ENRICHMENT GUIDE
Book by ENDA WALSH Music and Lyrics by GLEN HANSARD & MARKÉTA IRGLOVÁ Based on the Motion Picture Written and Directed by JOHN CARNEY
Direction by Ann Hodges
Play Guides sponsored by
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
THEATRE ETIQUETTE 3 WHO’S INVOLVED 4 ABOUT THE CREATORS 5 ABOUT THE PRODUCTION 6 DIRECTOR’S NOTE 7 SCRIPT REFERENCES 8 SYNOPSIS 9-10 PRODUCTION ELEMENTS 11 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 12 FURTHER READING/REFERENCES 13 CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT 14-15
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THEATRE ETIQUETTE
Going to the theatre is an engaging and interactive experience. We want you to be an active participant when you see our shows; laugh when it’s funny, cry when it’s sad, gasp when it’s shocking, and enjoy the experience as much as possible. But we want you to do this in the most respectful way possible, for both the performers and your fellow audience members. To ensure the most positive experience, please review the following information prior to arriving at the theatre. The following items are not allowed in the theatre: •No outside food or beverages. Only beverages purchased in the lobby and placed in a Citadel Sippy and bottled water will be allowed in the theatre. Unwrapped ice cream bars may be taken into the theatre. Please enjoy all other snacks in the lobby. •Cameras and other recording devices (please note that taking photographs or other recordings in the theatre is strictly prohibited by law). Basic courtesy: •Turn OFF and put away all electronic devices such as cell phones, iPods, video game systems, etc. prior to entering the theatre. •Do not place your feet on the seat in front of you. •The actors onstage can see and hear the audience during the performance – it is important that audience members not talk, move around, or fidget during the performance, as this can be distracting for the actors, as well as fellow audience members. •There is no dress code at the Citadel Theatre, but we respectfully request that patrons refrain from wearing hats in the theatre. •For the safety of those with allergies, please refrain from using perfumes or scented products before coming to the theatre. •Please do not place backpacks or other bags in the aisle in front of your feet, as this may impair the ability of persons to exit the row in an emergency. Inappropriate behaviour: Citadel Theatre representatives watch carefully during performances for inappropriate behaviour, especially behaviour that could endanger an actor or audience member. Inappropriate behaviour includes, but is not limited to: •Talking in the audience •The use of laser pointers or other light or sound-emitting devices •Interfering with an actor or the performance (tripping, throwing items on or near the stage, etc.)
Audience members identified as engaging in this type of behaviour will be removed from the theatre during the performance or at intermission.
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CAST, CREATIVE TEAM AND CHARACTERS
CAST RUTH ALEXANDER Barushka JULIEN ARNOLD Da BENJAMIN CAMENZULL Svec CHRISTINA CUGLIETTA Ex-Girlfriend EMILY DALLAS Girl OSCAR DERKX Andrej STEPHEN GUY-MCGRATH Billy RICHARD LAM Emcee LAWRENCE LIBOR Guy KAREN LIZOTTE Bank Manager LARISSA POHORESKI Reza JOHN ULLYATT Eamon ALEXA ZHANG Ivonka
CREATIVE TEAM Director ANN HODGES Music Director STEVEN GREENFIELD Choreographer JULIE TOMAINO Set & Costume Designer CORY SINCENNES Lighting Designer LOUISE GUINAND Sound Designer MATTHEW SKOPYK Dialect Coach DAVID LEY Czech Translator MARTIN GALBA Assistant Director DORIAN LANG Music Captain BENJAMIN CAMENZULL Stage Manager MICHELLE CHAN Assistant Stage Manager KATHRYN BALL
MUSICANS
Ruth Alexander...... Accordian, cajón, tambourine, piano, melodica, concertina Julien Arnold...... Guitar, mandolin Benjamin Camenzuli...... Drums, cajón, banjo, guitar, mandolin Christina Cuglietta...... Violin, cajón Emily Dallas...... Piano Oscar Derkx...... Ukelele, bass guitar, guitar, cajón Stephen Guy-McGrath..... Guitar, ukulele, cajón, tambourine, cymbals Richard Lam...... Guitar, piano, melodica, harmonica Lawrence Libor...... Guitar Karen Lizotte...... Mandolin, cello, guitar, accordion Larissa Pohoreski...... Violin, tambourine John Ullyatt...... Guitar, castanets, cajón 4
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ABOUT THE CREATORS
John Carney is a Dublin-based writer/director who came to the world’s attention following the box office hit and critically acclaimed musical feature film Once, which garnered multiple Independent Spirit, Sundance, and Raindance awards. Previously, John was a bassist in the Irish rock band the Frames, where he met Glen Hansard. These musical roots continue to be evident in John’s work with his latest production, Can a Song Save Your Life?. Other projects include Dogs of Babel for David Heyman and Nathan Kahane starring Steve Carrell and a feature adaptation of M.R. James’s Casting the Runes for Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Enda Walsh is an acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and director. His recent work includes the play Arlington and the opera The Second Violinist, which both premiered at the Galway International Arts Festival in 2016 and 2017, respectively. He also worked on the new musical, Lazarus, with David Bowie, which opened at New York Theatre Workshop in December 2015. His work has been translated into many languages and has been performed internationally since 1996. In 2014, he received an Honourary Doctorate from Galway University. Enda is currently adapting and directing Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing with Feathers for Complicite.
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Based on the award-winning film of the same name by John Carney, Once is an unforgettable story about going for your dreams and the power of music to connect us all. Winner of eight Tony awards, including Best Book and Best Musical, the musical premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in 2011 and moved to Broadway in 2012. Earning rave reviews, the show also earned a 2012 Drama Desk Award for Best Musical and a 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. With a book written by Enda Walsh and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, the cast of Once also acts as the orchestra, bringing their musical talents to life on stage.
Act I Leave – Guy Falling Slowly – Guy & Girl North Strand – Ensemble The Moon – Andrej (as Ensemble) Ej, Pada, Pada, Rosicka – Ensemble If You Want Me – Guy, Girl, Ensemble Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy – Guy Say It to Me Now – Guy Abandoned in Bandon – Bank Manager* Gold – Guy & Ensemble** Act II Sleeping – Guy When Your Mind’s Made Up – Guy, Girl, Ensemble The Hill – Girl Gold (A Cappella) – Company The Moon – Company Falling Slowly (Reprise) – Guy, Girl, Ensemble *composed by Martin Lowe, Andy Taylor, and Enda Walsh **composed by Fergus O’Farrell
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DIRECTOR’S NOTES
If you have ever sung in a choir, played in a band, or even just clapped along to a great tune, you may have experienced the joyful and transformative power of making music with others.
But why is music-making so transformative? I believe one reason is that making music, while lots of fun, is also rather risky. Play a wrong note and everyone hears it. Start a phrase early and you risk the withering glare of the conductor. Sing too high, your voice might crack. It takes courage to just jump in and commit, because everyone will hear if you make a mistake.
Also, making music requires breath. However, the way we breathe can reveal feelings we’d rather keep hidden: fear, excitement, sadness. But musicians need to breathe with their music, and sometimes they need to look into each others’ eyes and breathe together. They also need to listen to each other, and themselves. There’s nowhere to hide, really, when making music with someone else. It’s risky.
But we take these risks because music-making has such a transformative power. We are different at the end of a song, simply by singing it, playing it, or hearing it. That is why I think that music-making is also an act of great generosity — because by sharing music with others, we are offering them the possibility of transformation.
Once is the gentle love story that took Broadway by storm in 2012. Based on the tender 2007 film, the musical explores the transformative power of music in a uniquely ‘non-Broadway’ fashion. Played by multi-talented actor-musician-storytellers, the songs take us deep into the heart of the characters, or explode past the footlights and seem to transcend reality. The story is a simple one, of Guy, an Irish busker, and Girl, a Czech immigrant, who, like all the characters in the play, are ‘stopped’ in life in some way. But through the act of making music with each other, each not only becomes ‘unstuck,’ but also helps those around them move forward in life. And, each learns that love, like music-making, requires risk, courage, breath, listening, and great, great generosity.
-Ann Hodges, Director
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SCRIPT REFERENCES
Da — British slang for Dad.
Bach — Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival, he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.
Bartok — Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers.
Brahms — Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist of the Romantic period. His reputation and status as a composer are such that he is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the "Three Bs" of music.
Bono — Paul David Hewson, known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, venture capitalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of rock band U2.
Cork — A city in south-west Ireland, in the province of Munster, which had a population of 125,622 in 2016.
Euro — The European dollar, the currency used in countries who belong to the European Union.
Hoover — The British term for vacuum cleaner or vacuuming.
Fair City — An Irish soap opera.
Felix Mendelssohn — a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early romantic period. Mendelssohn wrote symphonies, concertos, oratorios, piano music and chamber music.
Four Track — A 4-track tape for multitrack recording used in professional recording studios.
Josh Groban — An American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, with over 22.3 million records.
Muso — British slang for a musician, especially one overly concerned with technique.
Mozart — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the classical era.
North Strand — A residential inner city neighbourhood on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland.
Rioja — Rioja wine is made from grapes grown in the autonomous communities of La Rioja and Navarre, and the Basque province of Álava.
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SYNOPSIS
Act I A thirty-something Dublin busker (identified only as "Guy") sings a heartfelt ballad of unrequited love in a local bar, accompanying himself on guitar ("Leave"). He then puts his guitar in its case and turns to leave without it; but a young Czech woman (identified only as "Girl"), who has been listening to him sing, approaches. She asks numerous personal questions about his songs; he replies that he wrote most of them for a girlfriend who broke up with him and moved to New York City. He is giving up on his music because the memories of his defunct relationship are too painful; he now works as a vacuum cleaner repairman in his father's shop. Girl responds that she has a vacuum that "does not suck", and asks him to fix it. She offers to pay for the repair by playing piano for him. Over his protests, she snatches the sheet music for a new song from his jacket. Reluctantly, Guy picks up his guitar and they play the song together ("Falling Slowly"). Girl suggests that he could win his old girlfriend back by singing her that song. Guy brushes this off, but Girl reminds him that he now owes her a vacuum repair, so they head to his father's shop ("The North Strand").
As Guy fixes the vacuum, Girl becomes acquainted with his father, who seems to like her. Once the vacuum is repaired, Guy impulsively invites Girl to his bedroom, above the shop. They are clearly attracted to each other, but when he attempts to kiss her she stops him and leaves ("The Moon"). The next day he apologizes, and they write, rehearse, and record songs together. Girl introduces Guy to her family, including her young daughter, Ivanka ("Ej, Pada, Pada, Rosicka"). After Guy leaves, Girl plays one of his songs on the piano, substituting her own lyrics as she thinks of him ("If You Want Me").
The next morning, Girl tells Guy that she has arranged a meeting with a banker ("Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy"). To persuade the bank manager to approve a loan — which would enable Guy to take his music to New York — Guy plays him a song ("Say It to Me Now"). The banker is impressed with his talent, approves the loan, and adds that he can play guitar as well. He plays a song for them ("Abandoned in Bandon"), and though he is not a very good singer, they invite him to play in the band. The following night at a night club, Guy tells Girl that she has convinced him that his musical career is worth pursuing. Good, she replies, because it is open mic night at the club, and she has signed him up to perform as "The Hoover Man." He is reluctant, but eventually takes the stage. As he sings, it seems that he is now singing to Girl, not his ex-girlfriend ("Gold").
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SYNOPSIS CONTINUED
Act II
During band practice, one of the musicians gets into an argument with the bank manager; he opposes capitalism, he says, despite the fact that he owns the shop where they are rehearsing. Guy and Girl retreat to a hill overlooking the city where the two share a brief, tender moment. Girl tells Guy, in Czech, that she loves him — but when he asks her to translate, she replies, "It looks like rain." Guy realizes that he has fallen in love with Girl, and wonders how he will live without her when he moves to New York ("Sleeping").
The next day, the band records a demo for a major record label ("When Your Mind's Made Up"). After receiving praise for their performance, the band members take a break. Girl remains at the piano, and thinking she is alone, plays one of her own compositions that reveals the depth of her feelings for Guy ("The Hill"). Guy, who has been listening, compliments her on her song. He suggests that she and Ivanka move to New York with him, because they clearly have feelings for each other that they cannot ignore. Girl answers angrily that he cannot feel that way. Incredulous, Guy asks why; Girl replies that her husband — Ivanka's father — is trying to reconcile with her, and for the sake of their daughter she must consider it ("It Cannot Be About That"). The following morning, the band gathers at the hill to voice their hopes for success with the impending album ("Gold (Acapella)"). Guy asks Girl to spend his last night in Dublin with him; she demurs, because it would only result in "hanky-panky," which is a "bad idea"; but ultimately she agrees to come to the vacuum shop.
Back at the shop, Guy plays the demo for his father. Impressed and moved, he gives Guy money to help him get settled in New York. Then Guy, encouraged by Girl, calls his ex-girlfriend in New York, who is happy about his imminent arrival, and seems willing to give their relationship another try. A few days later, Girl comes home to find a piano with a bright red bow on it — a gift from Guy. She sheds a few tears, then sits at the piano and sings; as Guy, in his New York apartment, sings the same song ("Falling Slowly (Reprise)").
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PRODUCTION ELEMENTS
PROSCENIUM STAGE
A proscenium theatre is a specific style of theatre. Several features define a proscenium theatre, and this particular theatre layout is extremely common; if you have ever been to see a live performance, especially in a high school auditorium, chances are high that you have seen a proscenium theatre. In addition to proscenium style theatres, it is also possible to find black box theatres, theatres with thrust stages, theatres in the round, and numerous other configurations of stage and audience. The classically defining feature of a proscenium theatre is the proscenium arch, which frames the stage for the audience. In addition, the audience faces the stage directly, with no audience on the sides of the stage, and the stage in a proscenium theatre is typically raised, allowing the audience to see more clearly. Modern proscenium theatres sometimes lack the proscenium arch, but they are still called “proscenium theatres” because they retain the other characteristics of this style of theatre. Proscenium theatres originated in the 1600s, and became immensely popular by the 1700s. There are certain advantages of a proscenium theatre, such as the fact that the stage doesn't have to be as open, allowing people to conceal props, sets, and orchestras in the wings or near the stage without having these things visible to the audience. A proscenium theatre also creates a sense of staged grandeur, with the proscenium arch acting almost like a picture frame, giving the audience the sense that they are looking into a scene.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What are the main themes of Once? 2. How are these themes reflected in the show’s music, set, lighting, costumes, and dialogue? 3. Each character plays at least one instrument in Once. What role does music play in the production? How does music affect the relationships between characters? 4. Describe the relationship like between Da and Guy. Do you think they have a healthy father-son relationship? Why or why not? 5. About half of the characters in this show do not have names but are instead called by what they are: Guy, Girl, Da, Bank Manager, etc. Other, more minor characters, do have names. Do you think this was a conscious choice by the author? What reasons might they have had for doing this? 6. The play takes place primarily in Dublin. Do you think the setting affects the story? Would the play work if it was set in a different city or country? Why or why not? 7. Once is considered a romantic comedy but it’s an unconventional love story, especially the ending. What are some other examples of non-traditional love stories in movies, television, or lit- erature? What makes these love stories different from more conventional love stories? 8. At the end of the play, Guy moves to a new city where he only knows one person and doesn’t have a job lined up. Do you agree with his choice? Why or why not? 9. Guy asks Girl to go to New York with him but she says no, so he goes to New York intending to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. Do you think they get back together? Why or why not? 10. Write a short scene imagining what the reunion between Guy and Ex-Girlfriend is like. 11. Do you think Guy and Girl would stay in touch after he moves to New York? Why or why not? 12. Write a letter from Guy to Girl, telling her what his new life in New York is like. Alternatively, write a letter from Girl to Guy updating him on life in Dublin. 13. Music is hugely important to Guy and Girl. What role does music play in your life? Has that role evolved or shifted as you’ve gotten older? 14. Create a soundtrack for your life — list 10 songs that have influenced/changed you as a person or widened your perspective on something or someone. 15. Choose a minor character from the play and write a short paragraph imaging their back story. What brought them to Dublin (if they weren’t born there)? What was their life like before they met Guy and Girl? How has it changed now?
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FURTHER READING AND REFERENCES
Q&A with Lawrence Libor and Emily Dallas, who play Guy and Girl, respectively Citadel Theatre: What characters are you playing and how would you describe them? Emily Dallas: I’m playing Girl and I would describe her as very prideful and very by-the-book, so I think that when she falls in love with Guy, it’s very much a shock to who she is. I think she’s a loyal person and a virtuous person. She’s also a mother and a wife, so I think up until this point in her life, she’s followed the rules, and now everything is sort of uneven for her and confusing. Lawrence Libor: I’m playing Guy and he’s a troubled soul, I would say, especially in the beginning of the show. He’s lost and directionless because a lot of loss has happened in his life recently – his moth- er’s passed and he had a really, really bad breakup. So he’s just like ‘What’s the point anymore?’ It’s meeting Girl that is the catalyst for him changing his life. Before, he’s kind of adrift. How would you describe Once to someone who’s never seen the movie or the play? ED: I would describe it obviously as a love story but more of a celebration of music and of art and of life. I feel that it’s a very celebratory piece and I think the biggest love story isn’t just between [Guy and Girl]; it’s between all the characters and their love for music. And I think that’s really beautiful. LL: Heartwarming but at the same time, an ambiguous love story. It doesn’t tell you how to feel, especially at the ending. It kind of leaves you to decide yourself whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, in a way. Do you have faith in pure love and in the future do you think this is going to work or not going to work? But the music itself will leave you a lot warmer than how you went to the theatre.
Q&A with set & costume designer Cory Sincennes Citadel Theatre: What is your inspiration for the set design? Cory Sincennes: Once is a beautiful story about an odd, unconventional romance. And, in the script, the show takes place in a million locations – it’s very cinematographic, like the movie. So the set needed to be something that could be very transformative and take us from one location to the next within a second. So I didn’t want to go ‘It’s in a bar’ or it’s in this part of the story or the script. So we created an abstract representation of Ireland so the audience, when they come in, they will see different parts of skies, bricks, grasses, and hills – all the iconic things that when you think of Ireland. That’s our inspiration and we’ve pulled that together into a shape that works for us. CT: How will the set design reflect the themes of the show? CS: The set acts as a metaphor for the piece and also the backdrop for the emotion of it. The walls are very sky-like and, through lighting – with Louise Guinand, who is lighting the show – we’re going to help reinforce the themes and the story in the moments that are happening.
To read the full interviews with the cast and creative teams of Once, visit: https:// www.citadeltheatre.com/artists-learning/audience-enrichment/interviews-with-cast-and- creative-teams/once
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CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT Curriculum Connections: Participation as an audience member at the Citadel Theatre aligns with the Alberta Education Curriculum. We outline be- low some (but not limited to) objectives which are developed through the viewing of live theatre:
Drama (Elementary) Third Goal To foster an appreciation for drama as an art form Objectives The child should: 1. develop an awareness of an respect for potential excellence in self and others 2. Develop a capacity to analyze, evaluate and synthesize ideas and experiences 3. Develop an awareness and appreciation of the variety of dramatic forms of expression. Specific Learner Expectations: Intellectual—develop and exercise imagination; develop concentration Emotional—explore emotion; control emotion; express emotion Social—understand others; discipline self; develop appreciation of the work of self and others; cope with emotional re- sponses Integrative—learn to respond to stimuli; e.g., music, pictures, objects, literature; test and reflect on the consequences of dramatic decisions
Drama (Junior High) GOAL I To acquire knowledge of self and others through participation in and reflection on dramatic experience. Objectives The student will: • strengthen powers of concentration • extend the ability to think imaginatively and creatively • extend the ability to explore, control and express emotions
extend the ability to explore meaning through abstract concepts
develop the ability to offer and accept constructive criticism develop the ability to offer and accept constructive criticism GOAL III To develop an appreciation for drama and theatre as a process and art form. Objectives The student will:
develop awareness of various conventions of theatre
develop awareness of drama and theatre by viewing as great a variety of theatrical presentations as possible
develop the ability to analyze and assess the process and the art
develop recognition of and respect for excellence in drama and theatre 14
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CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT
Drama 10-20-30 GOAL I To acquire knowledge of self and others through participation in and reflection on dramatic experience. Objectives The Student will:
extend the ability to concentrate
extend understanding of, acceptance of and empathy for others
demonstrate respect for others — their rights, ideas, abilities and differences (S)
demonstrate the ability to offer, accept, and reflect upon, constructive criticism.
GOAL II To develop competency in communication skills through participation in and exploration of various dramatic disciplines. Objectives The Student will:
demonstrate understanding of integration of disciplines to enrich a theatrical presentation.
GOAL III To develop an appreciation of drama and theatre as a process and art form. Objectives The student will: • explore various conventions and traditions of theatre • broaden knowledge of theatre by viewing as great a variety of theatrical presentations as possible ( • demonstrate the ability to assess critically the process and the art • demonstrate recognition of and respect for excellence in drama and theatre • develop an awareness of aesthetics in visual and performing arts.
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