The Caretaker Teaching Resources Contents
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THE CARETAKER TEACHING RESOURCES CONTENTS Company 3 Old Vic New Voices Education The Old Vic The Cut Creative team 4 London SE1 8NB E [email protected] Character breakdown 6 @oldvicnewvoices Act breakdown © The Old Vic, 2016. All information 7 is correct at the time of going to press, but may be subject to change Themes 10 The Caretaker by Harold Pinter Timeline – Harold Pinter life and works 11 Teaching resources Compiled by Anne Langford Context – Britain: then and now 12 Design Matt Lane-Dixon Rehearsal and production Pinter and the Theatre of the Absurd 14 photography Manuel Harlan Old Vic New Voices Interview with Sound Designer Simon Baker 16 Alexander Ferris Director Hannah Fosker Head of Education & Community Interview with actor George MacKay 20 Ross Crosby Community Co-ordinator Richard Knowles Stage Business Co-ordinator Practical exercises – Physical storytelling and comedy 23 Tom Wright Old Vic New Voices Intern Further details of this production A day in the life of Events Manager Emma Robson 26 oldvictheatre.com Bibliography and further reading 28 THE CARETAKER TEACHING RESOURCES 2 COMPANY George MacKay Daniel Mays Timothy Spall Mick Aston Davies Theatre: Ah, Wilderness Theatre: The Red Lion Timothy trained at the (Young Vic), The Cement (National Theatre), Mojo (West National Youth Theatre and Garden (Vault Festival). End), The Same Deep Water RADA and began his acting Film: Captain Fantastic, as Me, Trelawny of the Wells, career in the theatre, with Pride, Bypass, Sunshine on Moonlight (Donmar) M.A.D seasons at Birmingham Rep Leith, For Those in Peril (Bush), Hero, Scarborough, and the RSC. Film: Mr Turner, (Best Actor awards: Scottish Motortown, The Winterling, Harry Potter, The King’s Speech, BAFTA, Stockholm Film Ladybird (Royal Court). The Damned United, Sweeney Festival), How I Live Now, Film: The Limehouse Golem, Todd: The Demon Barber of Breakfast with Johnny The Infiltrator, Dad’s Army, Fleet Street, Pierrepoint, All or Wilkinson, Private Peaceful, All or Nothing, Vera Drake, Nothing, Lucky Break, Topsy Hunky Dory, The Boys are Back, Atonement, Red Riding, Welcome Turvy, Secrets and Lies. TV: Defiance, The Thief Lord, Peter to the Punch, The Bank Job, Fungus the Bogeyman, The Pan. TV: Likely Stories: Foreign Made in Dagenham, Byzantium, Enfield Haunting, Blandings, Parts, 11/22/63, The Outcast, The Adventures of Tintin: The The Syndicate, The Fattest Best of Men, Birdsong, The Secret of the Unicorn, Shifty. Man in Britain, Oliver Twist, Old Curiosity Shop, Tsunami: TV: Line of Duty, Mrs Biggs, The Street, Bodily Harm, The Aftermath, Johnny and the The Great Fire, Public Enemies, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Perfect Bomb, The Brief, Footprints in White Girl, Nightshift, Common, Strangers, Shooting the Past, the Snow, Rose and Maloney. Ashes to Ashes, The Street, Our Mutual Friend and his own Outcasts, In Deep, EastEnders. documentary Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea. THE CARETAKER TEACHING RESOURCES 3 CREATIVE TEAM Matthew Warchus Gary Yershon Director Music Theatre: The Master Builder, Future Conditional, Speed- Theatre: The Master Builder, The Norman Conquests the-Plow (The Old Vic), The Norman Conquests (The Old (The Old Vic), Art, The Unexpected Man, Life x 3, The God Vic/Broadway), Life x 3 (National Theatre/The Old of Carnage, The Play What I Wrote (West End/Broadway), Vic/Broadway), Matilda the Musical (RSC/West End/ Edward II, Grief (National Theatre) Arabian Nights (RSC), Broadway/international tour), Ghost the Musical (West The Low Road (Royal Court), Julius Caesar (Donmar). End/international tour), Boeing Boeing, The Lord of the Film: Mr Turner, Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky, Running Rings, Endgame, Our House (West End), La Bête, Deathtrap, Jump. TV: Trial and Retribution, Skin Deep, James the Cat, God of Carnage, Art (West End/Broadway), The Unexpected Ebb and Flo. Radio: Three Men in a Boat, The Odyssey, Man (West End RSC/Broadway), Buried Child, Volpone Autumn Journal. Gary is an Associate Artist of the (National Theatre). Opera: Falstaff (ENO/Opera North), Royal Shakespeare Company. Così Fan Tutte (ENO), The Rake’s Progress (ROH/WNO), Troilus and Cressida (Opera North). Film: Pride, Simpatico. Simon Baker Matthew was appointed Artistic Director of The Old Vic Sound in May 2014. Theatre: The Master Builder, Future Conditional, High Society, Electra (The Old Vic), Shakespeare in Love, Mojo, Rob Howell The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (West End), Matilda the Musical Designer (RSC/West End/Broadway/international tour – 2012 Theatre: The Master Builder, Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, Future Olivier Award for Best Sound), Rebecca (UK tour), Conditional, A Flea in Her Ear, Inherit the Wind, Speed-the- Anything Goes (Sheffield/UK tour), The Roaring Girl (RSC), Plow, Complicit (The Old Vic), The Norman Conquests Don John (RSC/international tour), The Light Princess, (The Old Vic/Broadway). Rob has also worked at the The Amen Corner (National Theatre), Steptoe and Son National Theatre, RSC, Royal Court, Almeida, Donmar (UK tour), An Audience with Meow Meow (Berkeley Rep), Warehouse, Young Vic, Chichester Festival Theatre, West Brief Encounter (worldwide), The Red Shoes, Wild Bride Yorkshire Playhouse, Manchester Royal Exchange, Royal (international tours). Simon is an Associate Artist of Opera House, Metropolitan Opera in New York and on The Old Vic and a fellow of the Guildhall School of Broadway. He’s won three Olivier Awards for Set Design, Music & Drama. including for Matilda the Musical in 2012 for which he also won Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle and Tony awards. Jessica Ronane CDG Casting Director Hugh Vanstone Theatre: The Master Builder, Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, Lighting The Hairy Ape, Future Conditional (The Old Vic), Running Hugh has designed the lighting for nearly 200 productions Wild (Regent’s Park), Angus Thongs and Even More Snogging and worked for most of the UK’s national companies and (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Theatre (childrens casting): extensively on Broadway. He’s received many awards To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sound of Music, (Regent’s Park), for his work including three Olivier Awards, a Tony and The Audience, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Made in a Molière. Theatre: The Master Builder, Future Conditional Dagenham, I Can’t Sing, Singin’ in the Rain, Billy Elliot the (The Old Vic), The Red Lion (National Theatre), Welcome Musical (West End), Matilda the Musical (RSC/West End), Home Captain Fox!, Closer (Donmar), Matilda the Musical Bugsy Malone (Lyric), Caroline or Change, Baby Girl, Mrs (RSC/international), Shrek (New York/West End/UK tour), Affleck, Burnt by the Sun (National Theatre), A Member of Ghost (West End/international), An Act of God (New York/ the Wedding, Far Away (Young Vic). tour), Strictly Ballroom (Australian tour), Tanz Der Vampire (Paris/Germany), Don Quixote (Royal Ballet). THE CARETAKER TEACHING RESOURCES 4 Sean Linnen Future Conditional (The Old Vic), The Gods Weep (RSC/ Associate Director Hampstead), The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing (RSC/ In 2014 Sean was Trainee Artistic Director at Paines Shakespeare in a Suitcase tour), Adrian Mole the Musical Plough and Sheffield Theatres in partnership with Arts (Leicester Curve), Jerusalem (Northcote, Exeter). Before Council England. Director: Mojo (RWCMD), 322 Days working in theatre full-time, Charlie was a director and (Paines Plough), Growth (Paines Plough/RWCMD), playwright, and taught MA and undergraduate levels in A Preoccupation with Romance (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), London drama schools. Hollow (Bike Shed, Exeter). Associate/Staff Director: Protest Song (National Theatre), Lungs, Our Teacher’s a Penny Dyer Troll, The Initiate (Paines Plough). Assistant Director: Dialect Coach Future Conditional (The Old Vic), Translations (ETT/Rose Theatre: Other Desert Cities, Sweet Bird of Youth, Kingston/Sheffield), The Machine (Donmar/Manchester Kiss Me Kate, Speed-the-Plow, The Philadelphia Story International Festival/New York), The Daughter-in-Law, A (The Old Vic), Husbands and Sons, This House (National Taste of Honey, Copenhagen (Sheffield). Sean also worked Theatre), The Maids, Gypsy, The Ruling Class, The Book on The Vote (Donmar/Channel 4) and is a selector for the of Mormon, The Michael Grandage season (West End), National Student Drama Festival. The Cripple of Inishmaan, How to Succeed in Business (Broadway), Linda (Royal Court), Teddy Ferrara (Donmar), Charlie Hughes-D’Aeth Reasons to be Pretty (Almeida), Reasons to be Happy Voice Coach (Hampstead). Film: The Danish Girl, Florence Foster Jenkins, Charlie is Consultant Text and Voice Coach for the Testament of Youth, Blue Jasmine, Pride, Philomena, RSC’s Matilda the Musical, (Resident 2010-14). Currently The Queen, Elizabeth. TV: The Rack Pack, The Last Kingdom, Resident Voice Coach for Charlie and the Chocolate Marvellous, Cilla, Tommy Cooper, The Girl, Mrs Biggs, Factory in the West End. Other theatre: The Master Builder, Downton Abbey. THE CARETAKER TEACHING RESOURCES 5 CHARACTER BREAKDOWN Mick is in his late twenties and is Aston’s younger brother. He admits to getting frustrated with Aston but seems to care about him and is concerned by Davies’ arrival. He is quick witted and trips Davies up when questioning him. He is aggressive towards Davies, taking his clothes, bag and pushing him to the floor. He frequently talks about projects and ambitions for the house. He owns the dilapidated house that the play is set in. Aston is in his early thirties and is Mick’s older brother, he seems to have a good relationship with Mick, although they do not speak to each other much through the play. He seems quiet and slow but is very kind to Davies, offering him a place to stay, a job, money, tobacco, clothes and shoes. He often speaks haltingly and has trouble finishing anything. We learn that when he was younger he had hallucinations and, against his will, was put into a hospital and given electro-shock treatment that affected him greatly. He eventually asks Davies to leave after Davies threatens him. Davies is an old, homeless man who at the start of play has lost his job and accommodation at a café because of a fight.