Winn-Dixiethe Musical from the Novel by Kate Dicamillo Book and Lyrics by Nell Benjamin; Music by Duncan Sheik Animal Direction and Training by William Berloni
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ASF Study Materials for Because of Winn-DixieThe Musical from the novel by Kate DiCamillo book and lyrics by Nell Benjamin; music by Duncan Sheik animal direction and training by William Berloni Study materials written by Contact ASF at: www.asf.net Susan Willis, ASF Dramaturg 1.800.841-4273 [email protected] 1 Because of Winn-Dixie Welcome to the Musical Because of Winn-Dixie How could this much beloved young people's novel get any better? It could become a musical! Kate DeCamillo's first novel,Because Characters of Winn-Dixie, has a heart as big as Winn- Preacher Buloni, new in town Dixie's, its scruffy canine protagonist. He is a Opal, his daughter stray, but that homeless feeling is shared by Opal, a child new to the small Florida town Winn-Dixie, a stray she adopts of Naomi. She learns her loneliness is widely local families: shared and also malleable, for with some Millie and Carl Wilkinson canine inspiration it can turn into friendship and Amanda Wilkinson, their community. Thanks to Winn-Dixie and Opal's daughter, a bookworm love for him, one of the story's central images, Jeanne Dewberry, a divorcée of the turtle in its shell, aptly describes all the Dunlap Dewberry, her older son characters, who re-emerge into the world and re-engage with it. Stevie Dewberry, his brother The story's multi-layered warmth first Callie and Jiggs Thomas, he prompted Walden Media to film the novel in manages the Winn-Dixie 2005 and now has attracted the musical's Sweetie Pie Thomas, their creative team. In the talented hands of Nell daughter Benjamin (who recently worked on Legally other locals: Blonde) and Duncan Sheik (who recently won Otis, pet store manager, who several Tony Awards for his music for Spring once served a jail term Awakening) and animal trainer William Berloni Cover of Kate DiCamillo's first novel,Because Franny Block, the librarian (who trained , among many others, the original of Winn-Dixie (2000); art by Chris Sheban Sandy for Annie), the yearnings of Naomi, Gloria Dump, a partially blind Florida's inhabitants become ours, galvanized recovering alcoholic, whom by that lovable mutt. the kids call the "witch" The story is "a hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South." About the Musical Adaptation: Place: Naomi, Florida (a —novelist Kate DeCamillo fictional town in central A Children's Novel, Now Theatre for All Florida) The musical has had pre-Broadway productions in 2013 and 2015 in Arkansas and Time: modern, pre-internet Delaware. Because the play is drawn from a Nell Benjamin (book and lyrics) agrees, children's book, reviewers of both productions "the thought of picking up some of the darker, hastened to point out that this musical adaptation About these Study Materials cooler themes of this book through some kind is not a typical children's play with music. The Because the SchoolFest of theatrical magic really appealed to me." For novel deals with real life problems of dogs, grade range for this show is 4-12, the music, Sheik wrote "a dynamic blend of children, and adults alike, and the music engages the materials offer general topics southern rock, rockabilly, country and blues" those elements more fully. you can tailor for the discussion along with some gospel sounds. and writing needs of your grade In developing the musical, everyone on the They wanted to avoid any sentimental level. creative team wanted to work straight from the treatment, so they sought some edge, some bite. novel; no one watched the film. Dorothy Berloni, Topics treated include: (That became Nell Benjamin's favorite joke—"A who conceived the project, wanted to showcase • Author/creator information dog show, with bite!") So it's a musical for all the bond between humans and animals and to • Considering novel and play audiences— elementary students in Delaware let the dog take the leading role, a challenge and the adaptation process sat on the edge of their seats; adults laughed her husband, fabled animal trainer Bill Berloni, • Issues and ideas in the work and cried. Like the novel and Winn-Dixie himself, could fulfill. • Information about our the musical finds its way to the heart. Winn-Dixie The first production's director, John • Activities and discussion Tartaglia, loved the story's richness and found points, in red he "couldn't stop thinking about it. It dealt with very adult subjects and some of life's hard knocks in a way that was really intelligent and Cover: Bowdie, who plays really profound." Winn-Dixie at ASF 2 Because of Winn-Dixie About Author Kate DiCamillo Kate DiCamillo is now the author of 24 her reading for her becoming a writer. She also books, among them Because of Winn-Dixie had a beloved dog, a black standard poodle, (her first novel, published in 2000, which won with which she played dress-up games. the Josette Frank and Mark Twain Awards), The novel emerged when she found herself The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Desperaux, and living in Minneapolis, MN and for the first time the Mercy Watson series. She has twice won unable to have a dog. She became homesick the Newbery Award, in 2004 and 2014, one of for the South and for canine companionship, so only six authors to be so honored. The Library she created both, and only later realized she had of Congress appointed her the U.S. National included a large chunk of herself in so doing. Ambassador for Young People's Literature for DiCamillo on Writing 2014-15. Writing is "about seeing the world. Paying As with all the best children's literature, attention," she believes. She learned that DeCamillo believes that "a book for children has was true in her first community college writing to offer hope. You have a moral responsibility to class, where, nearing the deadline for her first make things turn out well," but she also frames assignment, she wrote about a woman she had her first tale so that it speaks to adults, too, seen sitting on top of a dog food sack in front going, as she calls it, "dark and light," offering of a Winn-Dixie store playing a tambourine a real Littmus Lozenge of a tale. and asking for loose change. The store in that The context of her first novel is the world experience gave its name to the canine hero of Kate DiCamillo she knew as a child. When she was 5, her family her first novel and this play. moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Regarding the process of writing, she makes Listen to DiCamillo's 2014 Clermont, Florida, a small town where everybody herself write at least two pages a day, though she Newbery acceptance knew everybody (or acted as if they did), a move agrees with Dorothy Parker that "I hate writing. speech @ www.ala.org prompted by her chronic pneumonia. Her father, I love having written," because it is hard work. an orthodonist, never joined the family in Florida. Writing, she says, is a process of rewriting: "each Due to her health, DiCamillo read a lot, time I rewrite, the pages get a little better." Her often in her backyard tree fort, and she credits "better" is actually quite remarkable. The Musical's Creative Team: Nell Benjamin & Duncan Sheik NELL BENJAMIN—Book and Lyrics Adventures in Wonderland workshopped by In addition to her work on Because of the Royal National Theatre in London. Another Winn-Dixie, Nell Benjamin is best known for London premiere was the musical adaptation her score to the Broadway hit Legally Blonde: of American Psycho at the Almedia Theatre in The Musical and for her playwriting debut with 2013; it premieres on Broadway this year. In the 2015 hit play Explorers' Club. Other work 2013 he also wrote the music for Because of includes the lyrics for Pirates! (or Gilbert and Winn-Dixie. In 2015 he premiered Noir. Sullivan Plunder'd) and Sarah, Plain and Tall. Born in 1969 in Montclair, New Jersey, he Born in 1972, she holds degrees from also grew up in South Carolina, and the sound Harvard and Trinity College, Dublin. of the Southern rock he heard there inspired DUNCAN SHEIK—Composer much of the music in this show. Duncan Sheik leapt to fame in 1996 with the first track of his first album, "Barely Breathing," which then stayed on the Hot 100 List for 55 straight weeks. He now has 8 solo albums. Nell Benjamin More recently, in 2006 he wrote the music for the Broadway hit Spring Awakening, which garnered him several Tony awards (best original score, best orchestration, best musical) and a Grammy. His first non-album work was providing music for Shakespeare in the Park's Twelfth Night in 2002. Subsequently, he did the music Duncan Sheik for Alice by Heart, an adaptation of Alice's 3 Because of Winn-Dixie Meet Bowdie: In the First Starring Role for a Dog in a Musical Bowdie found Bill Berloni, or vice versa, in 2014 4 chickens, 3 horses, 2 pigs, a donkey, a pony, when his original family could not keep him—and a macaw, and 25 other dogs. now he is a star. For his first professional role he When asked about the training process, played Nana in the NBC live broadcast of Peter Bowdie allowed Mr. Berloni to speak for him: Pan, a role usually played by an actor in a dog "animals don't act.… With animals, it is reality. suit. He then began training to play Winn-Dixie …What makes the animal performances so at the Delaware Theatre Company in 2015.