Milwaukee Repertory Theater Presents November 23 ― December 19, 2010 Quadracci Powerhouse Stage This study guide is researched and designed by the Education Department at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and is intended to prepare you for your visit. It contains information that will deepen your understanding of, and appreciation for, the production. We’ve also included questions and activities for you to explore before and after our performance of BOMBSHELLS. INSIDE THIS GUIDE If you would like to schedule a classroom workshop, or if we can help in any other way, The Show 2 please contact About the Author 4 Jenny Kostreva at 414-290-5370 or [email protected] Monodramas 5 Rebecca Witt at 414-290-5393 or An Interview With… 6 [email protected] Visiting The Rep 8 Weekday Matinees December 8 December 15 NOTE: BOMBSHELLS contains All matinees are at 1:30 pm adult content. Study Guide With Contributions From Editing By Created By Robin Esch Gower, Jenny Kostreva, Rebecca Witt, PR/Marketing Intern Education Director Education Coordinator THE SHOW BOMBSHELLS tells the story of six different Mary O’Donnell women: a frazzled mother, a nervous bride- Mary is a teenager at St. Brigid‟s to-be, a lonely widow, a timid Cactophile, a School. Her love of performing shines teenage talent show contestant and an aging in her monologue as she prepares to go diva. In this one woman show, each on stage and perform „O‟Shaunnesy, character reveals a little bit about their life. the Mystery Cat‟ from the musical, Completed in 2004, the show was specifically CATS, at the school‟s talent show. written for Caroline O‟Connor. However, as Mary is getting ready, she The Monologues hears over the loud speaker that her nemesis, Angela McTerry, will be Meryl Louise Davenport performing the same number, before Meryl is a thirty-something woman Mary! Mary is bewildered at the with a family. This internal thought of what she should do now. As monologue shows us a typical day for she browses her CD collection, Mary Meryl. She begins her day at 6:07 am decides to do a „Shaft‟ number, in her with the baby crying and trying to get cat costume. We see her perform the her son to eat a healthy breakfast. Her number, receive much applause and then day consists of grocery shopping, hear the announcer begin to state the winner doing laundry, cleaning, getting the of the talent show. kids home from school, dinner and Theresa McTerry contemplating the things she thinks she is doing wrong. As we listen to her Theresa is a young, happy, internal monologue we get an insider‟s beautiful bride. She is so happy look at what it‟s like to be a busy mother. she could scream. Theresa leads us Her monologue ends as Meryl begins another through her thoughts about being long, hard day. a wife and how much she loves her future husband, Ted. We see her Tiggy Entwhistle put on her wedding dress and Tiggy is a representative of CASL, a begin to walk down the aisle to group that is for cacti-lover, and she where she actually sees Ted. And is at a meeting for all cacti lovers. then realizes that her wedding day Her slide-show of pictures and may not be all she hoped for. heart-felt address to the group show Theresa begins commenting on the and tell us why cacti are important. negative things about Ted, including the However, Tiggy is also immersed in color of his cummerbund. We bounce her own world tormented by the loss between Theresa saying her vows, which she of her lover and she intersperses her regrets writing, and her internal monologue speech about cacti with her own where she comments on how sexy the vicar thoughts about Harry. looks, her wedding dress and how horrible the bridesmaids‟ dresses are. Her monologue ends as we hear Theresa beginning a speech about how happy she is. BOMBSHELLS Study Guide Page 2 Winsome Webster own clothing instead. Patrick does the same and moments later, Winsome and Patrick Winsome is an older widow. She are making love on a table in begins by explaining her week and his living room. the activities she does with other widows. Winsome explains what the Zoe Struthers group is and what it‟s like to be a Zoe is an aging American widow. She then tells us that she singer doing a show in London. received a phone call to work with a As she gets the crowd riled up, new client, Patrick, from the Blind she shifts between singing and Society. Winsome explains what he speaking, mainly about the looks like and how often she visited losses she‟s had in her life: her him and the experience of those visits. husband to her stylist, her However, one day, Patrick asks house to a fire, her daughter Winsome to read a new book and as she she gave up at birth and her begins to read it, realizes that it is a lewd substance abuse problem. But, novel. As she continues reading, hesitantly, she announces to the audience Patrick grabs Winsome and begins to seduce that she is, indeed, sober and begins singing her. She tells us that she thinks about telling about what she‟s learned in her life. him to stop, but finds herself taking off her WHO IS CAROLINE O’CONNOR? Caroline Ann O'Connor was born in Oldham, Festival (where she Lancashire England to Irish parents, and won the coveted eventually moved to Sydney, Australia. A Fringe First Award), performer from a young age, Caroline started London‟s West End at singing almost before she could speak. At age the Arts Theatre (for 10 she was crowned Australian Irish Dance which she received Champion. Wanting a more formal training, her second Laurence Caroline packed her bags once again and Olivier Award returned to England to train at the Royal nomination) and at Ballet School in London. After receiving her the World Stage training, she moved back to Australia to Festival in Toronto, work with the Australian Opera Ballet Canada. Caroline O’Connor as Nini Legs where she was told to pursue musicals. Her own show, From in the Air in the film Moulin Caroline has enjoyed great acclaim for Stage to Screen, has Rouge. stepping into the shoes of the likes of Edith been presented at the Piaf, Judy Garland and Ethel Merman, as Sydney Opera House and was filmed for well as headline roles in many of the world's Australian television. Caroline‟s film work best-loved musicals. Out of her many includes the featured role of Nini Legs in the Australian productions, one of the most Air in Baz Luhrmann‟s film Moulin Rouge, famous is BOMBSHELLS. After the success and as Ethel Merman in the Cole Porter of the show, Caroline filmed BOMBSHELLS biopic De-Lovely. Caroline has also recorded for ABC Television and toured the play to four solo CDs and is featured on numerous sell out performances at the Edinburgh cast recordings and compilations. Page 3 BOMBSHELLS Study Guide ABOUT THE AUTHOR Researched and written by Robin Esch West End. Murray-Smith penned BOMB- Gower, PR/Marketing Intern SHELLS (2004), her one-woman show, spe- cifically for actress Caroline O‟Connor. Fol- Born April 17, 1962 in Mount Eliza, Victoria, lowing its Sydney premiere to sell out Joanna Murray-Smith is a crowds, BOMBSHELLS Melbourne-based play- headed overseas to the Ed- wright, screenwriter, libret- inburgh Festival and was tist, novelist and newspaper awarded the Edinburgh columnist. She attended Festival Fringe First Toorak College and received Award. It was then per- her BA from the University formed in London‟s West of Melbourne. In 1995 End where it received the Murray-Smith was awarded 2005 London Theatergoers a Rotary International Choice Award. BOMB- Scholarship, which she used SHELLS has since been per- to attend New York‟s Co- formed around the globe lumbia University writing and was filmed for Austra- program. lian television. Many of Murray-Smith‟s plays, including Murray-Smith is currently married to Ray- ATALANTA (1990), REDEMPTION (1997) mond Gill and has two sons and one daugh- and RAPTURE (2002), have been translated ter. She states that although she considers and performed throughout the world. Her “the life of the playwright . an emotional 1994 work, HONOR, has been performed in and financial minefield,” Murray-Smith also over 36 countries, including Broadway pro- acknowledges, “My working life comes from ductions, as well as performances at Lon- what I‟m dreaming up inside my head. How don‟s Royal National Theatre and in the lucky can you get?” PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION: Why do you think Smith decided to write a show specifically for an actor? What factors might play into creating a show around various characters played by one person? What difficulties might you run into trying to do this? Discuss your answers with your classmates. PRE-SHOW ACTIVITY: While there are no specifics for a set, it must be flexible and accommodating for the actors and the script. Knowing that there are six different monologues, design the set for BOMBSHELLS. Use clues from the script to help you create something that is appropriate for the show as well as effective in conveying meaning. Share what you have designed with a small group. POST-SHOW ACTIVITY: After seeing the show, compare the actual set to what you previously designed. How do they compare and contrast? Do you think the set was effective in conveying meaning as well as accommodating of the six monologues? Discuss your thoughts with a small group.