A CHRISTMAS CAROL TEACHING RESOURCES NOV 2017–JAN 2018 CONTENTS Cast and Creative team 3 Old Vic Education The Old Vic The Cut Characters 9 London SE1 8NB E [email protected] Synopsis 11 @oldvictheatre Themes 14 © The Old Vic, 2017 All information is correct at the time of going to press, but may Timeline: Dickens, Christmas and the Theatre 15 be subject to change Teaching resources Interview with Matthew Warchus, Director of A Christmas Carol, 17 Compiled by Susie Ferguson and Artistic Director of The Old Vic Design Adam Kahan Rehearsal and production photography Manuel Harlan Directing A Christmas Carol by Jamie Manton — Associate Director 19 of A Christmas Carol Old Vic Education & Community Head of Education & Community Hannah Fosker Quick Questions with playwright Jack Thorne 21 Education Manager Liz Bate Young Person’s Programme Manager Music and Sound in A Christmas Carol 22 Naomi Lawson Education & Community Intern In Conversation with Rhys Ifans 23 Stella Ajayi Further details of this production Performing the Carol 25 oldvictheatre.com Practical Exercises for the Drama studio and English classroom 27 A Day in the Life of Assistant Theatre Administrator, Katie Dawson 33 Bibliography and Further Reading 34 The Old Vic A Christmas Carol teaching resources 2 COMPANY Melissa Allan Oliver Evans Little Fan Ferdy Theatre: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (National Theatre: Wicked (West End/UK tour); The Little Beasts Theatre of Scotland/National Theatre/UK tour/West (The Other Palace); Three Witches (Belgrade); Clinton, End — Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Scotsman the Musical (King’s Head); Ella and the Dragophant Fringe First Award, Herald Angel Award, The Stage (George Wood Theatre); The Most Wonderful Time of Year Ensemble Award). (Jermyn Street); Vice, a Jazz Opera (Arcola/Soho); Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast (Hertford Theatre); Jamie Cameron A Little Bit of Dickens (Hertford/Dugdale Centre). Young Ebenezer/George Film: The Battle of the Somme, Closely Watched Theatre: Once The Musical (West End/Dublin/Seoul); Rooms, 59, Handle With Care. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC); Carmen Disruption (Almeida). Film: Anna Karenina. Tim van Eyken Nicholas John Dagleish Theatre: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Bob Cratchit (The Old Vic); Shakespeare in Love (West End); Theatre: Common (National Theatre); A Midsummer The Little Match Girl (Sadler’s Wells); Easter Rising, Night’s Dream (Young Vic); The Winter’s Tale/ Thereafter (Jermyn Street); Birdsong (UK tour); Harlequinade (Garrick); Sunny Afternoon — Olivier The Ballad of Little Musgrave (Aldeburgh Music); Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Hampstead/Harold Ballroom of Joys and Sorrows (Watford Palace); Pinter Theatre); The Mother (Out of Joint/Royal Court). GOOD (Royal Exchange Manchester); The Long Film: Justice League, Mary Poppins Returns, The Goodbye (Hampstead); War Horse (National Theatre/ Monuments Men, Snow In Paradise, Age of Heroes, West End). Film: The Imitation Game. TV: Foyle’s Frankie Teardrop, The Priest. TV: The Moorside: War. Awards include the Imison Award — BBC Audio The Last Dragonslayer, Silent Witness, Jonathan Strange Drama Awards 2014, Best Traditional Track — BBC and Mr Norrell, Truckers, Beaver Falls, Starlings, Folk Awards 2007 and BBC Young Folk Award 1998. The Hollow Crown: Henry V, Any Human Heart, Very Few Fish, The Bill, Lark Rise to Candleford. Grace Fincham Tiny Tim Erin Doherty Grace lives in Portsmouth and attends a drama club Belle where her most memorable production was in the Theatre: The Divide (The Old Vic/EIF); Groundlings Theatre Production of Oliver Twist. My Name is Rachel Corrie (Young Vic); Junkyard In her spare time Grace fundraises for the charity (Headlong/Rose Theatre Kingston/Bristol Old Vic/Theatr Debra. She is making her professional theatre debut. Clwyd); The Glass Menagerie (Headlong); Lights Out (Royal Court); Wish List (Royal Court/Royal Exchange Alex Gaumond Manchester — Manchester Theatre Awards Best Actress Father/Marley in a Studio Production); Who Cares (The Lowry); Pink Theatre: Caroline, or Change (Chichester); The Mist (Bristol Old Vic). TV: Call The Midwife. Awards Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe); Into the include Stephen Sondheim Student of the Year Award Woods (Royal Exchange Manchester); Seven Brides 2015 at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. for Seven Brothers (Regent’s Park); Shakespeare’s Birthday Bash (RSC); Sweeney Todd (ENO); A Toby Eden Christmas Carol, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Matilda The Tiny Tim Musical, Top Hat, We Will Rock You, Legally Blonde, Toby lives in East Sussex with his mother and brother. Desperately Seeking Susan, Sunday In The Park With He joined Alphabet Kidz talent agency in August George, Scrooge, Gone, The Full Monty (West End); 2016, and has done extensive commercials, videos, The Trial of Jane Fonda (Park Theatre); Jesus Christ photographs and TV programmes. He is making his Superstar (Ljubljana Festival, Slovenia); Guys and professional theatre debut. Dolls, The Full Monty, Miss Saigon (UK Tour). Film: Nasty Women, My Dinner With Hervé, Hampstead. The Old Vic A Christmas Carol teaching resources 3 Rhys Ifans Eugene McCoy Ebenezer Scrooge Fred Theatre: King Lear (The Old Vic); Protest Song, Theatre: Groundhog Day (The Old Vic); Volpone, Under Milk Wood (National Theatre); American Psycho (Almeida); Jersey Boys, Don Juan in Soho, Accidental Death of an Anarchist Mamma Mia! (WestEnd); The Pajama Game (Donmar); Beautiful Thing (West End); Thyestes (Chichester/West End); Guys and Dolls (Donmar/ (Royal Court); Smoke, Poison Pen (Royal Exchange West End); Oklahoma! (Chichester); They’re Playing Manchester). Film: Snowden, Alice Through the Our Song (Menier Chocolate Factory); Little Shop of Looking Glass, Len and Company, Under Milk Wood, Horrors (UK tour); West Side Story (Larnaca). Film: Serena, Mr Nice, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Five- Paddington 2. TV: Little Crackers, Doctors. Year Engagement, Anonymous, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Greenberg, The Boat That Rocked, Myra McFadyen Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Twin Town, Hannibal Ghost of Christmas Past Rising, Human Nature, Notting Hill. TV: Not Only Theatre: Mamma Mia! (West End); Rhinoceros But Always — BAFTA for Best Actor, A Number, (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh/DOT/EIF); Hay Fever, Trial and Retribution, Streetlife, Berlin Station. The Choir (Citizens); Macbeth (National Theatre of Scotland/Lincoln Center, New York); I Am Thomas, Siena Kelly The House of Bernarda Alba (National Theatre of Jess Scotland); The Cherry Orchard (Royal Lyceum, Theatre: On the Town (Regent’s Park); King Kong Edinburgh); Interiors (Vanishing Point); A Christmas Workshop (Global Creatures). TV: Vanity Fair. Carol (Chichester); The Lion, the Witch and the Siena graduated from Arts Ed in 2017. Wardrobe, The Winter’s Tale, Everyman, The Mysteries (RSC); Happy Days (Tramway/Traverse); Tartuffe (Royal Exchange Manchester); Out of a House Walked a Man (National Theatre/Complicite). Film: Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, Mamma Mia!, Made Of Honor, Rob Roy. TV: Dracula, Rose and Maloney, Jonathan Creek. Grace Fincham Toby Eden The Old Vic A Christmas Carol teaching resources 4 Maria Omakinwa Ethan Quinn Mrs Cratchit Tiny Tim Theatre: The Bodyguard, Avenue Q (West End); Ethan attends the British Theatre Academy. One Love (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Theatre: 13 The Musical, Ragtime, The Secret Garden Show Boat (Sheffield Crucible/West End); (West End); Bugsy Malone (Hampton Hill); The Wizard Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales (The Bargehouse); of Oz (Electric Theatre, Guildford); Aladdin (Kenton Soul Sister (UK Tour); Little Shop of Horrors Theatre, Henley). (Kilworth House). Golda Rosheuvel Alastair Parker Ghost of Christmas Present/ Mrs Fezziwig Fezziwig Theatre: Electra, Carmen Jones (The Old Vic); Theatre: Treasure Island, People, NT: 50 Years on The Frontline, Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe); Stage, The Merchant of Venice, Honk!, The Villain’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Opera (National Theatre); Matilda The Musical (RSC/ Jesus Christ Superstar, We Will Rock You, Tommy West End); Jerry Springer: The Opera (National (West End); The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Antony Theatre/West End/Edinburgh Festival/BAC); Oliver! and Cleopatra, Marat/Sade (RSC); Wonder.land, (West End); Bed & Sofa (Finborough); BBC Proms The Pacifist’s Guide to The War on Cancer(National — Sondheim at 80 (Royal Albert Hall); The Glee Club Theatre); Realism, Mongrel Island, Pure Gold (Soho); (New Vic); Two Women for One Ghost, Cymbeline, Porgy and Bess, Macbeth (Regent’s Park). Twelfth Night, HMS Pinafore (Regent’s Park); Film: Lady Macbeth. TV: Luther, Silent Witness, Jonah Boy (Stephen Joseph); Is There Life After High Dead Boss, Rev, I Live With Models, Mr Stink, School (Bridewell); Oklahoma (Perth Theatre). Holby City, Damned, Trial and Retribution. Film: The Hitman & Her, London Road, The Merchant of Venice, Hell for Leather. TV: Doctor Who, Lenny Rush Sinchronicity, White Teeth, The Vice, Spooks. Tiny Tim Lenny attends The Pauline Quirke Academy (Wickford). Theatre: The Lazy Ace (Her Majesty’s Theatre). TV: Apple Tree House, Our Family (CBeebies). He is making his professional theatre debut. Ethan Quinn and Lenny Rush The Old Vic A Christmas Carol teaching resources 5 CREATIVE TEAM Jack Thorne Rob Howell Adapter Set and Costume Designer Theatre: Woyzeck (The Old Vic); Junkyard (Headlong/ Theatre: Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, The Caretaker, The Rose Theatre Kingston/Bristol Old Vic/Theatr Clwyd); Master Builder, Future Conditional, A Flea