Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
The King and I
Context Guide 2013
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Table of Contents I. Introduction What is a Context Guide?
II. About the Play The American Musical Rodgers and Hammerstein Creating The King and I Production History and Adaptations Synopsis
III. The World of the Play
3 4 5 6-7 7 8-9
Discovering The King and I Anna Leonowens King Mongkut Thailand—Land of the Free Christianity and Missionaries The Inner Court Slavery
10 10-11 11 12-13 14 15 16
Designing The King and I Directing The King and I Performing The King and I
17 18-19 20-21
Most out of this Guide IV. The Getting Play inthe Performance
IV. Appendix Further Reading Adaptations
22 23
Introduction What is a Context Guide?
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Here at Olney Theatre Center we recognize that classes with local schools, and dramaturgical learning is a life-long joy. We also recognize support for our productions (including this Context that every great story we tell on stage is merely Guide). Additionally, the education department a window into a larger world—whether that be is home to our Apprentice Company: 14 earlyMushnik’s Flower Shop, Grover’s Corners, or 19th- career artists, technicians, and administrators Century Siam. who commit to a year-long residence with us to This Context Guide is designed to provide historical gain critical on-the-job-training, expand their insight and a peek inside the creation of Olney knowledge base, and receive mentorship from Theatre Center’s production of The King and I. Olney Theatre Center’s staff and guest artists. Curious about who the real Anna was? Go to page Through all these programs, we aim to unleash 10. Want to know what Paolo Montalban thinks participants’ creative potential and build their about playing the King? Page 20. Or simply read self-reliance. Want to learn more about the this guide from cover to cover and lose yourself in educational initiatives at Olney Theatre Center? the world of the play. If this guide doesn’t satisfy Email me at jkjones@olneytheatre.org. I’d love your curiosity, utilize the Appendix for further to hear from you. reading and online resources. Olney Theatre Center is proud to Jason King Jones deeply integrate education and Associate Artistic Director, theatre. Our programs include the Director of Education nation’s longest-running touring company (National Players), Excerpt from Arts Integration
Visit to a Small Planet: Some Questions to Ask a Play By Elinor Fuchs
We must make the assumption that in the world of the play there are no accidents. Nothing occurs “by chance,” not even chance. In that case, nothing in the play is without significance. Correspondingly, the play asks us to focus upon it a total awareness, to bring our attention and curiosity without the censorship of selective interpretation, “good taste,” or “correct form.” Before making judgments, we must ask questions. This is the deepest meaning of the idea, often-repeated but little understood, that the study of art shows us how to live. A play is not a flat work of literature, not a description in poetry of another world, but is in itself another world passing before you in time and space....The stage world never obeys the same rules as ours, because in its world, nothing else is possible besides what is there: no one else lives there; no other geography is available; no alternative actions can be taken.
About the Play The American Musical
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Although the American stage has always been a Musical comedy—a lighthearted integration of home for music and storytelling, the modern mu- story and music—came to shape in 1920s and sical—a form of performance that combines dia- ‘30. Although these musicals began to pave the logue, music, and dance—did not evolve until the way for more complex narratives and popularized mid 19th century. In integrative muits early stages, musisical storytelling, cal theatre rarely told the narratives a cohesive narrative; were simple and it relied instead on romanticized. variety shows and reThe first deparvues. ture from these Vaudeville was the sentimental stoprimary venue for rylines occurred these forms of vain 1927, with riety acts. From the Hammerstein’s 1880s through the revolutionary 1920s, the American Show Boat, the vaudeville movement first foray into the dominated popumodern musical lar entertainment; it genre. It highconsisted of multilighted dramatic ple, unrelated acts, themes through which might include music and diadance, music, comlogue, and told edy sketches, magic, a relevant, comand more. Although plex story. it relied on spectacle It was not uninstead of storytelltil Hammerstein ing, this genre was began to collaba significant turnorate with Roding point in musical gers, however, theatre history: it that the first established popular book musical apentertainment as a peared on BroadThe original cast of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s reputable business, way. 1943 Oklahoma! and appealed to a Oklahoma! wide spectrum of (1943) told a theAmericans, not just members of the upper class. matically relevant story, and all the performance Meanwhile, a more cohesive precursor to the elements of musical theatre—song, dialogue, modern musical was taking shape in Europe: the dance—advanced the story and developed charoperetta. Like variety acts, this genre appealed acter. Since the 1940s, the book musical has to a diverse demographic, but also it wove to- dominated the American musical theatre genre. gether the various performance elements into The spoken dialogue, or “book,” is integral to ada cohesive storyline. By the turn of the century, vancing narrative, while more emotional, dramatthe genre found its way to the American stage; ic moments are translated into song. From West before his partnership with Richard Rodgers, Os- Side Story to Rent, virtually every contemporary car Hammerstein II was an acclaimed lyricist for musical has been influenced by this innovation of American operettas. the book musical.
About the Play Rodgers and Hammerstein
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Although they were born only streets away from each other in New York City, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II did not begin their legendary collaboration until the 1940s. By then, they were established individual artists who had already laid the groundwork for their revolutionary partnership. Hammerstein (1895–1960) was born into a family of Broadway innovators. His grandfather, Oscar Hammerstein I, was a renowned opera impresario and producer, while his father, William, managed a successful vaudeville theater. After abandoning law school to pursue a career as a librettist, Hammerstein partnered with composer Jerome Kern, who would become a long-time collaborator and friend. They produced Show Boat in 1927, followed by a series of other musicals and operettas. Although none of these later works achieved the acclaim of Show Boat, they began tackling large thematic issues for which HammerHammerstein, stein’s future successes described by Stephen would be known. Sondheim as “a true moralist,” The Rodgers were Richard Rodgers (left) and Oscar Ham- not a theatre famwove political and humanistic themes into his narratives. His advocacy merstein II (right) collaborating on South ily like the Hamfor racial tolerance resonates in many of Pacific mersteins, but his works, including Show Boat, South Pacific, they encouraged Richard (1902–1979) to pursue the arts from a young and The King and I. Carefully Taught, one of age. By the time he went to Columbia University, he was the lyricist’s most overtly moralistic songs, is determined to become a Broadway musical composer. He from South Pacific, but the words are in met his longtime partner Lorenz Hart when he was only conversation with his other musicals as well: 16. Hart, seven years his senior and already a somewhat established librettist, would work with Rodgers on 26 “You've got to be taught Broadway musicals, including The Boys from Syracuse To hate and fear, and A Connecticut Yankee. You've got to be taught Rodgers first proposed working with Hammerstein From year to year, in 1941. Hammerstein, a mutual admirer or Rodgers’ It's got to be drummed work, agreed to collaborate on a musical adaptation In your dear little ear, of Lynn Riggs’ novel Green Grow the Lilacs. Their You've got to be carefully taught. project, which was retitled Oklahoma!, showed promise from the start: “You couldn’t resist the You’ve got to be taught to be afraid words, they were so lovely, and musical, and theatOf people whose eyes are oddly made, rical,” Rodgers said of Hammerstein’s initial drafts. And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade, Over the course of their partnership, the two colYou’ve got to be carefully taught. laborated on more than ten musicals, including You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, Carousel, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. Before you are six or seven or eight, Their plays and films have earned 34 Tony Awards, To hate all the people your relatives hate, 15 Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and two You’ve got to be carefully taught!” Grammy Awards.
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The World of the Play Creating The King and I Still reeling from the success of South Pacific, Rogers and Hammerstein were searching for a new project, a story that was both challenging and thematically relevant. They were approached by British actress Gertrude Lawrence’s manager, who proposed a musical adaptation of Anna and the King of Siam. The partners had considered using Margaret Landon’s book as the basis for a new musical before—it was an exotic, vibrant setting, and touched some of Hammerstein’s favorite themes—but they were unconvinced that the narrative would translate effectively on stage. Their wives, Dorothy Hammerstein and Dorothy Rodgers, also urged their husbands to consider the project. It was not until they saw the 1946 film adaptation with Irene Dunn and Rex Harrison, which streamlined Anna’s narrative into a straightforward plot, that they decided to tackle the story. Adapting Leonowens’ tale presented a unique set of challenges. For one, the artistic duo were accustomed to making stars, not fueling the careers of already-established performers; they worried about casting Lawrence, a 51-year-old established performer with limited vocal talents and a reputation for unprofessionalism. To compensate, they cast a relative unknown for Anna’s leading man: Yul Brynner, then 30 years old. According to Rodgers, he was perfect for the King from the moment he arrived at auditions: “They told us the name of the first man and out he came with a bald head and sat crosslegged on the stage. He had a guitar and he hit this guitar one whack and gave out this unearthly yell and sang and sang some heathenish sort of thing, “There are and Oscar and I looked at no villains. each other and said, ‘Well, that’s it!’”
Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner as Anna and the King in the original Broadway production of The King and I, 1951.
They also needed to present the world of Siam through song and aesthetics, without coming across as demeaning or prejudiced. Rogers wanted to establish the Eastern culture musically, but through a style more familiar to American audiences than traditional Thai music. He infused the Siamese songs with an exotic twist, using open fifths and chords in unusual keys, to evoke an Eastern style without overwhelming the audience. These songs contrasted with Anna’s songs, which used more Westernized, conventional harmonic devices. For the non-American characters’ dialogue, Rodgers and Hammerstein conveyed Thai speech with musical sounds from the orchestra. Instead of inflating the dialogue with thick accents, the There are only King’s style of speech was clipped and emphatic, emblematic of both a cultural dissonance and his human beings, subject own personality. their previous works, and most of their to the usual frailties of human nature— Unlike contemporaries’, the main relationship in The King and I was not romantic. Instead, people decent at heart, but incompletely Anna and Mongkut’s interactions and heroic....In the course of the evening they growth were grounded in mutual understanding and respect. The only romantic
learn from each other.” — New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson, on the 1951 premiere
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The World of the Play Continued from Page 6
song between them, “Shall We Dance?,” was indicative of romantic tensions rather than a starcrossed love affair. The love story, still an integral part of any Broadway musical of the time, found life in the narrative’s subplot between Tuptim and Lun Tha. Their tragic love story was not the thematic nucleus of the musical, however; it served the dual purpose of fueling the audience’s need for an enchanting romance while serving as an example of cross-cultural conflict between Anna
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and the King’s ideals. The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at St. James Theatre on Broadway, to critical and popular acclaim. It ran nearly three years, then the fourth longest-running Broadway musical in history. The production garnered Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress (for Lawrence) and Best Featured Actor (for Brynner). Eighteen months after opening, Lawrence died unexpectedly of liver cancer. She was buried in the pink ball gown that she wore for “Shall We Dance?”
Production History and Adaptations Although audiences were enchanted by Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence’s performances, many were already familiar with the story from an earlier adaptation. The 1946 film Anna and the King of Siam starred Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne in the title roles. It took major liberties with the original story—Louis is killed falling off a horse and Tuptim is burned at the stake—but it reshaped Margaret Landon’s series of vignettes into a cohesive story. The story returned to the big screen in 1956, with a film version of the musical starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner. Although it was banned in Thailand for historical inaccuracies, it was a resounding success elsewhere: it was nominated for a number of Acadamy Awards, including Best Picture, and Brynner won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Brynner reprised the performance again in 1976 for a US tour and Broadway revival. He would perform the role a total 4,625 times over the course of his career. The first production to radically reinterperet the play was an Australian revival by Christopher Renshaw in 1991. He strove to present “an authentic Thai experience,” and many of the set pieces and costumes were replicas of historical originals. The production moved to Broadway in 1996, where it won several Tony awards, including Best Revival. Another film adaptation was made in 1999, this time a return to the original, nonmusical format. Anna and the King, with Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-fat in the title roles, was an adaptation of Margaret Landon’s book. Although it claimed to be a more of a historical biography than a fictionalization, it was still banned in Thailand because
Angela Lansbury and Michael Kermoyan in a 1977 revival. it had “several scenes that distort history and insult the king.” That same year, an animated adaptation was released. It claimed to be based on the musical, but took major liberties with the original source material to target the story toward families and children. The King and I remains one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most revived and recognized works. Anna and the King are two of musical theatre’s most iconic characters, and many notable actors—Angela Lansbury and Daniel Dae Kim, among others—have acted the roles.
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About the Play Synopsis: Act One The year is 1862. A ship, the Chow Phya, is winding along the Gulf of Siam toward Bangkok. Anna Leonowens, an English widow and schoolteacher, is arriving with her son, Louis. She has been invited by Mongkut, the King of Siam, to tutor the royal children; although nervous, she is determined to overcome her fears (“I Whistle a Happy Tune”). She learns from the Kralahome, the King’s prime minister, that she will be living in the royal palace, despite a written agreement promising her a house of her own. The King is unable to meet his new employee immediately, so Anna and Louis are confined to the palace for several weeks. The King receives a gift from the King of Burma: a slave girl named Tuptim. Lun Tha, a scholar, brings Tuptim to her future husband. When she is alone, Tuptim reveals her love for Lun Tha (“My Lord and Master”). Finally granted an audience with the King, Anna meets his wives and tells them of her late husband, Tom (“Hello, Young Lovers”). The children arrive to meet their new teacher (“March of the Siamese Children”). Determined to obtain her private residence, Anna teaches the children lessons and proverbs relating to houses, much to the King’s frustration. He is fascinated and overwhelmed by the collision of Western and Eastern concepts (“A Puzzlement”). Several months pass, and Anna is working diligently to teach the King’s wives proper English (“The Royal Bangkok Academy”). Although Anna and the children disagree on some subjects, they are learning from each other (“Getting to Know You”). Chulalongkorn, the crown prince, disputes the concept of snow, as well as how small Siam appears on Anna’s map of the world. The King enters and orders his children to obey their schoolteacher; likewise, he orders Anna to obey him as his servant. Furious, Anna leaves the schoolroom. Tuptim and Lun Tha fear that Anna, who has been helping them, may not be able to assist them now that she is in conflict with the King, and express their desire to love each other openly (“We Kiss in a Shadow”). Anna is incensed about her confrontation with
King Mongkut and Prince Chulalongkorn, each dressed in Western attire. the King (“Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?”) Lady Thiang explains that her husband is worried about how the Western world perceives him as a barbarian and that England plans to make Siam a protectorate of the country. She convinces Anna to gently advise the King on how to proceed (“Something Wonderful”). Anna agrees. The King tells her that a British envoy is arriving to evaluate his kingdom, and Anna suggests entertaining the diplomat in a Western fashion. Tuptim has been writing a play based on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the King agrees to present it to his guest. The Kralahome announces that Sir Edward Ramsay, the British diplomat, is arriving much earlier than expected, leaving Anna and the King very little time to prepare. The King assembles his family to pray for Buddha’s blessing, promising to provide Anna with a house.
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About the Play Synopsis: Act Two The next evening, preparations for the ball are underway, and the wives are dressing in their European-style gowns. As Anna and the King argue over Western attire, the English guests arrive. Sir Edward reveals that he was once romantically interested in Anna, and they reminisce over a dance. Lun Tha tells Tuptim that he plans to escape after the performance (“I Have Dreamed”). They tell Anna of their plan (“Reprise: Hello Young Lovers”). Tuptim narrates “The Ballet of Uncle Tom,” which is presented as an aesthetically traditional Siamese dance. It is the story of the slave Eliza, who runs away from the evil King Simon of Legree to be with her lover. The guests are pleased with the performance and Sir Edward dismisses any threat of a British invasion. The King is angered by Tuptim’s thinly veiled anti-slavery message, but he and Anna are overjoyed at the evening’s success. He presents her with a ring, and she teaches him about Western courtship customs (“Shall We Dance?”). They are interupted by the Kralahome, who announces that Tuptim has been captured after attempting to escape the Grand Palace with Lun Tha. The King is determined to punish Tuptim, but he is unnerved by Anna’s disapproval. It is revealed that Lun Tha has been found dead. Anna returns the King’s ring to Kralahome, vowing to leave Siam. Several months later, Anna is about to board the ship for Sin-
gapore. She and the King have not spoken since their argument, but when she recieves a letter from the King on his deathbed, she hurries to be at his side. Surrounded by his children and wives, the King asks Anna to continue teaching his family. She comforts him (“Reprise: I Whistle A Happy Tune”) and he declares Chulalongkorn the new monarch. Chulalongkorn makes his first two proclimations as King: to have boat races at New Years celebrations, and to eliminate the traditional system of bowing before the King.
In Act I, the King asks Anna if President Abraham Lincoln has “enough guns and elephants” for winning the war in America. Although this anecdote from the musical is not entirely historically accurate, King Mongkut did offer elephants (for domestic, not war purposes) to James Buchanan in 1859. By the time the letter reached America, Abraham Lincoln had been elected president. He responded:
“Great and Good Friend: ...I appreciate most highly Your Majesty’s tender of good offices in forwarding to this Government a stock from which a supply of elephants might be raised on our own soil. This Government would not hesitate to avail itself of so generous an offer if the object were one which could be made practically useful in the present condition of the United States. Our political jurisdiction, however, does not reach a latitude so low as to favor the multiplication of the elephant, and steam on land, as well as on water, has been our best and most efficient agent of transportation in internal commerce. I shall have occasion at no distant day to transmit to Your Majesty some token of indication of the high sense which this Government entertains of Your Majesty’s friendship. Meantime, wishing for Your Majesty a long and happy life, and for the generous and emulous People of Siam the highest possible prosperity, I commend both to the blessing of Almighty God. Your Good Friend, Abraham Lincoln Washington, February 3, 1862
The World of the Play Discovering The King and I Rodgers and Hammerstein were not the first to tell Anna and King Mongkut’s story. The history of the production reaches back to 1862, when King Mongkut of Siam began searching for a suitable tutor for his royal family. Anna Leonowens published memoirs about her five years at the Grand Palace, and English and American readers were enchanted by the people and world of Siam. Although her books inspired numerous retellings, modern historians have identified major inaccuracies in her accounts. Many portions of the books are complete fabrications, making it difficult to uncover the “true story” of Anna and the king. Anna’s two works were subsequently adapted into Margaret Landon’s 1941 bestselling book, Anna and the King of Siam. Landon, a Christian missionary, imparted a distinctly Westernized perspective onto the story. As she stated in the introduction to the book: “If I were asked to give
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the fabric content of the book I should say that it is seventy-five percent fact, and twenty-five percent fiction based on fact.” Rodgers and Hammerstein used Landon’s book as their primary source material. The musical, therefore, is not a perfect representation of King Mongkut’s world. They took artistic liberties with their characters and narration, emphasizing the impact Anna had on the King’s politics and morals and romanticizing their relationship for added dramatic tension. As modern biographers have discovered, the true story of Anna and the King is far more complex. Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s version, however, retains the integrity of the original story. Their changes enhance the impact of Anna and the King’s relationship and highlight the story’s themes of tolerance, enlightenment, and respect.
Anna Harriet Leonowens Although she would later be immortalized for her years in Siam, Anna Harriet Edwards (18311915) was raised just across the continent, by an English soldier and his wife in Bombay, India. As part of a large military family, she spent her childhood moving from barrack to barrack, surrounded by people of many races and backgrounds. Although she would later attest to a pure English ancestry, Anna was most likely Anglo-Indian, the granddaughter of a European soldier and his Indian wife. When she was 17, Anna married the only love of her life, Thomas Louis Leon Owens. After mourning the death of two children, they had a daughter and son, Avis and Louis. After only 10 years of marriage, Tom died, leaving his wife hardly any money and no means of supporting herself and two children—so later that year, Anna Leonowens arrived in Singapore with a fabricated past, hoping to create a fresh start for her family. She claimed to be a proper Englishwoman, unfamiliar and yet enchanted with her new Eastern surroundings. Although the real Anna probably never set foot in England
before visiting Siam, this persona gave her the status she needed to ensure a prosperous life for Avis and Louis. Anna and Louis, five years old, arrived in Bangkok in March 1862, where they would stay for more than five years. Avis, then seven years old, was sent to boarding school in England, and Anna’s longing for her, as well as the loss of her other two children, helped establish a strong bond with the maternal women of King Mongkut’s harem. Despite fundamental philosophical differences with the King, Continued on Page 11
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hers and Louis’ five years in Siam were positive; she was the only person to spend any extended amount of time inside the royal palace, and she successfully instructed her beloved pupils in language, humanities, and science. When Anna left Siam, she had every intention of returning in six months. The King’s unexpected death in 1868, however, prompted her to begin a new phase in her life. She sent Louis to boarding school and traveled with Avis to America, where she used her experiences in Siam as the basis for a successful writing and scholarly career. Along with three books on her experiences in the King’s harem, Anna traveled the country, lecturing and teaching about religion, feminism,
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and respect for Eastern cultures. She became a respected member of the literary and scholarly community—she even got to meet one of her greatest idols, Harriet Beecher Stowe. She eventually moved to Canada, where she helped organize the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and was active in the local and National Council of Women. She spent the final years of her life with Avis and her grandchildren; Louis returned to Siam, the place he still considered home, and founded Louis T. Leonowens Ltd., which remains a leading international trading company today. By the time Anna died in 1915, she was an admired, if not yet immortalized, proponent of human rights and education.
King Mongkut
Although he was born into royalty, King Mon- He regularly corresponded with European leadgkut (1804-1868) had a unique upbringing. At ers and welcomed them as royal visitors, and he the age of 20, he followed Siamese tradition that employed Western experts and advisors. He enmen of his age become Buddhist monks; after acted a number of modernization reforms, from taking his vows, however, his father died, and health and medicine standards to education and his half-brother usurped the administration regulations. throne. Instead of causing Still a dedicated Buddhist, further political friction, the however, he ensured that true heir remained a monk his country kept its strong for 27 years. During those spiritual and cultural ties years, he established a reto its religion. formed, orthodox sect of Hiring an English teacher Buddhism, studied Westfor his children was part ern science and humanities, of this system of reforms. mastered several languages, King Mongkut and Anna and learned about his peoLeonowens shared an inple and culture through a tellectual curiosity and kingdom-wide pilgrimage. passion for education, After his half-brother died and they developed a in 1951, Mongkut ascendfriendship over their five ed the throne as the fourth years together. monarch of Siam. His reign King Mongkut is one of coincided with a particularly Thailand’s most beloved complex era of international monarchs. He and his sucrelations. To evade Western cessor, King Chulalongcolonization, he instituted korn, are largely credited a series of measures that with bringing their counassimilated his country try into the modern into the modern world, world while retaining sacrificing some traditionthe integrity of Siamese King Mongkut in his monastic robes al aspects of Thai culture culture. to retain independence.
World of the Play Thailand—Land of the Free
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A deeply spiritual nation with more than 20,000 years of history, Thailand is one of the world’s most vibrant and resilient cultures. Prehistoric years were composed of a succession of tribal groups, including the Mon and Khmer peoples, who established powerful kingdoms that included large areas of the country. Buddhism, which eventually became the spiritual and cultural backbone of the nation, was first introduced from India in the 3rd century BCE. The Thai race, originally from southwestern China, migrated to the mainland and were the dominant people of the region by the 13th century. In 1238, the Thais CHAO PHRYA RIVER established a kingdom alongside BANGKOK the Chao Phraya river, the center of modern Thailand. During the nineteenth century, European expansionism posed the greatest threat to the kingdom’s survival. It occupied a desirable position between Burma, which was being annexed by England, and French-occupied Indochina; as US missionary DB Bradley wrote in 1858, “the usual thought among the Siamese rulers is that Siam is destined to pass into the hands of the English. They seem almost instinctively to think so.” Two monarchs are generally credited with keeping their country free of colonization: King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn. Father and son each instituted a series of measures that assimilated the country into the modern world, sacrificing some traditional aspects of Thai culture to retain indepenThailand, said to be shaped like an elephant’s head, is roughly Continued on Page 13 the size of France, or four times the size of England.
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dence. One of the most significant measures taken was the Bowring Act in 1854, which opened Siam to Western economic relations and assuaged British interest in Siamese colonialism. King Chulalongkorn is most lauded for the Slave Liberation Act of 1900. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Thailand’s political system, armed forces, schools, and economy underwent drastic changes. In 1932, a bloodless coup d’etat by military officers and civil servants ended King Mongkut’s first the absolute monarchy and inaugurated its constitutional era. In 1939, it adopted the name Thailand (Land letter to Anna of the Free). Since then, progress toward a stable, democratic 1862, 26th of February political system has been erratic. The government been dominated by rival militaryGrand Royal Palace, Bangkok bureaucratic cliques headed by powerful generals. In its years of constitution Madam, al monarchy, the country has undergone We are in good pleasure, and 17 separate political coups, and the friction satisfaction in heart, that you are in between democracy and autocracy remains a major source of conflict. Despite political turwillingness to undertake the education moil, Thailand confirmed its status as a democracy of our beloved royal children. And we in 2001 by voting in the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love hope that in doing your education on us Thais) Party. The current monarch, Bhumibol Adu- and on our children (whom English, call lyadej, is known as Rama IV. With 67 years on the inhabitants of benighted land) you will throne, he has the distinction of being the world’s longest-serving current head of state and the lon- do your best endeavor for knowledge of English language, science, and literature, gest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Thai culture has been shaped by neighboring re- and not for conversion to Christianity; as gions of South Asia, including India, Cambodia, the followers of Buddha are mostly aware Burma, and China. The influence of Buddhism, in of the powerfulness of truth and virtue, particular, has had a resounding impact on Thai- as well as the followers of Christ, and are land’s development. A religion of practice and ex- desirous to have facility of English language perience more than belief, Buddhists follow paths and literature, more than new religions. of spiritual enlightenment and inner peace. More We beg to invite you to our royal palace than 90 percent of the country identifies as Ther- to do your best endeavorment upon us and avāda Buddhist, and the religion has shaped virtually ever part of the nation’s culture, from art and our children. We shall expect to see you architecture to family structure and social norms. here on return of Siamese steamer Chow Today, the country has more than 29,000 Buddhist Phya. We have written to Mr. William Adamson, temples. Men are expected to temporarily join the monastic life at the age of 20, when they study and to our consul at Singapore, to authorize scholarship or meditation for several weeks to sev- to do best arrangement for you and eral years. Many join the vocation permanently, ourselves. and it is not uncommon to see novices and monks Believe me lining the city streets at all hours of the day, asking Your faithfully, for alms.
S. S. P. P. Maha Mongkut
World of the Play Christianity and Missionaries
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The Victorian Era was a period of strict social lieved in the altruistic nature of their work and norms, particularly in regards to gender roles. So- contributed to the country’s education and health ciety generally disapproved of women pursuing care systems, they generally considered Siam a careers outside of their domestic responsibilities, backwards society in need of reform. so Anna, a widow with two young children and no Hoping to find a broad-minded candidate this means of financial support, had limited options. time, King Mongkut specifically requested an EnTeaching and missionary work—maternal voca- glishwoman from Singapore, someone who was tions that conformed with gender norms—were accustomed to Eastern culture. Fortunately, Anna two of the only acceptable positions available for not only respected, but admired Eastern values. As women at the time. Teaching for the royal family she wrote in Romance of the Harem: of Siam was the perfect opportunity for Anna: it “We are prone to ignore or to condemn was a respectable position for a woman in her sitthat which we do not clearly understand; uation; she had a deep admiration for Eastern culand thus it is, and on no better ground, tures and religions; and she firmly believed in the that we deny that there are influences in value of education. the religions of the East to render their She was not the first to instruct King Mongkut’s followers wiser, nobler, purer” (207). children, however; in fact, she was fourth in a string of English governesses he hired. The preAnna befriended many of the Western misvious teachers were the wives of English missionaries during her five years in Siam. sionaries, dedicated to converting the royal There were various missionary schools family to Christianity. throughout Bangkok at the time, and Missionaries had occupied Siam for more aside from the women at the palthan two centuries. Portuace, they were the only guese Christians first arrived adults with whom she Members of the royal family in the 1550s, and American socialized on a regular and English missionaries began followed strict daily schedule. basis. She adhered to King opening religious schools in Mongkut’s request, howBased on Anna’s accounts the early 1800s. Although ever, that she remain and King Mongkut’s journals, the missionaries objective with her the following is what a day in honestly beinstruction.
the Grand Palace might have looked like:
5:00 PM. The king and his household rose and took their places along the Gate of Merit, where 199 royal priests received their daily offerings of food. 6:00 PM. One hour of quiet prayer, then a nap for the king. Sunrise. Breakfast; Anna and Louis often attended. Mid-morning. The king retired to do his reading and correspondences. Anna, the children, and those women who wished to join went to the schoolroom for lessons. 11:00 PM. A break for tiffin, or snack. 2:00 PM. Bathing and fresh clothes, followed
by the major meal of the day. Louis and Anna sometimes went home for lunch, but they were welcome to remain in the palace. During the meal, the king socialized with his wives and played with his children. Early evening. The king attended official matters with his ministers. Anna and her students returned to the schoolroom for afternoon lessons. Evening. A light supper at the palace; Anna and Louis were invited to attend, and often did so. 9:00 PM. The king retired to his private apartments. Anna Louis returned home.
World of the Play The Inner Court
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The Grand Palace is an enormous complex of buildings situated in the center of Bangkok. The traditional residence of the Thai monarchs, it was built in 1782 and is composed of several sections, including: the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Outer Court (with public buildings), the Middle Court, and the Inner Court, or Nang Harm, where King Mongkut and his wives resided. According to an article by Tamara Loos, a scholar in Southeast Asian history at Cornell University :
“The Inner City was named so because of the size and sex of its population: it included up to approximately 3,000 women at its height under King Chulalongkorn and all men were prohibited except for the king, whose private quarters were located within the Inner Palace, and royal sons under the age of about eleven… it was a veritable town complete in itself, a congested network of houses and narrow streets, with gardens, lawns, artificial lakes and shops. It had its own government, its own institutions, its own laws and law-courts. It was a town of women, controlled by women.” King Mongkut’s Inner City was populated by more than 30 wives, 82 children, and hundreds of concubines, slaves, and servants. The women of the palace fulfilled innumerable roles: domestic servants, cooks, nannies, soldiers, judges, merchants, and more. Other than his young sons, King Mongkut was the only man allowed in Nang Harm. He relaxed the law forbidding his women to leave the City, but they were not allowed to leave of their own free will. Many of the King’s concubines were presented to him in exchange for an increase in social ranking. Owning women, therefore, signified political power: the more concubines, wives, and slaves in his harem, the more of an influence he had on his country. This practice of bestowing women as gifts to the king ended during King Chulalongkorn’s monarchy, when he restructured the Siamese political system and it was no longer necessary for other provinces to use proxy women as boosts in hierarchy. Social pressures from foreigners also reduced Siam’s prac-
The Grand Palace, the traditional home of Thailand’s royal family tice of polygamy. Mongkut took care to show affection for each of his daughters and sons. Anna describes lunchtime as the King’s favorite part of the day, because he had the chance to interact with the royal children: “He chatted with his favorites among the wives and concubines, and caressed his children, taking them in his arms, embracing them, playing with them, [asking] puzzling or funny questions, and making droll faces at the babies,” she says in An English Governess in the Siamese Court. Mongkut encouraged the women of the harem to partake in Anna’s English lessons as part of his plans for modernization. Over the course of her five years at Nang Harm, Anna grew to care deeply for these women; other than some missionary families nearby the palace, they were Anna’s only companions. Motherhood was the greatest accomplishment a woman in Nang Harm could achieve, so the wives related to Anna’s maternity and losses. Anna did not return to Siam after leaving for America, but she continued to correspond with some of the wives for years after, and even dedicated her second book, Romance of the Harem, “to the noble and devoted women whom I learned to know, to esteem, and to love in the city of Nang Harm.”
World of the Play Slavery: Thailand The institution of slavery was firmly embedded into Siamese culture when Anna arrived, but Western and Eastern slave practices were different in many ways. In Siam, slavery was a complex system, an integral part of the political and social fabric. In some ways, the institution was more comparable to feudalism or indentured servitude than Western notions of slavery. There were various levels of slavery, the top tiers of which included the possibility of buying or earning freedom. “Non-redeemable” slaves, those not kept under the condition of debt to their owner, were considered property. Although there were often ways for a non-redeemable slave to earn his freedom,
Slavery: America
16 many in this category remained so for their entire lives; their children were also considered slaves, although on a higher level. Visitors to Siam claimed that slaves were treated relatively humanely, even “better than English servants.” There are too few firsthand accounts of slave conditions from that period, however, to gauge what the institution was truly like in practice. Regardless of how slavery compared to that in the West, it was still a systematized form of forced labor. By the time King Chulalongkorn abolished slavery in 1905, historians estimate that more than one third of the population belonged to another.
While Anna was learning one of King Mongkut’s about the political strucwives and a close friend ture of slavery in Siam, the of Anna’s, was particularly US was fighting a civil war influenced by Anna’s antiover the practice. Comslavery stance, and even pared to slavery in the signed her letters as ‘Klin East, America’s institution Harriett Beecher Stowe’ was unwavering, a system out of respect for Anna’s grounded in dehumanizafavorite author. tion and, often, cruelty. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s The American Civil War 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s spanned from 1861 Cabin, not only inspired through 1865. Like Siam, Anna and her pupils; it slavery was a deeply emhad a resounding, almost bedded element of the revolutionary impact on country’s politics, econothe US as well. The book my, and culture; the battle was most directly influover its abolition proved enced by the Compromise to be the most bloody war An illustration from an 1862 publication of of 1850 and subsequent in American history. Stowe’s novel, depicting Eliza’s flight from Fugitive Slave Law. The Although she had never Compromise ended slave slavery set foot in America, Anna trade in Washington DC, was a fervent abolitionist. but not the institution of The Civil War was a major topic of conversation slavery itself. With the Fugitive Slave Law, all Ameramong the missionary community in Siam—many icans were required to assist in the capture of esof the English missionaries were morally opposed caped slaves and eradicated any legal protection to slavery, and they discussed information about fugitives once had. Stowe presented her resentthe war whenever it arrived—and Anna included ment of slavery in her novel, which was published the women of the Inner City in this conversation as in a series of installments in National Era beginwell. Although slavery was too ingrained in Siamese ning in 1851. The book humanized slavery for the culture for Anna to inspire any kind of political rev- Northerners who had never witnessed it firsthand, olution, her abolitionism did influence many of the inspiring many to join the abolitionist movement. people with whom she came in contact. Sonklin,
The Play in Performance Designing The King and I
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Jim Fouchard is a long-time member of the Olney ing the harsh world of the King’s rule with her Theatre Center family. Past OTC credits include set introduction of Western culture as well as her designs for Cinderella, Little Shop of Horrors, The graceful feminine touch. Sound of Music, Dames At Sea, and Oh, Coward!
Maegan Clearwood, Dramaturgy Associate: What about designing the set for The King and I were you most excited about? JF: Believe it or not, after over 40 years of designing for the theatre- including many musicals—this is the first production I have done of The King and I, so I am excited to have a chance to work on this most important work of Rogers and Hammerstein. MC: As a whole, how would you describe your set design? How did you make those aesthetic choices? JF: I started out with the image of Anna in her full hoop skirt gracefully gliding through the soaring columns and arches of the Royal Palace. Not only is this a striking visual, it also complements the arc of the plot line: Anna enter-
Two of Jim Fouchard’s set renderings for The King and I. Above: The tree slide. Right: The classroom in the Grand Palace.
MC: What were your sources of inspiration for the design? How did you use them? JF: I went through the usual research sources: my own reference library and online images of the art and architecture of Siam. But these are really only a jumping off place in developing the look for the show- that becomes my own impressions taken from these sources, and tailored to fit the overall scenic concept I envision. MC: What was the most challenging part of designing for this production? JF: The most satisfaction I get is to try and put together a design that creates a unique world for the play to live in, moves seamlessly and helps advance the plot forward. No matter the production or theater, the biggest challenge is creating a design that serves the director’s concept of the piece while providing visual guideposts to aide the audience in understanding the author’s intent, all the while working within the confines of the production budget and schedule.
The Play in Performance Directing The King and I
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Among his many directing credits, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional, and tours, Mark Waldrop’s past Olney Theatre Center directing include Cinderella, Annie, Sound of Music, and Little Shop of Horrors. Maegan Clearwood, Dramaturgy Associate: How did you come about directing The King and I? Mark Waldrop: I was given the choice of two musicals. It was Fiddler on the Roof and The King and I. They’re both great musicals, but I think Fiddler is done so much more often that given the chance to do The King and I, I jumped at it. And honestly, I prefer The King and I to Fiddler. MC: Can you explain why? MW: I think I’ve seen Fiddler a lot, and it’s a masterpiece, I’d be happy to direct it, but The King and I just has a sweep and a romance and a kind of fullness that just appeals to me more. I like a show where the leading lady gets to wear a big dress. That’s pretty much the truth.
is in an Rodgers and Hammerstein script. And I always have this discussion with actors, because it’s a very common practice for actors to have been told, “the first thing you do is cross out all the stage directions.” And I completely disagree with that. Because not all the information the author wants to give you is contained in the dialogue. And there’s often extremely valuable information that the author has very consciously and deliberately included to help guide you into understanding what the author’s intentions are for how the actors are interacting, what the characters are feeling, that’s not expressed verbally.... I respect every bit of what’s in the script. Something like The King and I does not need to be reinvented; it needs to be honored and served up by somebody who understands that.
MC: Can you tell me a bit about why they’re so significant and how The King and I is in conversation with their other works? MW: I think what they were really brilliant at and why their best shows are still performed and haven’t dated badly, is that they set their shows for the most part in sort of exotic times and places.... So what they did was they would exploit this exotic world and place very human, recognizable characters in the world that the audience could relate to. Somehow because it was set in a place that MC: What makes this production unique? wasn’t contemporary, here and now, those works MW: I think the main thing that will make it have stayed relatively fresh. And I think The King unique is the combination of actors we’ve assemand I is the freshest of all. bled to do it. It rides very heavily on the personalities of its leading actors, and I think we’ve been MC: You’ve worked as a writer and creator of incredibly fortunate with Paolo [Montalban] and musicals before. How has being those shoes has Eileen [Ward]. I think they’re perfection. Eileen, is influenced the meaning of Rodgers and Hammer- just—if you were to imagine the perfect Anna, to steins’ work? Do you look at plays differently be- me, she’s the perfect Anna. She’s got all the comcause you understand where they came from? bination of spunk, and heart, and she’s a redhead, MW: I do. I think it’s a very valuable experience to which I love, she’s very attractive, she’s very funny. have created a show of your own. It certainly gives Continued on Page 19 me tremendous appreciation and respect for what
The Play in Performance Continued from Page 18
These two roles are full requirement; you have to have people that can do everything. And Paolo is on the young side for the king, he’s in his early 40s, but Paolo brings sex appeal to it, which I think is really important, and I think it’s translated into a wonderful chemistry and a playful kind of romantic level to this production that I don’t think you get very often. MC: What character do you find the most challenging? MW: I think it’s very challenging because a couple of the very important characters are children, and Louis and Chulalongkorn. I think it’s very challenging to get contemporary kids to take on the attributes of somebody who lived in such a different time. So I think they’re the challenge, and we’re very fortunate in who we were able to cast in those roles. MC: What is the most difficult part of the story to convey to an audience? MW: I think maybe how truthful Oscar Hammerstein was being, in terms of what that world was like. I think there’s a bit of a bad rep that this show is racist in an old-fashioned way, that the Asians are not portrayed with respect—and I think it’s exactly the opposite. I think he had tremendous sensitivity and tremendous respect. I think the Asian characters are fully rounded characters, very complex, very wise. In this production, as in the last Broadway revival, we are incorporating a little of the Thai language. In the ‘50s, when it was first written, rather than have people speak in Thai they had an artistic choice to have a musical version of the Thai language, so we’re upping the recognition and respect for the Thais in making their language part of the show.
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“I love the structure on it, the way it veers from comedy to pathos to romance to tragedy—and it moves so quickly between those things and yet it never feels jarring. It’s a masterwork in that respect.” the combination of all the elements, the acting, sets, costumes, lighting, I see it as an opportunity to fuse all those elements and create something coherent and beautiful, and I just love it. MC: What is it like being a director? MW: The joy of it, for me, is that it lets me stretch and use so many parts of my brain. In this case, I was really allowed to choose the show, which usually doesn’t happen. Then I met with designers and decided which would be the best for this production. I cast the show, I selected the choreographer, I selected the musical director. So I get to be the one who oversees how all the elements are going to come together and mesh.
MC: What have you discovered during this process, maybe about the play or directing and theatre as a whole? MW: I’ve discovered that it’s a much funnier play than I expected, which was delightful to discover. It’s a sexier play than I knew it was.... The other thing that’s been interesting is that a lot of people in the cast have done this play more than I have, and I’ve been educated by them about how this play works. Next time I direct this I’ll have a much deeper knowledge of the culture MC: How do you personally connect with the and the structure of this musical. musical? MW: To me it is a masterpiece of mid-centu- MC: With what do you hope audiences will come ry musical theatre, and I love musical theatre, away from? so I love being able to work on it, and I love the MW: I hope they will be astonished by the beauty of structure on it, the way it veers from comedy to it, and the freshness of it, and I hope they will decide pathos to romance to tragedy—and it moves so that the classic musicals still deliver a great evening quickly between those things and yet it never of entertainment, and maybe even a greater evening feels jarring. It’s a masterwork in that respect. In of entertainment than a lot of newer shows can dethe basis of just the artistry that’s gone into it, liver.
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The Play in Performance Performing The King and I Paolo Montalban is best known for playing the Prince in the ABC/Disney TV movie, Cinderella, and has a variety of Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, and film/TV credits. This is his eighth production of The King and I and second time playing the King. Sonie Matthew, Social Media and Marketing Associate: What is it like working with the kids? It’s one of the perks of doing The King and I, getting to work with the kids. Being able to see the theatrical process through their eyes is like reliving that experience for myself for the first time. SM: What makes this production unique? PM: For one, it’s my second time being the King, so it’s kind of like riding a bike that you haven’t ridden for a while.... You have a director and it’s his first time looking at this piece, so he has really fresh eyes on it, and a new choreographer working on the piece for the first time. She also has really fresh eyes on it, so it brings a unique experience to the product. SM: Why should audiences see this show? PM: In my opinion, audiences should come see the show because it’s quite possibly the most perfect Rodgers and Hammerstein piece that’s every been created—it has a perfect book, perfect music and lyrics, and it has a story that was not only relevant back then, or when it arrived on Broadway 15 years ago, but it’s relevant now, and I think it’s a story you want to share with your kids and family. Maegan Clearwood, Dramaturgy Associate: How do you connect to this musical? PM: You know, it’s funny, because my family was a family of immigrants and being an immigrant family in the US—I came over when I was one—the most important thing to my parents for their children was being able to assimilate, not just quickly, but also fully into American culture. You know what’s interesting is that in a way, the King of Siam is trying to assimilate into the world because his country was so isolated for so many years, and now he’s trying to spread his wings and
remain relevant in the world so that his county doesn’t get swallowed up by colonial powers. MC: What is the most challenging aspect of playing this character? PM: The most challenging aspect is trying to bring an integrity to the character and the actual historical figure without being...word for word, note for note exactly what he actually was in real life...to bring a human element to it. I mean, I obviously will never get a chance to know the real King, but the challenge is trying to get into his skin, trying to imagine what he must have been going through and how torn he must have been between wanting to keep the traditions of the past and also wanting desperately to bring his country into the future. Continued on Page 21
The Play in Performance Continued from Page 20
MC: The King is an iconic role. What was it like making him your own? Were you influenced by other portrayals of the King? PM: When you think of The King and I, still to this day, you think of Yul Brynner. And the first thing people ask is, “Are you going to shave your head for this?” I’m totally open to shaving my head... But you know, the actual King of Siam had a kind of tuft of hair on top and very shortly shaved or closely cropped sides and back. That was the style of the time and era in his country. So one of the major things, just visually, is trying to find a look that will set this King apart from Yul Brynner’s. That being said, there’s a lot to be gleaned from the kings that have come before me. I still follow the old saying: “If it’s good, steal it, and the rest, just forget it.” MC: This isn’t your first time playing the King. What have you discovered about the story and character this time? PM: I’m still discovering it. What’s great about Mark [Waldrop, director] is that he’s really guided me into reconsidering the King as a more thoughtful, scholarly King who is just curious about the world. Many times in the past, including the Yul Brynner one, the King had the curiosity, but there’s also a bit of the tyrant.... People remember that a lot. So I’m still trying to find my way and find my own version of it. MC: You’ve also performed in David Henry Hwang’s revised Flower Drum Song, another Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that closely examines notions of race and culture. How is it in conversation with The King and I? Did it influence your perception of the musical? PM: Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t write fluffy shows. They may seem fluffy because the songs are so catchy and you’re whistling the tunes outside of the theatre, but if you look deeper, there are a lot of really important themes going on, and those themes are still relevant today. There were themes that they wrote back then, and they will be important 200 years from now, long after this production of The King and I is done. With regards to Flower Drum Song.... What David Henry Hwang really pulled out of that new version was focusing on the immigrant experience, specifically in Amer-
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ica, and I think he really captures that. I think he’s one of the foremost playwrights speaking about the Chinese-American immigrant experience, and it’s such an important story to be told because a lot of people don’t know about that. The King and I touches on those kinds of themes, of being in a foreign land. You have Mrs. Anna trying to assimilate in the culture, and in the same way, the King trying to assimilate in the English culture that she brings to the court. MC: Why is the King such an enduring character for American audiences? Why do we need to keep telling this story? PM: The King is such an enduring character and this is a story that we need to tell because the King, the historical King and the character in The King and I, was a man who didn’t just want his country to be better— he wanted to be better, and I think we can learn from that. I think that we can look at his doubts and the way he works out his problems that we can not only just want ourselves to be better, but we also want the people around us to be better.
One of costume desinger Kendra Rai’s renderings for the King
Appendix Reading Companions Baker, John Christopher and Phongpaichit, Pasuk. A History of Thailand. Cornell University Press, 2009. Brown, Susan. ”Alternatives to the Missionary Position: Anna Leonowens as Victorian Travel Writer,” Feminist Studies, 21. 3 (1995): 587-614. Dow, Leslie Smith. Anna Leonowens: A Life Beyond the King and I. Pottersfield Press, 1992. Chakrabarty, Moushumi. Fighting for Women’s Rights: The Extraordinary Adventures of Anna Leonowens. James Lorimer Limited, 2005. Cruikshank, R.B. Slavery in Nineteenth Century Thailand. 1975. Green, Stanley. The Rogers and Hammerstein Story. Da Capo Press, Incorporated, 1980. Mishra, Patit Paba. The History of Thailand. Greenwood, 2010. Moffat, Abbot Low. Mongkut, the King of Siam. Cornell University Press, 1968. Morgan, Susan. Bombay Anna: The Real and Remarkable Adventures of The King and I Governess. University of California Press, Jun 7, 2008. Nolan, Frederick. The Sound of their Music: The Story of Rogers and Hammerstein. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002.
Online Resources
BBC. Profile of Thailand. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15641745. Olney Theatre Center. The King and I: A Dramaturgical Blog. kingandiolney.wordpress.com. Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/utc/ National Geographic. Profile of Thailand. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/thailand-guide/ Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. http://www.rnh.com/ Park, Sandra. A Critical Biography of Anna Leonowens, Women in European History. http://womenineuropeanhistory.org/index.php?title=Anna_Leonowens
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Appendix Adaptations
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Anna and the King. Dir. Andy Tennant. Perf. Jodie Foster, Yun-Fat Chow, Bai Ling. Fox Movies, 1999. Film. Anna and the King of Siam. Dir. John Cromwell. Perf. Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell. 20th Century Fox Studios, 1946. Landon, Margaret. Anna and the King of Siam. Pocket Books, 1949. Leonowens, Anna. The Romance of the Harem. 1873. Leonowens, Anna. The English Governess at the Siamese Court. 1858. The King and I. Dir. Walter Lang. Perf. Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr. 20th Century Fox Sudios, 1956. Film. The King and I. Dir. Richard Rich. Perf. Miranda Richardson, Martin Vidnovic, Christiane Noll. Warner Bros, 1999. Film, animation.
About this Guide Special thanks to the Special Collections Library at Wheaton College, for access to the digital Margaret Landon archive. This study guide was compiled by Maegan Clearwood, Olney Theatre Center Dramaturgy Apprentice, and edited by Jason King Jones, Olney Theatre Center Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education, 2013. We would love to hear your questions and comments about our Context Guide. Feel free to contact us at education@olneytheatre.org