Nov. 6-9, 2014 Old Town Playhouse Main Stage Educational Materials ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, JR. Meet the Show’s Authors LYNN AHRENS (book and lyrics) is a lyricist, librettist and author. She is the recipi- ent of the Tony Award, the Emmy, London’s Olivier Award, Drama Desk, Outer Crit- ics Circle Award and a Gold Record. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, three Grammys and four Emmys. For Broadway, she wrote lyrics for Ragtime, My Favorite Year, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, and both book and lyrics for Once On This Island, Seussical and A Christmas Carol (Madison Square Garden). Off-Broadway: Lyrics for A Man of No Importance and book and lyrics for Dessa Rose and The Glorious One (all produced by Lincoln Center Theatre), and Lucky Stiff (Playwrights Horizons). Feature film: Lyrics for Anastasia (Twentieth Century Fox), Camp, After the Storm and others. Television: Mainstay songwriter and singer for the renowned animated series, Schoolhouse Rock; musical teleplay, A Christmas Carol (Hallmark Entertainment/NBC); she has created, written and pro- duced many network shows for young audiences. Publishing: Her short stories and essays have appeared nationally and have been nominated for Best American Essays and the Pushcart Anthology. She serves on the Dramatists Guild Council of America and co-chairs the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program for emerging writers. 2008 marked her twenty-fifth year of collaboration with composer Stephen Flaherty. STEPHEN FLAHERTY (music) writes music for theatre, film, recordings and the concert stage. He is perhaps best known as the com- poser of the Broadway musicals Ragtime (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Grammy nominations), Seussical (Grammy and Drama Desk nominations), Once On This Island (Tony nomination, Olivier Award for London’s Best Musical) and also contributed music to Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life (original songs) and Neil Simon’s Proposals (incidental music). He has also written four musicals which have been produced at Lincoln Center Theatre: The Glorious Ones (Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations), Dessa Rose (Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations), A Man of No Importance (Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Drama Desk nomination) and My Favorite Year. Other theater scores include Lucky Stiff and Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein (Chicago’s Jefferson Award for Best New Musical). Film credits include Anastasia (Academy Award nomi- nations for Best Score and Best Song, two Golden Globe nominations and a gold record for its sountrack), Bartok the Magnificent (original score and songs) and the documentary After The Storm. Concert work includes commissions from the Boston Pops, Carnegie Hall and the Guggenheim Museum. Mr. Flaherty serves on the Dramatists Guild Council, where he co-chairs the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program for emerging writers with Lynn Ahrens, his longtime writing partner. The Educational Materials for Once On This Island, Jr. are provided through a generous grant from the Worthington Family Foundation. We thank them for their support. Illustrations by Matt McCormick WWW.OTPYOUNGCOMPANY.COM Nov. 6-9, 2014 Old Town Playhouse Main Stage Educational Materials GLOSSARY OF THEATRE TERMS Act: 1) The process of performing as a character. 2) A main section of a play. Actor: A person who performs as a character in a play or musical. Academy Award: [The Oscars] is Antagonist: The opponent to the protagonist (or hero) of the story. An antagonist may a set of awards given for excel- sometimes be called the “villain.” lence in motion picture arts. This Audience: The people who gather to watch the performance. The audience sits in the award was first given in May 1929. house. Emmy - an award given for excel- Auditions: Tryouts held for actors who want to perform in a show. Actors auditioning lence in television program arts. for a musical may be asked to sing and read a particular character’s lines from a scene Golden Globe Award : special as well as learn a short dance sequence. awards that are presented to the Author: A writer of a play or musical, which is also known as a playwright. A musi- best in TV and Cinema as chosen cal’s authors include the book writer, the composer and the lyricist. by the members of the Hollywood Backstage: The area out of view of the audience that include the wings and dressing Foreign Press Association. They rooms as well as the lounge area or “green room.” have been presented every year Blocking: The actors’ movement in a play or musical, not including the choreography. since 1944. The director usually assigns blocking during rehearsals. Grammy: a recording industry Body Mics: Portable mics that are strapped to the actors’ bodies. Also called lavaliers. award. Book: The script of a musical, also called the libretto. Jefferson Award: Chicago-based Break a leg: A wish of “good luck” in the theatre, which comes from a superstition award for excellence in theatre. that saying “good luck” is actually bad luck! Olivier Award: London-based Broadway: The theatre district in New York City that is home to 40 professional thea- award for excellence in theatre. tres and one of the world’s great capitals of live theatre. Tony Award: Broadway theatre Cast: 1) noun The performers in a show, “We have a great cast.” 2) verb The act of award for excellence. the selection of an actor for a play, “I hope I get cast in the next play.” Character: A human (or animal) represented in a play. Each actor plays a character, even if that character doesn’t have a name in the script. An actor may play many characters in the same play. Choreographer: A person who creates and teaches the dance numbers in a musical. Choreography: The dances in a musical, often used to help tell the story. Chorus: 1) The ensemble; all the cast members other than the principal leads. 2) A refrain in a song. Climax: The height of the dramatic action in a play. Company: All of the people who make a show happen: actors, musicians, creative team, crew, producers, etc. Composer: A person who writes music for a musical. Costume: A garment worn by an actor during a play. Crew: A team of people who move scenery, operate lights and sound, handle props or work backstage during a production. Curtain Call: The entrance of the company at the end of the show to bow and acknowledge the audience’s applause. Designers: The people who create the sets, costumes, lighting and sound for a production. Dialogue: A conversation between two or more characters. Diction: The articulation, or clearness of speech, while delivering one’s lines. Also known as “enunciation.” Director: A person who provides the artistic vision, coordinates the creative elements and stages the play. Dress Rehearsal: A run-through of the show that includes costumes, props and technical elements. Ensemble: 1) A group of people who work together to create a show. 2) The chorus, or members of the cast other than the leads. Entrance: When a character steps onto the stage from the wings or other offstage area. Exit: When a character leaves the stage. WWW.OTPYOUNGCOMPANY.COM Illustrations by Matt McCormick Nov. 6-9, 2014 Old Town Playhouse Main Stage Educational Materials GLOSSARY OF THEATRE TERMS Follow Spot: Large, movable light at the back of the house that follows an actor as he or she crosses the stage. Also called a spotlight. Front of House: Any part of the theatre that is open to the audience, including the box office, lobby, restrooms and concession area. Improvisation: When an actor performs something not written in a script. Intermission: A break between acts when the audience gets a snack or uses the re- stroom while the company changes the set and costumes. In European theatres this break is called “the Interval.” Libretto: The script of a musical. Also called the book. License: Permission, or the rights, to produce a play in exchange for a fee which co- vers script copies and royalties for the authors. Light Board: A computerized board that controls all of the theatrical lights for a show. Lines: The dialogue spoken by the actors. Lyricist: A person who writes the lyrics of a musical. The lyricist works with a com- poser to create songs. Lyrics: The words of a song. Matinee: A performance of a show held during the day. Mic: Short for “microphone,” a device that electronically amplifies the voices of the actors. A mic may be placed on the floor, hung from the ceiling or attached to an ac- tor’s body. Monologue: A large block of lines spoken by a single character. When spoken alone onstage or directly to an audience, a monologue (called “soliloquy”) reveals the inner thoughts of a character. Illustrations by Matt McCormick Music Director: A person who is in charge of teaching the songs to the cast and orchestra and maintaining the quality of the performed score. Musical: A play with songs that are used to tell a story. Offstage: Any area out of view of the audience. Onstage: Anything on the stage and within view of the audience is said to be onstage. Pantomime: To act something out without words. Performance: 1) A single showing of a production. 2) An actor’s interpretation of a character in front of an audience. Play: A type of dramatic writing meant to be performed live on a stage. A musical is one kind of play. Plot: The chain of events that occur during the play. Principal: An actor who performs a main character in a play. Producer: The person in charge of a production who oversees budget, calendar, marketing and the hiring of the creative team, cast and crew.