Directed by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill Musical Direction by Josh D. Smith Choreography by Freddy Ramirez FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: MARGARET E. HALL AARON MARQUISE Associate Artistic Director Arts Education Manager [email protected] [email protected] 518.462.4531 x410 518.382.3884 x128 1 Table of Contents Capital Repertory Theatre’s 39th Season - 2019-2020 LOBBY HERO by Kenneth Lonergan 3 A Letter from our Education Department SEPT 29 – OCT 20, 2019 4 About Us 5 Attending a Performance IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 6 Literary Context: Synopsis of the Play Live from the WVL Radio Theatre Frank McCourt Bio Adapted by WVR Repoley from the motion From the Original Production picture by Frank Capra Vocabulary Words NOV 22 – DEC 22, 2019 10 Historical Context: Counties of Ireland Events Mentioned in the Script YOUR BEST ONE by Meridith Friedman Irish Potato Famine East Coast Premiere Immigration JAN 17 – FEB 09, 2020 Figures Mentioned in the Script 15 Scientific Context: Potato Blight THE IRISH AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY Famine and other Illnesses By Frank McCourt, featuring the music of 17 Musical Context: Songs … Ireland Instruments in the Show MAR 06 – APRIL 05, 2020 Song Sheet for 15 Miles on the Erie Canal 20 Who’s Who in the Production SISTER ACT 21 Ideas for Curriculum Integration Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, 24 Resources Consulted Book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner 25 Teacher Evaluation Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion 26 theREP’s Mission In Action Picture, SISTER ACT, written by Joseph Howard *Parts of this guide were researched and written by Dramaturgy Intern Eliza Kuperschmid. JULY 10 – AUG 16, 2020 theREP’s ON-THE-GO! IN-SCHOOL TOURS We come to YOU! To book a tour, contact Aaron Marquise at [email protected] | 518-382-3884 x128 Victoria Benkoski Tour Dates Tour Dates Oct. 7 – Nov. 3, Feb. 24 – March 2019 19, 2020 Public Public Performance Performance @theREP @theREP 10/26/19 at 11am 3/21/20 at 11am 2 Spring 2019 Dear Educator: Welcome to Capital Repertory Theatre! We are thrilled that you will be attending the student matinee performance of The Irish and How They Got That Way, one of theREP’s main stage productions – and the last one in our current home (111 North Pearl Street) as we prepare to move up the street to our new home on the corner of Livingston and Pearl – and we hope you will find this guide to be a useful tool. You have permission to reproduce materials within this guide for use in your classroom. It is designed to introduce the cultural and historical context of the play as well as provide resources and ideas for integrating the theatre experience with your curriculum. Productions by theREP are likely to generate questions and opinions among your students. Our hope is that you will join us for a talkback with the cast following the performance where you and your students can share your questions and reactions with the performers. The arts provide young imaginations with stimulation, points of reference, and intellectual resources for the mind and spirit. Our goal is to make live theatre attendance possible for all students in the Capital Region. Over 11,000 Capital Region students attended student matinees and theREP’s On- the-Go! in-school tour performances last season. We hope to continue to grow and serve the needs of the Capital Region education community. Let us know how you are using theatre in the classroom! Your success stories help us to keep the program funded. We love to receive copies of lesson plans, student work related to our performances and your letters. These are important testimonials to the value of the arts in education. And finally, please fill out the Teacher Evaluation at the back of this study guide. Completing the evaluation form will help us to continue to provide programs that serve the needs of Capital Region students. We look forward to hearing from you! With deepest gratitude, Margaret E. Hall Aaron Marquise Associate Artistic Director Arts Education Manager 518.462.4531 x410 518.382.3884 x128 [email protected] [email protected] 3 ABOUT US Capital Repertory Theatre (theREP) is a non-profit professional producing theatre. In its 39-year history, theREP has produced more than 8,000 performances for the people of the Capital Region. A member of LORT (League of Resident Theatres), theREP strives to bring quality work that explores the essence of the human condition through the stories of people, events, and phenomena that shape our contemporary lives. Theatre, at its best, entertains, cajoles and inspires by engaging the heart and mind through its most powerful ally – the imagination. There are two basic types of theatre companies: producing and presenting. theREP is a producing theatre. The theatre hires a director and designers for the set, costumes, lights, and sound. The Theatre’s Artistic Director and the director select appropriate actors for all the roles in the play. Then they all come to Albany, where the play is built and rehearsed. In addition to the theatre space, theREP has a scene shop where sets are built, a costume shop where costumes are constructed and cared for, offices where the administrative staff works, a rehearsal hall where the shows are rehearsed, and housing facilities for actors. The resident staff of the theatre works with visiting artists to put the production together. In contrast, presenting theatres host shows that have been designed, built, and rehearsed elsewhere. A theatre company at many different theatres frequently presents shows of this kind regionally, nationally or even internationally over an extended period of time. What you will see at theREP or with our On-The-Go! tours is unique to theREP where it was built. No one from anywhere else will see this production just as you see it! 4 ATTENDING A PERFORMANCE Being a member of an audience is an important job. Live theatre couldn’t exist without you! That job carries with it some responsibilities. Follow these suggestions in order to have the best theatre experience possible! BRING WITH YOU u ideas, imagination, an open mind, observation skills and a sense of wonder. LEAVE BEHIND u cell phones, pagers, pen lights, food and drink and anything else that might distract you, the performers or other members of the audience. THINGS TO DO BEFORE A PERFORMANCE u learn about the show you are going to see, arrive on time, find your seat, visit the restroom. DURING A PERFORMANCE PLEASE DO u applaud, laugh, pay attention and notice little details, think about questions you would like to have answered by the actors after the show, stay in your seat until intermission and the end of the show. PLEASE DON’T u talk, sleep, eat or drink, distract others, exit the theatre during the performance. 2019-2020 EDUCATION SEASON . OCT 17, 2019 DEC 6, 11 & 17, 2019 MAR 12, 17, 25 & APRIL 2, 2020 10:30am 10:30 am 10:30am STUDENT MATINEES | Performance at theREP at 10:30am PRICE $12 a student CHAPERONES For every 15 students, one complimentary adult ticket is provided. LOCATION 111 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207 RESERVATIONS Call Group Sales at 518-382-3884 x139 SCHOLARSHIPS Visit www.capitalrep.org for information and applications. 5 LITERARY CONTEXT: A Synopsis of the Play The Irish…And How They Got That Way is an irreverent history of the Irish in America according to Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt, diced with ribald tales and spirited songs. There was a period in the 1990s when all things Hibernian (of or concerning Ireland) were all the rage – in walks Frank McCourt (metaphorically speaking), a retired Manhattan high school teacher to contributing to the Irish cultural surge taking place by writing “Angela’s Ashes.” His, best selling memoir, was about a destitute childhood in Limerick Ireland, and it won him a Pulitzer Prize. McCourt, who had acted in plays at the Irish Repertory Theater and the Irish Arts Center, seized the Hibernian moment and went on to write The Irish…And How They Got That Way – a revue about the Irish immigrant experience in the United States. Through a combination of primary documents – letters, journal entries, and newspaper reports – The Irish…And How They Got That Way paints a picture of the lives of Irish men and women during the 19th century (which was not always a joyous time period). The spoken-word passages of McCourt’s play are augmented by a host of songs ranging from jaunty to dour, from familiar (“Too-Ra-Loo-Ra- Loo-Ra” and “Erie Canal”) to relatively obscure (“Shores of Amerikay”). The piece strings together a buoyant blend of traditional Irish folk songs, show tunes and pop music – including contemporary Ireland’s U2. The moments of spoken-word (or dialogue) and the music (and their lyrics) work to convey a history of the Irish including the Irish potato famine that caused them to flee their homeland as well as the bigotry and hostility that accompanied the arrival of Irish immigrants in America. McCourt’s razor sharp wit, coupled with his trademark bitter irony, and his boundless love for the Irish People are all underscored by glorious music. The Flag of Ireland The Emerald Isle 6 LITERARY CONTEXT: Frank McCourt, Bio Pulitzer Prize winning author, Frank McCourt, was born August 19th 1930 in Brooklyn, NY to Irish immigrant parents. Unable to find work during the Great Depression, the McCourt family moved back to their hometown of Limerick, Ireland, where they unfortunately sunk deeper into poverty. McCourt’s childhood was not an easy one.