PLAY GUIDE
EVERYMAN THEATRE GR E AT STOR I ES, W E L L TO L D.
A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR By Vincent M. Lancisi, Artistic Director
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he stage adaptation you are about to see celebrates the art of transformation in so many ways. You will witness six actors playing 35 characters distilling an epic novel to approximately two hours of non-stop creativity traversing the stage. It’s pure magic. A great actor can do more with a glance or a well-placed sneer than a paragraph of descriptive writing in some novels. Actors who turn on a dime and create characters using bold choices and characteristics immediately recognizable are a rare breed. That kind of transforming is ingenious and I’m so happy to see this kind of work on our stage. The design team on this production has created a physical world that plunges us into the many locales of the play. Their vivid designs provide the environments that encourage us to travel with Pip through the adventures of his life. It’s been a pleasure watching the set go from ideas and research to a fully realized playing space, a collage of the world of Dickens’ Great Expectations. The ingenious design evokes locations, atmospheres, states of mind. The unseen, perceived locales of Dickens’ world are as clever as the physical elements seen onstage.
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The costumes are equally vivid and dramatic, allowing actors to move from one character to the next effortlessly, scene by scene, without elaborate changes. The lighting isolates what we see and feel and how we imagine the world to be moment by moment. The sound supports the emotional journey, enhancing the conflict, the mood, the world. It’s such a collaborative endeavor—all the facets of design constantly work together to transform the world with a blink of an eye, the wave of a hand, transporting us in time and space. The art of adapting works for the theatre is a challenging business. Capturing the spirit of Dickensian society and the Victorian age in one space right in front of the audience is a major feat. The scope of characters and number of locales alone are vast and varied. How to distill the writing into passages that are act-able, vibrant, and pertinent to the storytelling is a real gift. Gale Childs Daly has done a masterful job creating a Great Expectations for the stage that is dynamic, fast paced, and presented in a way that is riveting and faithful to Charles Dickens’ original. As you prepare for the wild ride ahead of you, enjoy the thrill of willingly suspending your disbelief. Allow yourself to enter fully into the world of the play and the players’ stories and you will be mightily rewarded. For in Pip’s journey lies many twists and turns resulting in truths about growing up and about life’s lessons everywhere.
EVERYMAN THEATRE
Vincent M. Lancisi, Founding Artistic Director Jonathan K. Waller, Managing Director
presents
CHARLES DICKENS’
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Adapted by GALE CHILDS DALY Directed by TAZEWELL THOMPSON
Pip.................................................................................... DREW KOPAS* Narrator #1...........................................BRUCE RANDOLPH NELSON* Narrator #2..................................................... GERRAD ALEX TAYLOR Narrator #3.......................................FRANCHELLE STEWART DORN* Narrator #4.......................................... ELIZABETH ANNE JERNIGAN* Narrator #5................................................................... BRIT HERRING* Set Design
Lighting Design
YU-HSUAN CHEN
STEPHEN QUANDT
Sound Design & Composition
Fight Choreography
FABIAN OBISPO Props Master
JILLIAN MATHEWS
DAVID BURDICK Dialects Coach
LEWIS SHAW Dramaturgy
Costume Design
GARY LOGAN
JOHANNA GRUENHUT
Stage Manager
CAT WALLIS*
Setting: 19th Century England. Moving between North Kent, Satis House and London. This production will be performed in two acts with one intermission.
PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES. NO TEXTING. NO EATING IN THE THEATRE. Produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing, Woodstock, Illinois. 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. * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
PRODUCTION SPONSOR | VIC & NANCY ROMITA
CHARLES DICKENS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS PLAY GUIDE | 3
THE AUTHOR CHARLES DICKENS
C
harles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. The second of eight children, Charles grew up poor, but happy, despite his family’s efforts to prosper financially.
turned out, the job would become an early launching point for his writing career. He found employment as an office boy at an attorney’s, while he studied shorthand at night. From 1830 he worked as a shorthand reporter in the courts and afterwards as a parliamentary and newspaper reporter.
In 1822, the Dickens family moved to Camden Town, a poor neighborhood in London. By then the family’s financial situation had grown dire, as John Dickens, Charles’ father, had a dangerous habit of living beyond the family’s means. Eventually, John was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old. Following his father’s imprisonment, Charles Dickens was forced to leave school to work at a paste factory. Here, Dickens earned six shillings a week (roughly 25 cents). Looking back on the experience, Dickens saw it as the moment he said goodbye to his youthful innocence. He felt abandoned and betrayed by the adults who were supposed to take care of him and these sentiments would later become a recurring theme in his writing. After receiving a family inheritance which his father used to pay off debts, Charles was able to return to school. Unfortunately in 1827, he was taken away from his education to contribute to the family’s income. As it
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In 1833 Dickens began to contribute short stories and essays to periodicals. A Dinner at Poplar Walk was Dickens’ first published story and appeared in Monthly Magazine in December 1833. In 1834, still a newspaper reporter, he adopted the soon to be famous pseudonym “Boz.” Dickens’ first book, a collection of stories titled Sketches by Boz, was published in 1836. In
the same year, he married Catherine Hogarth, daughter of the editor of the Evening Chronicle. Together they had 10 children before they separated in 1858. Although Dickens’ main profession was as a novelist, he continued his journalistic work until the end of his life, editing The Daily News, Household Words, and All the Year Round. His connections to various magazines and newspapers gave him the opportunity to begin publishing his own fiction at the beginning of his career. Through his career as a novelist, Dickens would go on tours, reading excerpt for crowds in both Europe and the United States and even fully performing some of his stories. During his US tour, his 76 readings earned him no less than $95,000, which, in the Victorian era, amounted to approximately $1.5 million in current U.S. dollars. In 1865, Dickens was in a train accident and never fully recovered. Despite his fragile condition, he continued to tour until 1870. On June 9, 1870, Dickens had a stroke and, at age 58, died at Gad’s Hill Place, his country home in Kent, England. He was buried in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, with thousands of mourners gathering at the beloved author’s grave site.
THE PLAY CHARLES DICKENS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS, ADAPTED BY GALE CHILDS DALY SETTING
The play spans a 34 year period. Beginning in 1812 in the countryside of Kent, England and journeying to London we visit a wide variety of locations from pubs to houses, from a theatre to a graveyard and the rivers of trade.
THE CONFLICT
Pip, a poor orphan, is mysteriously plucked from obscurity by the wealthy and decaying Miss Havisham, changing his life forever. A secretive benefactor, unrequited love, and a series of great expectations plague Pip as he attempts to discover whether people can change who they truly are.
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THE CHARACTERS In this stage adaptation of Great Expectations, you will witness six actors playing 35 characters!
Pip is the protagonist. The audience views the story primarily through his perscpective.
Drew Kopas
Narrator #1 plays many characters...
Bruce Randolph Nelson
Magwitch, a lewd thief who may just possess a heart of gold. Uncle Pumblechook, Joe’s Uncle who escorts Pip to Miss Havisham’s for the first time. Soldier, a member of the group who catches Magwitch and Compeyson at the beginning of the play. Mr. Jaggers, Pip’s guardian and Miss Havisham’s lawyer. Headwaiter, waiter at Barnard’s Inn
Victor, the youngest member of the Pocket family. A toddler. Brother to Herbert Pocket. Ghost, the spirit of Hamlet’s father. Played by an actor in Mr. Wopsle’s play. Laertes, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. Pantomime Sailor, a character seen during Mr. Wopsle’s play in Scene 30.
Narrator #2 plays many characters... Herbert Pocket, friend of Pip’s. The two first meet at Miss Havisham’s house when Herbert challenges Pip to a fight. Mr. Wopsle, a church clerk who becomes an actor. Plays Hamlet and a Pantomime Sailor in the productions Pip attends. Sergeant, head of the group that catches Magwitch and Compeyson at the beginning of the play. Coachman, driver of the coach during Pip’s initial journey to London. Gerrad Alex Taylor
Narrator #3 plays many characters...
Franchelle Stewart Dorn
Miss Havisham, the rich and eccentric old woman who lives in the once grand, Satis House. Jilted by love and unable to move forward, she raises Estella as her own daughter to wreak the same havoc she experienced by breaking the hearts of men. Mrs. Joe, Pip’s sister and wife to Joe Gargery, town blacksmith Traveling Woman, a passerby observing Pip’s leaving the Joe family for London Amelia, Mr. Jaggers employee in his law office.
Mrs. Pocket, Miss Havisham’s relative who pretends to care for her but only wants her money. Molly, Mr. Jaggers housekeeper who harbors a secret identity. Gertrude, character in Mr. Wopsle’s pantomime performance of Hamlet, Hamlet’s mother and the Queen of Denmark. Maiden, character in Mr. Wopsle’s pantomime performance. Galley Captain, ship captain who arrests Magwitch and delivers him to his fated trial.
Narrator #4 plays many characters...
Elizabeth Anne Jernigan
Estella, Pip’s desire throughout the play and Miss Havisham’s ward. Compeyson, former partner to Magwitch, career criminal, and once fiance of Miss Havisham Mrs. Hubble, the wheelwright’s wife in Pip’s village. Biddy, kind hearted schoolmate and long time friend of Pip who eventually marries Mr. Joe after caretaking for Mrs. Joe. Flopson, servant in the Pocket household. Ophelia, character in Hamlet. Polonious’ daughter.
Narrator #5 plays many characters...
Brit Herring
Bentlly Drummle, Pip’s tutoring partner who eventually marries Estella and treats her poorly. Joe, Pip’s Brother in Law, married to Mrs. Joe, and full of genuine love for Pip Mr. Wemmick, Pip’s supporter in securing funds for Herbert Pocket and clerk to Mr. Jagger Mathew Pocket, Miss Havisham’s cousin and Pip’s tutor. Lives in London. Claudius, character in Hamlet- Hamlet’s Uncle and King of Denmark Pantomime Sailor, character in Mr. Wopsle’s pantomime performance.
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CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS
Uncle Pumblechook
Mr. Wopsle
Jaggers
Wemmick
Mrs. Pocket
Herbert Pocket
Miss Havisham
Mrs. Joe
Pip
Estella
Bentley Drummel
Magwitch
Activity: From your reading, fill in the blank arrows between characters to indicate their relationship. More will become clear after you see the play!
Joe
Compeyson
Biddy CHARLES DICKENS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS PLAY GUIDE | 7
TIMELINE: FROM PAGE TO ADAPTATION, THE EVOLUTION OF CHARLES DICKENS’ WORK 1836
Oliver Twist was originally published in monthly installments, Oliver Twist follows an orphaned boy through forays of grueling work, apprenticeship, and crime. Lionel Bart adapted Dickens’ novel into the musical, Oliver!, which was first performed in London in 1960.
1837
The Pickwick Papers was Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers was published in monthly installments from 1836-1837. The publication was later adapted into a 12-part BBC miniseries, broadcast in 1985.
1843
A Christmas Carol is arguably Dickens’ most popular work, this story follows the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge, as he is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol has served as source material for a number of television, movie, and stage adaptations, including Scrooged (1988, starring Bill Murray), and A Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), featuring Michael Caine. The Muppet Christmas Carol, released in 1992
1849
David Copperfield was inspired by Dickens’ own life, this story depicts the life of a young boy, whose mother weds an evil man named Mr. Murdstone, and the subsequent events. Told from the perspective of the adult David, this story inspired the 1999 BBC movie of the same name, starring Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, and Daniel Radcliffe.
1852
Bleak House Follows Esther Summerson telling the story of her childhood, and relocation to the home of a new guardian. Bleak House was adapted for television in 2005, and was featured on BBC. The miniseries received Emmy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography in 2006.
1859
A Tale of Two Cities is based in London and Paris pre- and mid- French Revolution, Dickens’ novel paints a picture of French aristocracy and peasantry, underscored by parallels in London’s society. The novel served as the basis of many movies and play adaptations, produced as early as 1935 and as recently as 1989.
1860
Great Expectations has inspired countless movies, even as recently as 2012. It was adapted for the stage in 2013, and is being produced by Everyman in 2017. Great Expectations released in 1946
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GLOSSARY Adaptor: A person who reconstructs a famous older work in order to explore pre-existing themes in new ways. Ague: Malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering. Apprentice: A person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer, having agreed to work for a fixed period at low wages. Approbation: Approval or praise. Astern: Behind or toward the rear of a ship or aircraft. Asunder: Apart or divided. Baronetcy: To be a member of the Baronets, the lowest hereditary titled British order, with the status of a commoner but able to use the prefix “Sir.” Battery: A fortified emplacement for heavy guns. Blacksmith: A person who makes and repairs objects made of iron, by hand. Often seen working with an anvil, a heavy steel or iron block on which metal can be hammered and shaped. Capricious: Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior. Contemptuously: In a scornful way that shows disdain. Degradation: A decline to a low, destitute, or demoralized state. Dike: A long wall or embankment built to prevent flooding from the sea. Elocution: The skill of clear and expressive speech, especially of distinct pronunciation and articulation.
Hounslow Heath: Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow. Indentures: A formal legal agreement, contract, or document. Moored: To secure or fix firmly by use of cables or anchors. Obstinate: Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action. Parish: A small district typically having its own church and a priest or pastor. Pompeyed: A mispronunciation of the word “pampered,” meaning to give all attention to, indulge, and spoil. Raptly: Totally absorbed or engrossed in. Regaling: Entertain or amuse with talk. Repugnance: Intense disgust. Scabbard: A sheath for the blade of a sword or dagger, typically made of leather or metal. Scottish Play: Refers to Shakespeare’s play MacBeth. In the theatre word, there is a superstition that saying the name of the play will bring bad luck. Soho: A district of central London, England. Inhabited in the 1600s mainly by immigrants, it is known today for its restaurants, theaters, and nightclubs. Warmint: A variety of the word “varmint” or “vermin.” Often used to refer to people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society. Wittles: A mispronunciation of the word “victuals” spoken by Magwitch, who is probably trying to sound smart. Victuals simply means “a portion of food.”
Gunwale: The upper edge of the side of a boat or ship. Handel: German composer, resident in England, noted particularly for his oratorios, including the Messiah (1741) and Samson (1743).
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FROM PAGE TO STAGE: THE CRAFT OF THEATRICAL ADAPTATION, PART 1 By Helen Epstein, The Arts Fuse, 2013 Daly’s adaptation of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Mark Garvin.
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heatrical adaptations typically shorten, simplify, summarize and interpret a work of literature. What’s in it for the adaptor? Is it easier to market an adaptation than original work? And how does the process work? Catherine Taylor-Williams is the producer for the Wharton Salon at The Mount in Lenox, MA, and she commissions only adaptations. A “site-specific” theater, the Salon produces short plays adapted from Edith Wharton’s work and correspondence and that of her close friends such as Henry James. The plays are produced on the grounds of The Mount and most frequently engage members of Shakespeare & Company, who began the tradition of dramatizing her work after Tina Packer moved her new company into the then-decrepit country home in 1978. The challenges a succession of actors and playwrights have faced in adapting Wharton’s texts, include selecting which to adapt, how literal to be, for how many characters, in how many acts, and how to transform her descriptions, characterizations and observations into dialogue. “Sometimes the stories are dialogue-heavy and lift easily from the page,” Taylor-Williams says. “Sometimes they don’t or there are gaps, and the playwright has to channel the author’s original intent and knit the pieces together. Sometimes original dialogue from a story doesn’t sound right on the stage and we need a more naturalistic rhythm or to remove words that sound too descriptive. We also on occasion insert interruptions, as in life. Sometimes we change the location EVERYMAN THEATRE |10
of a scene, or cut a scene, or accelerate time so we have a piece that is tight enough for an audience to watch in an hour or two. Sometimes – Dennis Krausnick did this brilliantly in his adaptation of Wharton’s Summer – important descriptive passages are given to a chorus of townspeople, or a servant who can help us set up a scene.” Elaine Smith calls herself “an accidental playwright” because she never intended to become one. She was an actor who, like so many other women in the theater, recognized the dearth of good roles for women “beyond the ingénue stage.” In 2003, she wrote Angels and Ministers of Grace Defend Us, an original play that will be produced by New Jersey Repertory next year. Her adaptation of Edith Wharton’s story The Looking Glass is her first foray into the field. It began when long-time Shakespeare & Company actor and massage therapist Diane Prusha introduced Smith to the Wharton Salon and suggested she write a one-woman show. “I read the story, liked it, and had an immediate sense of how it could be adapted,” recalls Smith, “but I had to make sure I understood the requirements of the producer. We discussed desired running time and cast size. I reread the story many times and did some research on Wharton’s life and work to familiarize myself with the issues and themes that were important to her and to understand how this particular work fit into her view of the world. Then I began to consider how it might be dramatized.” For Smith, the first question for anyone writing a one-person show is “Why is this character telling the audience all this?” She found her answer in the text of The Looking Glass, one of Wharton’s later stories (it was published in 1937.) What
was not clear at first was how to begin and end the play. “Wharton had the luxury of setting the scene but theatre needs to plunge you into the middle of the action immediately. I needed something to be happening when the lights went up. So, I had to figure out what that should be. In the same way, an audience shouldn’t be wondering whether the play is over or not when the lights go down. So I gave my adaptation an ending that I hope is consistent with the “why” of the story.”
THE ADAPTOR GALE CHILDS DALY
“Then I went back to the source again, she continued. “I included the parts necessary to tell the story, edited out things that didn’t advance the plot, didn’t support the “why” or didn’t add the necessary humor. I felt an obligation to include as much of Wharton’s original text as possible within the time allotted, so the edits were few. I cut a few things, re-arranged others, added some text of my own. The latter are just bridges, connecting links. I tried to match the character’s voice. My goal was for the audience not to be able to tell which parts were Wharton’s and which parts were mine.” “I tried to envision physical action and wrote stage directions accordingly. I tried to figure out when the actress needed to be her main character and when she needed to portray one of the people she’s describing. I drew on my own acting background to determine what is possible when it came to switching back and forth. The easiest part was being able to draw on the strength of Wharton’s writing. All the elements were already there. And knowing the strength of the actress originally cast, I could feel comfortable she would be able to meet the demands of the piece—which are not small.” Elaine Smith was able to work on The Looking Glass in real time with actress Diane Prusha and veteran director Daniela Varon, who has had first-hand experience of the many challenges of adaptation. “How do you modernize an old text?” Varon explains. “How do you walk the line between slavishness to the author and doing your own riff? Most important: how do you turn a prose work into a piece of theater? Telling a story may or may not be theatrical. There may be great lines but is it theater?” When I told Varon I had just seen a brilliant staged reading of Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Balzac’s Cousin Bette at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, she wasn’t surprised. “He’s a master of adaptation as well as a great playwright of original work.”
Comprehension: What does Smith state as the fundamental question an adaptor must ask? Reflection: Why was Great Expectations a compelling story to adapt for the stage?
Adaptor, Gale Childs Daly
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ale Childs Daly has been a playwright, director, teacher and actor in the theatre for many years.
A graduate of the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now DePaul University), Daly has worked at the Goodman Theatre, the Alley Theatre, the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, the Great River Shakespeare Festival and the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, among others. As a playwright, she has adapted The Secret Garden, The Story of Opal and The Lament for Ignacio Sanchez. Some of Daly’s directing credits include The Government Inspector, Julius Caesar and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. As an actor, she has enjoyed playing such roles as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Goneril in King Lear and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Daly is a freelance director, teacher and text coach in the Midwest. She is married to actor Jonathan Gillard Daly and has two children. Currently, she lives in Milwaukee.
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HOW EXPECTATIONS SHAPE YOUR LIFE By Irving Kirsch, New Scientist Culture Lab Author, Chris Berdik
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n Mind Over Mind, Chris Berdik makes a compelling case that what we assume or expect from the world changes how we experience it. One purpose of your brain is to anticipate events. You decide how to behave largely on the basis of the outcomes you expect, and these expectations alter your experience of yourself and of the world. The ability to predict the future has survival value. Experimental psychologists have found that even animals like mice form expectations that guide their behaviour. Animals need to know what will happen next in order to survive. As the philosopher Daniel Dennett quipped in his book Consciousness Explained, the brain is an expectancy machine. As a book about expectations, Mind Over Mind is an unexpected find. Although journalist Chris Berdik covers most of the usual topics, such as the famous placebo effect, he also delves into areas neglected in other books on the subject. Relegating the placebo effect in medicine to the final two chapters, Berdik begins by exploring the effects of anticipation in sport, obesity, gambling, food and beverage tastes, and economics. In the process, he uncovers some truly surprising phenomena. In one study, for example, simply telling women who clean hotel rooms that their work was a form of exercise led them to lose weight, lowered their blood pressure, and changed their waist-to-hip ratio. In another study, the performance of cricket batters was improved by having them wear goggles that blurred their vision. This possibly turned the batters’ attention away from unnecessary detail, allowing them to focus on the motion of the ball and more accurately anticipate where it would be a split second later. Even in the area of medicine, where the placebo effect has been so well covered, Berdik comes up with more surprises.
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Placebo surgery, for example, in which doctors cut patients open and sew them back up without performing any actual surgical intervention, can not only duplicate the effects of real surgery in some circumstances - at times it can even outperform it. In a landmark study of arthroscopic knee surgery, patients given fake surgery had less pain and showed more improvement than those given the real surgery - an effect that lasted for a year. Perhaps the most surprising findings reported by Berdik relate to unconscious processes. Expectancy is generally assumed to be a conscious phenomenon. We know what we expect. But Berdik shows that unconscious expectations can also influence behaviour, especially in sports, where people have to react quickly and conscious deliberation can get in the way. As he notes: “There simply isn’t enough time to track a professional fastball, tennis serve, or hockey slapshot in flight, process that visual information, decide the appropriate action, and end the motor commands to the muscles.” In these situations, predicting the future has to be an automatic process. Conscious thought is too slow. Mind Over Mind is a fascinating account of the power of conscious and unconscious expectations to alter our experience and our behaviour. If you think you might enjoy it, your expectations won’t be shattered.
Comprehension: What role do expectations play in the animal kingdom? Provide at least two contrasting examples of how adjusting expectations has impacted study participants. Reflection: Analyze how your expectations effect your personal experiences.
CLASS SYSTEM IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND By Christopher Muscato, study.com
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ngland, under the reign of Queen Victoria, saw a number of changes. One of those was the development of a new class system. The Upper Class The class system that was adopted under Queen Victoria was very strict, and designed to keep certain people in power. The upper class was at the very top of the social pyramid. In the previous systems of power, these were the aristocrats, the landowning elites. In Victorian England, the upper class had absolute political and economic power. Since the right to vote in the 19th century was dependent on owning property, members of the upper class were practically the only ones who could either vote or hold political office. They were also the only group with guaranteed access to education, which was exclusive and expensive. What really defined the upper class, however, was the fact that they did not work. Members of the upper class owned land and property, inherited from their families, and made their money through investments in business or the profits gained from their lands. The upper class was almost entirely exclusive; one had to be born into it. It was extremely difficult to gain the wealth needed to gain this sort of social power, but even within this group, there were impermeable divisions. At the very top were royalty, those with genetically inherited royal titles. Below them were middle and lower members of the upper class, people whose families had more recently gained access to membership at the top of society, generally through military or business acumen in the expanding, industrial empire. The Middle Class Below the upper class was the middle class, made up of people who worked, but not with their hands. This was the sort of ‘white-collar’ manager or administrator. Some were
owners of factories, others were middle-management, but these people had more financial stability and access to things like education than the average factory worker. Industry grew immensely in Victorian England, allowing for the first real expansion of a middle class in England’s history. However, it was still a very small group of people by modern standards. Most people in Britain were either on the very top or the very bottom. Only a few managed to occupy this middle ground. The Working Class Moving down the social ladder, we come upon the working class. These were the people who worked with their hands. In the traditional British system a century earlier, these people would have been called peasants. They had little to no political rights except what the British legislature decided on their behalf. They also had little access to education or anything else that would allow them to increase their social class. Their grandparents were agricultural peasants, they were laborers in the industrial cities of the 19th century, and their children could expect to be the same thing. They rented their homes, worked for very little pay and no benefits, and their lives depended entirely on the mercy of their bosses.
Comprehension: Why were members of the Upper Class virtually the only ones who were able to vote in Victorian England? Describe the differences between the three-class structure. Reflection: Based off of the descriptions listed above, to which class would you say Charles Dickens belonged? Why? How is this different or similar to the world today?
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THE CHOICE IS YOURS: THE FATE OF FREE WILL By Marcelo Gleiser, NPR
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veryone wants to be free; or at least have some choice in life. We all have our professional, family and social commitments. On the other hand, most people believe that they are free to choose what to do, from the simplest to the more complex: should I drink coffee with sugar or sweetener? Do I put some money in the savings or do I spend it all? Who should I vote for in the next elections? Should I marry Carmen or not? The question of free will is essentially a question of agency, of who is in charge as we go through our lives making all sorts of choices. Traditionally, it’s been a topic for philosophers and theologians. But recent work in neuroscience is forcing a reconsideration of free will, to the point of questioning our freedom to choose. Many neuroscientists, and some philosophers, consider free will to be an illusion. Sam Harris, for example, wrote a short book arguing the case.
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His shocking conclusion comes from a series of experiments that have revealed something quite remarkable: our brains decide a course of action before we know it. From Benjamin Libet’s pioneering experiments in the 1980s using EEG to more recent investigations using fMRI, or implants directly in the neurons, the motor region responsible for making a motion in response to a question fired up before the subject was aware of it. The brain seems to be deciding before the mind knows about it. If this is indeed true, the choices we think we are making, expressions of our freedom, are being made subconsciously, without our explicit control. Could it really be that we are so deluded? The situation is not so simple. For one thing, defining free will is complicated. An operational definition is that free will is the ability to make one’s own choices. Of course, we are always subjected to all sorts of constraints in our lives, from our genetics to our upbringing to our experiences. There is no blank slate over which we choose. Still, can it be that we are led to believe that we are the conscious agents of our choices when we aren’t? A popular argument against free will goes like this: imagine that in the future scientists will be able to map and decode all your mental states with arbitrary precision. They could then predict what you will do before you are aware of your choice. If this situation
were ever to be possible — and it seems to me that it couldn’t be in many different ways — free will would presumably be in trouble. But of course, such abstraction is mere fantasy: machines can’t measure all our mental states in rapid succession if we don’t even know how these states emerge. Any measurement that needs to track billions of neurons and trillions of synapses in time is far-fetched. There is a risk of
of free will. Some do indeed happen before conscious awareness, and others don’t. It seems to me that the question of free will is not simply a black-and-white or yes-no kind of question, but one that embraces the full complexity of what it means to be human.
Illustration of a scene in Great Expectations
trivializing a question, cutting it down to shape so that it can be analyzed quantitatively. Furthermore, the experiments in question here are limited to decisions that are far removed from the truly complex choices we make in our lives, those that involve a lot of back and forth thinking, prompt confusion, result in pondering, require talking to other people and generally take time to arrive at a conclusion. There is a huge gap in cognitive complexity from pushing buttons in a lab experiment to deciding whom you will marry, your profession or if you will commit a murder (psychopathic pathologies aside). When it comes to the choices we make in life, there is a spectrum of complexity and this is reflected in the issue
Comprehension: Define free will. What arguments are made to suggest free will is more complex? What factors impact our perception of free will? Reflection: What do you think you have chosen for your own life? What has felt more instinctive or pre-determined? Do you think free will exists, or is it an illusion?
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HOW LOVE CHANGES OVER TIME: FROM LUST TO ATTACHMENT, CHEMICALLY SPEAKING By Amanda Chatel, Bustle
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’m almost two years into my relationship with my current partner. In that time we’ve gone from passionate, infatuated lovers, to a cooled-off version of what we were in that first year. It’s not that we’ve lost interest in each other, but our relationship has evolved into more of a partnership, than one of fiery, hot desire and lust. I can’t say that I don’t miss those days — the ones where I physically, emotionally, and mentally could not get enough of him — because I truly do. But I can also say that to be here, in this place of security and mutual attachment, is a good place to be. It feels like home. Sadly, infatuation is a short-lived but necessary step in getting to the final stage of love, or as biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, calls it, “Life’s greatest prize.” To be in love is, by all accounts, the “most addictive substance on earth,” and one that nearly everyone, no matter their age, gender, race, or sexual orientation craves. Researchers have yet to find a society in which love doesn’t exist. As Fisher notes, “Anthropologists have found evidence of romantic love in 170 societies.” And, although each love is different from the next, it still takes the same evolutionary path from lust to EVERYMAN THEATRE |16
attachment. It’s also arguably entirely chemical. There is a definite shift that happens when a relationship goes from infatuation to attachment. Even if you’re only aware of it after the fact, it’s still taking place and can’t be stopped. Here, we walk you through the stages of your brain goes through, from infatuation to attachment. This is your brain on love. Step 1: Infatuation When you’re in infatuated, the chemicals in your brain are in overdrive. Scientists have even compared the serotonin levels in one’s brain at this stage as being on par with obsessive-compulsive disorder. (Yes, that’s why you’re so obsessed.) Because of the brain pathways and structures that are active during this time, falling in love has also been compared to being high on cocaine. (Which might explain why it can be so addictive.) While serotonin and norepinephrine play an important role in the early states of attraction and infatuation, the chemical that’s really doing the heavy lifting is dopamine. Through the use of brain scans, Fisher and other scientists have found that dopamine starts in the middle of brain and stretches outward attaching itself to the basal ganglia part of the brain, the home of cognition and emotion, and revs things up. It results in “euphoria, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and a rush of motivation.” Or, as it’s commonly referred to, infatuation.
Step 2: That... middle phase “Between approximately 18 months and three years” is pretty much all you have of your infatuation stage, according to psychologist Dorothy Tennov. If your infatuation for your partner extends past this, it could be indicative of problems in the relationship. Deep insecurity in the relationship can extend the feeling of being infatuated and ultimately delay reaching the attachment stage. It might seem great that you’re still overly obsessed with your partner five years into your relationship, but at that point, it might be worth exploring why that is.
The Beaux’ Stratagem at Everyman Theatre during the 2012/13 Season. Photo by Stan Barouh.
Or as relationship writer Susan Piver put it in a piece for Bustle: “When a relationship begins, it is a love affair. At some point, however, this phase ends. (I’m sorry, it just does. It may take a few months or a decade, but it does.) I’m not saying that longterm relationships can’t be romantic and sexy, but eventually, that beginning phase must end. That is why it is called the “beginning.” ...If love affairs are about talking and having adventures, then relationships are about creating a household, meeting each other’s friends, and figuring out how much debt everyone has.” Step 3: The shift from infatuation to attachment
A Streetcar Named Desire at Everyman Theatre during the 2015/16 Season. Photo by ClintonBPhotography.
Enter the oxytocin and vasopressin. These two chemicals are the ones we can thank for that strong feeling of attachment that comes when things have cooled off, but you still know, for a fact, that you can’t live without this person. This state, Fisher explains, “is characterized by feelings of calm, security, social comfort, and emotional union.” It is essentially what fuels our desire for procreation. Why this is can’t fully be explained, but through brain scans of people in varying stages of love, the chemicals at work are very visible. As with infatuation before it, you are, at this point, at the whim of your brain, and no matter how hard you try, you are not in total control. From the day we come into the world, oxytocin and vasopressin are essential neurotransmitters in forming the bonds between a mother and child. So if you think about it, it only makes sense that it would be the end result of a romantic relationship. If love truly is, “life greatest prize,” then you know you’ve received it when your feelings of attachment have set in and the dependency on that person is no longer scary, but just fact.
Fifty Words at Everyman Theatre during the 2011/12 Season. Photo by Stan Barouh.
Comprehension: What changes chemically from infatuation to attachment? Reflection: How does the relationship between Pip and Estella evolve?
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CURTAINS UP ON CAREERS: DIALECT COACH Interview with Great Expectations Dialect Coach Gary Logan
Dialect Coach, Gary Logan
Everyman Theatre: Where are you from originally and when did you first develop an interest in theatre? Gary Logan: I’m originally from North Carolina but have lived in 39 homes all across the United States and in Europe. My father was in the military and I became an actor, so I have lived in many places: San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta, Washington DC, Kansas City, Germany, and Pittsburgh, just to name a few! I developed an interest in the theater when I was 14 years old. I was in a terrific drama class in Fairfax Virginia during high school, was cast in a play, and have been doing plays ever since. ET: When and why did you decide to pursue theatre professionally? How has your background shaped your career path? GL: I decided to pursue theater professionally when I was 18, when I was making my choice of what to major in when I went to college. Even though it was right for my dad and my brother, I knew that life in the military was not for me. And lucky for me, the draft ended on my 18th birthday. Having lived in so many places, and listening to so many dialects and accents, I think I have an ear for them. Also, I studied the international phonetic alphabet in college, which prepared me for being able to accurately transcribe sounds I hear. ET: Define the Voice or Dialect Coaches responsibilities or the scope of their work in relation to bringing a story to life onstage.
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GL: As a voice and dialect coach, I am responsible for making sure that every actor is both audible and intelligible. If the actor can’t be heard, or if they can’t be understood, then I have not done my job as well as I would like. I also try to make sure that the actor practices good vocal health, and that they don’t damage the voices in moments of heightened emotion and vocal extremes. Like design, dialects and accents are meant to transport the audience to a particular time and place. They help to give context to the story being told. If everyone is doing their job well, then the dialects don’t take special attention away from the story, but simply helps the audience suspend disbelief. Finally, I try to guide actors toward speaking more effectively. Sometimes, it’s necessary for me to point out words or phrases in the script that might be more operative than those being emphasized by the actor. It’s all in an attempt to clarify the meaning of the text and tell the story as clearly as possible. ET: How do you find work as a Dialect Coach? What other types of work outside of theatre do you do? GL: At this stage in my career, work as a dialect coach usually finds me first. Because of work I have done on a particular play, a theater will often give me a call to engage my services. However, meeting and getting to know directors, executive producers, and actors is a way of booking work. For the past 12 years, I was at the ACA, as the director of the Shakespeare Theater Company’s Master of Fine Arts Program
in Classical Acting. I taught ear-training and acting. Four months ago, I became the Associate Professor of Speech and Dialects for Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. ET: What skills are necessary to being a vocal expert? GL: The skills necessary to being a vocal expert have to do with one’s training. Most voice and dialect coaches have had extensive training, and most have also, at one time or another, been a professional actor, so that in most cases, voice and dialect coaches are actors who are able to impart a special area of expertise to other actors. ET: How do you connect to Great Expectations? How does dialect influence this piece in particular? GL: I am a particular fan of the works of Charles Dickens. He, along with other writers, such as Victor Hugo, paints a vivid picture of strife in the 19th century. Being a British writer, his stories center on characters from all over the British Isles, and thus, many dialects are required. ET: What challenges does this piece present for you? Any fun facts or insider tidbits you can share that you want to draw our student’s attention to? GL: Dickens writes beautifully, but his language and sentence structure is very different from ours in the United States at the present time. Often, modern American actors will not know exactly what to stress to get the most they can out of the text. I provide a separate and trained pair of ears to the actor. English dialects, particularly of the British variety, are fun to listen to, and fun to speak. Some dialects require that the H’s at the beginning of words be dropped, or that T’s in the middle positions be glottalized. And it’s not just the Cockney dialect that will do this. ET: What is your favorite dialect and why? What is the hardest for you personally? GL: I think one of my favorite dialects is the Australian dialect, and it’s probably because I have an affection for Australians; I have never met an Australian that I didn’t adore. The hardest dialects to do are always the ones that contain sounds that do not come naturally to an American. In linguistics, these sounds are called shibboleths. It takes quite a bit of training and work to sound natural while producing these unnatural songs. ET: What is the vocal coach’s relationship to the Director? What other relationships are critical to your work? GL: The relationship the voice and dialect coach has with the director has to be a very close one. Well before rehearsals
begin, the two must discuss the director’s vision of the play. Based on what the director is looking for, I can determine what recommendations to make. Sometimes, it’s not important to be anthropologically accurate. The actors could get everything perfectly right and end up being unintelligible to an audience. In film, accuracy is imperative, but for the stage, the dynamics of the space will often determine what sort of work goes into the dialect. Another relationship that is key is the one the coach has with the actors. The actors, though usually very well trained already, need to trust the coach and his or her recommendations. No one likes to feel as if they are constantly being corrected or not getting something right. It’s important to have a mutual trust in each other and know that we are both working towards the same goal: an outstanding performance. Having a sense of humor is critical in this sort of work, and not taking things too seriously. We are telling stories, we are not at an operating table; no one’s life is on the line if we get something wrong. ET: In what piece are you most proud of your work? GL: I am most proud of those plays where the playwright is living and has a chance to visit either a rehearsal or performance, and they express their happiness and gratitude for dialect work that is well done. I have been particularly gratified when that playwright happens to come from some place such as Ireland or a remote part of England and they are convinced that the actors are native speakers. ET: What advice might you give someone interested in pursuing the professional of dialect coach as a career? GL: My advice to anyone interested in pursuing the profession of a dialect coach is to become very familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet (or IPA) and the anatomy of speech. It also helps a lot to not carry any judgments about the way anyone sounds. There are standards and there are non-standards; no one really speaks incorrectly or wrong, they may simply fall outside The blurry boundaries of what is considered acceptable. But what is considered acceptable in one group of speakers is not necessarily considered acceptable by all speakers. We “code-shift” all the time to be accepted by whatever group we are mixing with at the moment.
Glottalization: The complete or partial closure of the glottis during the articulation of another sound. Operative: The most important word in a phrase, which explains the truth of a situation.
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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 Learn how to play the card game Beggar My Neighbor: bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-BeggarMyNeighbor Start incorporating some Victorian slang into your everyday conversations: bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-VictorianTerms Listen to 30 Different English Dialects: bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-EnglishDialects Watch the acclaimed 1946 film adaptation of Great Expectations: bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-1946Film
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Take a closer examination of the world of Great Expectations by visiting these helpful and fun resources... Read up on how expectations can change one’s life by picking up a copy of Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations by Chris Berdik: bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-MindOverMind Get an in-depth look at Charles Dickens’ life by watching the A&E Biography episode on the famous author: bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-DickensBio Read From Page to Stage: The Craft of Theatrical Adaptation, Part 2 featuring an interview with playwright Jeffery Hatcher (who adapted Balzac’s novel Cousin Bette) about the does and don’ts of adaptation. bit.ly/GRXStudyGuide-AdaptingPart2
EXTENSION PROJECTS
Daly’s adaptation of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Mark Garvin.
Be the Prop Master Imagine you are the prop master and must create letters to be sent between Pip and Estella. What would they say to one another over the course of their relationship? Check out this video (youtu.be/HvbRm7z92II) sharing techniques on how to distress papers to make your letters look authentic and production ready! Don’t forget to consider the handwriting and pen choice when creating these props. Be the Adaptor Choose a favorite story that you have read in class. Select a moment or exchange and adapt it for the stage. Write the dialogue, hear it read aloud, and consider what information must be included from the story to complete the full picture.
The Prop Master: An artistic employee in a film, television or theatrical production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, properly placing, and/or overseeing any properties, or props, needed for a production. Distress: To make an item appear older than it is.
See the back of the Play Guide for final project!
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POST-SHOW QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION Production • How does the ensemble successfully bring this story to life? How do they transform from character to character? • How do we learn about the time period, class structure, and grit of Dickens’ landscape? How does the design support this type of compelling storytelling? Theme and Content • Do you think it is possible for people to change? • What factors contribute to Pip’s progression from poverty to gentleman? • How does the setting of the world of Charles Dickens’ story inform how different social classes interact in the play? • What and whose expectations weigh most heavily on Pip? How does Pip evolve over the course of the play? Characters • Is Pip a sympathetic character? Why or why not? • Why does Miss Havisham rear Estella in the way she does? Is there regret present for Miss Havisham in her passing? • What does Estella learn through her marriage to Drummle? What prepares her for Pip’s love? • Magwitch represents a darker side of humanity but ultimately surprises the audience with his generosity of heart. How do we see this type of contrast drawn in other characters throughout this production? • Describe Pip’s upbringing. How does he look back on Joe and Mrs. Joe as he progresses in society?
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 Page 4-5 • www.dickens-online.info/charles-dickens-biography.htm • www.biography.com/people/charles-dickens-9274087
Page 12-13 • www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2012/10/how-expectationsshape-your-life.html
Page 9 • www.mtishows.com/oliver • www.imdb.com/title/tt0278228/ • www.imdb.com/title/tt0167872/ • www.imdb.com/title/tt0442632/ • www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/a-tale-of-two-cities/study-help/filmversions • www.imdb.com/title/tt1836808/ • www.charlesdickensinfo.com/novels/complete-works/
Page 14-15 • study.com/academy/lesson/class-system-in-victorian-england.html
Page 10-11 • artsfuse.org/91253/fuse-theater-feature-from-page-to-stage-thecraft-of-theatrical-adaptation-part-one/ • www.dramaticpublishing.com/AuthorBio.php?titlelink=11205
THIS PLAY GUIDE CREATED BY Brianna McCoy, Director of Education Andrew Stromyer, Education Coordinator Brenna Horner, Education Program Assistant Kiirstn Pagan, Graphic Designer
Page 16-17 • www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/01/15/261716096/the-choice-isyours-the-fate-of-free-will Page 18-19 • www.bustle.com/articles/36780-how-love-changes-over-time-fromlust-to-attachment-chemically-speaking
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 Great Expectations imagery on the cover of this guide. Now it’s your turn! Design your own production artwork here...