Teacher's Instructional Guide
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GOODSPEED MUSICALS TEACHER’S INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE Goodspeed’s Teacher’s Instructional Guide Instructional Teacher’s Goodspeed’s is madepossiblethroughthegenerosity of The Max Showalter Centerfor Education inMusical Theatre MAME Goodspeed Opera House April 20 - July 1, 2012 _________ MUSIC AND LYRICS BY JERRY HERMAN BOOK BY JEROME LAWRENCE Teacher’s Instructional Guide & ROBERT E. LEE TABLE OF CONTENTS BASED ON THE NOVEL BY How To Use The Guides.......................................................................................3 PATRICK DENNIS AND THE PLAY “AUNTIE MAME” BY ABOUT THE SHOW: LAWRENCE & LEE Show Synopsis........................………………………………………………...4 LIGHTING DESIGN BY Character Summary.........................………………………………………..6 CHARLIE MORRISON The Novelist: Patrick Dennis.....................................................................7 COSTUME DESIGN BY Meet the Writers.........................................................................................8 GREGG BARNES Behind the Scenes: Costume Design.................................................10 SCENIC DESIGN BY BACKGROUND AND THEMATIC MATERIAL: JAMES YOUMANS From Page to Stage: Adaptation....…....……………………………….11 CHOREOGRAPHED BY The Great Crash.....................…………....…………………………………13 VINCE PESCE The Great Depression..............……………………………………………..14 DIRECTED BY RAY RODERICK The Social Class System…………………………………………….……….15 The Role of Women................................................................................16 PRODUCED FOR GOODSPEED MUSICALS BY LESSONS: MICHAEL P. PRICE Middle School Language Arts.....….………………………………..........17 Middle School Social Studies............…………….……………………....19 High School English........................….………………………………..........21 High School History...............................…………………………………....23 Mame Lyrics.............................................................................................26 Resources..…………………………………………………………………….……….29 Theatre Etiquette.................................................................................................30 TIG updated 04.06.2012 HOW TO USE THE GUIDES THE TEACHER’S INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE (TIG) is intended for use by teachers who will bring their school groups to attend performances at Goodspeed Musicals. The TIG provides background information, teaching ideas, and prompts to facilitate students’ knowledge and appreciation of the show’s themes and characters. The TIG activities are influenced by state and national standards associated with the arts, language arts, social studies, and science. THE STUDENT GUIDE TO THE THEATRE serves as a companion to the Teacher’s Instructional Guide (TIG). It includes a plot and character summary, accessible historical and thematic background information to support the lessons in the TIG, and a behind-the-scenes look at the production. It also includes fun facts, theatre terms, and activities. Each lesson in the TIG corresponds to a specific section in the Student Guide. Reading the Student Guide before attending a Goodspeed production will increase the likelihood that students will take active, critical roles as audience members, which will then lead to valuable classroom discussions. The chart below maps the connection between the TIG’s lessons and supporting material with the corresponding pages in the Student Guide. (Click page numbers to jump to section.) LEVEL/SUBJECT LEARNING PHASE LESSON TOPIC TIG STUDENT GUIDE Middle School Before the Show Adaptation through Lesson: p. 17 Student Material: p. 10 Language Arts Children’s Literature Support Material: p. 11-12 Middle School Understanding Language and Lyrics Lesson: p. 17 Student Material: p. 15-17 Language Arts Support Material: p. 26-28 Middle School After the Show Conformity vs. Lesson: p. 18 Student Material: p. 3-5, Language Arts Nonconformity Support Material: p. 16 14 Middle School Before the Show Front Page News Lesson: p. 19 Student Material: p. 11-12 Social Studies Support Material: p. 13-14 Middle School Understanding Social Class Lesson: p. 19 Student Material: p. 13 Social Studies Support Material: p. 15 Middle School After the Show Women in History Lesson: p. 20 Student Material: p. 14 Social Studies Support Material: p. 16 High School Before the Show Conformity vs. Lesson: p. 21 Student Material: p. 3-5 English Nonconmormity Support Material: p. 16 14 High School Understanding Language and Lyrics Lesson: p. 21 Student Material: p. 15-17 English Support Material: p. 26-28 High School After the Show Adaptation Lesson: p. 17 Student Material: p. 10 English Support Material: p. 11-12 High School Before the Show The Youth of the Great Lesson: p. 23 Student Material: p. 11-12 History Depression Support Material: p. 13-14 High School Understanding Social Class Lesson: p. 24 Student Material: p. 3, 4, History Support Material: p. 4, 5 13 15 High School After the Show Women During Mame’s Lesson: p. 25 Student Material: p. 14 History Time Support Material: p. 16 3 The Flame of Mame SHOW SYNOPSIS By Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee The boisterous heroine of our story, the Knickerbocker Bank’s representative, Mame, has been a staple in American finds out that Mame has deceived him Mame constantly amazes us. fiction since she was first introduced in and immediately removes Patrick from This is not a lack of modesty— Patrick Dennis’ novel, Auntie Mame: the school, enrolling him at a boarding for, although we wrote the school called St. Boniface, Babcock’s play Auntie Mame and the An Irreverent Escapade. In 1955, this book of the new musical best-selling novel sold over two million alma mater. Mame, many minds have copies. In 1956, the book was transferred shaped this remarkable lady: into a play with the same title. Adapted The stock market crashes in 1929 causing Patrick Dennis, who created by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the beginning of the Great Depression her in his best-seller, and the play was a huge success running for and Mame loses her fortune. After trying now Jerry Herman, of Hello 678 performances on Broadway. Nearly her hand at many different jobs, Mame Dolly fame, who has written accepts the role of Moon Lady in a ten years after the premier of the stage a musical score which would musical which stars her best friend, Vera make the madcap Mame play, Lawrence and Lee collaborated Charles. Mame’s sole responsibility in this clap her own hands with with Jerry Herman to create the musical, role is to straddle a crescent moon as it delight. Mame. With Herman’s new lyrics and a rises for the climax of the last act. At the tweaked book from Lawrence and Lee, show, Mame’s performance is a complete Somehow it seems that Mame Mame was an even bigger success on herself has plunged into the disaster and it ruins the production. joyful work of making this the Great White Way, lasting three and musical. She is an almost a half years. Patrick, meanwhile, has hitchhiked to unique figure in modern New Haven to see Mame in the musical. fiction: Mame refuses to be After the show, he goes backstage to imaginary! She is not a fondly offer his congratulations. Based on her remembered Mama or a disastrous performance, Mame knows matchmaker going back to she’s lost another job and deems herself the gas-lights of 14th Street. a failure. However, Patrick encourages Mame is more interested in torches along the Ganges her and expresses how proud he is of her. and the lightning bugs of Peckerwood. She virtually It’s early December now and Mame polevaults out of the gaiety decides to throw an early Christmas to of the twenties into lunar lighten the sorrowful mood caused by the orbit—soaring high above onslaught of the Great Depression. Mame, depressions, wars and worries, Gooch, Patrick, who is home from school taking with her a wide-eyed for the weekend, and other household little boy. staff exchange gifts. As they celebrate, an old flame of Mame’s, Beauregard We always long for what we Burnside, shows up at Beekman Place don’t have. This seems to be Original Broadway cast of MAME and treats everyone to a Christmas the Year of the Mole—a time On December 1, 1928, a woman and a of blindness and confusion, of dinner. Beau expresses the desire to marry fuzzy aims and fading faith. young boy walk the streets of Manhattan. Mame, but explains that he needs his Our theatre lately has been Patrick, a newly orphaned 10 year old mother’s consent first. Beau takes Mame in a Dark Age, reflecting only from Iowa, and Agnes Gooch, Patrick’s and Patrick to Peckerwood, his mother’s shadows. Mame, somehow, nanny who is delivering him to his only home, and meets many people from lifts a flaming light in that living relative, Mame Dennis, arrive at Beau’s life including his mother and his ex- blackness. She has optimism! Mame’s penthouse apartment on 3 fiancée, Sally Cato. Sally is determined to Zest! Bounce! Even when she Beekman Place. There is a bustling party make a fool of Mame and tricks her into isn’t quite sure where she’s taking place at her lavish apartment. declaring herself an expert horsewoman. going, Mame knows, by God, Mame introduces Patrick and Agnes to she’ll get there! All of us—even Beau has his doubts, as do many others, the party guests and takes the young but he confidently states, “Whatever the most despondent and boy in as her ward. Patrick is quickly disillusioned—would like to be Mame says she can do, she can do.” like Mame. Or we would like to introduced to Mame’s liberal lifestyle. Beau’s faith in Mame rings true as she have her take us by the hand, becomes