Teacher's Guide
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in partnership with BOOK BY JASON COLL AND ANDREW MASICH MUSIC AND LYRICS BY JASON COLL pghhistory.org Major support for the Gallery of Heroes is provided by William Randolph Hearst Foundation Massey Charitable Trust National Endowment for the Arts AT & T Buhl Foundation Highmark Matthew Lamb as Young Washington Teacher’sTeacher’s GuideGuide Table of Contents About Musicals . 1 About the Play . 2 About George Washington . 3-5 Young Washington, a musical. Book by Jason Coll and Martha Washington . 5 Andrew Masich. Music and lyrics by Jason Coll. Copyright 2004. The writing and research team: George Washington Timeline . 5 Terri S. Blanchette, Heinz History Center Slavery at Mount Vernon . 6 Emily C. Cline, Heinz History Center Billy Lee . 6 Teachers Guide published by the Pittsburgh CLO, 2010 Southwestern PA’s Role in the French & Indian War . 7 Glossar y . 8 Works Cited & Suggested Resources . 8 Classroom Activities & Pennsylvania Academic Standards . 9 This production and Teacher’s Guide are made possible by: Major support for the Gallery of Heroes is provided by: William Randolph Hearst Foundation Massey Charitable Trust National Endowment for the Arts AT&T Buhl Foundation Highmark “Mount Vernon” “Braddock’s Defeat” (Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.) 1 Information About Musicals About the Play The Writers: Most musicals are broken into three parts: Story: the Book, the Lyrics and the Music. These are usually divided among three people who work together in a collaboration. Young Washington explores George Washington’s early life The Playwright writes the script or the lines that the actors as a surveyor and explorer and his surprising rise to power speak. This is referred to as the Book. The Lyricist writes the as a military leader and diplomat. words the actors sing, and the Composer writes the music for the show. Each writer works independently, then they share ideas and revise the show until they decide it is ready to be Setting: produced. The play opens in 1754, at the start of the French & Indian War, in the wilderness of the Ohio Valley. We follow George The Artistic Staff: The Director oversees all aspects of the from the harsh fields of battle to the lush Virginia greenery of production and has many responsibilities including making sure Mount Vernon through the end of the French & Indian War. the show has a successful run from start to finish. The Director hires the Choreographer and the Music Director. They also meet with the Costume and Scenery Designers to make sure that their Characters: designs match the writers’ vision. George Washington - a young, ambitious surveyor Assisting the Director is the Stage Manager. The Stage turned soldier Manager schedules the meetings between the Designers and Director and obtains any materials or props that may be Lawrence Washington - George Washington’s half brother needed for the show. and owner of Mount Vernon The Choreographer creates and teaches all of the dancing or stylized movement for the show, and the Music Director Anne Fairfax Washington - Lawrence Washington’s wife works with the orchestra and teaches all of the music to the and a daughter of one of the most prestigious families performers. in Virginia The Performers: All actors need to audition to perform George William Fairfax - Anne Fairfax’s brother in a musical. During auditions, each performer must sing or dance for the Director, Choreographer and Music Director. Sally Fairfax - George William’s wife and a great friend If the artistic staff thinks an actor may be right for the show, and admirer of George Washington he/she is invited to a callback. A callback is a second audition Governor Dinwiddie - the deputy governor of Virginia in which the actors are asked to sing, read from the script and dance a combination taught by the Choreographer. Only the lobbying for a force from England to displace the French best performers are invited to perform in the show. in the Ohio Territory Tanacharison the Half-King - an Indian statesman from the The Rehearsals: Rehearsals are intense practices where the actors learn their lines, songs and blocking — their movements Seneca Nation and a skilled negotiator, loyal to his people on the stage — for the show. During rehearsals, the stage crew Christopher Gist - a well-known frontiersman and Indian works backstage to move scenery and help the actors with trader employed by George Washington as his guide costume changes. Jacob Van Braam - a Dutch immigrant hired by Washington The final practice for the show is called the Dress Rehearsal. Here, the Performers, Artistic Staff, Stage Crew and Designers as a translator to accompany the Virginia colonial army showcase the finished product. The Dress Rehearsal is usually Captain McKay - a British officer fighting side by side with the first and only time they get to run the completed show on Washington stage without an audience. After the dress rehearsal — it’s opening night! General Edward Braddock - Commander of the combined As you can see, there is a lot of work that goes into making British and colonial forces who engaged Washington as a musical. We hope that this brief overview has helped you his aide appreciate all the many talents that contribute to creating and mounting a show. Theater Etiquette: The audience is an important part of every performance, whether it is a symphony, a play or a musical. During live theater, the performers and audience members react with each other in a way that is not possible when seeing a movie or watching television. Your actions affect the success of the theater production. 2 Birth & Family When George was fourteen, Lawrence encouraged him to join the British Navy, George Washington was born in 1732 at Bridge’s Creek in but his mother Mary Virginia. He was the oldest of five children of Augustine and refused to give him Mary Ball Washington. In addition to his younger sister and permission. Although three younger brothers, George also had two older half disappointed, brothers from his father’s previous marriage. In 1738, the George instead family moved to Ferry Farm near Fredericksburg, Virginia, applied himself to where George rode horses, fished in the nearby surveying, a skill in Rappahannock River, and spent hours exploring the docks high demand as and wharfs of Fredericksburg. settlers pushed When George was eleven, his father died and George west into new became closer to his half brother, Lawrence, who was unsettled land. fourteen years his senior. He visited Lawrence often on his Lawrence’s farm called Mount Vernon. When George turned 16, he father-in-law, Colonel went to live with Lawrence at Mount Vernon where he was William Fairfax, one introduced to new people and a different kind of life. of the most influential men in the area, helped Schooling George find employment as a county surveyor. George George’s formal education began around the age of seven worked diligently and soon “George Washington as a Young Surveyor” and included studies in arithmetic, geography, astronomy established his reputation (Courtesy of the New York Historical Society.) and surveying. Since Virginia had no public schools, the as a qualified surveyor and shrewd businessman who children of wealthy planters studied at home or travelled to invested his money in purchasing frontier land. England for schooling. George’s hope of attending school in England ended with the death of his father, but he found a In 1751, George accompanied Lawrence to the British tutor and mentor in his brother, Lawrence. Lawrence helped island colony of Barbados where Lawrence sought relief George with his studies, taught him good manners and from tuberculosis. Soon after their return to Mount Vernon proper behavior, and introduced him to society. Lawrence died, leaving the family estate to George. In 1752, at the age of twenty, George was now a reputable surveyor Throughout his life, George often regarded his education and a wealthy landowner. as “defective,” but he never ceased to impress others with his self-taught surveying skills, natural intellectual curiosity, and unwavering ambition. “Mount Vernon” (Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladie’s Association.) 3 The Father of Our Country In 1759, Washington married a young widow named Martha Custis. He retired to Mount Vernon planning to spend the rest of his life quietly as a gentleman farmer. Little did he know that the adventures for which he would become most famous still lay in the future. By the time Washington was 31 years old, Britain had successfully waged war against France for control of North America. Thirteen years later, the British were defeated by their colonies in the American Revolution. Washington played a role in both wars and, afterward, served the new nation as its first President. During his eight year term, Washington was instrumental in uniting the former colonies and establishing a workable government. By the time Washington died, in 1799, the United States D. Kimberlly, after Daniel Huntington, Washington Crossing the Allegheny River, ca. 1844, engraving (Courtesy of Mount was an independent nation with its own Constitution, a Vernon Ladie’s Association, Willard-Budd Collection) framework for government that has lasted for over 200 years. Fact & Fable Although little is known of George Washington’s childhood, many stories depicting a larger-than-life hero have been fabricated to create a wealth of folklore. The most notable is the story of six-year-old Washington chopping down his father’s cherry tree. This story, however, was invented by one of Washington’s first biographers, a country parson and book peddler named Mason Locke Weems. It went on to be read by generations of schoolchildren after being printed in the popular McGuffey Reader. The story about George Washington’s wooden teeth is partially true.