Giant

theStudyguide
Leslie (played by
Kate Baldwin)
ages from a
young bride to a
mature mother
over the course of the play. To aid
this transformation, Kate will wear
B
Y
T
H
E
N
U
M
B
#
R
S
27
gold leaf used to adorn stage props:
actors in the play: 23
15,000 square inches
members of Actors Equity
length of prop list: 6 pages
Association: 23
chairs: 32
actors playing Jr. and Sr. versions
saddles: 1
of the same character: 2
lassos: 6
actors playing multiple roles: 17
crystals in star drop: 600
actors playing a single role: 5
mini houses: 8
understudies: 1
mini oil towers: 11
number of plane tickets: 65
theaters involved in this project: 4
light fixtures: 700
cowboy hats: 32
gel colors for lights: over 24
cowboy boots: 25 pairs
pipe for rigging lights: 1400 ft.
pairs of show shoes: 140
weight of bridge + people: 7 tons
wigs in show: 12
backstage crew members: 17
costumes: 150
(7 deck crew, 3 stage managers,
costume fittings: over 50
5 dressers, 2 sound techs)
costume shops across the
country building the costumes: 3
times the word “Texas” is
costumes built with fabric
custom-printed for this show: 2
used in the script:
total yards of fabric in this show: 70
costumes per cast member: 8 (avg.)
minutes per quick-change: 2
years the play spans:
12 different costumes and 4 wigs.
Together these pieces reflect the
passage of time from 1925 to 1952, as
well as her transition from a Virginia
socialite, to a rancher's wife, to a true
Texan—maintaining Leslie's grace and
wealthy status along the way.
Bick (played by
Aaron Lazar),
matures 27 years
with the help of 10
different costumes,
Edna Ferber
Based on the novel by EDna Ferber  Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa  Book by Sybille Pearson
Directed by Michael Greif  Choreographed by Alex Sanchez  JAN 18-FEB 19, 2012  Wyly Theatre
In this epic story that spans 27 years we see Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict, a rich cattleman from
Texas, and his bride Leslie, a young socialite from Virginia, try to tackle change as great as the Texas
2 pairs of cowboy
sky. Bick is focused on holding his ranch together, keeping his family’s legacy alive and
boots, and
raising his boy Jordy, Jr. to follow in his footsteps. Leslie struggles to acclimate to this
2 cowboy hats.
90!
new hot land, the complex racial relationships, the vast differences in social classes and
Kate Baldwin
Aaron Lazar
raising her proper young daughter Little Luz.
But as change comes to the state and rascals like Jett Rink, a former ranch hand of
Bick’s, strike big on oil, the Benedicts must navigate the effects of the oil boom on their closeknit ranching communities. Traditions, ideals and relationships take on whole new meanings in
PJ Griffith
this "GIANT" tale.
The terminal at Love Field Airport, circa 1940.
Dallas Theater Center would like to recognize the generosity of our major corporate partners.
Alon USA • Chase • Southwest Securities • Target • t howard + associates • Wells Fargo
DallasTheaterCenter.org
FOLLOW
US ON:
Celebrating 25 years of Project Discovery
Dallas,
where the new
musical adaptation
of Giant will debut.
MARFA,
the southwest Texas
town where the movie
adaptation of Giant
was filmed.
TEXAS
Interior Numbers
Statistics of growth in Texas at
the start of the play, the end of
the play, and present day.
People
1925..............5.3 million, 7% latino
1950...............7.7 million, 7% latino
2011......... 25.5 million, 38% latino
Rural Living vs. Urban Living
1925...........32% urban, 68% rural
1950...........63% urban, 37% rural
2011...........82% urban, 18% rural
Cattle
1925..................................7 million
1950..................................8 million
2011................................16 million
(largest in the u.s)
Oil PRODUCTION
1925 (approx). ... 125,000,000 barrels
1950..............817,842,000 barrels
2010............. 356,911,000 barrels
James Dean (left)
famously portrayed
Jett Rink in the 1956
film adaptation of
Ferber's novel.
PJ Griffith (below) will
tackle the iconic role
on the Wyly stage.
Distance In the beginning of
the musical, Vashti tells us that
she’s Bick’s nearest neighbor,
only 80 miles away. That’s the
same distance from Dallas to
the Oklahoma border! It would
have taken 6 hours by horse,
or 3 hours by car to borrow
a cup of sugar!
Texas is steeped
in many traditions—
land, cowboys, cattle, oil, pulling
yourself up by your bootstraps,
and carrying on the family
legacy are just a few. But these
traditions have a history of
coming in conflict with each
other, and with the world
around them.
At the start of the 20 th century,
agriculture, timber and ranching
were the leading economic producers
of Texas. Importance was placed on the
land, which was passed from generation to
generation—especially cattle ranches.
After the dust bowl of the 1930s there was a significant
change in the Texas economy. Almost half of the ranches
previously owned by single families were failing. People
could barely afford to feed themselves, much less their
cattle. Many ranches that had been passed down from
generation to generation were sold to the government, to
various corporations, or leased for oil drilling in an oil boom
that took the state by storm. Texas quickly became the lead
oil producer in the U.S., producing nearly half of all oil in the
country by 1940. Soon the value of oil produced in Texas
exceeded the value of all agricultural products in the state.
The petroleum industry fed the folklore of Texas life and
the public coffers. New terms and images joined the
Texas lexicon, including the “go-for-broke wildcatter” (oil
tycoons); the hard-working and hard-playing “roughneck”
(oil rig operators); and the “newly-rich oilman” (land owners
who struck oil). All of them were fully established in
folklore and films, but none more so than Jett Rink, a major
character in Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel, Giant.
Texas oil production rose in the 1950s with the onset of
off-shore drilling, and peaked in 1972 at 1.2 billion barrels.
Since then it has been on a steady decline. Even though
Texas has produced more oil than any other state, it has
been increasing its development of other energy sources,
particularly natural gas.
In an interesting reversal, over the last decade (2000-10)
family cattle ranching has seen a resurgence. Singlefamily operated ranching accounts for 90% of all ranches
in Texas, and the state currently boasts over 5,000,000
individual ranching organizations.
We’ve seen a small shift in the make up of ranchers as
well. From almost exclusively white males in 1925 (99%)
to nearly 10% Latino ranchers and almost 25% female
ranchers in 2011.
What's in a Label?
Mexican • Tejano • Chicanos • Latinos • Mexican-Americans • Hispanics • Non-White Hispanics • Hispanics of European descent • Latino Americanos
Mexicans in Texas can trace their biological origins to the racial mixture of European and Native blood that occurred following the Spanish conquest of Mexico (which included the
land that is now Texas) all the way back to 1520. That’s 491 years that Mexicans (Mestizos) have been in Texas. However, due to revolutions, world wars, labor shortages, industrial
booms, labor laws and changes in census procedures, it’s difficult to accurately measure how many Texans of Mexican descent there have been here at any given point. Because of
this, there(1910)
could have been as little as 700,000 Mexicans or as many as 10,219,674 Mexicans in Texas throughout its history.
1910
Mexican immigrants moving north crowd at a train depot.
The Mexican Revolution (1910-20)
and the following agricultural boom in
the southwestern U.S. spark massive
relocation to Texas by desperately poor
Mexicans looking for work. By 1930, the
Mexican-descent population in Texas
approximates 700,000.
1939
Mexicans harvesting carrots in Edinburgh, Texas.
Labor shortages in the 1940s and
the post WWII industrial boom in the
U.S. continue to entice the very poor of
Mexico to find work north of the border.
New immigrants and native-born
Latinos increase the Spanish-surnamed
population to 1,400,000 by 1960.
circa 1950
2008
Vaqueros* taking a break at the ranch.
Protestors at an immigration rally.
In the 1960s, Mexican immigrants
continue to add to the Latino population,
but the majority of Latinos in Texas are
native born. By 1990 there are 4,000,000
people of Mexican descent living in Texas.
Less than 20% of that population is
foreign born.
In 2011, Texans with Spanish surnames
make up 10,219,674 of the total Texas
population of 25,883,999. This number
does NOT include the number of illegal
immigrants in Texas that still make up an
enormous amount of the workforce.
Over the years, Texans of Mexican descent have been identified by
census takers with a variety of labels. How do you identify yourself?
“I mean, I knew you
were big, but never
knew you were as big
as six states in the
East put together.
Who knew you grew
grapefruit here? And
cows! Never knew
the Spanish brought
them here. - Leslie
Texas, Our Texas
Leslie stays up all night researching everything she can about Texas, but when she arrives she finds that life here is
so much more than she imagined. How many times have you told someone you were from Texas and then been asked
questions such as “Do you have a horse?” or “Do you drive a truck?” or “Where's your cowboy hat?” Sometimes these
questions aren’t far off—Texas does lead the nation in the sale of pick-up trucks, and we’re all Cowboys fans...
What’s the question you’re most asked? How do you describe Texas to outsiders?
Post your response on DTC’s Project Discovery Facebook page.
DTCProjectDiscovery
va·que·ro (vä-kâr'o)
n. pl. va·que·ros Chiefly Texas [Spanish, from vaca, cow, from Latin vacca.]
Used chiefly in southwest and central Texas to mean a ranch hand or cowboy, the
word vaquero is a direct loan from Spanish; that is, it is spelled and pronounced,
even by English speakers, much as it would be in Spanish.
theStudyguide
Mexican Vaqueros Breaking a Bronc
Frederic Remington, 1881–1909
Pen and India ink wash, heightened with white
Dallas,
where the new
musical adaptation
of Giant will debut.
MARFA,
the southwest Texas
town where the movie
adaptation of Giant
was filmed.
TEXAS
Interior Numbers
Statistics of growth in Texas at
the start of the play, the end of
the play, and present day.
People
1925..............5.3 million, 7% latino
1950...............7.7 million, 7% latino
2011......... 25.5 million, 38% latino
Rural Living vs. Urban Living
1925...........32% urban, 68% rural
1950...........63% urban, 37% rural
2011...........82% urban, 18% rural
Cattle
1925..................................7 million
1950..................................8 million
2011................................16 million
(largest in the u.s)
Oil PRODUCTION
1925 (approx). ... 125,000,000 barrels
1950..............817,842,000 barrels
2010............. 356,911,000 barrels
James Dean (left)
famously portrayed
Jett Rink in the 1956
film adaptation of
Ferber's novel.
PJ Griffith (below) will
tackle the iconic role
on the Wyly stage.
Distance In the beginning of
the musical, Vashti tells us that
she’s Bick’s nearest neighbor,
only 80 miles away. That’s the
same distance from Dallas to
the Oklahoma border! It would
have taken 6 hours by horse,
or 3 hours by car to borrow
a cup of sugar!
Texas is steeped
in many traditions—
land, cowboys, cattle, oil, pulling
yourself up by your bootstraps,
and carrying on the family
legacy are just a few. But these
traditions have a history of
coming in conflict with each
other, and with the world
around them.
At the start of the 20 th century,
agriculture, timber and ranching
were the leading economic producers
of Texas. Importance was placed on the
land, which was passed from generation to
generation—especially cattle ranches.
After the dust bowl of the 1930s there was a significant
change in the Texas economy. Almost half of the ranches
previously owned by single families were failing. People
could barely afford to feed themselves, much less their
cattle. Many ranches that had been passed down from
generation to generation were sold to the government, to
various corporations, or leased for oil drilling in an oil boom
that took the state by storm. Texas quickly became the lead
oil producer in the U.S., producing nearly half of all oil in the
country by 1940. Soon the value of oil produced in Texas
exceeded the value of all agricultural products in the state.
The petroleum industry fed the folklore of Texas life and
the public coffers. New terms and images joined the
Texas lexicon, including the “go-for-broke wildcatter” (oil
tycoons); the hard-working and hard-playing “roughneck”
(oil rig operators); and the “newly-rich oilman” (land owners
who struck oil). All of them were fully established in
folklore and films, but none more so than Jett Rink, a major
character in Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel, Giant.
Texas oil production rose in the 1950s with the onset of
off-shore drilling, and peaked in 1972 at 1.2 billion barrels.
Since then it has been on a steady decline. Even though
Texas has produced more oil than any other state, it has
been increasing its development of other energy sources,
particularly natural gas.
In an interesting reversal, over the last decade (2000-10)
family cattle ranching has seen a resurgence. Singlefamily operated ranching accounts for 90% of all ranches
in Texas, and the state currently boasts over 5,000,000
individual ranching organizations.
We’ve seen a small shift in the make up of ranchers as
well. From almost exclusively white males in 1925 (99%)
to nearly 10% Latino ranchers and almost 25% female
ranchers in 2011.
What's in a Label?
Mexican • Tejano • Chicanos • Latinos • Mexican-Americans • Hispanics • Non-White Hispanics • Hispanics of European descent • Latino Americanos
Mexicans in Texas can trace their biological origins to the racial mixture of European and Native blood that occurred following the Spanish conquest of Mexico (which included the
land that is now Texas) all the way back to 1520. That’s 491 years that Mexicans (Mestizos) have been in Texas. However, due to revolutions, world wars, labor shortages, industrial
booms, labor laws and changes in census procedures, it’s difficult to accurately measure how many Texans of Mexican descent there have been here at any given point. Because of
this, there(1910)
could have been as little as 700,000 Mexicans or as many as 10,219,674 Mexicans in Texas throughout its history.
1910
Mexican immigrants moving north crowd at a train depot.
The Mexican Revolution (1910-20)
and the following agricultural boom in
the southwestern U.S. spark massive
relocation to Texas by desperately poor
Mexicans looking for work. By 1930, the
Mexican-descent population in Texas
approximates 700,000.
1939
Mexicans harvesting carrots in Edinburgh, Texas.
Labor shortages in the 1940s and
the post WWII industrial boom in the
U.S. continue to entice the very poor of
Mexico to find work north of the border.
New immigrants and native-born
Latinos increase the Spanish-surnamed
population to 1,400,000 by 1960.
circa 1950
2008
Vaqueros* taking a break at the ranch.
Protestors at an immigration rally.
In the 1960s, Mexican immigrants
continue to add to the Latino population,
but the majority of Latinos in Texas are
native born. By 1990 there are 4,000,000
people of Mexican descent living in Texas.
Less than 20% of that population is
foreign born.
In 2011, Texans with Spanish surnames
make up 10,219,674 of the total Texas
population of 25,883,999. This number
does NOT include the number of illegal
immigrants in Texas that still make up an
enormous amount of the workforce.
Over the years, Texans of Mexican descent have been identified by
census takers with a variety of labels. How do you identify yourself?
“I mean, I knew you
were big, but never
knew you were as big
as six states in the
East put together.
Who knew you grew
grapefruit here? And
cows! Never knew
the Spanish brought
them here. - Leslie
Texas, Our Texas
Leslie stays up all night researching everything she can about Texas, but when she arrives she finds that life here is
so much more than she imagined. How many times have you told someone you were from Texas and then been asked
questions such as “Do you have a horse?” or “Do you drive a truck?” or “Where's your cowboy hat?” Sometimes these
questions aren’t far off—Texas does lead the nation in the sale of pick-up trucks, and we’re all Cowboys fans...
What’s the question you’re most asked? How do you describe Texas to outsiders?
Post your response on DTC’s Project Discovery Facebook page.
DTCProjectDiscovery
va·que·ro (vä-kâr'o)
n. pl. va·que·ros Chiefly Texas [Spanish, from vaca, cow, from Latin vacca.]
Used chiefly in southwest and central Texas to mean a ranch hand or cowboy, the
word vaquero is a direct loan from Spanish; that is, it is spelled and pronounced,
even by English speakers, much as it would be in Spanish.
theStudyguide
Mexican Vaqueros Breaking a Bronc
Frederic Remington, 1881–1909
Pen and India ink wash, heightened with white
theStudyguide
Leslie (played by
Kate Baldwin)
ages from a
young bride to a
mature mother
over the course of the play. To aid
this transformation, Kate will wear
B
Y
T
H
E
N
U
M
B
#
R
S
27
gold leaf used to adorn stage props:
actors in the play: 23
15,000 square inches
members of Actors Equity
length of prop list: 6 pages
Association: 23
chairs: 32
actors playing Jr. and Sr. versions
saddles: 1
of the same character: 2
lassos: 6
actors playing multiple roles: 17
crystals in star drop: 600
actors playing a single role: 5
mini houses: 8
understudies: 1
mini oil towers: 11
number of plane tickets: 65
theaters involved in this project: 4
light fixtures: 700
cowboy hats: 32
gel colors for lights: over 24
cowboy boots: 25 pairs
pipe for rigging lights: 1400 ft.
pairs of show shoes: 140
weight of bridge + people: 7 tons
wigs in show: 12
backstage crew members: 17
costumes: 150
(7 deck crew, 3 stage managers,
costume fittings: over 50
5 dressers, 2 sound techs)
costume shops across the
country building the costumes: 3
times the word “Texas” is
costumes built with fabric
custom-printed for this show: 2
used in the script:
total yards of fabric in this show: 70
costumes per cast member: 8 (avg.)
minutes per quick-change: 2
years the play spans:
12 different costumes and 4 wigs.
Together these pieces reflect the
passage of time from 1925 to 1952, as
well as her transition from a Virginia
socialite, to a rancher's wife, to a true
Texan—maintaining Leslie's grace and
wealthy status along the way.
Bick (played by
Aaron Lazar),
matures 27 years
with the help of 10
different costumes,
Edna Ferber
Based on the novel by EDna Ferber  Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa  Book by Sybille Pearson
Directed by Michael Greif  Choreographed by Alex Sanchez  JAN 18-FEB 19, 2012  Wyly Theatre
In this epic story that spans 27 years we see Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict, a rich cattleman from
Texas, and his bride Leslie, a young socialite from Virginia, try to tackle change as great as the Texas
2 pairs of cowboy
sky. Bick is focused on holding his ranch together, keeping his family’s legacy alive and
boots, and
raising his boy Jordy, Jr. to follow in his footsteps. Leslie struggles to acclimate to this
2 cowboy hats.
90!
new hot land, the complex racial relationships, the vast differences in social classes and
Kate Baldwin
Aaron Lazar
raising her proper young daughter Little Luz.
But as change comes to the state and rascals like Jett Rink, a former ranch hand of
Bick’s, strike big on oil, the Benedicts must navigate the effects of the oil boom on their closeknit ranching communities. Traditions, ideals and relationships take on whole new meanings in
PJ Griffith
this "GIANT" tale.
The terminal at Love Field Airport, circa 1940.
Dallas Theater Center would like to recognize the generosity of our major corporate partners.
Alon USA • Chase • Southwest Securities • Target • t howard + associates • Wells Fargo
DallasTheaterCenter.org
FOLLOW
US ON:
Celebrating 25 years of Project Discovery