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EDUCATION PACK 1 Contents Introducon………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Synopsis of The Rivals…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………… 4 Theatrical Techniques used in The Rivals & About Richard Brinsley Sheridan…………………………….………….... 7 The Restoraon Comedy…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 The Characters…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10 Meet the Cast………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 An Interview with the Script Adapter………………………………………………………………………………………………………12 Creang The Rivals, Behind the Scenes Team………………………………………………………………………………………….14 The Design Process………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16 Costume Designs……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18 An Example of a Rehearsal Call Sheet………………………………………………………………………………………………………19 An Example of a Rehearsal Report…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20 Credits…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….21 This educaon pack was wrien by Kezia Buckland Producon Photographs by Philip Tull 2 Introducon This behind the scenes pack has been designed to give you an insight into the making of The Rivals at The Watermill. The pack is aimed primarily at teachers or students at Secondary School. Your feedback is most welcome, please email ([email protected]) or call us on 01635 570927. This is a digital pack; where you see this arrow there is a link that you can click on to view other material online. Don’t forget that we offer workshops on most aspects of drama, and visit many schools in the surrounding area to work with students and teachers. For a workshop menu, please visit the Outreach pages on our website, or get in touch. I hope you find the pack useful. Kezia Buckland Outreach Placement The Watermill Theatre Bagnor, Newbury, Berks RG20 8AE www.watermill.org.uk The Sackler Trust, Principle supporter of The Watermill’s Core Educaon Programme. Principal Sponsor of The Rivals 3 Synopsis Act 1, Bath 1775‐ Mrs Malaprop’s house the room. Sir Anthony would like his son, Jack Absolute, to marry Lydia. Mrs Malaprop accepts this offer and says she will Julia opens the play with a witty prologue spoken directly to propose it to her niece. Sir Anthony explains his tough love the audience. She informs them on the current political climate approach to parenting and hints that Mrs Malaprop to try the in 1775: King George being on the throne as well as the recent same. general election, and then introduces the characters and their relationships with one another. (See page 10 of this education Mrs Malaprop quickly checks in with her maid Lucy to make pack to find out more about the characters of The Rivals). sure she has not revealed to anyone her secret letter sending to Sir Lucius. Mrs Malaprop is rude to Lucy’s face and calls her a Cousins, Julia and Lydia, are reunited. Lydia updates Julia simpleton. Lucy swears that she has not told anybody about immediately on all of her news. She tells Julia of how her aunt the letters. Mrs Malaprop discovered the letters being sent between Lydia and Ensign Beverley, unbeknown to Lydia as Jack Absolute. The ACT 2 letter was intercepted at the worst timing for the lovers who Fag has returned from Sir Anthony’s house after telling him are in a quarrel. The quarrel began because Lydia purposefully that his son is also in Bath. Fag lied to the other servants and created a circumstance to instigate a fight out of fear that her said Jack is in Bath to recruit, when in fact it is to see Lydia. and Beverley would never argue otherwise. But the plan Faulkland, who is staying with Jack, is an emotional romantic backfired, and Lydia hasn’t seen her love since, and fears that and Jack wants to tease him about Julia, before telling him that she will not ever again. This is all the more problematic for she has arrived in Bath. Lydia as she has also lost her chance of marrying into poverty with Beverley, an action that will lose her full inheritance from Jack, has courted Lydia with the façade of a poor ensign and is Mrs Malaprop and delight Lydia. It is also made known that determined to keep off the elopement between them until Mrs Malaprop is writing love letters under a pseudonym of Lydia is of age. Meaning the couple will receive the inheritance ‘Delia’, a seventeen‐year‐old, to Sir Lucius O’Trigger. Julia then money. Jack explains how Bob Acres, a friend of Jack’s, believes takes her turn in updated Lydia. She talks of her want to marry in Beverley too and is a great rival of him for also going after her betrothed Faulkland. Lydia tries to argue with Julia to say Lydia. Bob also knows Julia. Bob and Jack work together to that she deserves better and shouldn’t feel obliged to marry tease Faulkland of how Julia has been in high spirits in his him out of gratitude for saving her life in a boat accident years absence. Faulkland is enraged to hear this, which amuses the ago. The two young girl’s obsession with their love lives is other men and the audience he leaves out of fury and jealousy. constantly referred by each other as ‘caprice’. They want to Sir Anthony and Jack meet. Jack says to the audience of how his marry for the reason of love, not money, and believe in fate, father will now come and give him a parental chat, which he destiny and love at first sight. neither wants or needs. He also prays that his father still Julia leaves when Sir Anthony and Mrs Malaprop return home. doesn’t know the real reason why he is in Bath. Sir Anthony Lydia hides her books from her aunt and Sir Anthony. sweettalks Jack and explains to him his wants to give him independence, a large estate and make him a figure in the Sir Anthony and Mrs Malaprop enter and immediately bring up world. This all comes with the condition of marriage, but Sir the topic of marriage. They both belittle Lydia by saying a Anthony does not reveal to who. Jack is astounded and young woman should not have an opinion or preference unhappy with this offer as he has already vowed to love regarding who she marries and that her corruption derives another, that his father doesn’t know about. Sir Anthony is from her reading. Which would have been the general opinion enraged and tells Jack that he will love whoever he chooses for in the 1700s. This first scene is when we first hear Mrs him. He leaves, telling him he’ll give Jack six hours to decide Malaprop’s famous malapropisms. (Read more about what he wants to do or he will be disowned. malapropisms on page 7). Lydia has made it known that she rejects Mrs Malaprop’s wishes for her to marry Bob Acres. Mrs Lucy delivers another letter to Lucius. She tells the audience, in Malaprop says that she would be willing to find another suiter an aside, that he believes Delia is Lydia and not in fact Mrs for her, but Lydia is determined to marry Beverley and leaves Malaprop. (Read more about asides on page 7). 4 This detail is further shown to the audience through the malapropisms contained in the letter that Lucius reads aloud. They agree to meet in the evening with Lucius’ reply. Fag overhears this conversation and suspects Lucy is lying to the other servants. To prove she is truthful, Lucy reveals Mrs Mrs Malaprop re‐enters, Lydia continues to call Jack Beverley Malaprop’s secret about the letters and that she overheard Mrs which her aunt is amazed at. She says she is hallucinating with Malaprop and Sir Anthony planning the engagement between love and thinks every man is Beverley. Jack says that he does Lydia and Jack. Fag is delighted to hear this news for his master not mind which makes Mrs Malaprop think he is so patient and and leaves to go and tell him at once. understanding. ACT 3‐ The North Parade At his lodgings, Bob Acres tells Sir Lucius how he has lost Lydia’s Jack meets his father. Jack explains to the audience of how he love. Lucius suggests that he should fight Beverley in a duel for will now accept his fathers offer of marrying Lydia. Sir Anthony Lydia. Acres drafts a letter to Beverley stating he wants to meet is still in fury about Jack’s disobedience earlier that day. Jack him in Kings Mead Fields. Lucius mentions that a young captain prepares himself to grovel and apologise but Sir Anthony has annoyed him by embarrassing him and he wants to meet to immediately accepts Jack’s apology and is delighted. He address it. Jack enters, and Acres asks him to deliver the letter rewards Jack by telling him who his future wife shall be. Jack to Beverley and place doubt in his mind of how ‘ferocious’ Bob pretends that he has never heard of a Lydia Languish before. is. Sir Anthony enters and tells Jack to go with him to meet But Sir Anthony is astonished and explains of all her beauty. Lydia. But Jack stops him every time from saying her name Jack, hypocritically, states that he would marry anyone his aloud so Bob doesn’t hear and realise that it is Jack who is his father wishes to please him. But goes with his father, real Rival. pretending it’s his first time meeting Lydia. Mrs Malaprop prepares Lydia for meeting Sir Anthony’s son. Julia and Faulkland meet for the first time since Faulkland Lydia insists she will not look or speak to the man her aunt has heard the news through Bob. Their meeting begins frostily and chosen for her. Sir Anthony and Jack arrive. Each of the four gets worse. With Faulkland set on understanding why Julia was characters speak a line to the audience, in asides.
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