pam’s and Fever Land for Teatro la Quindicina; and The 7th Circle and A Hero for All for FringeTheatre Adventures. Big Thanks to Holly and Sam.

HOLLY CLARK Assistant Stage Manager Holly has just finished the run of The Three Musketeers here at the Citadel. Before that she assistant stage managed Abduction from the Seraglio at the EOA which was a total hoot! Although her favourite opera credit is still stage managing Hannaraptor for the COA because it combined her two favourite things, opera and dinosaurs. Holly has also worked on the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show for two years running which has been an amazing experi-ence. There’s nothing quite like calling cues with fireworks erupting over your head. She would like to thank her Mom for supporting her through thick and thin and Lauren for lending out her watches and being perfect. She hopes you enjoy the show!

SAM VANSLUYTMAN Apprentice Stage Manager Most recently at the Citadel, Sam worked on The Three Musketeers. She holds a BFA in Stage Management from the University of Alberta. For the past 8 years Sam has worked professionally as a stage manager in 4 different countries, while visiting 22 others. Among her many international credits are Parade: A Musical! with Guidecca Productions (Edinburgh, Scotland); Harold Pinter Shorts: A Slight Ache The Lover with European Arts Company (Touring England) and Sleuth with Simply Theatre (Geneva, Switzerland). At home she has worked on several pro-ductions with The Edmonton Opera, Opera Nuova and Keyano Theatre.

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Act 1 The play starts in summer, 1865, in New York City. Jo March has moved to New York from her home in Concord Massachusetts to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She is disappointed to receive another rejection from a publisher. Seek-ing advice, she re-enacts her story to Professor Fritz Bhaer, a German teacher who resides in the same boarding house. The story is overly melodramatic, which is pointed out by Professor Bhaer. Jo begins to wonder if she has lost her way as a writer, which brings her back to two years previously, back home with her sisters in Concord. (Better). We are introduced to Jo’s sisters: the youngest, Amy, who is characteristically pouty and temperamental; Meg, the eld-est, a romantic homebody who is feeling the urge to get married; and Beth, who has an even-handed and sweet dispo-sition. It is Christmas Day, 1863. The March sisters’ father is away, serving as an Army Chaplain in the American Civil War. Though they come from an upper-class background, the family has fallen on hard times, and makes do with borrowed and repaired clothes. The girls’ mother, nicknamed Marmee, works days volunteering for a soldiers’ aid society. Jo lifts the girls’ spirits by writing an Operatic Tragedy for them to perform for the citizens of Concord (Our Finest Dreams). Jo rushes out to get the girls a Christmas tree, chopping down the prize fir tree of their neighbour across the street, Mr. Laurence. Mr. Laurence admonishes Jo for her audacity, and in the process the March girls are introduced to his grandson, Theodore Laurence III, nicknamed “Laurie”. Marmee reads a letter from the absent Mr. March, which reminds her of how much she misses him, and how hard it is to raise the girls on her own (Here Alone). Jo works part-time as an assistant to the girls’ great-aunt, Aunt March, a steely, somewhat snobbish woman. Aunt March promises to introduce Jo into high society, and to take her on an extended trip to Europe, if she learns to deport herself as “a Lady” (Could You). Jo and Meg are invited to a Valentine’s Day Ball. Meg is worried about how she will respond if asked to dance, and the women encourage her (Delighted). Amy, upset because she has not been invited to the ball, throws Jo’s story into the fire in an act of juvenile defiance. At the ball, Meg is introduced to John Brooke, Laurie’s tutor, and they immediately fall for one another. Jo encounters Laurie, who admits his secret crush on Jo (Take a Chance on Me). Meg twists her ankle while dancing, and the girls re-turn home to find that Amy has burned Jo’s story. Jo swears that she will never forgive her. Later that spring, Jo and Laurie go skating on the pond, and are pursued by Amy, who is saddened at Jo’s refusal to talk to her, and has developed a slight crush on Laurie. Beth, left alone in the house, is confronted by Mr. Laurence, who is dismayed at the amount of time his grandson is spending with the March girls, who he feels will “soften” Laurie. His harsh demeanour is soon tempered by Beth’s sunny disposition, and the fact that Beth reminds him of his deceased daughter. Together, they sing an old parlour song (Off to Massachusetts), and his friendship with the March girls is so-lidified.


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Little Women – Synopsis continued (Song titles in italics) Jo, Laurie, and Amy return from skating. Amy has fallen through the ice, and nearly drowned – saved by Laurie’s hero-ism. The girls promise never to fight again, and join Laurie in singing a song about their kinship (Five Forever). Mr. March contracts pneumonia, and Marmee goes to help him recover in Washington. John Brooke decides to enlist in the Union Army, and proposes to Meg, who accepts (More Than I Am). Jo sells her hair to help pay for Marmee’s trip to Washington, an act which shocks Aunt March, who informs Jo that she will not take her to Europe, and takes Amy instead. Soon afterwards, the war ends, and Laurie proposes to Jo, who is stunned by his proposal, and rejects him rudely. Jo comes to the realization that she needs to move to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer (Astonishing). Act 2 Back at the New York City boarding house, Jo tells Professor Bhaer and the boarding house proprietress, Mrs. Kirk, that she went to a famous publisher and forced him to listen to her story (The Weekly Volcano Press). The publisher was so impressed that he signed her to a contract to write four more stories. Unfortunately, Jo’s happiness is quelled after she receives the news that her sister Beth has contracted scarlet fever, and is gravely ill. Jo returns to Concord to attend to Beth, leaving her dreams behind. Mr. Laurence arrives with his prized piano as a present for Beth, who is too ill to cross the street to play it. Jo writes a letter to Professor Bhaer, whom she unexpectedly misses. The feeling is mutual – Professor Bhaer sings a song about how lonely he feels without Jo (How I Am). Jo fulfils a lifelong dream by taking Beth and Marmee on a seaside vacation to Cape Cod. Jo tries to inspire Beth with dreams of an exotic future life, but Beth assures her that she feels that she has lived a full life, and is not afraid to die (Some Things are Meant to Be). Amy and Aunt March return from Europe with Laurie in tow. Laurie and Amy tell Jo that they have fallen in love and are engaged (The Most Amazing Thing). Jo, distraught by Beth’s death, asks Marmee how she can go on living without being overwhelmed by sadness. Marmee sings about the need to be strong and keep on living in the face of tragedy

(Days of Plenty). Jo is reminded of her dreams, and begins to write a much more personal story – that of her and her sisters (The Fire Within Me). On the day of Amy and Laurie’s wedding, Aunt March informs Jo that she is leav-ing Jo her large house in her will. Professor Bhaer arrives unexpectedly, and pro-fesses his love for Jo, expressing that he believes their opposite natures will lead to a happy life together (Small Umbrella in the Rain). Jo agrees to marry him, and informs him of her plan to open a school in Aunt March’s house.


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Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was an American writer, best known for her novel Little Women and it’s sequels Little Men and Jo’s Boys. The novel Little Women is loosely based upon her life.

She was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. She was the second four girls (Anna, Elizabeth and May) and daughter to Bronson and Abigail Alcott. All the girls were educated by their father, who was a noted philosopher, teacher and avid abolitionist. The fami-ly moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1834 and eventually moved to Concord in 1840 to a home they named “Hillside.”

Much like her character, Jo March in Little Women, Louisa considered herself a “tomboy” claim-ing that “no boy could be my friend till I had beaten him in a race...and no girl if she refused to climb trees, leap fences…” This was not a common attitude to adopt for young girls during this time period.

It was Louisa’s wild imagination that kept her and her sisters entertained with her melodramatic stories of love, in-trigue and adventure. Often, they would perform the tales for their neighbourhood friends. Louisa often played the villain, the ghost or evil queen, saving the “softer” characters for her more sweeter sisters.

The Alcott’s were not a wealthy family, but were rich with experience and friendships. Louisa’s early education includ-ed lessons from her father as well as instruction from the naturalist Henry David Thoreau, writers Ralph Waldo Emer-son, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller, who were all family friends. Louisa was an extremely determined girl for her age and time that she lived as there was little opportunity for women to make money. Nevertheless, she was keen to become independent, make money from her writing and “make *her+ way through this rough and tumble world.” As an adult, Alcott was an abolitionist and feminist and her family housed a fugitive slave for one week in 1847. She also read and admired the “Declaration of Sentiments” published by the Seneca Falls Convention on wom-en’s rights.

It was necessary for Louisa to work to support her writing. She worked as a teacher, seamstress, governess and domes-tic helper. Her writing career began with poetry and short stories that appeared in popular magazines. Her first book Flower Fables was published in 1854. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, she served as a nurse in Wash-ington D.C. Her letters home were published in a collection titled Hospital Sketches (1863). This brought her first critical recognition for her observations and humor. When Louisa was 35 years old, she was asked to write “a book for girls.” Little Women was written from May to July in 1968. The novel was a coming-of-age story based on her and her sister’s life throughout the civil war in New England. Jo March was the first heroine to act from her own instincts and individu-ality rather than the common stereotyped female prevalent in children’s fiction during the times.

Louisa published over 30 books and short stories. She died on March 6th, 1888 and is buried in Concord, MA. Her fami-ly house, the Orchard House, (where she wrote Little Women) is now an historic house museum in Concord.

Louisa May Alcott was not only a talented writer, but regarded as a spokesperson for women’s rights. She was the first woman to register to vote in Concord. Her independence and daring spirit has captured the hearts and minds of wom-en from the 1800’s to modern day.

About the Author

Play Guide

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Musicals are energetic and lively to watch. With the popularity of shows like Glee and High School Musical the modern musical is making a well-deserved come back. Musicals are emotional, physical and are very popular to many people around the world. A musical can be defined as a stage, television or film using song, dance and dialogue to tell a story. The best musicals have three main qualities which enable them to stand the test of time:

Intelligence and style Genuine and believable emotion and The courage to do something creative and exciting

“When the emotion becomes too strong — SING!”

It may seem like characters in musicals break into song frivolously. You might find yourself wondering: “why are they singing during this intense dramatic moment?” However, this is the point of the musical. Understanding the words of the song are key to understanding the dramatic tension of a musical, and the conflict of the character singing it. If a character has emotional turmoil, they will sing a song to explore their emotions. Sometimes, they make a decision by the end of the song. Other times, the song helps the character express happiness. Listen carefully to the music in Little Women.

Musical Terminology:

The Book of the Musical: refers to the dialogue and lyrics together which is sometimes referred to as the li-bretto (Italian for “little book”). The first act introduces all the main characters, the main conflict and is usually longer than the second act. It will often end with a dramatic moment. The second act is usually shorter and resolves conflict. Spoken dialogue is usually interspersed with musical numbers and sung-through dialogue. Unlike opera, musicals are produced in the language of the country.

Score: These are the songs (music and lyrics) that tell the emotion of the story

Triple Threat: An expression used to describe an actor who is good at 1) singing 2) dancing 3) acting

Act: Musical are separated into ‘acts,’ which are broken down into ‘scenes.’

Bollywood: Hindi-language musical films based out of Mumbai, India.

Revue: Multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches (short comic acts). It derives from 19th century melodrama and vaudeville during the golden years of 1916—1932.

Burlesque: is a genre of variety show derived from elements of musical hall revue shows. It blends satire, per-formance art, music and adult entertainment.

The Creative Team: Director, Musical Director, Choreographer, Designers (set/costume/lighting & sound), Stage Managers

Musicals!

Play Guide

Famous Musical Composers:

Andrew Lloyd Webber Rodgers and Hammerstein Gilbert and Sullivan Stephen Sondheim George Gershwin Leonard Bernstein

Famous musicals that you should make an effort to see:

West Side Story Les Miserable Wicked The Sound of Music Chicago The Phantom of the Opera

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The history of America in the 1800’s is intrinsically woven into the story of Little Women. To aid your understanding of the play, it is vital that you have some knowledge of Louisa May Alcott’s world.

Political, Cultural and Religious Situation of the 1800’s:

America was expanding westward. There were many battles over land and territories. 1830 Christian (Evangelical) revivals – religious gatherings that lasted for day are prevalent throughout the

northern United States. These revival promoted the idea that women were to serve their husbands, among the overt religious messages.

1832 Louisa May Alcott born. 1833 The American Anti-Slavery Society is organized. 1834 New York Female Reform Society (whose mission was to reform “wayward women” and lead the

spiritually poor) was founded; Female workers at the Lowell Mills in Massachusetts stage their first strike. 1834 Louisa and her family move to Concord, M.A. 1847 After an economic depression 1839-1843, several religious and artistic communities form their own

utopian communes throughout the northeast and promote ideas of equality and freedom beyond the “expected” ideas of political and religious freedom in the United States.

1848 Seneca Falls (NY) Convention outlines a program for women’s rights. 1850 The first national women’s rights convention is held in Worcester, Massachusetts (roughly 30 miles

west of Concord) 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe (a contemporary writer to Louisa May Alcott) published Uncle Tom’s Cabin,

which crystallized abolitionist sentiments against slavery. 1854 Louisa’s first book Flower Fables is published. 1860 Democratic Party splits into northern and southern factions. The Constitutional Union party forms.

Abraham Lincoln is elected president over Southern Democratic candidate John C. Breckenridge (among other candidates).

1861 The Lower South secedes from the Union. Fort Sumter is bombarded, Civil War begins lasts until

1865. 11 southern slave states declare their secession from the United States to form the Confederate States of America and is led by Jefferson Davis. The U.S. federal government is supported by the northern states where slavery is abolished. The Union proves too strong for the Confederacy and eventually the South are defeated. Approximately 650,000 men, women and children were killed during the conflict and millions were wounded.


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1862 U.S. paper money is printed for the first time. To help pay for the Civil War, the U.S. Congress estab-

lishes the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Port Royal Experiment of returning land to freed black slaves begins.

1863 Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. Union Army draft riots in New York. Louisa May Alcott publish-es Hospital Sketches. Large cities begin to receive free home delivery of mail. New York City draft riots.

1864 Lincoln re-elected. Alexander Graham Bell and his brother develop a “speaking automaton.” Quadru-

plex Telegraph invented by Thomas Edison. Railroads hook on mail cars. General Grant takes control of all Union troops.

1865 Federal troops take over Richmond, VA and General Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court

House. Lincoln is assassinated. Andrew Johnson succeeds to the presidency and unveils his Reconstruction plan. Louisa May Alcott publishes Moods. 13th Amendment passed, outlawing slavery.

1866 Reconstruction Era begins in the South. The National Labor Union advocates an eight-hour workday.

Black Codes developed in the South to rebel against Reconstruction. 1866: Civil Rights Act 1866: Ku Klux Klan founded 1867 The 14th Amendment is passed, whereby “citizen” is defined as “male” – this is the first use of the

word “male” in the Constitution. 1868 Little Women is published. The New England Woman Suffrage Association is formed after women are

denied the right to be included as voters in the 15th Amendment.

Historical References: America in the late 1800’s

Play Guide

Jo March (Shannon Taylor) and Professor Bhaer (David Leyshon)

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Victorian Era:

This is the period of Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 until January 1901; the longest in British history thus far (Queen Elizabeth will surpass her if she remains on the throne until 2015). This was a long period of prosperity for the British people. There was relative peace and stability, resulting in population surges. Concurrently, many people emigrated to other Commonwealth countries such as the U.S., Canada and Australia. The Industrial revolution changed the way we lived and improved living standards considerably. There were many advances in science and medicine, resulting in lower mortality rates. Culture and architecture flourished. Photography captured the time period. Entertainment was dictated by social class. Music, drama and opera were widely attended. Melodrama’s filled stages around the globe. Steamships, railways and travel became more widely used.

Social and Moral Values of the Victorian Era: Queen Victoria ‘s rules and morals greatly influenced society. These values included: devotion to family life, public and private responsibility, obedience to the law, hard work and education. People were to also pay more attention to per-sonal hygiene and were encouraged to be good, church-going citizens. In particular, there were many rules for women.

The Role of Women: Rules of Society Women were educated and refined in deportment classes. Victorian women were perfectionists and governed them-selves by a set of rules for social conduct:

Never speak in anger

Learn to govern yourself and to be gentle and patient

Valuable as is the gift of speech, silence is often more valuable

Learn to speak in a gently tone of voice

Learn to say kind and pleasant things when the opportunity arises

Do not neglect the little things if they can affect the comfort of others

Learn to deny yourself and prefer others

Beware of meddlers and tale bearers

A gentleman may walk with two ladies upon his arms, but under no circumstances should the lady take

the arms of two gentlemen.

On the Street:

A true lady will go quietly and unobtrusively about her business when on the street, never seeking to attract the attention of the opposite sex, but recognize acquaintances with a courteous bow and friends with pleasant words.

Ladies and gentlemen meeting on a sidewalk should pass to the right.

A gentleman will assist a lady from a carriage without waiting for the formality of an introduction

**Research more societal etiquette online! Some of it will really surprise you.

Glossary

Play Guide

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Christopher Columbus: (1451—1506) He was an Italian maritime explorer and colonizer. He is most fa-mous for dispelling the myth that the world was “flat” and instead a sphere and proved this by completing four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean thus discovering the American continent in the Western Hemi-sphere. He was responsible for the European and Spanish colonization of the ‘New World.’

New England: This is a region in the North-eastern part of the U.S, bordering Canada. It consists of six states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It is one of the earliest settled areas; pilgrims arrived in 1620.

Maine: Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States.

Boston: Is the capital city of Massachusetts and was settled in 1630 thus making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. It is regarded as the unofficial capital of New England. It was the location of many famous American events such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.

Romantic Era: Romanticism began in the mid-late 1700’s. From this period emerged beautiful, emotional poetry with an emphasis on meter. Lyrical ballads and sonnet poetry structure were widely used to convey the overflowing emotional content of the poems.

John Keats: (1795-1821): Keats was an English romantic poet. He was a key figure in the Romantic move-ment and his work is still widely read.

Percy Bysshe Shelley: (1792—1822) He was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regard-ed as the finest lyric poets in the English language.

President Lincoln: (1809—1865) Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President serving from 1861 until his assassi-nation in 1865. He successfully led his country through the American Civil War ending slavery and uniting a nation. He was mostly self-educated.

Governess: A governess is a woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. She is more of a teacher than a nanny.

Scarlet Fever: Scarlet Fever is an infection caused by group A streptococcus bacteria. The bacteria make a toxin that can cause a scarlet-coloured rash. This infection was particularly fatal for children in the 1800’s, due to a lack of knowledge of how to treat the disease. A vaccine was invented in 1924 which was eclipsed by penicillin in the 1940’s.

Melodrama: This is a dramatic work which exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre. Specifically, song was used to highlight the emotional aspect of the scene. Any episode of “The Vampire Diaries” or “Grey’s Anatomy” clearly shows how melodrama has influenced modern film and television. Typi-cally, melodrama contains archetypes such as: “The Hero”; “The Villain”; “Damsel in Distress.”

Glossary (continued)

Play Guide

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Men’s clothing was formal and stiff. Women’s clothing was fussy and over-done. It was important that clothing covered the entire body. Even the glimpse of an ankle was con-sidered scandalous!

Female Fashion of the 1800’s:

Fashion was heavily influenced by Queen Victoria and the trends in Britain. Women’s gowns had narrow and sloping shoulders, high collars, tight corseted-waists and layers of petticoats worn under the gowns. The length was modest, down to the ankle. Day dresses were much more practical; gradually, bustles replaced the layers of petticoats. Evening dresses were still very decorated with a low necklines. Shawls and gloves completed the look. Hats were a necessity for walking outside and going to church. Ladies boots were made of leather and fastened with buttons.

Male Fashion of the 1800’s:

Men wore tight-fitting waistcoats, calf-length coats and trousers. The vest/coats were single or double-breasted. The shirts were linen or cotton and had distinct collars. Neckties were common. Men wore top hats with wide brims. Three-piece suits grew in popularity toward the 1870’s.

19th Century Fashion

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Analyzing the Play: The Play Review Scaffold

Pre-Performance Activity

Type: Points to Ponder, Discuss or write about

Grade: 8—12 Drama/English

Play reviews are written for two primary reasons: to tell other people what you thought of the production and to tell people interested in the production if they should come and see it. Unless you are sitting in the front row of the thea-tre, take in a pen and paper so you can jot down ideas while you watch the play. NOTE: If time permits, read the play or story BEFORE you go to see the production. You should at least have some idea of what it is about before you go. The table on page 16 is a handy guide that you can take with you to the theatre to help you record your initial thoughts and opinions about the play. It will make it much easier to write a review if you make notes immediately after the per-formance. Task Overview: The goal of the assignment is for you to provide detailed description and analysis of the production that supports your overall opinion of the performance. Writing a review is similar to writing an essay: your thesis statement must be clear and specific (avoid general statements like “the show was good”), and each supporting paragraph should be focused on one moment/aspect of the performance with specific examples from the production to support your analysis. Length: 1—2 pages Assignment Structure: Using your note scaffold, try to come up with a specific take on the performance (this usually focuses on the message or idea that you took away from the play). In the opening paragraph, be sure to include:

Play Title Playwright Director State the date of the performance Location of the production Brief plot summary

Evaluation & Analysis: Develop your review around the key moments that made an impression on you. This should follow your “thesis” while filling in your reader on the ways in which the production continued to hold (or not hold) your interest. Be sure to give specific examples. You need to clearly express your opinion of both the technical and performance aspects of the pro-duction and ultimately decide how successful the production was overall. Develop a powerful conclusion reaffirming your opinion and making a clear recommendation to potential specta-

tors.

The Play Review

Play Guide

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NOTE RESPONSE NAME:

1. Immediately record 5 moments from the play that stand out to you.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

2. Before talking to anyone, take a moment to record your initial response to the work. How did it make you feel? What did it make you think?

Response: Feelings: Thoughts:

3. Try to describe the concept of the play in a few sentences. What ideas do you think the playwright and director are trying to com-municate to you? Did the concept enhance or detract from the play text? Don’t forget to record the ‘why’ behind your comments.

4. Was the play staged in the way that you expected it to be? Were you surprised? How and/or by what?

5. Who were your favourite characters? Why were you drawn to them? Record specific moments from the performance to support your opinion. Make sure to also include the actor’s names in your review.

6. Write a description of the physical world of the play. What kind of atmosphere did the designer create? How/why did it change throughout the play? Do the set pieces/lighting/costumes have symbolic or meta-phorical meaning for the action and/or characters?

7. Read over your notes. What is your overall opinion of the play? Would you recom-mend to others? Critically think about why you liked or disliked the play.

8. Eavesdrop on other people and jot down their opinions of the play. This will help you to write a balanced, critical review.

Use this table to record your thoughts immediately after viewing the play:

The Play Review (continued)

Play Guide

23

Script Segment #1

Play Guide

Social Expectations

Post-Performance

Type: Scene Analysis, Performance

Suitability: 8-12 Drama

Social Expectations is a common theme throughout the musical Little Women. In this scene, Aunt March is berating Jo for

her bad behavior.

LITTLE WOMEN: Script Segment—Act One, Page 19—20

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Script Segment #1 (continued)

Play Guide

25

Script Segment #2

Play Guide

Social Expectations #2

Post-Performance



LITTLE WOMEN: Script Segment—Act Two, Page 56—57

26

Script Segment #3

Play Guide

First Love

Post-Performance



LITTLE WOMEN: Script Segment—Act One, Page 32-33

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Script Segment #4

Play Guide

Staying True to Your Dreams

Post-Performance



Laurie admits that he is in love with Jo. Jo refuses to accept his advances and aims to stay true to her dreams, even if it means losing a best friend. LITTLE WOMEN: Script Segment—Act One, Page 64-66

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Analysis of Lyrics—Character Analysis

Post-Performance

Type: Research, Points to Ponder, Performance

Grade/Class: 8—10 Drama or English

(This lesson can be used as an introduction to the Play-building lesson on p. 24)

Society was a very different place for women in the 1800’s. The musical, Little Women challenges the stereo-types of women through the main character Jo March. Jo is not a ‘typical female,’ and she often behaves in a very tomboyish manner. Aunt March berates Jo for her bad behavior stating that Jo will never attract a hus-band. This theme poses an important question: should females speak their mind to achieve their goals and dreams, or should women ‘behave’ and act like proper ‘ladies’ to find a good husband to raise children?

Theme: Social Expectations

Song: COULD YOU sung by Aunt March and Jo (Link: YouTube) Song: BETTER sung by Jo (Link: YouTube)

Task:

1. As a class listen to COULD YOU on YouTube and follow along with the lyrics.

Questions/Analysis:

What does Aunt March ask Jo to do to become more attractive to her and others? Does she sup-port her dreams to become a writer?

How does Jo react? Why does she eventually agree to change?

Have you ever been asked to behave differently in exchange for something you want? How did that make you feel? How did you react? What did you discover about yourself?

2. As a class, listen to BETTER on YouTube and follow along with the lyrics.

Questions/Analysis:

Professor Bhaer comments that Jo’s story isn’t as good as it could be. Is there a moment in your life when someone has given you negative feedback on something that you have worked hard on and are very proud of? Did you give up on the project? Or, like Jo did you forge ahead to try to accomplish your dreams?


Play Guide

http://youtu.be/LR_928RpK2M

http://youtu.be/VqFPeP4_kmw

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Analysis of Lyrics—Character Analysis

Post-Performance

Type: Research, Points to Ponder, Performance

Grade/Class: 8—10 Drama or English

(This lesson can be used as an introduction to the Play-building lesson on p. 23) 3. Modern Songs

Due to the women’s movement in the 19th century, women have equality in society. Through modern song, we can see how the gender roles are being challenged and how media portrays women and men.

4. Research

Listen and read through the lyrics of the following songs:

Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy (YouTube song with lyrics) and

Madonna’s What it Feels like (for a girl) (YouTube Glee Version with Lyrics).

Jay Z’s 99 Problems (*language warning)

5. Questions/Analysis:

What are the messages of both songs?

How is Madonna’s song altered when it is sung by a boy?

Do you feel that you are restricted to doing certain things in life because you are a boy/girl?

What kind of pressures do teenage boys/girls have to deal with?

How does gender stereotyping affect your life?

What do people expect you to achieve in life because of your gender?

6. Performance

In groups of 4—5, perform a song with a powerful message. The song does not have to be sung, but it could be a spoken-word performance. Students devise simple movements using tableau to create a dynamic per-formance where the message is clearly communicated to the audience. Musical instruments, simple costume and props can be incorporated. Use a rubric to grade the performance.


Play Guide

http://youtu.be/3WkXPPLiZOY/ct-file-1/userfolder$/jparasiers/Documents/Adobe%20Scripts

http://youtu.be/XyTxMPaGUxQ/ct-file-1/userfolder$/jparasiers/Documents/Adobe%20Scripts

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Thematic Play-Building

Post-Performance Activity

Type: Devised performance

Grade 8—10 Drama

Use the lesson on p. 22 as an introduction to the play-building performance.

Task:

1. Ask the students to brainstorm themes of Little Women.

Social Expectations

Hope

Women’s Rights

Achieving your dreams or Deferring Your Dreams

The role of men in society

Media: Gender Stereotypes

Family or Sibling Rivalry

First Love

2. Ask the students to build a thematic performance devised of song, poetry, spoken word, short scenes to communicate the chosen theme. The devised piece should be 5—7 minutes in length. Use a rubric to grade the performance.

Lesson Plans: Play-Building

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Script Segment #5

Play Guide

Melodrama

Post-Performance



Use the following script segments to generate a discussion about the melodramatic acting style they saw in Little Women. As an introduction to the lesson plan on Melodrama, the students can act out the following 2 scenes (Jo’s lines could be read as ‘narrator’).

LITTLE WOMEN: Script Segment—Act One, Page 2—4

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(continued)

Play Guide

MELODRAMA SCENE #2 P. 71—78

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Melodrama!

Post-Performance Activity

Type: Devised performance

Grade 8—9 Drama

Melodrama was a style or genre of acting in the 19th and early 20th century. The acting style was quite exag-gerated and plays contained archetypes for which their character was based upon. Music accompanied the scenes to highlight the emotional aspect of the scene. This style is still used today is blockbuster films and soap operas. Jo’s stories are very melodramatic, indicative of the plays of the time period. There are many examples of the melodramatic acting style in this production. The best melodramatic characters are vivid, larger-than-life and visceral. The following is a description of one of Jo’s melodramatic characters. Try to make your characters as bold as “Carlotta”:

“Carlotta, the madwoman in the attic, a creature of gall, a spinster rejected by the world...hungry for blood, rose from the dark. Her eyes were beady red, her hair ghastly white and her fingers clutched with rage, as she went out into the wretched night…” ~ Little Women p. 62-63

Melodramatic Characters:

Hero: The strong and usually good-looking savior of the damsel in distress. He always saves the day. He stands with a broad chest, and bravely fights battles. He could have a side-kick that is the true ‘savior’ and the ‘brains of the operation.’ (Think of every action film you have ever watched, and you have your hero).

Heroine: The sweet and young, beautiful woman who finds herself some kind of trouble. She either can’t pay the rent, or is the love interest of the villain. She is always saved by the hero. She often sighs and places her hand on her forehead is despair.

Villain: The evil and dastardly bad person who wants to be as mean as he possible can. Usually has a cape, hat and cane which he uses to beat his sidekick. The sidekick is usually the brains of the operation or at least has a unique quality (think of Austin Powers and Mini-Me).

Task:

Student’s devise a simple melodramatic plot: character, setting, conflict, raising of the stakes, conclusion. The style of acting should be large and dramatic. Movements are grandiose and spectacular. Students should have fun with costume and props. Every scene should be accompanied by classical (or music without words) music to help tell the story. They should have a dramatic ending!

Lesson Plans: Melodrama

Play Guide

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Text This play guide was written and compiled by Jody-lee Parasiers. Contributions were also made by James MacDonald. Photos: Ian Jackson, Epic Photography Websites: Little Women the Broadway Musical Study Guide <http://www.littlewomenonbroadway.com/news.html> Malheiro B. “Victorian Ettiquette” 1999-2011 <http://www.logicmgmt.com/1876/etiquette/etiquette.htm> Weston, Pauline “The Victorian Era Fashion History”, 2001-2011 <http://www.fashion-era.com/the_victorian_era.htm> “Louisa May Alcott” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 21 April 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisa_May_Alcott> “Fashion” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 4 May 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_fashion>

Bibliography

Play Guide