Peter and Alice

2018-2019 Theatre Season Tall and Twisted Tales Division of Visual/Performing Arts and Kinesiology Brenham Campus John Logan’s Peter and Alice Resource Guide This resource guide serves as an educational starting point to understanding and enjoying John Logan’s play Peter and Alice. With this in mind, please note that the interpretations of the theatrical work may differ from the original source content. Performances February 14 - 16 7 p.m. February 17 2 p.m. High School Preview Performances February 14 & 15 1 p.m. Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center Brenham, Texas Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.blinn.edu/BoxOffice, by calling 979-830-4024, or by emailing [email protected] Directed by TCCSTA Play Festival Entry Brad Nies Peter and Alice is Blinn College-Brenham’s entry to the 2019 Texas Community College Speech and Technical Theatre Direction by Theatre Association Play Festival. This state- Kevin Patrick wide organization has been actively enriching the lives of Texas Community College students since Costume, Makeup, and Hair Design by 1922. The annual Play Festival celebrates the art Jennifer Patrick of theatre in an atmosphere of friendliness and respect and provides an opportunity for two-year Produced by Special Arrangement with colleges to share their work in a festival setting, Samuel French, Inc. receiving awards and important feedback from educated theatre critics. Synopsis This remarkable new play is based on the real-life meeting of Alice Hargreaves and Peter Davies at the 1932 opening of a Lewis Carroll exhibition in a London bookshop. This moving work lays bare the lives of these two amazing people, and, in doing so, also examines the lost innocence of the boy and the girl who served as the inspiration for Peter Pan and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Peter and Alice was originally produced for the stage on London’s West End in March of 2013, and the production starred Dame Judi Dench as Alice and Ben Whishaw as Peter. It was nominat- ed for a Laurence Olivier Award (Best Play) in 2014, and Dench was nominat- ed for Best Actress the same year. John Logan Born in San Diego, California in 1961, John Logan grew up in various parts of the United States. He studied theatre at Northwestern University in Chicago before gaining success as a playwright with such works as Never the Sinner, Hauptmann, and Riverview. He is best known for his play Red which opened at the Golden Theatre on Broadway in 2010 and earned him the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Tony Award for Best Play. Also a screenwriter, Logan won a Golden Globe Award for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and the Writers Guild of American Award for Any Given Sunday and RKO 281. Alice Liddell Hargreaves (1852-1934) Alice Liddell Hargreaves was born in London in 1852. She was a friend to author and mathematician Lewis Carroll, and the story he told her and her sisters on an afternoon boating trip became the renowned work Alice's Adventures in Wonder- land. She was married to Reginald Hargreaves in 1880, and together they had three sons. After her hus- band's death, the cost of maintain- ing her home was such that she found if necessary to sell her per- sonal copy of Alice's Adventures Under Ground. She died in 1934. Peter Llewellyn Davies (1897-1960) Peter Llewellyn Davies was one of five sons adopted by Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie. He had been identified by Barrie as the source for the name of the title role in his stage play Peter Pan; an identification that would plague Davies for the rest of his life. Davies was awarded the Military Cross after serving as an officer in World War I, and he founded the publishing house Peter Davies Ltd in 1926 with financial help from his stepfather. Suffering from alcoholism and emphysema, Davies committed suicide in 1960. The Meeting of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan Alice Liddell Hargreaves and Peter Llewellyn Davies met at the opening of the Lewis Carroll Exhibition at London’s Bumpus Bookshop on June 26, 1932. The exhibit was Britain's answer to the centenary cele- brations of Carroll’s birth which took place at Columbia University pre- viously that year. Having attended the university-sponsored affairs as the guest of honor, Hargreaves had also been asked to speak at the Bumpus event. She was introduced by Davies, and, for the first time, the real Alice in Wonderland stood alongside the real Peter Pan. In 2003, award-winning playwright John Logan was reading a biog- raphy of Alice Liddell Hargreaves. In doing so, he noticed that in 1932, an 80 year-old Alice in Wonderland had met a 35 year-old Peter Pan. This tidbit of information inspired Logan to ask the question, “What did the two say to each other?” Peter Llewelyn Davies Alice Liddell Hargreaves 1937 1932 Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, was an author, mathematician, and photographer. He is most known for his two children’s books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and its sequel, Through the Look- ing Glass; two works noted for their usage of word play, illogic, and fantasy. Having suffered several health problems, Carroll was plagued throughout his life with a severe stutter. He was friends with fairy-tale author George MacDonald who encouraged him to have his Alice books published. In addi- tion, Carroll also wrote and published a nonsense poem entitled, The Hunt- ing of the Snark, as well as a two-volume tale called, Sylvie and Bruno. Through his success, Carroll continued teaching at Christ Church until 1881, and he remained there in residence until his death in 1898. He died of pneumonia followed by influenza on January 14th. J.M Barrie (1860-1937) Sir James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright who is best known for this play, Peter Pan. He adopted and raised five boys from the Llewelyn Davies family after the deaths of their parents, and these boys would serve as the inspiration for many of Barrie’s works. He married stage actress Mary Ansell in 1894, but the two divorced in 1909. In honor of his renowned play, a statue of the title character was erected in London’s Ken- sington Gardens in 1912. The statue was supposed to be modeled after one of the Davies boys dressed as Peter Pan, however, the sculptor opted for a different boy as the model, and the result left Barrie disappointed. On June 19th, Barrie died of pneumonia in London. He left the bulk of his estate to his secretary, as well as the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. References in Peter and Alice Acumen-The ability to make good judgements and quick decisions. Bumpus Bookshop-A London bookshop founded by John Bumpus around 1790 that became one of the best-known booksellers of Victorian times. Cantilevered-Supported at one end and carrying a load at the other end. Cataracts-Sections of a river that tumble over rocks. Centenary-The hundredth anniversary of a significant event. Crepuscular-Relating to twilight. Cryptographer-One who studies the science of secret writings, or codes. Galleon-A sailing ship. Immutable-Unchanging over time. Imprint-A publisher's name, address, and other details in a printed item. Laudanum-An extract of opium widely used throughout Victorian society. Maelstrom-A powerful whirlpool in a sea or river. Maladroit-Ineffective, bumbling, or clumsy. Reverential-Characterized by reference. Soporific-Inducing drowsiness or sleep. Tyburn-A village in England where public executions took place. Wireless-Radio. Themes in Peter and Alice John Logan’s imagined discussion between Alice Liddell Hargreaves and Peter Llewellyn Davies centers around the trauma of being put upon by the public, and how each of them coped with it in very different ways. As such, the play touches upon the following themes: Honesty: Throughout the play, both Hargreaves and Davies are forced to take honest looks at their individual pasts. In doing so, each must decide how to carry on with the stigmas place upon them. Truth: Intertwined with honesty, truth is also a prominent theme in Logan’s play. Hargreaves and Davies each have truthful scenes played out before them that not only educate the audience, but helps guide the characters to the work’s resolution. Growing Up: Growing older is not easy, and Logan’s play makes this apparent as the audience sees Hargreaves and Davies mature through various events and learn valuable life lessons. Hey, Teachers! This theatre is a proud member of the Theatre Collective of the Brazos Valley. This organization has been kind enough to develop the following rules of theatre etiquette. Please re- view these rules with your students to assure that all audience members enjoy the show! 1. Be on time by being in your seat 10 minutes before the performance is scheduled to begin. Live theatre begins at the published performance time with a darkened theatre and actors frequently in the aisles ready for entrances. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the theatre and in locations chosen by the theatre. 2. Remain seated until intermission and until curtain calls are completed to allow perform- ers free access to the exits. If an emergency requires leaving your seat, please remain outside the theatre until allowed to return by the theatre’s volunteer staff. 3. Finish and/or discard all food and drinks before entering the theatre.

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