in co-production with presents The List (La Liste) a study guide PRODUCTION SPONSOR RESOURCE and BACKGROUND MATERIAL: Written and compiled by Jim McNabb of the Great Canadian Theatre Company Adapted by Nightwood Theatre, September 2010 For further information on this study guide please contact Rebecca Peirson email:
[email protected] phone: 416-944-1740 x8 www.nightwoodtheatre.net This document may be used for educational purposes only. This play is suitable for students ages 14 and up. CONTENTS The Play Introduction 3 Director’s Notes 4 What others are saying 5 Theme of Loneliness and Isolation 6-8 Production & Creative Cast and Creative Team 9 Denyse Karn on Set Design 10 Nightwood Theatre 11 Canadian Stage 11 Kelly Thornton (Director) 12 Allegra Fulton (Actor) 12 Jennifer Tremblay (Playwright) 13-14 Shelly Tepperman (Translator) 15-16 Exploratory Excerpt from La Liste (French) 17-18 Excerpt from The List (English) 19-20 The Art of Translation 21-23 Governor General’s Award 24 Other Resources 25 Suggested Activities Pre-performance activities 27-28 Post-performance activities 29 Curriculum References 30-31 Credits Great Canadian Theatre Company 32 2 INTRODUCTION “Wailing, tears, reproaches are pointless. So we seek consolation in that oblivion we call memory. ” This is a quotation playwright Jennifer Tremblay uses on the first page of the script. It comes from the novel The Quest for Christa T. by German writer Christa Wolf, a work that is concerned with a woman experiencing overwhelming societal pressure to conform. Jennifer Tremblay set out to reproduce for an audience of readers or listeners an emotion that she herself had once experienced.