Arms Study Guide
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STUDY GUIDE 2006 A PRACTICAL, HANDS-ON RESOURCE FOR THE CLASSROOM CONTAINING ONTARIO CURRICULUM SUPPORT MATERIALS ARMS AND THE MAN BY BERNARD SHAW EDUCATION PARTNERS PRESENTS Arms and The Man By BERNARD SHAW This study guide for Arms and The Man contains background information for the play, suggested TABLE OF CONTENTS themes and topics for discussion, and curriculum- based lessons that are designed by educators and The Players and The Story ...................................3 theatre professionals. Who’s Who in the Play .........................................4 The lessons and themes for discussion are organ- Historical Timeline ................................................5 ized in modules that can be used independently or interdependently according to the class level and The Playwright .......................................................6 time availability. Costume Design Notes ........................................7 THIS GUIDE WAS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY Set Design Notes ..................................................8 BARBARA WORTHY, ROD CHRISTENSEN AND DR. DEBRA MCLAUCHLAN, PHD. ADDITIONAL MATE- Did You Know? Play Trivia.................................9 RIALS WERE PROVIDED BY JACKIE MAXWELL, SUE Did You Know? Historical Trivia.....................10 LEPAGE, WILLIAM SCHMUCK AND JEFF SCOLLON. Shades of Shaw ....................................................11 COVER: DETAIL FROM A PHOTO OF HAAKON VII OF NORWAY, 1905 (GETTY IMAGES). PAGE 2: PICTURE: Classroom Applications "BAYONET CHARGE" (BULGARIANS ATTACK SERBI- ANS, 1885) BY JAJAROSLAV VESIN (1860-1915). Before Attending the Play ............................12-17 PAGE 11: ILLUSTRATIONS: “GBS” BY RAY MCILROY. Set Design Activity........................................18-20 After Attending the Play...............................21-26 Arms and the Man Say What? (Text Tips)..................................27/28 Running time: 2hrs 15 approx. Glossary of Theatre Terms ................................29 including one intermission Word Puzzle.................................................. 30/31 Previews March 30 Response Sheet ....................................................32 2 The Players Raina................................................................................................ Diana Donnelly Bluntschli ........................................................................................ Patrick Galligan A Russian Officer ............................................................................Martin Happer Petkoff.......................................................................................................Peter Hutt Louka.......................................................................................Catherine McGregor Catherine...........................................................................................Nora McLellan Nikolai.................................................................................................. Peter Millard Sergius.......................................................................................................Mike Shara A Russian Soldier……………………………………… Michael Strathmore Directed by Jackie Maxwell Set Designed by Sue LePage Costumes Designed by William Schmuck Lighting Designed by Louise Guinand Original Music by Paul Sportelli Stage Manager: Alison Peddie Assistant Stage Manager: Dora Tomassi Technical Director: Jeff Scollon Intern Director: Lee Wilson The Story The moon rises over a small Bulgarian town. Clutching the photograph of her fiancé in dashing military attire, a beautiful young woman sinks into her bed with a romantic novel. Suddenly, gunshots ring out, and as if from Thethe pages moon of rises the over book, a smalla desperat Bulgariane soldier town. bursts Clutching into thethe rphotographoom. As he oflights her fiancéa match, in dashingwe see hemilitary is jittery, attire, ex- a beautifulhausted, andyoung yes, woman perhaps—evenThe sinks into in her thisStory bed light—handsome with a romantic ? This novel. is CaptainSuddenly, Bluntsch gunshotsli, ari Swissng out, mercenary and as if fight-from theing withpages the of Serbianthe book, army. a desperat He is suffe soldierering from bursts hunger, into the lack room. of sleep As andhe lights bad nerves—anda match, we hesee wouldhe is jittery, rather ex-eat hausted,chocolate and than yes, fire perhaps—even bullets. And now in this he islight—handsome? a fleeing soldier, hiding in Raina’s bedroom. Arms and The Man is considered onceone of of Shaw’s Shaw’s most most entertaining, entertaining ,deftly deftly written written comedies. comedies . Set against the back- ground theof the Serbo-Bulgarian Serbo-Bulgarian conflict conflict of 1885,of 1885, here the we Shaw get toproduction know Raina, is updated her deliciously to the early eccentric 20th familycentury and to household,take advantage her outrageousof the style fiandancé, fashions and of ofcourse, that timethe runaway period. soon-to-In the romanticbe her “chocolate mountains cream of Bulgaria soldier”. we And get toas heroismknow Raina and Petkoff, militarism her are deliciously laid bare eccentric against thefamily foibles and household,of middle-clas hers outrageouspretensions, fiancé, love andand ofromance course, runthe amok.runaway “chocolate cream soldier”. Raina saves him from certain death, and does not see him again until he returns the following spring. And as heroism and militarism are laid bare against the foibles of middle-class pre- tensions, love and romance run amok in what Shaw called his ‘anti-romantic comedy’. Jackie Maxwell, Director. 3 Bernard Shaw didn’t want to give who’s in his characters names at first...they e Man were just generic ‘no-names’...but and Th WHO Arms a friend changed his mind... The Stranger Captain Bluntschli: A Swiss mercenary The Daughter with the Serbian army who carries choco- Raina Petkoff: A beautiful, young Bulgarian late instead of rifle cartridges. He is capable and woman, engaged to Major Sergius, one of the he- unaffected; and although life for him is ‘something roes of the Serbo-Bulgarian war. She is child-like, a quite sensible and serious’, in the end he is re- romantic, in love with heroism, gallantry, and with vealed as a suppressed romantic. And although his what she believes to be the splendid nobleness of common sense and stability prove admirable, in war. But her eyes are opened to the reality of life the end it is his romantic streak that captures by Bluntschli, who in turn then becomes the cata- Raina’s love. lyst for all her romantic dreams to give way to true romance. Sergius Saranoff: A Bul- garian soldier who has lived a life full of ornamental honour, The Father chivalry, patriotism and hero- The ism. Extraordinarily self- Major Petkoff: Raina’s father, a cheerful, excit- Heroic obsessed, he lives up to his able, insignificant, unpolished man, who Shaw de- Lover ideal of the perfect soldier scribes as ‘naturally unambitious, except as to his and gentleman but is forced income and his importance in local society.’ The to accept his own weaknesses. war provided him with an enviable military rank, Handsome, appealing, funny and a great degree of self-importance. and appalling, he is perhaps the anti-hero of the play. The Maid The Mother Louka: A servant in the Petkoff house- Catherine Petkoff: Raina’s mother, an energetic, hold. A feisty, proud peasant girl; she magnificent, free-thinking artistic woman, deter- disdains the work of a servant and uses mined to be bourgeois rather than merely the wife her earthy strength and defiance to pro- of a mountain farmer, or a soldier. She is business- pel herself to a better future. like and efficient when necessary, extravagant and outrageous when she chooses. Nikolai: A servant in the Petkoff household. He is intelligent, cool of temperament, with the compla- cency of a servant who values his rank in servitude, and who has no illusions of his role in life. The Servant 4 BALKANS HISTORICAL TIMELINE 10th century: First unification of the Serbians un- 1914, June 28: Assassination of Archduke Francis der Byzantine sovereignty. Ferdinand in Sarajevo precipitates Europe into war. 1389, June 15: Turkish victory over the Serbians at the battle of Polje. 1918: Proclamation of the Kingdom of the Serbi- ans, Croatians and Slovenes ("first Yugoslavia") in 1459-1462-1463: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina Belgrade. become Turkish provinces. 1941, April: Invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis 1699: Treaty of Karlovitz returns Croatia to the forces. Capitulation and Italo-German occupation. Habsburgs. 1945: Proclamation of the Federal People's Repub- 1739: Treaty of Belgrade - Austria restores Serbia lic ("second Yugoslavia") under Marshall Tito. to the Ottoman Em- pire. The Balkans 1948: Break between Tito and Stalin. Early 19th century: Emergence of Croa- 1980: Death of Tito. tian and Slovenian The federation hit by nationalism, along economic crisis. with a "Yugoslav" (literally Slavs of the 1991, June 6: Slove- South) conscious- nia and Croatia pro- ness. claim their independ- ence. 1876-1877: Serbian war against the 1991, August: The Turks. federal army launches a massive 1878: Treaty of Ber- military assault in lin recognizes Ser- Croatia. bian independence. 1991, October: Bos- 1885: Serbia declared nia-Herzegovina pro- war on Bulgaria and claims its independ- were completely de- ence. feated at Slivnitza (Nov. 17). They were 1992: Outbreak of saved from invasion war in Bosnia. by the intervention 1993, January: Bos- of Austria. (Shaw’s play Arms and The Man