C`mas Story Resource Guide

T H E A T R E
R E S O U R C E G U I D E
d’s
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Jean
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A
Story
Directed by Danette Olsen
Adapted by Phillip Grecian
Set Design by Rod Sietsema & Tom Johnson
Costume Design by Mary Martin
Prop Master, Marilyn Mays
Sound Design by Justin Swanson
Table of Contents
2
For Teachers Using
This Resource Guide
3-4
Who, When, Where,
What
5
Memories to Story
to Theatre
6
Staging the Story
7
Lines of Dialogue
8
The Part that YOU Play
9
“A Christmas Memory”
Writing Activity
Danette Olsen, Executive Director
Amy Klein, Arts Education Director
Pam Koch, Patron Services
Rod Siestema, Technical Director
Marilyn Mays, Development Associate
Liz Reddy, Marketing Coordinator
For Teachers
2
This theatre resource guide for A Christmas Story is designed to be
used with students before and after attending the Festival Theatre
production. The guide includes information and activities that will
increase student understanding of this and other theatrical
performances.
We make it our mission at Festival Theatre to make the arts
welcoming to all people as an essential part of their well being for the
vitality of the community. We believe the arts are vital in the education
of children. Art has a job to do in the development of a creative,
concerned, caring society and our children are the perfect place to
start. Live theatre is an excellent way for students to experience the
arts and all the inherent benefits, both on stage and as part of the
audience.
You may reproduce any and all of the following pages to use as you
wish. The information will help you make the most out of your visit to
Festival Theatre. If you have questions or would like more information
please contact me at 715-483-3387, [email protected] or P.O.
Box 801 St. Croix Falls, WI 54024. Enjoy the show!
Sincerely,
Amy Klein
Arts Education Director
Festival Theatre
Who, When, Where, What
‘Tis the holiday season again. Ralph Parker is grown up and with all the garland and
lights and plastic reindeer and shoppers milling around, he can’t help but reminisce
(that means remember) about the Christmases of another time.
3
Ralphie Parker
, little brother
Rand y,
Mother and th
e Old Man (th
at’s Raphie’ s
d ad ) lived on C
leveland Street
in H ohm an,
Ind iana. In this
play, the year is
1955.
If the Old Man
was n’t strug g lin
g with the
furnace, it was
the Bum pus’ hun
g
ry
hound d og s. M
other m ad e oat
m eal,
m eatloaf and re
d cabbag e (s om et
hing you
could d epend
on) and a run-i
n with Scut
Farkus, the sch
oolyard bully, w
as in store
everyd ay on th
e way to schoo
l.
Indiana this time of year was cold. The wind, screaming
across Lake Michigan, piled up snow in frozen drifts. The
air would crack and sing along with the creaking ice on
the power lines. But these were the sounds that signaled
Christmas--”lovely, beautiful, glorious Christmas, around
which the entire kid year revolved.” --Ralph Parker
THEN--1955
NOW--2008
A loaf of bread
$.14
$2.50
McDonald’s
Hamburger
$.15
$1.34
Gallon of Gasoline
$.23
$2.09
Movie
$1 per carload
$7.00 per person
Average Family Income
$5, 319
$75,510
Ask a grown up what they remember about Christmas in their childhood.
What was the weather like? What were the signs that Christmas was on its way?
Ralph remembers the only question more important than
“What should I get my parents for Christmas?” was
“What AM I getting for Christmas?”
As a kid, Ralph wanted
more than anything to get an
official Red Rider 200-Shot
Carbine Action Range Model,
Air Rifle for Christmas.
4
Only it didn’t seem very likely since everyone
including his mother, father, teacher, the kids
at school, even Santa at Goldblatt’s
department store was convinced:
e’s
ie get what h
h
lp
a
R
l
il
w
H ow
?
always wanted
rs’ manage to
Will the Parke
Christmas
t
c
e
rf
e
p
e
th
e
v
ha
m a yh em ?
despite all the
Characters
Flick & Schwartz: Raphie’s best friends
Esther Jane: classmate and secret
admirer of Ralphie
“You’ll shoot
your eye out!”
Important 1955 Indiana
Vocabulary
Triple Dog Dare: the most serious playground taunt
that absolutely could not be ignored.
Major Award: a said-to-be “valuable” prize from a
Sweepstakes or mail-in contest
Simoniz: spray on product for shining up the paint
job of a car
Helen: another classmate
Oldsmobile or “Olds”: type of car the Old Man
especially liked (i.e. Chevrolet or Ford)
Mrs. Sheilds: teacher and theme
assignment giver
Department Store (i.e. Goldblatt’s): a store that
arranges it’s merchandise in departments such as
clothes, jewelry, kitchenware, furniture.
Scut Farkas: neighborhood bully
Bumpus Hounds: the neighbor’s
vicious dogs
Santa: Jolly gift granter, made available
at department stores during the
Christmas season accept children’s
requests for gifts.
Lifebuoy: a type of soap that comes in a bar; used for
punishing kids who said “dirty” words
Little Orphan Annie: a comic strip and radio show very
popular in the 1930’s through 1950’s.
Ovaltine: a delicious chocolate powder for mixing with
milk, advertised on Little Orphan Annie radio show.
A & P: the grocery store.
Memories to Story to Theatre
Jean Shepherd was born in south Chicago
in 1921 and raised in nearby Hammond,
Indiana. He loved telling stories and for
almost 30 years, he took bits and pieces of his
own life growing up in a mid-western steel
town and made up stories. He shared them
on the radio, with live audiences and
through written works for people to read.
Eventually, these stories led him to television
where he adapted his stories into humorous
narratives called “Jean Shepherd’s America.”
His most famous work is the 1983 film, A
Christmas Story, which he co-wrote and
narrated.
Based on means an a writer uses one
story as a starting point. Characters, the
setting and many details of the original
work are included to keep the story like
the first. Many other parts may be
changed slightly or become completely
different dependi ng on the creativi ty of
the playwri ght or other artist.
5
In the early 1970’s, Phillip Grecian discovered
Jean Shepherd’s stories about his Indiana
childhood when he read them in a magazine.
He LOVED them and so did his kids--they
even asked they be read as bedtime stories!
During the Christmas of 1983, he took his kids
to new movie called A Christmas Story. They
were delighted to find the film based on Jean
Shepherd’s funny stories. In fact, it was Shep’s
voice narrating the movie! Sixteen years later,
after Phillip had become a playwright, his
editor suggested he write a play based on the
movie. It didn’t take him long to say “GREAT
IDEA!” Whether on the screen or the stage, A
Christmas Story has become a Christmas
favorite.
What parts of the film do you think had to be changed in order for the play to work on stage?
What parts of the play did Phillip Grecian have to use his imagination?
6
Staging the Story
Theatre Conventions
When you attend a play, you agree to pretend. You agree
to “suspend disbelief,” to pretend that the stage action and
characters are real. To present a story on stage, actors and
other theatre artists often rely on theatre customs. These
customs, or conventions, are accepted ways of acting or
doing something on stage.
A Christmas Story is a memory play. Ralph as an adult
remembers his boyhood experiences. He talks to the
audience while his memories of what his boyhood was like
is acted out on stage. Some action is real and some is
imagined--yet all of it is based on what Ralph remembers.
Watch for the following theatre conventions:
•Split stage effect: Two sides of the stage are used for scenes that occur
simultaneously in real or fantasy locations.
•Even though other actors really can hear them, characters, like Ralph and Ralphie
speak their inner thoughts aloud.
•Wagons are moveable platforms with wheels that hide and reveal additional settings
in the play where action will take place.
Solving Stage Problems
To present a story on stage that is in
someone’s memory calls for actors and
other theatre artists to solve problems.
Here are some problems that had to
be solved for A Christmas Story.
How might you solve them?
You may use lights, sound effects,
music, actors, costumes, and props
(objects) in your solutions.
Hint: You may want to use some of
the theatre conventions listed above.
Problem 2
How can a house,
a department
store, a school
yard and trip to
the grocery store
all be shown and
the same stage?
Problem 1
How can the deep
freeze of winter be
felt on stage?
Problem 3
How can a kitchen
be transformed to a
convincing jungle
scene or the Wild
West?
When you attend the play, watch for Festival Theatre’s
solutions to these stage problems.
7
Lines of Dialogue
Playwrights are people who write plays.
They write lines of dialogue
for the actors to speak. The dialogue gives information about the story and
the characters the way the actors deliver the lines help to make the story
convincing or BELIEVABLE.
Read the lines of dialogue from A Christmas Story.
What do the lines tell you about the story ?
What do they say about the characters?
Actors experiment with different ways to say or “deliver”
their lines. Work with a partner. Try delivering these
characters’ lines in different ways (boldly,.fearfully, proudly,
sadly, etc.)
CHARACTER NOTE:
Remember, these scenes are
only in Ralph’s memory. Thus,
Ralph’s lines are not spoken
to the other characters, but
directly to the audience as if
telling a story.
Which line deliveries do you like best?
Why?
When you attend A Christmas Story, listen for these lines and for how they are delivered.
Group One
MOTHER:
RALPHIE:
MOTHER:
RALPH
1
Ralphie, what would you like for Christmas?
A Red Ryder 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle!
No. You'll shoot your eye out.
You'll shoot your eye out! The classic Mother-BB gun block.
"You'll shoot your eye out" was not surmountable by any means
known to kid-dom.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Group Two
RALPH:
At recess, a select group of us always gathered around a lamppost
in the corner of the playground to discuss the deep philosophers
and share information based on the latest research.
SCHWARTZ: All right then, if you don’t believe me, I double dog dare ya!
RALPH:
The exact exchange and nuance of wording in this phrase of the
“dare”ritual is very important.
FLICK:
So you’re sayin’ if I put my tongue on this post it’ll stick!!
SCHWARTZ: Yeah!
2
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Group Three
3
THE OLD MAN: Don’t forget the Christmas Turkey.
MOTHER:
It’s a little early. Christmas isn’t for two weeks.
THE OLD MAN: Mm. I guess so. Tell ya what…Let’s just go down the
block to the A&P and look at the turkeys. Huh? Huh?
MOTHER:
(considers with a sigh) Well , all right…
RALPH:
The Old Man was an addict with no fear of kicking the
habit. He loved cold turkey.
The Part that YOU play
To prepare for presenting A Christmas Story,
four adult actors and two complete casts of
youth actors, 14 in all, memorized their lines,
practiced their movements and learned the
show’s songs. They worked with director
Danette Olsen who helped them move about
the stage and play their parts well. The
costume and set designers planned with the
director to create a look that was correct. The
stage manager is ready to make sure everyone
on stage and backstage does the right thing at
the right time. All Festival Theatre needs now is
YOU.
8
Reacting to the
Performance
After the performance, share your experience of
A Christmas story with your class, family and
friends:
What made you laugh? Have any of
Ralphie’s experiences or something
similar ever happened to you?
What did you learn about American life
in 1950’s? In what ways was this time
different than now? How was it the
same?
YOU have a part to play in
A Chrismas Story. You are the
audience. Your part requires
you to listen carefully
and watch closely.
Who was the most memorable
character and why? Did you feel sorry
for any of the characters? Why?
Please laugh or
applaud if you enjoy
the play, but remember
that you and the actors
are in the same room.
Talking or whispering to
friends during the performance
will distract the actors.
What do you think makes A Christmas
Story so popular?
If you have seen the movie A Christmas
Story, what was different about this
stage production? What was the same?
Help them play their parts well by
playing YOUR part well.
Opportunities for Arts Education
abound at Festival Theatre!
For information on our Youth and Family Theatre Series,
Creativity Workshops, Summer Creativity Day Camps, Artist in
Residency programs visit www.festivaltheare.org or contact
Amy Klein, Arts Education Director at 888.887.6002
S
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WRITING ACTIVITY
Playwright, Phillip Grecian,
chose to write A Christmas Story
as a memory play. Memory plays have been used in modern American drama as the
structure to show a story from the past on stage, according to the storyteller’s
memory of it . The following activity will help you use memories to compose a piece
about Christmases you remember.
Step #1
Close your eyes and think about a
memory of one particular Christmas.
(Have someone read these questions to you aloud.)
•What do you see?
•What can you smell?
•What sounds do you hear?
•Is there anything that can be felt?
•What do you remember most clearly about this
Christmas?
•What stands out in your memory? Is it the
people? Is it what you were or what you were
doing?
•Are there just a few faces are that clear in your
memory or does everyone present stand out?
•Do you remember all their names or just a few?
•Is your memory in color or black and white? If
it is in color, are some colors more vibrant than
the others?
•Is there any special focus in your memory on a
real object: for instance, a painting, a sofa, a car
or a playground or a present
•How are you different now than you were then?
Have you grown up? Are your interests different
now?
•Do you see these events from a different point
of view?
•Is there any special focus in your memory that
makes you think of a whole new memory?
What made you think of it?
S
A
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A CH
M E M O RY
Step #2
Now open your eyes. Use this graphic organizer to record
thoughts, ideas, images, sounds, smells from what you remembered about
your Christmas memory.
Use this space to free-write about your memory. It’s important to worry about
perfection at this stage. Just get your ideas on paper.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Step#3 Use the pre-writing ideas you’ve written to compose a
descriptive story based on your Christmas memory. Include dialogue,
colors, sounds and vibrant words to make what you remember interesting,
even funny. Make sure it is written from your point of view. You are the
only person with your memories!
CHALLENGE: Use this composition to write a short memory play.
Write lines for yourself as the narrator and lines for others in your memory.