Spring 2009 TEACHERS COMPANION Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario THE SHAW FESTIVAL IN April 1 to November 1 NIAGARA-ON-THE-LaKE IS FESTIVAL THEATRE OUTSTANDING BRIEF ENCOUNTERS ONE OF NORTH AMERICA’S Still Life, We Were Dancing, Hands MOST EXCITING THEATRE THEATRE FOR Across the Sea STUDENTS! NOEL COWARD DESTINATIONS! BoRN YESTERDAY One of the many highlights in 2009 is a GARSON KANIN celebration of one of Bernard Shaw’s most ThE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE famous contemporaries, Noël Coward, and BERNARD SHAW his collection of ten short plays entitled COURT HOUSE THEATRE Tonight at 8:30. From classic Coward WAYS of THE HEART comedies to moving dramas – some known The Astonished Heart, Family Album, and treasured, and some rarely seen – each of Ways and Means NOEL COWARD the plays is a tiny jewel of playwriting. This marks the first time in repertory theatre A MooN foR THE MISBEGOTTEN EUGENE O’NEILL history that all ten plays will be performed together. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for ALBERTINE IN FIVE TIMES MICHEL TREMBLAY students! TRANSLATED BY LINDA GABORIAU ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE We’ve not forgotten our illustrious namesake, PLAY, ORCHESTRA, PLAY presenting two rousing works by Bernard Red Peppers, Fumed Oak, Shadow Play Shaw, The Devil’s Disciple and In Good King NOEL COWARD Charles’s Golden Days – as well as Garson SUNDAY IN THE PARK Kanin’s romantic comedy Born Yesterday, WITH GEORGE Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning Sunday MUSIC AND LYRICS BY in the Park with George, Eugene O’Neill’s Claire Jullien IN GOOD KING CHARLES’S GOLDEN DAYS. Photo by Shin Sugino. STEPHEN SONDHEIM poignant A Moon for the Misbegotten, Michel BOOK BY JAMES LAPINE Tremblay’s iconic Albertine in Five Times and IN GooD KING ChARLES’S in the new Studio Theatre, John Osborne's GoLDEN DAYS The Entertainer. BERNARD SHAW STAR ChAMBER Lunchtime Easy and affordable lunches for $10 $25 and $30 Student tickets! NOEL COWARD Try our portable student lunch with sandwich, Students groups can attend Special Matinee STUDIO THEATRE seasonal fruit, cookie and a drink, to enjoy on performances for just $25 and regular performances ThE ENTERTAINER the beautiful grounds of the Festival Theatre or for $30. Add a backstage tour, Tell Me More talk or JOHN OSBORNE inside at the Lobby Café. post-show chat at no extra cost. Pre-order when you book your tickets. Noël Coward’s TONIGHT AT 8:30 FOR INFORMATION OR TO BOOK YOUR VISIT A celebrated collection of ten brilliant short plays brought to life on three CALL GROUP SALES AT: Shaw Festival stages. 1-800-511-7429 or [email protected] A ONCE-IN-A- LIFETIME EVENT! www.shawfest.com TEACHERS COMPANION SPRING 2009 In the Spotlight: Tonight at 8:30 A CONVERSATION WITH JACKIE MAXWELL as ArtIstIC DIREctor you choosE thE What asPEcts of thE ONE-act Play do you Plays that makE UP thE ShaW’S SEasoN. FIND morE comPEllING thaN full-LENgth THIS YEar, thERE arE somE EXCITING AND Plays? bold choICES CELEbratING thE Works of I have always been drawn to short stories NoËL COWard. TEll us What thIS ENtaIls in which essential truths are shown in a AND hoW you WERE INSPIRED? very concise way. The same is true for one- This season we are thrilled to be embark- act plays, especially Coward’s, where each ing on an adventure – a once-in-a-lifetime one is a theatrical gem and his craft as a project with full productions of all ten writer is brilliant. Coward also wrote these short plays in Noël Coward’s famous To- particular plays to allow himself, and his night at 8:30 collection. This will be the fellow actors, opportunities to strut their first time all ten plays have been per- talents and skills as performers. It will formed in repertory by a professional com- be fun for students to see three different pany since 1935-36. The plays will be per- plays being performed back to back, with formed in sets of three, one on each of the the same actors performing three very dif- Festival’s stages, with the tenth, the rarely ferent characters, in three very different produced Star Chamber, being the lunch- worlds! time production in the Royal George. What arE thE challENGES AND RE- The idea of doing all of Coward’s Tonight Wards of stagING thESE COWard Plays? at 8:30 came to me as I reread the plays and The fun of this season for us all is that was struck that each one is a brilliant jewel because there are four teams of directors, – like the best short stories – some well designers, and actors working on staging known, some not. As is typical of Coward, the short plays by Noël Coward, we are all the ten plays vary hugely. Coward is a bril- able to share information and resources. liant miniaturist, a master storyteller, and We can bounce ideas off one another and, Jackie Maxwell, photo by David Cooper any group of these plays, seen together, is a at the same time, create our own unique truly satisfying theatre experience. productions. the scheme is to provide a full and varied evening’s entertainment for theatre-goers.” IN your OPINION, arE thE Works of NoËL As the director of Brief Encounters at the I believe we’ll achieve this! COWard accEssIblE for studENts AND Festival Theatre the challenge for me has TEachErs? been getting my head around the fact that A couple of years ago I ‘dragged’ my there are THREE plays thus three differ- 15-year-old daughter to Noël Coward’s ent worlds. So, during rehearsals, I’ll have Design for Living. By the end of the play to be really organized as we create and Noël Coward’s she was completely amazed at not only move from play to play to play. the content of the play but the fact that ToNIGHT AT 8:30 it had been written in 1932 and yet, was The challenge for designers is how do we Brief Encounters still relevant today. Often when people physically and artistically move from one (Still Life, We Were Dancing, think of Coward they think of posh peo- setting to the next, all on one stage? They Hands Across the Sea) ple, in smoking jackets, speaking wittily have to keep in mind the stage size and in bons mots, but Coward’s plays are much theatre space as well as the practicalities of Ways of the Heart more than that simple cliché. These one designing, moving and storing three sets. (The Astonished Heart, Family Album, act plays include comedies that poke fun Ways and Means) at the upper class, dramas that are a bit For actors, the challenge will be maintain- Play, Orchestra, Play darker in tone, and musicals that combine ing the focus and concentration that will (Red Peppers, Fumed Oak, humour and bittersweet stories. be necessary while performing in three Shadow Play) vastly different plays in the span of one Attending any three of these ten one-act evening. They will literally be morphing Star Chamber plays will be a great introduction to Cow- from character to character to character! www.tonightat830.com ard as the students will be able to experi- ence all these facets of Coward in one go! As Coward said, “The primary objective of 1-800-511-7429 TEACHERS COMPANION SPRING 2009 Activities for Students TEACHERS, PLEASE SHARE THESE EXCITING THEATRE-RELATED WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES WITH YOUR STUDENTS. TEEN WORKSHOPS AT THE SHAW THEATRE CLASSES AT THE SHAW SHAW SUMMER CAMP Saturdays, 10am to 5pm, including a backstage Saturdays, September 26 to December 5. Presented by The Shaw and Carousel Players tour, workshop, matinee performance, and A ten-week drama program designed for July 13-17 or July 20-24. For ages 10-14. $190 a post-show chat with Ensemble members. young people who love theatre. Through All workshops taught by Shaw Festival engaging drama games and new theatrical Explore characters, designs and scenes from professionals. skills, participants will explore their inner Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with creativity and develop self-confidence. George. Spend a day at the Shaw Festival for a ACCENT ON FUN: Learn to talk like the Eng- performance, backstage tour, and post-show lish upper class with confidence and flair. In- Junior Company (Grades 4-6) chat with actors. Rehearse scenes from the play cludes 2 pm Brief Encounters. May 9 10am – 11:30am $195 and perform for family and friends at the end Intermediate Company (Grades 7-8) of the week. STAGE COMBAT: Explore how to make fight- 10am – 11:30am $195 ing look authentic while keeping it safe for the Senior Company I (Grades 9-10) Five days, 9am – 3pm, including a 2pm stage. Includes 2 pm Born Yesterday. June 6 1pm – 3pm $236 performance of Sunday in the Park with George Senior Company II (Grades 11-12) on July 15 or 22. WHOSE LINE IS IT? Exercise your creativ- 1pm – 3pm $236 ity through improv games and techniques. In- To register: Carousel Players 905-682-8326 cludes 2 pm Brief Encounters. June 13 To register for the workshops or theatre classes, ext 23 or [email protected] call the Shaw Box Office at 1-800-511-7429. One workshop, one play $30 For more information, contact Suzanne Two workshops, two plays $50 Merriam – Senior Manager, Education at 905- Three workshops, two plays $60 468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext 265 FEATURED PACKAGE A GREat ShaW AdvENturE A student-friendly package! The Shaw Resources for Teachers Festival has partnered with Niagara Falls’ Great Wolf Lodge to offer a fantastic new SHAW ARTIST-IN-THE-CLASS PROGRAM Learn from the pros! Hands-on, in-class package at an incredibly affordable price.