Educator's Guide
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
EDUCATOR'S GUIDE Script by REGINALD ANDRÉ JACKSON Adapted from the novel by March 13-29, 2020 CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS KENNEDY THEATRE Featuring at the THE TRIANGLE YOUTH JAZZ ENSEMBLE F O Overview S E PLOT SYNOPSIS T L B Time: 1936 A Place: Michigan (Flint & Grand Rapids) N T 10-year-old Bud is an orphan who has spent the last four years in and out of "the OVERVIEW E Plot Synopsis Home" (an orphanage in Flint, MI), as well 2 as various foster homes. Themes Using this Guide T His mother died when he was six, leaving ABOUT THE STORY him alone in the world with only his suitcase, his memories, and his personal Key Characters 3 "rules" for getting by in life. Meet the Author N ABOUT THE STORY Inside his suitcase Bud carries a few prized possessions, including: a stack of 4 Historical Context flyers advertising a jazz band, and a Racism during the O collection of rocks with strange letters 1930's and numbers written on them, ABOUT THE SHOW Bud has a feeling that these items are C 5 Onstage: The Actors clues that have something to do with his Onstage: The Band father - whom he's never met. He decides What Is Jazz Music? to follow his intuition and set off on a journey to find his family, his roots, and a ABOUT THE SHOW place he can truly call "home." 6 Show and Tell Technical Tools Listen Up! THEMES PAGE TO STAGE Family Home Race/Racism Finding Inspiration Hope Perseverance Class 7 Mental health Friendship Identity PAGE TO STAGE Taking Direction 8 USING THIS GUIDE Theatre Etiquette Ask an Actor! The purpose of this guide is to enhance the educational experience of students who attend the show. DISCUSS & DO! This symbol indicates tie-ins with standards & Activities 9 objectives found in the NC Standard Course Discussion Questions & of Study for grades 3-8. Writing Prompts 2 About The Story KEY CHARACTERS Bud Caldwell: 10 years old, an orphan Key Characters: ACT 1 Bugs: 10 years old, Bud's friend from "the Home" Jerry: 6 years old, Bud's friend from "the Home" Billy: a bully at "the Home" Mrs. Amos: Bud's newest foster parent Todd: Bud's new foster brother, a bully Momma: Bud's mom who died when he was 6 Deza: an 11-year-old girl living in a Hooverville Jake: a policeman who threatens the Hooverville and tries to stop people from hopping the train Lefty Lewis: a stranger who picks Bud up on the road to Grand Rapids and gives him a ride Children and adults in America during Cop: stops Lefty and Bud while they are driving the Great Depression Key Characters: ACT 2 MEET THE AUTHOR Herman Calloway: famous bass player, and the leader of a jazz band : the horn player in the band The play you are going to see is Jimmy Wesley s i t Doug "the Thug" Tennant: the drummer a theatrical adaptation of an r u C : the trombone Chug "Doo-Doo Bug" Cross award-winning novel by l u . a player P Christopher Paul Curtis r e Roy "Dirty Deed" Breed: the piano player Mr. Curtis - who, like Bud, grew h p o : saxophone t Harrison "Steady Eddie" Patrick up in Flint, Michigan - wrote s i r player h in 1999. Bud, Not Buddy C Miss Grace Thomas: the singer in the band While Bud Caldwell is a fictional character, many elements of the story reflect real people, places, and events. For instance, Mr. Curtis' own grandfathers served as inspiration for two key characters that appear in the book. His paternal grandfather, Herman E. Curtis, was the leader of a jazz band called “Herman E. Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!!” And his other grandfather - Earl "Lefty" Lewis - was a redcap and a pitcher in the Negro Baseball Leagues. In an interview, Mr. Curtis expressed that, "My biggest hope is that my younger readers will feel a sense of curiosity when they finish one 1939 jazz jam session feat. "Cozy" Cole on Drums – with J.C. of my books." We hope this play achieves Mr. Higginbotham, Clyde Newcombe, Rex Stewart, Billie Holiday, Curtis' goal and sparks your sense of curiosity! Harry Lim, Eddie Condon, Brad Gowans & "Hot Lips" Page 3 About The Story (cont'd) RACISM DURING THE 1930's The Pullman Porters - a group of African American train workers - formed the first African American labor union in 1925, While the Great Depression affected named The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car people all across America and around Porters. the world, racism in the United States In the book, the character is made life even more difficult for African Lefty Lewis working to help organize this union. Americans during this period. The Pullman Porters Although African Americans experienced discrimination in many ways, racial prejudice was particularly evident in the HISTORICAL CONTEXT area of employment - as blacks were typically hired last, and often paid lower Bud, Not Buddy is a piece of historical fiction - wages than white workers. which means that while the people and events described in the story are the author's own invention, the context in which they appear is historically accurate. The story of Bud, Not Buddy takes place in 1936, during a period of American history known as the Great Depression (1929-1939). In America, the Great Depression resulted in People in an unemployment line widespread unemployment as the stock market crashed, businesses closed, and banks failed. At the same time, the "Dust Bowl" - caused by severe droughts - destroyed crops and livestock throughout the Southern Plains, forcing farmers and rural residents to migrate to urban areas in search for work. People in line at a soup kitchen By 1933, over 15 million Americans were unemployed. As a result, many were evicted from In addition, living conditions for African Americans were often poor, as most were their homes, creative a massive rise in denied housing loans. As a result, many homelessness - especially in the cities. These people were forced to live in run-down people often resorted to living in makeshift, structures, where unsanitary conditions temporary structures made of cardboard and other caused illnesses, and even death. found materials. These shantytowns became known as "Hoovervilles" - an insult to President Herbert Hoover (1929-1933), whom many blamed for the terrible economic and social conditions. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president, instituting a series of programs known as the New Deal which eventually helped spur the country's A row of dilapidated housing structures economic recovery. 4 About The Show WHAT IS JAZZ MUSIC? The music you will hear during ONSTAGE: THE ACTORS the play is called "jazz." Jazz is an American style of While the show features many different characters, music that was developed by you will only see 11 actors onstage. This means that African American musicians in all of the actors (except the one playing "Young the early 1900's. Bud") will appear in multiple roles. It initially emerged as a blend of West African music, religious music, and To tell this story onstage, we chose to have two European musical traditions. actors share the role of Bud: one as an adult, the Many consider New Orleans to be the other as a child. Sometimes these actors even speak "birthplace" of jazz, although the music lines together. quickly spread to Chicago, New York City, The goal of this is to show how the story is a and Kansas City. reflection of both Young and Adult Bud's memories One of the key elements of jazz is and experiences -- and to ask the audience to improvisation - which occurs when a consider how their own memories and musician alters and adapts a particular perspectives shift with time. musical theme throughout the course of the piece. The 1920's-1930's are often referred to as ONSTAGE: THE BAND the "Jazz Age," due to the popularity of jazz music during this period. Music plays an important role in the story, as Bud's Some of the leading jazz musicians of search for his father leads him to Herman E. this era include Louis Armstrong, Cab - a famous bass player and leader of a Calloway, Duke Ellington, Benny Calloway Goodman, Billie Holiday, and Bessie traveling jazz band. Smith. In our play, we have an onstage jazz band made up For further exploration, click this text to visit of seven instruments: Scholastic's interactive "History of Jazz" lesson page - bass, drums, piano, alto and based on curriculum created by Jazz at Lincoln Center. tenor saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet. Music (3-8).CR.1 - Understand global, The musicians playing these instruments are all interdisciplinary, and 21st century connections members of the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble. with music. Social Stud. 5.C.1.4 - Understand how cultural narratives (legends, songs, ballads, games, folk About the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble tales, and art forms) reflect the lifestyles, beliefs and struggles of diverse ethnic groups . The Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble (TYJE) is an award- winning, Raleigh-based organization dedicated to training young people (grades 8-12) in the art of big band jazz. They rehearse and perform regularly under the direction of Dr. Gregg Gelb. In addition to its numerous local awards, the TYJE has been selected as a finalist in Jazz at Lincoln Center's "Essentially Ellington" competition for the past five seasons. To learn more, visit: philharmonic-association.org/triangle-youth-jazz-ensemble/ Duke Ellington (at piano), with the Duke Ellington Orchestra 5 About The Show (cont'd) LISTEN UP! SHOW AND TELL The play features a number of jazz pieces from the period.