PLAY GUIDE
EVERYMAN THEATRE GR E AT STOR I ES, W E L L TO L D.
EVERYMAN THEATRE
Vincent M. Lancisi, Founding Artistic Director Jonathan K. Waller, Managing Director
presents
DOT
Playwright COLMAN DOMINGO Director VINCENT M. LANCISI Dotty..............................................................................SHARON HOPE* Shelly........................................................................... DAWN URSULA* Jackie.................................................................... MEGAN ANDERSON* Donnie..................................................................... YAEGEL T. WELCH* Adam.................................................................................ROB JANSEN* Averie.................................................................... PAIGE HERNANDEZ* Fidel............................................................ RYAN CARLO DALUSUNG Set Design
Lighting Design
JAMES FOUCHARD
HAROLD F. BURGESS II
Sound Design
Choreographer
Costume Design
DAVID BURDICK Props Master
ELISHEBA ITTOOP
JOSEPH W. RITSCH
JILLIAN MATHEWS
Dramaturgy
Stage Manager
Casting Contributor
JOHANNA GRUENHUT
AMANDA M. HALL
*
PAT MCCORKLE, CSA
Time: Now. Christmas. | Place: A house in West Philadelphia.
This production will be performed in two acts with one intermission.
PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES. NO TEXTING. NO EATING IN THE THEATRE. Dot is produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. World premiere in the 2015 Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre Of Louisville. Dot was produced by The Vineyard Theatre; Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director; Sarah Stern, Co-Artistic Director, Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell, Executive Director; New York City, Winter, 2016. The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production or distributing recordings on any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: www.samuelfrench.com/whitepaper. * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States PRODUCTION SPONSOR
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PRODUCTION MEDIA SPONSOR
THE PLAY SETTING
THE CONFLICT
The play takes place in the kitchen and living room of Dotty Shealy’s house in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania two days prior to Christmas through Christmas morning, during present day.
The Shealy family and friends come together for Christmas and struggle to reconcile their own evolving lives in relationship to their mother’s deteriorating condition and fading memory.
THE CHARACTERS Dotty (played by Sharon Hope) is the matriarch of the Shealy Family in her midsixties/early seventies. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease one year prior, her condition is progressing rapidly. Mother to Shelly, Donnie, and Averie.
Adam (played by Rob Jansen) is Donnie’s husband and is forty years old. He provides support to each member of the family at different times. He values healthy living, maintaining strong family ties, but comes to important realizations about his relationship with Donnie.
Shelly (played by Dawn Ursula) is Dotty’s oldest daughter, forty-five years old with one son named Jason. She is the primary family caregiver to Dotty responsible for her safety, security and mental well being. She juggles being a mother, a public defender, a daughter, sister and caretaker. With so many roles to fulfill, she is at the end of her rope.
Averie (played by Paige Hernandez) is Dotty’s youngest child, thirty-eight years old and living in Shelly’s basement. Tensions are high between her and her sister. Full of energy, she chases a the dream of being a celebrity reality star. Not afraid to speak her mind, she struggles to reconcile her new found responsibility in the face of her family's changing needs.
Jackie (played by Megan Anderson) is a long-time neighbor and Donnie’s ex-girlfriend currently living in Harlem, New York. Her family was close with the Shealys growing up and she has not overcome the pain she experienced through her breakup with Donnie. Running away from her life in New York, she returns home to make a decision about her unexpected pregnancy.
Fidel (played by Ryan Carlo Dalusung) is Dotty’s caretaker up to three days a week. Hired via Craigslist, he is from Kazakhstan and works for fifty dollars a day. He has not been home in nine years and shares a very special connection with Dotty. He is actively working on securing political asylum.
Donnie (played by Yaegel T. Welch) is Dotty’s middle child. A forty year old gay man, he lives in New York City and works as a musicologist and freelance writer. He comes to grips with Dotty’s condition and is forced to face his past and his future through Jackie and Adam.
Jason is an unseen character, but he is the focus of many conversations. He is Shelly’s nine year old son by way of a father he will never know and Dotty’s only grandson.
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THE PLAYWRIGHT COLMAN DOMINGO
C
olman Domingo was born on November 28, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lived with his parents, brother, and sister (and, fun fact, went to high school with Will Smith!).
Throughout his dynamic career, Colman has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, and Drama League Awards. He received a Lucille Lortel Award for his performance in A Boy And His Soul.
Inspired by a longing to document stories of war-torn countries, Colman studied photojournalism at Temple University. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco. It was there that he began playwriting and acting. Since the late 1990s, he has been performing on stages throughout the U.S. and London, as well as in film and television. Best known work as an actor includes his role as Victor on Fear the Walking Dead; he has also starred in popular films, such as Lincoln, Selma, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler. His latest film project for Netflix, First Match, is currently in post-production. On Broadway, Colman has been seen in Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre, and received a Tony nomination in 2011 for his performance in Scottsboro Boys at the Lyceum Theatre. Colman has directed and written plays produced on Broadway and beyond. His work as a playwright includes A Boy and His Soul: a one-man show, which he also starred in when the play was produced in New York and at the Tricycle Theatre in London. In 2012, Colman played Gil in his play, Wild With Happy; and in 2016, Dot will be performed in Detroit, Baltimore, and New York. EVERYMAN THEATRE | 4
Colman Domingo (left) in his play Wild With Happy at the Public Theatre in New York City in 2012.
Colman is a faculty member at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. He has taught and guest lectured at universities and conservatories across the country, including UNC Chapel Hill, UT Austin, and The Savannah College of Art and Design.
IN HIS WORDS On his journey... “No one through elementary school to high school would have thought that I would have the career I have. I was nerdy. I wore my sister’s hand-medown PRO-Keds. I was a pimply-faced geek. I was always doing the school newspaper and I had this little camera around my neck all of the time. I was a photojournalism major [in college]. I’ve always thought I was a voyeur; I wasn’t someone that was going to be on the screen or on the stage. I was not in high school musicals or plays or anything like that. I was watching. But I guess that’s been my journey, watching human behavior, because that’s what we do.”
Colman Domingo in his self-penned, one-man autobiographical play A Boy and His Soul at the Vineyard Theatre in 2010.
On life-long learning... “For a moment, actually, after A Boy and His Soul, I thought maybe I should go to school…I thought… ‘I need some training,’ and then a director swayed me away from that. [And] said, ‘[No, you’re going to continue to find your voice... It’s a craft, and so, just keep learning and just keep doing it…’ I’m just a student always.” On art imitating life... “I guess it’s a compliment because people get so honest and real and gritty that they assume I’m writing from my personal experience. I wrote a play like that already. I wrote A Boy and His Soul that talks about how my mother had lupus and my dad dying of a heart condition. It makes me question the way people are able to see a work. Can they see it? Will they always see you as a protagonist in your plays? We’re people exploring things that we’re close to, [but] I’m not that egotistical to write plays about myself all the time.”
Colman Domingo (left) in The Scottsboro Boys at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway in 2010.
On his artistic identity... Out of the things that I do, how do I describe myself: as actor, writer, or playwright? I actually trump that because I’ve finally figured [it] out. Someone told me what I was and I actually believe it: I’m an archivist. That’s the work I’ve been trying to do… and I think I’m still doing the same thing, whether it’s writing, directing, or acting. I’m just trying to tell stories and…collect stories, and tell us who we are. Colman Domingo in the film Selma released in 2014.
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TIMELINE:
THE EVOLUTION OF FAMILY AND OUR WORLD ON STAGE 430B.C.
Oedipus by Sophocles features a family trying to outsmart and test fate. Written in a time when theatre and stories were presented to teach lessons.
1590
In Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare the Capulet and the Montague households represent the familial problems arising during the English Reformation, a time when Catholics and Protestants were clashing.
1856
The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom by William Wells Brown is the first known play depicting a black family on stage. It deals with topics such as slavery, escaping slavery, marriage, and people of mixed race.
Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad in Romeo and Juliet on Broadway in 2013.
A Doll’s House at the Young Vic in London in 2013
1879
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen depicts relatable themes of the time including a woman’s sacrifices for her family, keeping up social appearances, and women beginning to have more of a voice in the world.
1938
Our Town by Thornton Wilder showcases the small town “true American.” Many of the themes presented reflected the lifestyles of the time: hard work, hard times, and simple living.
1947
All My Sons by Arthur Miller explores the effects of WWII on the American family, including what happens when a child does not come back from war, the guilt of those that did come back, and how the family processes tragedy.
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All My Sons at Everyman Theatre during the 2010/11 Season
1959
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry follows The Younger family, an African American family who decide to purchase a home in the historically white neighborhood of Clyborne Park in Chicago. The play dramatizes the impact this decision has on the family.
A Raisin in the Sun at Everyman Theatre during the 2011/12 Season
1967
Hair by James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot was inspired by the effects that the Vietnam War had on families. Hair presents the idea of “family” extending beyond the one you’re born into.
1993
Rent by Jonathan Larson and Angels in America by Tony Kushner reflect the issues and fears behind the AIDS epidemic, exploring one’s sexuality, and choosing your own family. The original cast of Rent.
2000
The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project continues the conversation on homophobia in America by dramatizing published news reports and interviews on the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, exploring the idea of family through community in the face of tragedy.
20072012
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts (2007) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Simon Stephens (2012) showcase families that are forced to face secrets and societal stigma. Both plays grapple with mental illness or disability as the central conflict.
NOW
Everyman Theatre produces Dot by Colman Domingo, a play that speaks to the world we live in now. Dot at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City in 2015.
Further Research: Read the titles here for a deeper understanding of how theatre showcases the issues of a time. Reflection: What themes are present in Dot that mirror the issues faced by the modern family?
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DOT GLOSSARY Al Sharpton: An American civil rights activist and Reverend. Sharpton has been politically active in such cases as the murders of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, and the Crown Heights Riots of 1991. Aurora Borealis: Also known as The Northern Lights, a natural phenomenon occurring in the sky characterized by lights of green and red streamers. Occurs mostly in very northern regions such as Alaska, Denmark, and Greenland. bell hooks: Born Gloria Jean Watkins and using her great-grandmother’s name when she began writing, bell hooks is an influential African-American author and activist best known for writing on themes such as race, capitalism, and systems of oppression. Blue Spruce: A type of pine tree known for its silvery-blue needles and traditionally perfect Christmas tree shape. Brighton, England: A seaside resort located in East Sussex, England. Chitlins: The colloquial spelling for “chitterlings,” a food made from the intestines of a pig. Considered a part of soul food cuisine. “Descendants of the Maassi”: The Maassi is a group of people inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Fidel Castro: The Cuban Prime Minister and eventually President who ran Cuba from 1959-2008. Known for guerilla warfare which lead to his control and adoption of Communist politics. Fotomat: A chain of drive-through photo development kiosks founded in the mid-1960s. Green Card: In the United States, a document that proves a person is a resident in the country legally and is able to lawfully obtain a job. Howard University: A historically black university located in Washington, D.C., established in 1867. James Baldwin: An African-American novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright whose writings often focus on themes of homosexuality and bisexuality, race, and gender. Juice Cleanse: A 3-4 day long program focusing on ridding the body of impurities through the consumption of nutrient rich juices. Kazakhstan: A republic located in central Asia. Located to the northwest of China. Knott’s Landing: A primetime soap opera airing from 1979-1993. Knott’s Landing was also famous for being a spinoff of the television show Dallas. Kwanzaa: A week-long celebration, observed in late December, that honors African-American traditions and culture. La Cage Aux Folles: A French film, later adapted into a Tony Award winning musical. The show centers around an owner of a drag club and his drag queen partner meeting their son’s very conservative soon-to-be in-laws. Musicologist: A person who studies music. Nothing Gold Can Stay: A poem by Robert Frost which explores the idea that all beautiful and wonderful things must, eventually, go away. Philly International: An American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Political Asylum: Guaranteed protection, given by a government, to a person who has left their country as a refugee. New York City
Public Defender: An attorney appointed by the state to someone who is unable to afford one financially.
Philadelphia
Royal Pavilion: Also known as the Brighton Pavilion, this former royal residence was built as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales. Constructed was completed in 1823. Soul Food: A type of cuisine originating in the southern United States and taking inspiration from the food enslaved Africans ate.
Baltimore
Map of the United States of America
Soviet Union: Often referred to as the USSR, the Soviet Union was a group of Socialist Republics located on the Eurasian continent, all making up one state. It was formed in 1922 and eventually dissolved in 1991. Tell It to the Mayor: A 1952 television show launched by politician and lawyer, Joseph S. Clark Jr. The show was formatted so audience members were able to ask him and other politicians questions surrounding their administrations.
West Philadelphia
Umoja: One of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Swahili for “Unity.� University of Pennsylvania: an Ivy league university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, established in 1740. West Philadelphia: A section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line to the south. An alternate definition includes all city land west of the Schuylkill; this would also include Southwest Philadelphia and its neighborhoods. The eastern side of West Philadelphia is also known as University City. White Flight: A term originating in the United States in the mid-20th century to describe the departure of Caucasian households from neighborhoods as more minorities began moving in.
Map of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Skyline
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ALZHEIMER’S AT AGE 30: AN ‘OLD-PERSON’S DISEASE’ HITS A YOUNG FAMILY By Nikki Dodson, Everyday Health
Nikki and Ken Dodson on The Meredith Vieira Show speaking about the impact of Alzheimer’s on families.
T
he first thing I noticed in my husband were some personality changes. Ken and I had just recently gotten married and built a house, and we had three children who were then eight, four, and three years old. Somehow, Ken just seemed different. One time he called me from a local store because he couldn’t remember how to get home. Another time, he went to pick up our kids and ended up going completely in the wrong direction. He was getting headaches. He started forgetting things at work—memory problems that eventually led to him losing his job. I knew something was wrong. We went to Ken’s primary care doctor. He suggested maybe it was depression, but Ken didn’t feel depressed. The doctor put him on antidepressants anyway. The symptoms didn’t go away. After seven or eight months, I thought, this is getting ridiculous. That’s when we went to see the neurologist who tested Ken and concluded he had early-onset Alzheimer’s—a week before his 30th birthday. At first, I thought the doctor was joking. I didn’t know people could get Alzheimer’s so young. But the follow-up PET and CT scans confirmed the diagnosis. We were then told we had just 7-10 “good” years left with Ken. That was six years ago. I didn’t know a whole lot about Alzheimer’s. No one in
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either of our families had ever had it. I was working in hospice as a business coordinator at the time and there were people on my roster who had the disease, but they were old people. What I’ve learned is that Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that destroys memory and mental function over time and causes changes in personality and behavior—as I saw in Ken. Certain medications and treatments may help manage symptoms like memory loss, but there is no cure. If you get diagnosed when you’re younger than 65, like Ken, it’s called early-onset Alzheimer’s. My husband is one of about 200,000 Americans who have this form of Alzheimer’s. At the time of Ken’s diagnosis, it was hard to find any information about early-onset Alzheimer’s. I reached out to everyone I could think of—doctors, co-workers, social workers, Alzheimer’s organizations. I scoured the Internet. Even the support groups I visited were geared toward people dealing with their elderly parents. The first couple of years weren’t bad. Ken had a few minor episodes. But things got worse as the disease progressed. He has wandered off; we’ve had to use police to locate him. He has lost our vehicles. He’s had rages. There is nothing that can prepare you for what every day begins to be like. It also took a huge financial toll. Ken was the primary income provider before he stopped working. I also had to stop working to care for him full-time, though I do odd jobs whenever I can to help make ends meet. We lost our incomes, our insurance. We’ve had to sell
anything we owned that was of any value. Ken and the children receive disability compensation, but we don’t qualify for food assistance because his unearned income is too high. And though there are many agencies out there with government grants to help people with Alzheimer’s, Ken isn’t eligible for most because the funds are stipulated for older people.
of positive feedback online, so I’m hoping people are really paying attention and beginning to understand the impact of Alzheimer’s on families, especially on kids.
I have caregiver insurance through the state, but as a spouse I don’t qualify for caregiver compensation. We’ve managed to keep our home, but we’ve lost a lot. We’ve had cars repossessed. We’ve lost our good credit. We’ve even lost friends who couldn’t handle Ken’s decline. It was a life-changer on many, many levels. People don’t understand the magnitude of work and care that it takes to care for someone with Alzheimer’s. It’s just…endless. Quality sleep isn’t even an option for me. If I get five hours of intermittent sleep a night, I am doing really good. We often use dark humor to cope with difficult stuff in our family. For example, one of the big jokes in my house is about how I have “some-timers” because sometimes I remember things and sometimes I don’t. That’s how it is for caregivers. We’re under so much stress and we have so many responsibilities, it can be hard to think straight sometimes. But just when you think you’re at your wit’s end and you can’t do anymore, you somehow dig a little deeper and pray that God gives you a little more strength to deal with it and push forward. Some days I’m still a wife, but most days, I’m a caregiver. I’ve lost the man that I married. He’s another man now, and I still love him, but it’s so different. I just keep trying to be the best wife and mother I can be. It became my mission to get out there and speak to people about what we were going through. I started working with the Alzheimer’s Association to help raise people’s awareness about early-onset Alzheimer’s. I’ve met people through AlzConnected.org. I wrote a book for children whose lives have been affected by this disease—I call it Forget Me Not—that I hope to publish someday. I do Alzheimer’s walks. I wear my Alzheimer’s T-shirts all of the time. I make connections everywhere. I got connected to Lauren Miller-Rogen and Seth Rogen by messaging Lauren through Facebook to thank her and her husband for the work they’re doing to raise Alzheimer’s awareness among the millennial generation through their organization, Hilarity for Charity. We kept in touch. Lauren asked us to be in a documentary film she was making. We also recently appeared on The Meredith Vieira Show with Lauren and Seth. Being on the show was great. It was a lot to take in, but I see a lot
The Dodson family
My husband, Ken, is a phenomenal man. That’s why I fell in love with him; he was a great man, a great father, and a hard worker. He used to enjoy going on family vacations, riding motorcycles, and hanging out with family and friends. He now enjoys working in the garden and around the yard. His prized possession is his service dog, Bella. I know my efforts to make other people aware of Alzheimer’s are not going to help Ken; I know it’s not going to save him. But if it’s going to help my children or my nephew, or somebody else, then I’ll feel that Alzheimer’s didn’t beat us – we beat it. We hope that people will hear our story and know that this disease can happen to anybody. We also hope that sharing our story will save others from having to go through some of the difficulties we’ve undergone.
Comprehension: Explain how early onset Alzheimer’s has impacted the Dodson family. Where does Nikki find strength and why is she committed to creating awareness for this type of condition? Reflection: Caretaking is important but deeply challenging work. What steps do you think caretakers can take to improve their quality of life? Imagine you are caretaking for someone you love, how would you preserve your sense of hope and joy in the face of this reality?
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THE SCIENCE BEHIND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
A
lzheimer's disease leads to nerve cell death and tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions. Alzheimer’s tissue has many fewer nerve cells and synapses than a healthy brain. Plaques, abnormal clusters of protein fragments, build up between nerve cells. Dead and dying nerve cells contain tangles, which are made up of twisted strands of another protein. Scientists are not absolutely sure what causes cell death and tissue loss in the Alzheimer’s brain, but plaques and tangles are prime suspects. Plaques form when protein pieces called betaamyloid clump together. Beta-amyloid comes from a larger protein found in the fatty membrane surrounding nerve cells. Beta-amyloid is chemically “sticky” and gradually builds up into plaques. Plaques and tangles tend to spread through the cortex in a predictable pattern as Alzheimer's disease progresses. The rate of progression varies greatly. People with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years, but some people may survive up to 20 years. The course of the disease depends in part on age at diagnosis and whether a person has other health conditions.
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In 1901, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer identified the first case of what became known as Alzheimer’s disease.
Earliest Alzheimer's Changes may begin 20 years or more before diagnosis In the earliest stages, before symptoms can be detected with current tests, plaques and tangles begin to form in brain areas involved in: • Learning and memory • Thinking and planning Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Stages Generally last from 2-10 years In mild to moderate stages, brain regions important in memory and thinking and planning develop more plaques and tangles than were present in early stages. As a result, individuals develop problems with memory or thinking serious enough to interfere with work or social life. They may also get confused and have trouble handling money, expressing themselves and organizing their thoughts. Many people with Alzheimer’s are first diagnosed in these stages. Severe Alzheimer's May last from 1-5 years In advanced Alzheimer’s disease, most of the cortex is seriously damaged. The brain shrinks dramatically due to widespread cell death. Individuals lose their ability to communicate, to recognize family and loved ones and to care for themselves. Plaques and tangles also spread to areas involved in: • Speaking and understanding speech • Your sense of where your body is in relation to objects around you As Alzheimer's progresses, individuals may experience changes in personality and behavior and have trouble recognizing friends and family members.
ACTIVITY Below are emotional responses from loved ones of those with memory challenges. Where do we see these sentiments articulated by characters in Dot? Dig into the script and pull out lines that reflect these emotional responses associated with a dementia diagnosis.
1
Denial about the disease and its effect on the person who has been diagnosed.
2
Anger at the person with Alzheimer’s or frustration that he or she can’t do the things they used to be able to do.
3
Social withdrawal from friends and activities that used to make you feel good.
4
Anxiety about the future and facing another day.
5
Depression that breaks your spirit and affects your ability to cope.
6
Exhaustion that makes it nearly impossible to complete necessary daily tasks.
7
Irritability that leads to moodiness and triggers negative responses and actions.
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LAUGHTER: THE SURPRISING SECRET TO SURVIVING TOUGH TIMES By Tasha Eurich, Ph.D.,The Huffington Post Dawn Ursula and Kelli Blackwell in By The Way, Meet Vera Stark during the 2013/14 Season.
S
omething happened to me this weekend; it was equal parts hilarious and embarrassing. My friends and I were spending a few days at our new cabin in the Colorado mountains. Our mission was a complete top-to-bottom cleanup. The cabin had been sitting empty for many years before we bought it—there were cobwebs, dust, and grime as far as the eye could see. One morning, my friend Sue and I were on the porch sorting through a pile of dusty knick-knacks. I picked up a small wooden birdhouse. “How cute!” I cooed as I slowly opened it. I was surprised to see two black eyes. They belonged to... a HUGE MOUSE. I dropped the birdhouse and immediately started waving my arms, jumping up and down and shrieking hysterically. Sue had no idea why I was doing this, but she started doing the same thing. Then, almost in unison, we started giggling. “Why were you screaming?” I asked. “I don’t know—it was contagious!” We laughed so hard we cried. Just 24 hours earlier, I was overwhelmed and in pain. And that was before I’d even thought about what was going on in the world. It’s been a distressing month, hasn’t it? But there I was, feeling happier than I had in a long time. The cure to my bad mood had been simple — I just needed a good laugh. EVERYMAN THEATRE |14
Scientifically, we know that laughter is a powerful force. When we laugh, our bodies release endorphins and dopamine, nature’s feel-good chemicals. The result? We can better cope with stress, find hope, and see problems in new ways. You might be wondering, How could I possibly laugh when life knocks me down? Whether you have a bad day or experience a catastrophic life event, there’s a pretty thin line between tragedy and comedy. The best depiction I’ve ever seen of this phenomenon is a classic episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Chuckles Bites the Dust.” In the episode, Mary and her WJM-TV coworkers attend the funeral of Chuckles the Clown, a character on the station who unexpectedly dies after grand marshaling a circus parade dressed as a peanut (as Mary’s boss Lou Grant explains, a “rogue elephant tried to shell him”). Mary spends most of the episode chastising her coworkers for making jokes about the situation. But during Chuckles’ funeral, she starts laughing and can’t stop. When the preacher delivering the eulogy sees Mary, he implores, “Don’t try to hold it back. Laugh for Chuckles!” At that point, Mary bursts into hysterical sobbing. It points out a profound paradox of the human experience. When faced with stress or misfortune, we can laugh and we can cry. So especially in times of struggle, humor is your friend. As humor expert Gina Barreca points out, laughter “addresses the same issues as fear, not to dismiss them, but to strengthen our ability to confront them.”
TWO TIPS TO ALWAYS FIND THE FUNNY 1. “Act As If” In my book Bankable Leadership, I talk about a leadership principle I call “Act As If.” In a nutshell, there’s scientific evidence that if a leader acts as if her employees are bright and talented, they will become bright and talented.
LAUGHS AT EVERYMAN...
The “Act As If” principle also applies to your sense of humor. In one study, researchers found that when participants were asked to smile, they found more humor in their surroundings than those who were asked to frown. 2. Change Your Perspective Imagine you tripped and fell in your driveway this morning. Would that be funny? I doubt it. But what if it happened to someone else? Wouldn’t you chuckle? Don’t worry — this doesn’t make you a bad person; it just makes you human. Will Rogers once said, “Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to someone else.” So to change your perspective, start by asking, How would I react if this were happening to someone else?
Beth Hylton and Deborah Hazlett in The Roommate during the 2016/17 Season.
Let’s look at your fall in the driveway in another way. Even if you didn’t find it funny when it happened, you might laugh when you tell the story a few weeks later. Why? We find severe events funnier as time passes. As Mark Twain said, “humor is tragedy plus time.” As you read this, I sincerely hope that you’re not going through a tough time. But if you’re feeling stressed, burntout, or sad, I hope you can find some humor to sustain you. And if all else fails, you should watch “Chuckles Bites the Dust”—I promise, it will be impossible not to feel a little better! Megan Anderson and Mitchell Hebert in Under The Skin during the 2015/16 Season.
Comprehension: What happens when we laugh physically and what is the relationship between fear and laugher? Why can humor alleviate challenging situations? What strategies can we implement to connect ourselves to the benefits of laughter despite trauma? Reflection: Are you able to find the funny in your own life? Do you feel that Dot is successful at inviting the audience to laugh with the Shealy family? How does this humor allow you to think deeply about the questions this play presents?
Megan Anderson and Beth Hylton in A Streetcar Named Desire during the 2015/16 Season.
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TRADITIONS: A FOUNDATION FOR STRONG FAMILIES By Lloyd D. Newell, Marriage and Families Vol I, Article 2. Dot at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in 2015.
I
n Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye and the other villagers of Anatevka sing about traditions at a place and time when every person’s role in life was dictated by tradition. In Tevye’s world, traditions served families as a source of strength; they gave families a sense of identity and faith. Nowadays, when so much is changing, traditions still give family members strength and stability as well as a sense of certainty when life may seem uncertain. During 1998 and 1999, I conducted interviews with 28 one-, two-, and three-generation families about their experiences with tradition in family life. The real-life experiences of these families confirm in a qualitative way what scientists have documented in more quantitative studies and shed new light on the interplay of faith and tradition. A Source of Strength In their comments, families participating in this study showed that they have independently discovered what scholars have learned—family closeness, unity, and strength are fostered by traditions. Even—and sometimes especially—under difficult circumstances, traditions have a positive effect. Family members in this study spoke of their traditions as
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an anchor in hard times, as one mother explained: “At the time of a huge event, like a death, or a birth, tradition can carry you through. When your body goes on autopilot, as it does when there’s a death or any other tragedy, the traditions that you have are just like a wonderful cocoon that you feel wrapped up in and comforted by... Traditions help you know that life goes on.” A Source of Identity Traditions allow for the sharing of values and help to establish a sense of belonging, thus building identity for families. Traditions also help to preserve the family’s “story.” Families are brought together through the process of sharing memories and experiences. Talking about a child’s birth, an eventful vacation, or even a trip to the emergency room reinforces the sense of family. Families mentioned other identity-forming traditions such as Sunday evening ice cream [and] homemade Easter egg dyes. In addition to connecting themselves to the larger community of friends and family (whether the actual number in attendance is five or twenty-five), this family has created an identity for itself and others as a hospitable family that welcomes others into the immediate family circle for conversation and fun. These small traditions are remembered with love and repeated—”This is what our family does; this is who we are.”
A Source of Connections Like treasured heirlooms, family traditions can be passed down, helping beliefs and practices to span generations, as one father relates: “Traditions are a perpetuation of what we believe to be good and wholesome and worthwhile and necessary. It’s keeping a good thing going.”
EVERYMAN EDUCATION STAFF HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
A good thing that seems insignificant can become an intergenerational tradition. A mother said, “We sing a bedtime song every night that my dad sang to me and his parents sang to him. . . . It was one of the first songs my kids learned how to sing.” These traditions increase the feeling of belonging and connect people across generations and time. A Source of Faith and Meaning In nearly every interview, a connection between faith and traditions was apparent. Families saw their faith as an important element in why they had traditions, how they structured them, or what they expected to derive from keeping traditions. Traditions may be a reflection of the family’s faith or an integral part of religious holidays or practices, such as Christmas or Passover or the pilgrimage to Mecca. However, some family traditions that carry significant meaning are not connected to religious observances. One family regularly helps at a soup kitchen, with any of the children’s friends who are willing to join them. The tradition conveys the family’s belief that its members have an obligation to help those less fortunate and that friends are welcome to participate. Healthy traditions create a winning situation for families. They bring love, meaning, and closeness to family members across the generations. One family has a 20-year tradition of gathering every spring to list each person’s favorite things—book, song, food, etc. The lists are preserved, and the now-college-age children look forward to each year’s creation of new lists and the sometimes-hilarious review of previous lists. Their mother said, “This simple activity has a lot of meaning for our family... It gives us an insight into each other, a way to get to know each family member better, as well as ourselves... This has done more than anything else to build unity and family ties.”
Everyman Theatre Education Department Staff (Left to Right): Brianna McCoy, Andrew Stromyer, Brenna Horner
Brianna McCoy, Director of Education Watching White Christmas every year, decorating the Christmas tree as an entire family to the Hanson Christmas album (I never said they were “cool” traditions!). Stockings and Mass on Christmas Eve. Early morning present opening Christmas morning (always by birth order!) followed by a nap. Andrew Stromyer, Education Coordinator The annual Christmas party I celebrate with friends from my childhood neighborhood, named “Kirkwall Christmas” in honor of the street where most of us lived, Kirkwall Court. There are twenty of us and each year our families continue to grow! Also, my (very competitive) family rushing into my Aunt's house as we all strive to find the pickle ornament on the Christmas Tree. Tradition says that the first person to find the pickle will have extra luck in the upcoming year. It also helps that the winner gets an extra present! Brenna Horner, Education Program Assistant
Comprehension: Why are family traditions important? What benefits are we afforded through tradition? Reflection: How do we see tradition reflected in our classroom or school culture? What rituals do you look forward to with your friends versus those with your family?
One of my favorite traditions is The Holiday Heart. Every year, a person in my family, who has had this gift since the previous Christmas, gives The Holiday Heart to another family member, who they feel exemplifies the ideal traits of a loving relative. The giver must explain why the recipient has earned this honor. That person then displays it in their home all year, and gives it to someone else at the next Christmas dinner! It often involves happy tears and lots of funny stories, and you can really feel the love in the room.
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CURTAINS UP ON CAREERS: SET DESIGN Interview with Dot Set Designer Jim Fouchard
Set designer Jim Fouchard shares his set design for Dot at the first rehearsal for the show.
Everyman Theatre: Where are you from originally and when did you first develop an interest in theatre? Jim Fouchard: Although I was born in Illinois I have spent most of my life in the Washington, D.C. area. It was when I was in middle school that I was first drawn into theater. A bunch of my friends were working on the school shows, so I jumped in to work backstage. I'd been interested in drawing and art from an early age, as well as building models and such, so creating stage sets seemed to fit in. It was then that I designed my first set for the school variety show. ET: When and why did you decide to pursue Set Design professionally? How has your background shaped your career path? JF: As I continued into high school, I took art courses and worked on school theater productions. I knew wanted to pursue some kind of career in art and realized that theatrical scenic design combined all the things that I was interested in: drawing, painting, model building, and history. I was intrigued that scenic design enabled me to imagine what new worlds and environments could look like and then bring them to a solid reality onstage. So I started reading as much as I could on theatrical set design and construction. From reference books I taught myself architectural drafting to produce construction drawings and did set design projects on my own doing set renderings, paintings and models. I also attended plays in the D.C. area and worked on high school and summer theater
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productions trying to absorb as many experiences and information as possible. I then chose a college with a school of theater that had an extensive production design curriculum, Ohio University. I received a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Theater-Production Design. ET: Define the Set Designer's responsibilities or the scope of their work in relation to bringing a story to life onstage. JF: The Set Designer creates a scenic environment that helps reflect the playwright's intent and the director's vision of how he/she wants to present the play to the audience. The Designer uses color renderings, sketches, models, and construction drawings to communicate to the artistic and technical staff what the design will look like and how it is to be constructed and operates onstage. He also collaborates with the costume, lighting, property, and sound designers in how their combined work melds into a single visual and aural environment for the audience. ET: How do you find work as a set designer? JF: Not unlike an actor, you make the rounds to various theaters, sending in resumes and interviewing with them, presenting sample portfolios of your past designs. I also maintain a website so producers and artistic directors can view examples of my work online. But the most important thing is to network with your current and past colleagues and friends in the business, getting suggestions of theaters to contact or through
someone's recommendation of you to a director or producer. My longtime association with an international touring company originated from an interview for a job at a university, which wound up putting me in contact with another producer. And that led to me working at a summer theater for 35 seasons where I met Vinny Lancisi and Kyle Prue (Artistic Director and Director of Production at Everyman), which led me to designing here. So you never know. ET: What skills are necessary to being a good set designer? JF: Being a good communicator, not just visually using paper, pencil and brush to create sketches, construction plans, or models (or nowadays digital versions of these presentations), but verbally in conversations and discussions with the director and your fellow artists to express your concepts and ideas collaboratively. ET: How do you connect to Dot? What excites you about working on Dot? JF: I would say the interrelationships between various members of a family and how they deal with the issues an aging parent. The conflicts that arise from their past and the challenges they face as the children that are now becoming the caregivers for their parents; something a lot of us "baby boomers" are now facing.
I believe the playwright is saying to us in the piece. After that going through the scripts and doing a scenic breakdown, determining the nature of the scenic environment. Interior,exterior? Any explicit local, year, time of day? Is it grounded in the real world or imagined locale? Any explicit real elements such as doors, windows, furniture, etc. required? Then I meet with the director to listen to what he/she has gotten out of reading the piece and to approach the production. Then I research: either through books or the internetexposing myself to any visual or written information to better acquaint myself with the needs of the play, and collect anything images that might inspire me. I often at the same time not only scribble notes of ideas and concepts, but also draw "thumbnail sketches- first doodles of design looks based on what I am getting out of the play and research. These are mind flashes quickly scrawled on paper that often evolve into the final design look. ET: What set design are you most proud of? JF: It is SO hard to narrow down to one from all these (40) years of designs, but I would say that for Everyman Theatre my favorite would be the first design I did here: Turn of The Screw.
ET: What challenges does this piece present? Any fun facts or insider tidbits you can share that you want to draw our student's attention to? JF: The locale for Dot encompasses multiple rooms in a row house situated in West Philadelphia neighborhood, some of which are onstage simultaneously, some stored for use in the second act. Physically making Turn of the Screw at Everyman Theatre this all fit on the Everyman stage and during the 2007/08 Season. move into the different looks between acts is a great challenge. Not unlike playing the video puzzle game Tetris onstage. In the ET: What advice might you give someone interested in end I literally created a cross-section of the first floor of pursuing set design as a career? the house; like I took a knife and sliced through it from front to back and opened it up for the audience to see I would say not only study to hone your skills in the craft the inside, like a giant doll house. of scenic design (drawing, painting, model building, play reading, historical research, etc.) but to allow yourself to ET: Walk us through the process you take when absorb as much as you can of the world around you— designing—what comes first for you, how do you get different cultures, environments, music, art, current inspired, and where do you need to land? events and history to use as a resource. If you are in school, take an acting and/or directing course; knowing I read the play multiple times: first just to experience the challenges of these artists will help you in your role it like an audience member. Then to dig into what as a designer. And see as much theater as you can.
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THEATRE ETIQUETTE: PREPPING TO SEE A PLAY The beauty of live theater is that the audience is just as much a part of the action as the performers. When you come and see a play remember... Respectfully enjoy the show. While we encourage you to laugh when something is funny, gasp if something shocks you, and listen intently to the action occurring, please remember to be respectful of the performers and fellow audience members. Please turn off or silence all electronic devices before the performance begins. There is no texting or checking your cell phone during the show. The glow of a cell phone can and will be seen from stage. Photography inside the theatre is strictly prohibited. Food and drinks are not allowed in the theatre. Food and drinks should be consumed in the Everyman lobby before or after the show or during intermission. Be Present. Talking, moving around, checking your phone, or engaging in other activities is distracting to everyone and greatly disrupts the performance’s energy. Stay Safe. Please remain seated and quiet during these moments. Should you need to leave for any reason, re-entrance to the theatre is at the discretion of the house manager. In case of an emergency, please follow the instructions shared by Everyman staff members.
DEEPER DIVE Powerful self-care tools for family caregivers: bit.ly/DotStudyGuide-SelfCare Watch two people participate in the Virtual Dementia Tour, the very same simulation the Shealy children experience in Dot: bit.ly/DotStudyGuide-Dementia Gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease through this easy to follow video: bit.ly/DotStudyGuide-AlzheimersBrain
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Take a closer examination of the world of Dot by visiting these helpful and fun resources...
Sit back, relax, and enjoy listening to the songs included and mentioned in Dot: bit.ly/DotStudyGuide-Music Read up on the history of Chitlins and maybe try making them yourself: bit.ly/DotStudyGuide-Chitlins Take a look at the multitude of facts and figures surrounding Alzheimer’s Disease: bit.ly/DotStudyGuide-AlzheimersFacts
EXTENSION PROJECTS Set designer Jim Fouchard shares his set design for Dot at the first rehearsal for the show.
Be the Set Designer: Create Your Home In Dot, set designer Jim Fouchard uses the environment of a family’s living room at Christmastime to highlight certain aspects about their lives and traditions. Taking inspiration from Fouchard’s vision, create a set model or rendering of your family’s home during the holidays. What room would you choose to feature and why? What would you include in the design that would invite the audience into your world? Artist’s Challenge: Have a friend be the playwright and describe an important room in their home to you and draw it based off of their descriptions! Be the Dramaturg: Family Archivist Throughout the play, Dotty and her children reinforce the importance of memories within a family. From tape recordings and pictures, to newspaper clippings, old t-shirts, and taking part in annual traditions, the Shealy family is unyielding in their strive to preserve precious moments in their lives. Become the dramaturg for your family by creating a Museum of Me. Interview at least one other person from your family. Dramaturg: A profession that functions as an invaluable Ask them what their favorite traditions resource to the creative process. With a focus on new play or memories are of the holidays? Make development, the dramaturg works with a playwright to edit, yourself a character. What stories do you sound board, and guide the playwright process. With an want to pass down? How do you want established play, they research and provide resources that your descendants to remember you? Now, deepen the artist understanding of key content in each story. collect items that reinforce these memories and tradition for you and your family: A recipe for a dish your family makes each year, photos capturing significant moments, songs that stir up a sense of nostalgia, a family story or interview written down, or keepsakes. Creatively display them on a table in your very own museum. Share with your classmates the various memories and traditions that your family holds dear. Invite your class to walk around the room as if it were a living history museum and ask questions, touch, feel, listen, and observe the rich history we all have within us. See the back of the Play Guide for final project! DOT PLAY GUIDE | 21
POST-SHOW QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION Production • How does the set design reflect the deterioration of Dotty’s memory? • How does the use of music affect the mood of the play? What significance does the music hold? • How did the design element of the production work together to bring the world of the play to life? Theme & Content • What was the experience like viewing a play with such a diverse cast of characters? • Why did the playwright choose to set Dot during Christmas? What would have changed if it were to take place during another time of year? Character • How do each of the family members relate to the reality of Dotty’s mental decline? Where does each character start and where do they end as they process this new reality? • How do we see responsibilities and habits these characters fall into as it relates to birth order? • What memories does Dotty retreat to and what is the significance of these particular memories? • Describe the relationship between Fidel and Dotty. Why do they have a special connection? • What challenges do Donnie and Adam face in their relationship? How does their relationship evolve over the course of the play? • Why does Jackie seek out the Shealys in her most dire time of need? How do we define the construct of family in Dot? • How has being the primary caretaker of Dotty changed Shelly’s life? Why does she choose to record Christmas morning despite Dotty’s condition? Other questions I’d like to ask the artists when I meet them at the post-show workshop:
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CURRICULAR TIE-INS Common Core State Standards CCSS. ELA-Literacy, CCRA. SLS 1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussion (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners and topics, texts, and issues building on other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RL. 11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g where the story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed) CCSS. ELA-Literacy. CRA RS Lit 1 Determine two or more themes of internal ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account. National Core Arts Standards TH Re 7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work. TH Re 8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. TH Re 9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. TH Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and TH Cn10.2 Relate artistic and cultural ideas and works to societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
SOURCES www.alz.org/research/braintour/13.asp? www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-caregiver-stress-burnout.asp www.caregiver.org/taking-care-you-self-care-family-caregivers www.everydayhealth.com/columns/my-health-story/alzheimers-at-age-30-an-old-persons-disease-hits-a-young-family/ www.huffingtonpost.com/tasha-eurich-phd/laughter-the-surprising-s_b_5651354.html www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/colman-domingo/#_ https://magazine.byu.edu/article/traditions-a-foundation-for-strong-families/ www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3331112?dopt=Abstract http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/marriageandfamilies/vol1/iss1/2/
THIS PLAY GUIDE CREATED BY Brianna McCoy, Director of Education Andrew Stromyer, Education Coordinator Brenna Horner, Education Program Assistant Kiirstn Pagan, Graphic Designer
EVERYMAN THEATRE IS LOCATED AT 315 W. Fayette St. Baltimore, MD 21201
CONTACT INFORMATION Box Office 410.752.2208 Administration 443.615.7055 Email boxoffice@everymantheatre.org
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DESIGN YOUR OWN PRODUCTION IMAGERY For each production at Everyman, our Marketing Department works with an artist to create imagery that conveys a visual story. You can see the Dot imagery on the cover of this guide. Now it’s your turn! Design your own production artwork here...