Fly by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan Directed by Ricardo Khan CONTENTS 2 the 411 3 A/S/L & RBTL 4 FYI 6 F2F 7 HTH 8 B4U 12 IRL
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2013 – 2014 SEASON FLY by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan Directed by Ricardo Khan CONTENTS 2 The 411 3 A/S/L & RBTL 4 FYI 6 F2F 7 HTH 8 B4U 12 IRL MAJOR SPONSOR: STUDENT MATINEE SPONSOR: World Wide Technology WELCOME! At The Rep, we know The desire to learn, insatiable when awakened, can that life moves sometimes lie dormant until touched by the right teacher or fast—okay, really the right experience. We at The Rep are grateful to have the fast. But we also opportunity to play a role supporting you as you awaken the know that some desire for learning in your students. things are worth The Tuskegee Airmen fought a battle in the air against a slowing down for. We believe that live theatre is world enemy, but they also fought a battle on the ground one of those pit stops worth making and are excited that you against a home enemy. Their battle for equality opened are going to stop by for a show. To help you get the most bang the doors for all groups struggling against bias. The current for your buck, we have put together WU? @ THE REP—an generation owes these heroes, many of whom came from IM guide that will give you everything you need to know to St. Louis, so much and yet knows so little about them. This get at the top of your theatergoing game—fast. You’ll find play is a wonderful opportunity for your students to learn character descriptions (A/S/L), a plot summary (FYI), important American history and to see its direct relevance to biographical information (F2F), historical context (B4U), their lives. and other bits and pieces (HTH). Most importantly, we’ll have some ideas about what this all means IRL, anyway. It would be a good idea to take a minute on the bus to give your students these quick theatre etiquette reminders: • This show has no intermission; there will be time for bathroom breaks before the show. • The actors can hear the audience and appreciate the laughter, gasps and quiet attention to action. However, talking, moving around and eating is very distracting to others and can dampen the energy of what is The Teacher’s happening on stage. Lounge • Pictures, phone calls and texting are not allowed at any time during the performance. In an effort to make our educational materials accessible Live theatre won’t allow your students to take a passive to students and easy for educators to role—they must work with us to create the experience which incorporate into the classroom, our study takes the learning deeper. Our unique ability to fuse words guide is written in a student-oriented format. We hope and images onstage allows your students to explore new that you will circulate this guide among your students in ideas as well as excites their imaginations. We will do our the weeks preceding your visit to The Rep, encouraging part so your students will be stirred to understandings and them to browse it before and after class and as time self-awareness while delving into new and familiar worlds. allows, using it as a launch point for both pre- and post- You are doing your part by using The Rep to extend your performance discussions.You may also want to visit our intellectual and aesthetic curriculum. Thank you! website, www.repstl.org, for additional information Marsha Coplon including activity suggestions and behind-the-scenes Director of Education information. Any materials, either from this guide or from our website may be reproduced for use in the classroom. As always, we appreciate your making live theatre REP EDUcatioN DepartmeNT a part of your classroom experience and welcome your feedback and Director of Education Marsha Coplon questions. Associate Director of Education Sarah Brandt Education Programs Manager April Strelinger Study Guide Writer Laura Schlereth CHET SIMPKINS: a timid, young African- BOMBER PILOT REYNOLDS: a white American man Midwesterner OSCAR: a young African-American and BOMBER CO-PILOT SHAW: a white no-nonsense race man Southerner J. ALLEN: a young Bahamian who is very THE TAP GRIOT: an African-American British and very proud tap dancer living out the inner lives of the various characters through dance; he taps W.W.: a street-wise African-American zoot- emotions, good and bad, that the soldiers are suiter from Chicago not permitted by the times or circumstances CAPTAIn O’HuRLEY: a white Bostonian to express with a chip on his shoulder HONOR AND INTEGRITY There’s no question our troops are held in high regard in the U.S. This play examines people who are working for the greater good, even when those very people are viewed as not good enough by many around them. What do you think W.W. meant when he said: “There are worse ways to die than falling out of heaven...Oscar died making a difference.” Countless soldiers make the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our country, and Fly reminds us each one of them has a face, name, family and a story. Why do you think tales about war are usually so moving? EMOTION Emotions play such a big role in this play that there’s even a character based solely on representing them—the Tap Griot. Why do you think the playwrights decided they needed this character? Racism is such an extreme issue in terms of emotions and safety. Here these men were being discriminated against because of their skin color, yet they could never act on their anger or despair or else they’d be in physical danger. Also, being in the armed forces, emotions were not encouraged so as not to cloud their thinking and ultimate goal. What was the most emotional part of the play for you? Why do you think it affected you as much as it did? FORGIVENESS The Tuskegee Airmen are fighting for a country that doesn’t even fully respect their own rights at the time. Violence against African-Americans based on hate was all too common. Pilot Shaw admits his father committed some of this violence, and he doesn’t deserve W.W. and Chet’s air cover, but the other pilots in their charge haven’t done anything wrong and need the protection. What do you think was going through W.W. and Chet’s minds when Shaw made his confession? Why does forgiveness require such strength of character? 3 SPOILER ALERT! IT’S THE PRESIDENTIAL Inauguration in insecure about not making it to the top of 2009 and the elderly but exuberant Dr. Chet the class and getting possibly washed out. Simpkins, a Tuskegee Airman, is witnessing They become more competitive with each history. Reporters are hurling questions at other, continuing to bicker and even almost him about the “big day,” and how he “paved coming to blows. Then, amidst all their the way.” Simpkins says he’s proud to be part fighting, they each eventually reveal their of such an emotional, historical event, and reason for joining the Air Corps. W.W. did he mentions how his old war buddies would it to impress a girl. J. Allen did it to honor have loved to have seen the day. his father who never saw the world past the Caribbean but was fascinated by planes and JUST THEN, the Tap Griot, a mystical tap flying. Oscar did it to show white racists dancer who is symbolic of the characters’ what “his people” are capable of. After this, emotional state, transports Chet back to the the atmosphere is still tense, but Oscar offers summer of 1943. Chet and the Tap Griot are Chet vector tricks in exchange for helping now on a train traveling through the U.S. him land a trainer. Chet agrees. picking up young men, including W.W., a boisterous charmer from Chicago; Oscar, a AFTERWARDS, O’HuRLEY TAKES them straight-laced husband who is leaving behind all up in the air individually to try actually his pregnant wife; and J. Allen, a Brit who flying the planes, but they all do terribly has sailed from Barbados. The train takes except for Chet. Their classes continue to them all to Tuskegee, Alabama, where they’ll be tough, and they struggle to keep up learn to be pilots for the Air Corps. We learn with everything, but they eventually begin that Oscar is by his own definition “a no- to learn. W.W., J. Allen, Oscar and Chet nonsense RACE man” who will do “anything all manage to avoid wash out. Eventually and everything for (his) people,” J. Allen O’Hurley makes W.W. cadet leader, a decision is from the British West Indies, and W.W. no one understands. At first, W.W. enjoys his doesn’t mind going by W.W.W. for “what position of power and has no problem lording women want.” It’s obvious everyone is wary it over the others. However, that changes and not willing to trust each other just yet. when he admits to everyone that O’Hurley only chose him because he thought it would CAPTAIn O’HuRLEY ENTERS and break the spirit of the group. expresses his certainty that most of them won’t make it through training. In fact LATER ON, all the guys, on a well-deserved he brags that the class before them had⎯a leave, go to a bar to blow off some steam. “wash-out” rate of 69%, a number he plans However, when they arrive, they’re told on topping with their class. O’Hurley runs that “colored” must enter in the back⎯even them ragged, which only make things tenser though they’re officer candidates.