Opus Study Guide

 The Guide A Theatregoer’s Resource Written and edited by Emily Jackson and Zach Weg for the Audience Development and Community Services Department at Kitchen Theatre Company Opus by Michael Hollinger Directed by Rachel Lampert Table of Contents To the Educators .................................................................................................................................................. 2 NY State Core Curriculum Standards .......................................................................................................................... 2 About Kitchen Theatre Company ................................................................................................................... 3 Our Mission ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Meet the Playwright ............................................................................................................................................ 3 The Creative Team .............................................................................................................................................. 4 The Actors ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 The Production Staff ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction to the Play .................................................................................................................................... 5 Synopsis ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Hollinger and His Play ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 “Playing” the Music ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Characters ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 The World of the Play ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Musical Glossary ................................................................................................................................................................ 7 The Strings and their Players ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Women in Music ................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Sound: The Concert Halls and the Theatre ............................................................................................................... 9 Discussion Questions ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Works Cited ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 Up Next .................................................................................................................................................................. 11 1 To the Educators "Important conversations happen in the Kitchen." All of us here at the Kitchen know that youth who are exposed to arts perform better on tests, obtain better grades and are more likely to attend college than those who are not. The NEA recently reported on how the arts affect graduation rates (The Arts and Achievement in At-­‐Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies). The findings revealed that young adults of low socioeconomic status who had a history of in-­‐depth arts involvement were 15% more likely to enroll in a selective four-­‐year college over their counterparts who had low arts involvement. As educators, you have the incredibly important and difficult job of educating our children and often times do not have the resources that they need. We applaud you in your decision to bring the arts to your students! Your students will not only find our shows entertaining but it is our hope they also find the work educational and enlightening. Please use this study guide as a springboard to engage in conversations around OPUS by Micheal Hollinger -­‐-­‐ the beautiful music, the dynamics of teamwork and the process of creativity. We hope our motto and these lively topics will fill your classroom well before and long after the curtain has come down. Thank you for supporting the Kitchen Theatre and performing Arts in Ithaca! Sincerely, Rachel Burttram Director of Audience Services and Community Development NY State Core Curriculum Standards • CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.CCRA.R.2, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.9-­‐10.2, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RI.9-­‐10.2 , CCSS.ELA-­‐
Literacy.RI.11-­‐12.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. • CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.CCRA.R.3, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.9-­‐10.3, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.CCRA.R.5, CCSS.ELA-­‐
Literacy.RL.9-­‐10.5, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.11-­‐12.3, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.11-­‐12.5 , CCSS.ELA-­‐
Literacy.RI.11-­‐12.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. • CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.CCRA.R.7, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.CCRA.SL.2, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.SL.11-­‐12.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. • CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.CCRA.SL.1, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.SL.9-­‐10.1, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.SL.11-­‐12.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. • CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.9-­‐10.1, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.11-­‐12.1, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RL.11-­‐12.6, CCSS.ELA-­‐Lite racy.RI.9-­‐10.1, CCSS.ELA-­‐Literacy.RI.11-­‐12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 2 About Kitchen Theatre Company The Kitchen Theatre Company burst on the scene in 1991. It was the dream of a group of talented and determined theater artists to create a place where they could work together and hone their craft. From a skeleton staff of three, the Kitchen Theatre Company now, in its 22nd season, has an six person artistic staff, five professional interns, three trainees and two college interns. Our Mission In its intimate performance space, the Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC) creates professional theater that challenges the intellect, excites the imagination, informs and entertains. KTC nurtures a community of diverse artists and brings excellent art to the community and beyond by: • Developing and producing new plays, exploring established repertory and contributing to the field of American theater; • Encouraging collaboration and offering a safe haven for experimentation; • Providing programming that inspires young people, opens the door to newcomers, and speaks to a broad cross-­‐section of our community; and • Advancing a culture of theatergoing. Meet the Playwright Michael Hollinger, after beginning his artistic career as a chamber violist, is now the renowned author of Opus, Tooth and Claw, Red Herring, Tiny Island, Incorruptible, and An Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf, all of which premiered at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company and have together enjoyed numerous productions worldwide. Tiny Island appears in New Playwrights: Best Plays of 1999, published by Smith and Kraus. Mr. Hollinger has written seven touring plays for young audiences, including Eureka! and Hot Air. For PBS, he has written three short films and co-­‐authored the feature-­‐length Philadelphia Diary. Awards and honors include a Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association, the Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays, two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding New Play, the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theatre Artist, a Mid-­‐Atlantic Emmy Award, a commission from The Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science and Technology Project, and fellowships from the Independence Foundation, Mid-­‐Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Mr. Hollinger is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and Assistant Professor of Theatre at Villanova University. Currently, South Coast Rep is doing a reading of his latest Hope & Gravity on Oct. 8 as part of their Newscripts Reading Series. 3 The Creative Team Theatre is a collaborative art form – everyone works together to put on a show. In the theatre, we call the people who work on a show the creative team. Audience members, too, are an important part of the collaboration – there would be no show without an audience! Here is an inside look at the creative team that has worked on Opus. The Actors Jesse Bush -­‐ Alan, Michael Simon Kaplan -­‐ Elliot, Brendan Powers -­‐ Dorian Alison Scaramella – Grace, Alexander Thomas -­‐ Carl All of these actors appear courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association: the labor union representing American actors and stage managers in the theatre. The Production Staff Director: Rachel Lampert Scenic and Lighting Designer: Tyler M. Perry Costume Designer: Lisa Boquist Sound Designer: Lesley Greene Properties Designer: Megan Gerber Production Stage Manager: LaShawn Keyser, Member of Actors’ Equity 4 Introduction to the Play Synopsis Told through documentary-­‐style interviews, flashbacks, and real-­‐time scenes, Opus follows the fictional Lazara Quartet. After firing one of their founding members due to his erratic behavior, a world-­‐class string quartet takes a chance on a gifted but relatively inexperienced young woman. With only a few days to rehearse a grueling Beethoven masterpiece, the four struggle to prepare their highest-­‐profile performance ever—a televised ceremony at the White House. Their rehearsal room becomes a pressure-­‐cooker as passions rise, personalities clash, and the players are forced to confront the ephemeral nature of their life's work. Hollinger and His Play Violist-­‐turned-­‐playwright Michael Hollinger is back where he started with his newest play, Opus. For Mr. Hollinger, this circle is fulfilling because music is not the end – it is a means to the end. Here at KTC, we feel the same way. Opus, and the music in the play, is helping us explore and express the complicated relationships between creative people and the fact that performances – theatre – come and goes unless it is seen and thought about. Hollinger says, "It seems to me that, if [Opus] were just about a quartet, it would be a very limited world view. Virtually anything a performer says about music-­‐making is of an ephemeral nature.” In other words, music, between it being played and then being heard, is a very short-­‐lived occurrence. Hollinger goes on to explain his metaphor, “And, of course, the level above that is that life is ephemeral and the notes we make decay. Life is what we make of the notes in the time that we are able to make them. The title is, y'know, Opus. It's about work, what we leave behind us when we're done." In the same way that Mr. Hollinger is speaking about music, we can also speak about theatre. There will be only one time that the play is performed just as you see it – that is, the play can never be exactly repeated because it is live. Like the music of this quartet, this performance of Opus is ephemeral and when it is over, we can only reflect on how the performance has changed us. 5 “Playing” the Music Lights fade up on the Lazara String Quartet – Elliot, Alan, Carl and Dorian – each frozen in playing position. As the musical phrase repeats, the four men begin “playing” along. This is the stage direction at the beginning of the play. Michael Hollinger has described to the creative team that these actors are not actually meant to play this music. Instead, there is a theatrical convention – a way to tell the story creatively – of playing. The action and the soundtrack are choreographed so that audiences and actors can be submersed in the music. Characters ELLIOT: First violin. Blunt, direct, and intellectual. As first violin, he is the leader of the quartet, though his authority is constantly in question. ALAN: Second violin. Charming, inviting and humorous. A lady’s man, flirtatious, it doesn’t take long for him to fall for someone. DORIAN: Viola. Recently kicked out of the quartet due to his “unpredictable” behavior. An inspired artist, a virtuoso, but erratic, emotional. CARL: Cello. A father and a husband. Maintains a seamless, “invincible” exterior. Doesn’t let on when he’s upset, tries to be the stable “rock.” Has survived cancer. GRACE: Viola. Dorian’s replacement. Exceptionally talented for her age and experience. A newcomer, tentative at first, but with a rising confidence. 6 The World of the Play Musical Glossary A DAGIO Slowly A LLEGRO Fast C RESCENDO Play louder C ONCERTO A composition for an orchestra and one or more solo instruments C YCLE Music that is made up of individual movements played as a whole D ECRESCENDO Play softer D OUBLE S TOP Two notes played simultaneously D YNAMICS Various degrees of loudness called for in performance E SPRESSIVO Expressively H ARPINS The symbols for crescendo, to get louder, and decrescendo, to get softer F ORTE Loud K EY System of notes based on and named after the key note L ARGO Very slowly M A N ON T ROPPO Not too much M EASURE A ND B AR Standard unit of measurement in music M OLTO Very, a lot M OVEMENT Complete, self-­‐
contained section within a larger musical composition O FF -­‐ THE -­‐ STRING The bowing is lighter, it “bounces” off the strings O PUS A term used to classify a composition in relation to the composer's other compositions P IANO Soft P IZZICATO A method of playing where the musician plucks the strings P OCO Little R ITARDANDO Gradually delay the tempo S FORZANDOS Play with special emphasis T EMPO The speed of a piece of music T IMBRE The quality of a sound V IVACE Lively, brisk, bright
The Strings and their Players The “string” in string quartet is the thin, usually metal material stretched across an instrument. Typically composed of two violinists, a violist, and a cellist, a string quartet plays chamber music, or music from the Baroque Era (1600-­‐1750). However, it was not until the 18th century when the composer, Joseph Haydn, began writing pieces meant to be performed by a string quartet that the style earned artistic merit. Such respect increased and faltered over the years as the brilliant works of composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert were followed years later by a decline in interest in the string quartet. Since the 1960s, however, the string quartet has regained its esteemed status, leading such groups as the Kronos Quartet, the Emerson String Quartet, and the fictional Lazara Quartet presented in Opus earning widespread acclaim. A note about the Lazara instruments in Opus: People who make stringed instruments are called luthiers, and the Lazara company is based on the Stradivarius luthiers who began making remarkable stringed instruments in the 17th century. Stradivarius violins are among the most highly valued in the world, so for the string quartet in Opus, the pair of Lazara instruments are perfectly priceless. 7 Women in Music "When E.M. Smyth's heroically brassy overture to Anthony & Cleopatra was finished, and the composer called to the platform, it was observed with stupefaction that all that tremendous noise had been made by a lady." George Bernard Shaw sheds light on the assumptions about women and their place in musical history with these words. Historically, it has been very unusual that a female should succeed in the world of music as a profession. When Mozart and Haydn were composing, in the 18th and 19th centuries, education was one of the biggest barriers that women faced if they wanted to become musicians; no one would teach women to play, let alone compose. Speaking on National Public Radio (NPR) in 2010, Lara Pellegrinelli stated, “Well, in symphony orchestras, it's about even at this point...But with orchestras you've had organizations that have made it their mission to see that there isn't discrimination. There are formal auditions where people perform behind a screen, so at least theoretically no one knows who's there to audition for that part. Given the way that jazz has come down over the years, that isn't part of the tradition.” Indeed, still today there are biases against women musicians but people are working to stop discrimination in the music business. In Opus, the question of gender comes into play when Grace, the young, talented but inexperienced musician is hired to replace Dorian. Is she good enough? Can she handle the pressure? Will her presence be a distraction to some of the male members of the group? “I just like to play with people who are open-­‐minded and want to play good music,” says Ingrid Jenson in the NPR interview. And that’s what Grace wants, too. She wants to be a part of something bigger than herself; she wants to be a part of the music. 8 Sound: The Concert Halls and the Theatre THE DEFINITION: Sound is a series of waves of pressure that humans perceive through the vibrations that emanate from such waves. Sound is determined by three factors: a.) The relationship between density and pressure that, in turn, determines the speed of sound, b.) The change in motion of sound as it passes through the air, and c.) The viscosity of the medium that sound passes through. Although we are limited to a range of frequencies through which we can sense sound, humans are still able to detect danger, tell where sounds from, and produce speech. Beyond physical necessity, however, sound enables humans to hear music, whether it comes from an iPod or string instruments, connecting directly to our hearts and minds. Throughout Opus, the fictional Lazara Quartet mentions that they have played at some of the most highly regarded, real-­‐life concert halls in the world. For KTC’s production, Tyler M. Perry has designed a concert hall to fill the stage. The set evokes any and all of the great performance spaces that have inspired musicians and architects alike. JORDAN HALL The main music hall of the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts; opened in 1903; seats over 1,000 people and still maintains its incredible acoustics. CARNEGIE HALL In New York City, named after philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie; opened in 1891; many famous musicians have performed here from Duke Ellington to the Beatles. CONCERTGEBOUW Located in Amsterdam, the name literally means concert building; opened in 1888; the hall has a reverberation rate of 2.2 seconds so it Scenic and lighting design rendering by Tyler M. Perry for the Kitchen Theatre Company’s production of Opus sends and projects sound very quickly. Alan, when he describes the Concertgebouw early in the play, says, “…Best acoustics in the world. You play a chord there, it goes on forever.” The musicians in Opus are trying to do exactly this: create music that will go on forever. However, the nature of sound is that it eventually stops. By the end of the play, quoting Hamlet, Alan explains, “The rest is silence.” Yet, the hope of the characters in Opus – and the audience – is that the sound will resonate with us. 9 Discussion Questions •
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Discuss in what ways the nature of each instrument reflects the nature of the musician. In what ways are the characters like the instruments they play? Do you think the Quartet acts as a democracy? If not, who do you think is in charge? In what ways did the Quartet work together or collaborate? In what ways did they disagree? Think of a situation where you entered into a completely new environment and had to prove yourself to an established group. How were you received? What did you have to do to be successful in this new role? What do you think of the ending of the play? Did it surprise you? Did it strike you as fair? Michael Hollinger thinks that Opus has a sound and musicality to it, even though the characters are speaking. Do you agree? How does he create music with his script? Works Cited About the Theatre http://www.kitchentheatre.org About the Play and Playwright Hollinger, Michael. Opus. New York, NY: Dramatist's Play Service, 2009. Print. http://www.playbill.com/features/article/110146-­‐Mr-­‐Hollingers-­‐Opus http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-­‐bin/db/single.asp?key=4076 Glossary of Musical Terms and Musical Information http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/ http://www.johnsonstring.com/how-­‐to-­‐play-­‐the-­‐violin.htm http://www.pcs.org/assets/uploads/resource-­‐guides/ResourceGuide-­‐Opus.pdf http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/ Women in Music http://oboeclassics.com/~oboe3583/ambache/women.htm http://media.npr.org/assets/music/blogs/therecord/2010/09/NPR_JazzMusiciansRoundtable.pdf Sound and the Concert Halls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Hall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_hall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertgebouw http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound NY State Core Curriculum Standards http://www.corestandards.org/the-­‐standards 10 Up Next In the final days of the Civil War, a Jewish Confederate soldier returns to his now-­‐destroyed Richmond home. Wounded in body and spirit, he is taken in by two former slaves -­‐ one who raised him, and one who was raised with him. As they uncover secrets from their past and begin to adjust to the new world around them, the characters grapple with the meaning of freedom. Directed by Jesse Bush Contact Rachel Burttram, Director of Audience Services and Community Outreach for more information about group tickets at: [email protected] (607) 2727-­‐0403 11