SHOW GUIDE Inside

Dear Educators THE PLAY Synopsis, Characters, Setting 2 Wayne State University is proud to produce plays for young people’s Inspiration, Production History 3 enjoyment and to actively explore the beauty, diversity, complexity and challenges of the world around them through the dramatic THE CREATORS arts. We wish to support the development of their creative voice, The Playwright 4 imagination, and understanding of drama and its role in our global society. CURRICULUM SUPPORT Activities presented assist in achieving the Michigan Common Core State Standards (MI-CCSS) This play guide is designed to be a tool in helping you prepare Speaking and Listening 5-6 your students for our performance as well as extend the production Writing 6-7 experience back into the classroom. History/Social Studies 7 Differentiated Learning Activities 8 Activities presented assist in achieving the Michigan Common Core State Standards (MI-CCSS). THE THEATRE Location and Seating 9 Your comments and suggestions about this guide, presentation First Time Visitor’s Guide 10 and/or programming are welcome. Email [email protected]. MORE TO SEE 11 Your Students’ Role

You may wish to have a discussion with your students before attending the play. Remind your students that they have an important role to play at the performance being the audience. It is because of the audience that the theatre exists. It will be their energy and response that will directly affect the actors onstage.

Young audiences should be reminded that live theatre is not like watching TV, a movie or DVD; the actors cannot pause or be rewound, there are no commercial breaks for running to the bathroom, the volume cannot be turned up to hear better if someone other than the actors are talking.

Encourage your students to listen and watch the play. They can laugh and cheer for their favorite characters. At the end of the play, applause is appropriate and is the opportunity for your students to thank the actors while the actors are thanking you for the role you played as the audience.

Theatre and Dance at Wayne SHOW GUIDE Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance Copyright 2018 College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY DRAMATURG Meccah Martin GRAPHIC DESIGN Thomas Karr BOX OFFICE Hilberry Theatre, 4743 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-2972 ADMINISTRATION 4841 Cass Ave., Ste. 3206, Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-3508 All rights reserved. With the exception of classroom use by teachers and MARKETING 4841 Cass Ave., Ste. 3206, Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-3010 individual personal use, no part of this Show Guide may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval John Wolf, Chair and Executive Producer system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Some materials published herein are written especially for our Guide. Others are reprinted by permission of their publishers. theatreanddanceatwayne.com | theatreanddance.wayne.edu The Play

Synopsis Characters

Tobacco Road by Jack Kirkland, is set in a desolate farm county in Georgia. The profitable Jeeter Lester tobacco crop has given way to cotton plantations, but poor planting practices have depleted the soil. The Lester family were once sharecroppers, but are now poverty-stricken and unable Ellie May Lester to cope with the bleak life they face. Jeeter Lester, the patriarch, lives in squalor with his wife Ada, their two children, 16-year-old Dude and 18-year-old Ellie May, and his mother. Ada is Dude Lester suffering from pellagra and Ellie May has a harelip, Jeeter and Dude are thin and emaciated, and the family wears tattered clothing. Ada Lester

Sister Bessie Rice, a stout preacher of about forty, decides to marry Dude, who agrees when Capt. Tim Harmon she promises to buy him a car. When Capt. Tim Harmon tells the family that the house and property are owned by the bank, Jeeter is given a chance to earn money so that they may Granma Lester keep living there, but he refuses. Sister Bessie Rice The youngest daughter Pearl tries to escape from her much older husband Lov Bensey, but Ada is run over by Dude’s car as she attempts to help Pearl. As Ada lies dying, Pearl escapes Lov Bensey and runs away; Jeeter sends Ellie May to Lov instead. Pearl

The photographs below by photojournalist, Dorothea Lange, reveal the hard life of families who were sharecroppers in rural Georgia in 1937. She included the comments with the photographs.

Pictured: Landless family of cotton sharecroppers, Macon County, Georgia. For their labor they receive half the crop they produce, and the equivalent of ten dollars a month “furnish” (credit) from the landlord. Their vegetable garden failed this year for lack of rain.

SHOW GUIDE • 2 The Play

Production History

48th Street Theatre

The John Golden Theatre

Tobacco Road premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre, formally known as the Theatre Masque, on December 4, 1933. The production transferred to the 48th Street Theatre, where it ran from July 16, 1934 through September 1934, and then moved to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, formally known as the Forrest Theatre, where it ran for a total of 3,182 performances until May 31, 1941.

It was revived three times on Broadway:

• From September 5 through October 3, 1942, at the Forrest Theatre. • September 4 through October 30, 1943, at the Ritz Theatre. • March 6 through March 18, 1950, at the 48th Street Theatre. Ritz Theatre

Although, the production found popularity toward Broadway audiences, it was banned in the United Kingdom for many years, until it was finally licensed for public performance in 1949.

The La Jolla Playhouse, located in California, production ran from September 30 through October 26, 2008.

The American Blues Theater, located in Chicago, production ran from SHOW GUIDE • 3 May 21 through June 20, 2010. The Creator

Playwright Jack Krikland and themselves. The novelistic treatment is comic, the structure is episodic, and the rural southern types appear childish, grotesque, Jack Kirkland was born July 25, 1902 in St. Louis, . As an and, ultimately, pathetic. American playwright, producer, director and screenwriter Kirkland’s greatest success was the play Tobacco Road, adapted from the Erskine In 1933, Tobacco Road was dramatized and ran for a record-breaking Caldwell novel. His other plays included Frankie and Johnny, Tortilla seven years on Broadway, despite an obscenity charge that was Flats, Suds In Your Eye, Mr. Adam, Man with the Golden Arm, and brought against it by the Society for the Suppression of Vice. Mandingo. The charge was dismissed, as was a similar charge against Caldwell’s next novel, God’s Little Acre (1933), the story of Ty Ty Walden, a Kirkland collaborated with Melville Baker on several screen projects Georgia dirt farmer, and his sons and daughters, and the barren, including Zoo in Budapest (1933) starring and Gene useless acre of land that he dedicates to God. As in Tobacco Road, Raymond, Now and Forever (1934) starring , Carole Caldwell’s theme is the folly and promiscuity of rural southerners. Lombard and , and The Gilded Lily (1935) starring God’s Little Acre is one of the all-time best sellers in the history of , Fred MacMurray and . book publishing.

On February 22, 1969 Kirkland passed away in leaving In the mid-1930s Caldwell spent some years as a Hollywood script behind several children, one of whom was the ballerina Gelsey writer but continued his amazing book production. After a play, Kirkland. Journeyman (1935), he wrote and Other Stories (1935), The Sacrilege of Alan Kent (1936), and Southways Background on American Writer, (1938).

Two of Caldwell’s best-selling novels appeared in the early 1940s, Trouble in July (1940) and Georgia Boy (1943). In 1942, Caldwell married his third wife, June Johnson, with whom he had a son. His postwar works included The Sure Hand of God (1947), Episode in Palmetto (1950), and A Lamp for Nightfall (1952).

Caldwell’s later books failed to generate the excitement of his earlier works, but he had earned his niche as a serious if sensational regionalist. In 1982, the New American Library marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Tobacco Road by releasing it and God’s Little Acre in new paperback editions. In 1984, Caldwell was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1985, the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities invited him back to his native state for a series of teas and lectures in his honor. After his visit, Caldwell took note of the many economic and social changes Erskine Caldwell was born in backwoods Coweta Country, in the that had taken place in the once destitute rural south. town of White Oak, Georgia, on Dec. 17, 1903. His father was a Presbyterian minister, and the family moved frequently throughout Shortly before his death, Caldwell completed his autobiography, the South. Caldwell’s schooling was fragmentary; he attended With All My Might (1987). A heavy smoker for all of his adult life, high school sporadically and took college courses at the University Caldwell twice underwent surgery for the removal of portions of his of Pennsylvania, at Erskine College, in South Carolina, and at the lungs. Lung cancer finally overtook him on April 11, 1987 in Paradise University of Virginia. Valley, Arizona.

His 1932 publication of Tobacco Road that assured Caldwell’s success. Erskine Caldwell Facts The novel depicts the life of Jeeter Lester, a Georgia sharecropper, and biography.yourdictionary.com/erskine-caldwell his family as they stumble through a series of sexual and financial misadventures, culminating in the destruction by fire of their home

SHOW GUIDE • 4 Curriculum Support

SPEAKING AND LISTENING [Sharing of any writing project orally in class will also fit under the Speaking and Listening Fun Fact! (SL) Standard] CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1, 2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and Tobacco Road txt with peers and adults in small and larger groups. is a play by Jack CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, 8.1, [9-10.1, 11-12.1] Kirkland is based on Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in small groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and text, building on others; ideas the 1932 novel of the and expressing their own clearly [and persuasively]. same name by Erskine CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1, [2.4] Caldwell. Describe people, places, things and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feel- ings clearly [audibly in coherent sentences].

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4, [4.4, 5.4] Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount and experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details [to support main idea or theme] speaking clearly at an under- standable pace.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4, 7.4, 8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details: appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4, 11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supportive evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience and range of formal and informal task.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.6, 7.6, 8.6, 9-10.6, 11-12.6 Adapt speech to a variety of context and task, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Pre-Show Questions: 1. Have you seen any live performances on stage before? What are your expectations about what you will see on stage in this production? 2. Based on what you already know about the play, how do you anticipate that production elements like light, sound, costumes, sets, and characters will come together in the play? 3. The story takes place during a time of the Great Depression. During this time how do you think families were effected during that hardship? What could you do to prevent economic factors from effecting your personal relationships?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9, 2.9, 3.9, (5.9, 6.9) Compare and contrast the adventures and experience of characters in stories. (in different forms or genres in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics) SHOW GUIDE • 5 Curriculum Support

SPEAKING AND LISTENING continued

Fun Fact! CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and Tobacco Road “hear” when reading the text to what the perceive when they listen or watch. ran on Broadway CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.7 Compare and contrast a written story, drama or poem to its audio, film, staged or multimedia for a total of 3,182 version, analyze the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g. performances, lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

becoming the longest- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7 running play in history Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the at the time. As of director or actors.

2018, it was still the CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7 19th longest-running Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g. recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry) evaluating how each version Broadway show in interprets the source text.

history. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.(6.2) 7.2, 8.2, [9-10.2, 11-12.2] Determine (a theme) two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their devel- opment over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; [including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account: Tobacco Road provide an objective summary of the text.] is the longest running WRITING non-musical on CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3, 2.3, 3.3 Broadway. Write narratives in which they recount a well elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thought, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3, 5.3, 6.3, 7.3, 8.3, 9-10.3, 11-12.3 Writes narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1, [2.1] Write opinion piece in which they introduce the topic or name of book they are writ- ing about, state an opinion, supply a reasons for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. [use linking words to connect the opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section]

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1, 4.1, 5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or text, supporting a point of view with reasons and SHOW GUIDE • 6 Curriculum Support

information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1, 7.1, 8.1, [9-10.1, 11-12.1] Fun Facts! Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. [Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or text, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence] The novel was included in Life magazine’s list HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES

of the 100 outstanding CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3 books of 1924–1944. Evaluate various explanation for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textural evidence acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain. A film adaptation of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6 Tobacco Road was Identify aspects of a text that reveals an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g. load- made in 1941 based on ed language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts)

the novel, but the plot CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6 was rewritten for the Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective film. accounts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6 Evaluate author’s differing points of views on the same historical events or issues by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning and evidence.

Post Show Questions

1. What themes and ideas did you see occur within the work? 2. Did you notice any metaphors or symbols within the play? 3. Were there any technical elements that stood out the most during the produc- tion that might of added to the story? (i.e. costumes, set design, lighting)

SHOW GUIDE • 7 Curriculum Support

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES (modify as needed to meet the needs of your students)

Brief History

The Great Depression, was a worldwide economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world, sparking fundamental changes in economic institutions, macroeconomic policy, and economic theory. Although it orig- inated in the , the Great Depression caused drastic declines in output, severe unemployment, and acute deflation in almost every country of the world. Its social and cultural effects were no less staggering, especially in the United States, Photo above depicts a group of where the Great Depression represented the harshest adversity faced by Americans men standing in line outside a since the Civil War. depression era soup kitchen Romer, Christina D., and Richard H. Pells. “Great Depression.” Encyclopædia Britanni- ca, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Mar. 2019, www.britannica.com/event/Great-De- pression.

Have students break into groups of 5 or 6. Each group will stand as a representation of how the events of the great depression affected each category. Below is a list of factors effected by the Great Depression:

•Family •Employment •Banking •Economy •Politics •Stock market •Trade •Farming •Businesses •Homeownership

Ask each group to assess how their factor was effected by the depression by de- veloping a newspaper article, a comic strip, poem, lyrics to a song that might be performed during the Great Depression to express conditions of the time, or a letter expressing their specified concern and the writer’s recommendation of a solution for that problem.

SHOW GUIDE • 8 The Theatre

Underground at the Hilberry

Located on the lower level of the Hilberry Theatre 4743 Cass Avenue (at the corner of Cass and Hancock) Detroit, MI 48202

Located beneath the Hilberry Theatre, the Underground (formerly the Studio Theatre) is an intimate space used to immerse the audience during each performance. With 110 seats on three sides of a thrust stage, the Underground at the Hilberry allows the audience to engage and experience a show on a personal level.

Your seats will be assigned by the Group Sales Manager so if you have any specific needs, please let them know in advance.

Accessibility: At this time the Underground at the Hilberry is only accessible by stairs. Our house manager can assist those patrons with mobility concerns by using a Stair Trac unit to reach the Underground. Please call in advance if you have students or chaperones who require assistance.

Restrooms: Restrooms are available on the second level (men up the staircase to the right, women up the staircase to the left). A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located in the lobby, to the right of the concession stand.

SHOW GUIDE • 9 The Theatre

First Time Visitor’s Guide

IS IT YOUR FIRST TIME AT THE THEATRE? Welcome! We can’t wait to have you join us. Live performances WHAT ABOUT MY CELLPHONE/TABLET? A ringing or the glow of a cellphone or tablet screen takes the are an inspiring, riveting experience. For some, that can be audience (and the performers) out of the show. intimidating. We hope this section provides you with answers to commonly asked questions but don’t hesitate to contact us if you Please turn your device to airplane or silent mode or, even better, need anything further. turn them off, so that everyone can enjoy the show.

START TIMES Out of respect for the audience, we strive to start shows on time. The RESTROOMS We don’t want you to miss out on any of the action of the play, so starting time is often referred to as the “curtain.” please visit the restroom before the performance begins. Restrooms are located in the Hilberry and Underground lobby. We urge our audience to arrive at least a few minutes before curtain to allow time to find your seats and get comfortable. Arriving late Please see an usher for directions. A wheelchair-accessible restroom may mean disrupting the rest of the audience because our ushers is available on the main level of the Hilberry lobby, next to the must use flashlights to safely guide you to your seats. You may also concession stand. be asked to sit in another location to avoid disturbing others.

You’re welcome to arrive 30 minutes early. DURING THE PERFORMANCE Please feel free to have honest reactions to what is happening on stage. You can laugh, applaud and enjoy the performance. However, CAN I BRING DRINKS OR SNACKS INTO THE THEATRE? please don’t talk during the performance; it is extremely distracting Few things are as distracting as the noise from a candy wrapper or a to other audience members and the actors. Save discussions for spilled drink making the floor sticky. intermission and after the performance. This is why we ask that you finish any drinks or snacks in the lobby, although bottled water is acceptable inside the theatre. IF I ENJOY THE SHOW, WHAT’S NEXT? We’re thrilled you enjoyed the show! The best thing you can do is tell your friends about your experience. CAN I TAKE PHOTOS OR RECORD VIDEO OF THE SHOW? No. Elements of the show may be copyrighted, so it’s illegal to Word of mouth is the number one way people learn about us, so photograph or film the show. If caught taking photos or video, you telling others how much you enjoyed yourself is truly appreciated. will be asked to delete the recording. Share your experience on your favorite social media site, call a A more significant reason we ask you to refrain from taking pictures friend, or tell your colleagues at work. or filming the show is that it’s very disruptive to your fellow audience members.

The glow of a camera dramatically lights up the theatre. However, we encourage you to take photos before the show, at intermission, or afterward and share your experience on social media. Be sure to tag us!

Facebook: /TheatreandDanceatWayne Instagram: @theatreanddanceatwayne Youtube: WayneStateTheatres

SHOW GUIDE • 10 Our season is full of exciting plays, musicals, and dance concerts. Included below is a list of each production and specific weekday morning matinee performance. If you’d like to bring a school group to any of these, please contact our group sales manager at 313-577-0852 or visit our website to submit your reservation online. If you’d like to come to a public More to see performance, call the box office at 313-577-2972 or order your tickets online at theatreanddanceatwayne.com.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL TOBACCO ROAD Bonstelle Theatre Underground at the Hilberry Dickens’ beloved holiday tale returns for its fourth year! The Underground at the Hilberry is accessible by stairs. If you have a mobility concern, please call the box office (313-577-2972) 24 hours in advance so we can assist you. Field Trip Dates Field Trip Dates Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 24 at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 1 at 10 a.m. Scrooge and his ghostly guides are back for a fourth Erskine Caldwell’s celebrate American novel, Tobacco year of this beloved holiday tale. A Christmas Carol Road, comes to life in an adaptation by Jack Kirkland. follows miserly old Scrooge when he’s visited by his former business partner, Jacob Marley. Warned that his It follows a family of Georgian farmers who struggle humbuggery will curse him in the afterlife, Marley sends during the Great Depression as their once profitable the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to help tobacco crop slowly dies. Jeeter Lester, the father, lives in Scrooge reform his curmudgeonly ways. Will the old squalor with his wife Ada, their two children, Dude and codger redeem himself? Can the spirits inspire him to Ellie May, and his mother. When the family learns that a greater purpose? Utilizing magical special effects and their house and property are now owned by the bank, a mechanically marvelous set, A Christmas Carol will Jeeter is given a chance to earn money so that they may delight everyone who experiences it. Based on Charles keep living there, but he refuses. Desperate to save their Dickens classic story, this 75-minute long production is family, the once-proud father makes sacrifices that will written by John Wolf and Tom Aulino. impact their lives in ways unimaginable.

Disney + Cameron Macintosh’s THE WINTER’S TALE MARY POPPINS Shakespeare’s wistful tale of loss and romance Bonstelle Theatre Hilberry Theatre Field Trip Dates Field Trip Dates Tuesday, April 14 at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. Pop open your umbrellas and take flight with us as Including one of Shakespeare’s most famous and funny everyone’s favorite, and practically perfect, nanny takes stage directions, “’Exit, pursued by a bear,” The Winter’s the stage in this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical Tale is a romance, a comedy, and a fairy tale that has adventure. Mary Poppins is an enchanting story that entertained audiences for 400 years. The story begins in follows the Banks family as they struggle with life in Sicilia where the king accuses his wife of having an affair Edwardian England just after the turn of the 19th century. with his childhood friend. As his unfounded jealousy The children, Jane and Michael, are terribly ill-behaved. consumes him, he puts his wife on trial and abandons Mrs. Banks is lonely and bereft, aching for dreams long their newborn girl, Perdita, in the wild. But as with all ignored. And Mr. Banks just wants to live an orderly, well- fairy tales, the child survives and, now living in Bohemia, established life. Helping them is the mysterious nanny she blossoms into a free-spirited young woman. It’s who can talk to birds, magically transform a gloomy park there that she meets and falls in love with a young man into a painterly scene, and, just maybe, with a spoonful of who may just be the son to her father’s former friend. sugar, get the Banks back on track. In a magical twist that must be seen to be believed, she might just find the homecoming she’d never expected. STAGE KISS by Sarah Ruhl COMPANY ONE DANCE CONCERT Hilberry Theatre Bonstelle Theatre One performance only! Field Trip Dates Tuesday, May 5 at 10 a.m. Field Trip Dates Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. When two actors with a history are thrown together as romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama, they Bring your class to the historic Bonstelle theater! quickly lose touch with reality as the story onstage follows Company One’s morning dance concert is for schools them offstage. Stage Kiss, by renowned playwright Sarah and community groups. The engaging concert is also Ruhl, is a charming tale about what happens when open to the public. Through movement, spoken word, characters share a stage kiss — or when actors share a real and the creative process the dancers will engage you in one. an experience to remember. Come ready to see, think, and wonder. The show is great for aspiring artists, as well “A gift and a rarity: a superb new romantic comedy that’s as, students studying history, humanities, anthropology, moving, smart and flat-out hilarious… You will have social sciences, and more. K-12 and special education difficulty breathing. Stage Kiss is that funny.” — Jesse students welcome. Stick around after the show for a Q Green, New York Magazine and A with the dancers!