Study Guide Study Guide 2013-14 Presented by

Luz San Miguel & David Hovhannisyan – Photo by Jessica Kaminsky
Study Guide 20132013-14
Presented by the
Department of Community Outreach
Table of Contents
Welcome Fair Ladies & Gentlemen - 3
Synopsis - 4
The Timeless Story of Romeo & Juliet - 4
My Favorite Romeo - 9
Born Great - 11
Analyze This! - 15
Apprentices – Then and Now - 16
Trees, Apples and Swords - 19
Les Enfants Terribles – Romeo, Juliet & Sergei Prokofiev - 20
Sources and Special Thanks - 29
Appendix A:
Appendix B:
Appendix C:
Appendix D:
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards - 30
Being a Good Theatre Audience - 31
Balletomania! - 32
Milwaukee Ballet’s Community Outreach Programs
CHORUS: Two households both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny.
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage.
Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hour’s traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare, Prologue
2
Welcome Fair Ladies and Gentlemen
Gentlemen
Welcome fair ladies and gentlemen to the Study Guide for Milwaukee Ballet’s
Romeo & Juliet. Although you may be familiar with this tale about two lovestruck Italian teenagers, there are many things about the ballet and its
creation that might surprise you. For instance, did you know that Sergei
Prokofiev, the composer of the ballet’s music, wanted the ballet to have a
happy ending? He proclaimed that the “living can dance, the dying cannot”
and planned to change Shakespeare’s tragedy into a tale of “happily ever
after.” Did you know that when The Bolshoi Ballet first heard Prokofiev’s score
they hated it? They even called it “undanceable” and let their rival, The Kirov
Ballet, premiere the work! There is a lot to learn. Don’t let Shakespeare or
ballet intimidate you – this guide has been created to make both easier to
understand. Go through it before and after seeing the ballet and you’ll find
that you’re more of an expert than you think – perhaps, even a real
balletomane!
Luz San Miguel & David Hovhannisyan – Photo by Jessica Kaminsky
3
Romeo & Juliet
“Perhaps the greatest love story of all time”
~Artistic Director Michael Pink
Directed & Choreographed by: Michael Pink
Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
Costume Design: Judanna Lynn
Lighting Design: David Grill
Fight Arranger: Jamie Cheatham
Acclaimed by critics worldwide, Romeo & Juliet — a gripping tale of two young
lovers caught between their feuding families and their love for each other — is
considered Artistic Director Michael Pink’s signature production. The fiery
retelling of William Shakespeare’s romantic masterpiece, Romeo & Juliet,
features stunning Renaissance costume designs created by Judanna Lynn,
Prokofiev’s beautiful score performed by the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, fight
scenes directed by Jamie Cheatham, and a new lighting design by Emmy award
winner David Grill.
“Two households, both alike in dignity.
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star crossed lovers take their lives."
Act One
Shakespeare’s tragic story of ‘star-crossed lovers’ is set among a long-standing
feud between the houses of Capulet and Montague. The reason for the feud,
like so many conflicts between families, countries and nations, is no longer
understood. Generations have grown up knowing only this as a way of life.
The events of this tale take place in less than one week. We should always
remember that Romeo and Juliet are young teenagers whose actions are born
out of innocence and an adolescent enthusiasm. They meet, fall in love,
secretly marry and meet an untimely end.
Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet introduces the eligible Paris as her suitor, a match
that would indeed be very handsome was she not soon to meet Romeo
Montague.
4
Our young protagonist and his cohorts, Mercutio (impetuous and dashing) and
Benvolio (honest and good-willed) plan to disguise themselves and steal into a
grand feast at the house of Capulet. Much to Romeo’s delight, the beautiful
and chaste Rosaline, along with Verona’s fairest, will attend. For Mercutio and
Benvolio this is an opportunity to show the pining Romeo that there are many
more willing ladies than her. It is at this feast that fate plays its card. Romeo
and Juliet unwittingly set eyes on each other. Nothing will ever be the same.
Juliet’s cousin, the volatile Tybalt, swears vengeance on Romeo, for this
affront.
Romeo meets Juliet later, beneath the stars. She is torn between dearly
wishing him to stay and fearing for his safety, should he be discovered. They
part with ‘The promise of tomorrow.’
Milwaukee Ballet Company. Photo by Rick Brodzeller.
Act Two
The city of Verona celebrates a spring carnival. Children dress in masks
depicting the Sun, the Moon, Life and Death. Romeo shows no interest in the
carnival or his friends. His thoughts are only of Juliet. Mercutio and Benvolio
tease and mock the love sick Romeo. Soon Juliet’s nurse brings news. They are
to meet at Friar Laurence’s and marry that very day.
Tybalt seeks revenge from Romeo who refuses to fight as they are now related.
Instead Mercutio takes up the challenge. While he is by far the better
swordsman, his fate is sealed by an accident. To the end Mercutio entertains
his loyal friends. But with his last breath he curses both the houses of Montague
and Capulet.
Romeo’s love for Mercutio blinds his reason. In a rage, he kills Tybalt.
5
Lady Capulet is inconsolable at the loss of Tybalt, a love and a son she never
had.
Romeo is banished from Verona.
Act Three
Romeo and Juliet have but one night together before he must leave.
Meanwhile, preparations for Juliet’s marriage to Paris are made. She dare not
tell her family of her love for her husband, Romeo. After seeking advice from
Friar Laurence she reluctantly agrees to prepare for marriage to Paris.
The Friar has given Juliet a potion, which will make her appear lifeless. After
she is laid in the tomb, Romeo will come to her, she will awake and at last they
will be united. Friar Laurence sends a message to Romeo informing him of the
plan. The letter never arrives. The 'star crossed lovers' are finally united, in
death.
"A glooming peace this morning with it brings.
The sun for sorrow will not show his head.
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.
Some shall be pardoned, and some punished;
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
6
The Timeless Story of Romeo & Juliet
The following list is a timeline of ballet events leading us to today’s production
of Milwaukee Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet. Unscramble the timeline first. Using
big sheets of poster board or butcher paper, paste the facts in order on the
timeline (draw a long horizontal line from one side of the paper to the other).
To give yourself plenty of room, draw the timeline in the bottom third of the
paper so that you have plenty of room above the line to decorate it. Then
illustrate your timeline with pictures you draw or find in magazines. You may
want to work on this in a group. At the end you will be able to see visually just
how long this pair of star-crossed lovers has been around!
1962 John Cranko restages Romeo & Juliet for a now famous production in
Stuttgart
1924 Jean Cocteau (not a choreographer by trade) stages a version of Romeo
& Juliet in an attempt “to save the Parisian theatre at whatever cost” – this
production did not feature much dancing
1787 Filippo Beretti choreographs the ballet Giulietta e Romeo for La Scala,
Milan and also dances the role of Romeo
1936 Prokofiev’s First Suite of Romeo & Juliet is heard in Moscow on
November 24th
1839 Romeo & Juliet composed as a dramatic symphony by Berlioz
1969 Birgit Culberg stages a short version of Romeo & Juliet in Sweden
2007 MPTV films Michael Pink’s Romeo & Juliet
1955 The Paris Ballet produces Romeo & Juliet with choreography by Serge
Lifar
1811 Romeo & Juliet is produced in Denmark with choreography by Vincenzo
Galeotti who was 78 years old!
1965 The Royal Ballet in England stages Romeo & Juliet with choreography by
Kenneth McMillan and performances by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev
(originally McMillan had young dancers Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable in
mind to play Romeo & Juliet – Gable later choreographed Dracula with Michael
Pink, Milwaukee Ballet’s Artistic Director! Dracula made its way to Milwaukee
Ballet in 2005!)
1957 West Side Story (a modern version of Romeo & Juliet about street gangs
in New York) is staged by Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins and Stephen
Sondheim
1940 Debut of Romeo & Juliet by Levrovsky at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad,
Russia. Originally the Kirov’s rival, The Bolshoi Ballet, was to debut the work,
but they claimed that Prokofiev’s score was undanceable!
1593 Shakespeare writes Romeo & Juliet
1955 Romeo & Juliet is first seen in the west in a production in London by the
Zagreb Ballet
1785 Guilietta e Romeo, a ballet in five acts by Eusebio Luzzi, was first seen
for the Theatre Samuele in Venice, music by Luigi Marescalchi
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1954 The Bolshoi Ballet production of Romeo & Juliet is filmed
1562 Arthur Brooke writes the poem Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Iuliet,
which becomes one of Shakespeare’s sources for writing his tragedy
1867 Romeo & Juliet composed as an opera by Gunod
1966 The Royal Ballet version of Romeo & Juliet is filmed
1955 Frederick Ashton stages Romeo & Juliet for the Royal Danish Ballet on
May 19th
1809 Ivan Ivanovitch Valberkh debuts his Romeo e Julia in St. Petersburg on
November 2nd
1966 Maurice Béjart presents his version of Romeo & Juliet at the Cirque
Royal in Brussels – the dancers enter the stage in regular dance clothes as if
going to a rehearsal, Béjart appears on stage to tell the story of Romeo &
Juliet, the dancers reenact it and during the epilogue the dancers conclude the
performance by chanting the famous 60’s motto, “Make Love Not War”
1938 Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet premieres in Brno, Czechoslovakia
1976 The Bolshoi production of Romeo & Juliet is filmed for television
1969 Igor Tchernichov attempts to stage a version of Romeo & Juliet with
music by Berlioz in the Soviet Union but the ballet is banned. The cast would
have included Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova
1869 Romeo & Juliet composed as a symphonic poem by Tchaikovsky
1977 Rudolf Nureyev stages Romeo & Juliet for the London Festival Ballet
1981 John Neumeier presents his revised version of Romeo & Juliet for his
own Hamburg Romeo & Juliet for La Scala in Milan on July 26th
1970 Oscar Ariaz presents his version of Romeo & Juliet in Buenos Aires,
Argentina featuring a much more psychological interpretation including three
Juliets who represent different facets of the character
1830 Belini composes the opera I Capuleti e I Montecchi
1965 The Royal Ballet production of Romeo & Juliet is produced in America
1976 Romeo & Juliet is staged by the San Francisco Ballet
1956 The Bolshoi Ballet presents Romeo & Juliet in London with the original
Juliet, Galina Ulanova (who was in her 40s!) receiving critical acclaim
1943 Ballet Theatre, now American Ballet Theatre, stages a one-act version of
Romeo & Juliet with music be Delius and choreography by Anthony Tudor.
Tudor was not finished choreographing the ballet on the day it was to premiere
and so the performance ended 15 minutes early and Tudor came out on stage
to beg the audience not to be too upset. Four days later the ballet was
complete and performed for an audience!
1959 Romeo & Juliet is presented in America by the Bolshoi Ballet with
Ulanova as Juliet
2000 Michael Pink’s Romeo & Juliet premieres in Atlanta, GA for The Atlanta
Ballet. It premiered in Milwaukee, WI for The Milwaukee Ballet in 2003.
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My Favorite Romeo
Romeo & Juliet has been presented on the stage and on the silver screen time
and time again. Now that you have seen the ballet, rent the following movies
and compare these three examples of Shakespeare’s classic story. At the end
give us your commentary on which format you enjoyed the most.
ROMEO: Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy
Be heaped like mine, and that thy skill be more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbor air, and let rich music’s tongue
Unfold the imagined happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.
JULIET: Conceit, more rich in matter than in words,
Brags of his substance, not of ornament.
They are but beggars that can count their worth.
But my true love is grown to such excess,
I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.
Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene VI
1. Romeo & Juliet
Choreographed by Michael Pink, Milwaukee Ballet 2013-14 Season
Starring _____________ as Romeo and ______________as Juliet
2. Romeo and Juliet
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, 1968
Starring Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet
3. Romeo + Juliet
Directed by Baz Luhrman, 1996
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet
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Here are some questions to begin your comparison and review:
How does each performance begin?
Which Romeo do you like best and why?
How are the fight scenes portrayed in each version?
Describe the differences between the famous balcony scene in each
performance:
Which two people make Romeo & Juliet the most believable and why?
Can you feel the tension between the Capulets and the Montagues in each
version?
Which performance of Romeo & Juliet did you like the best and why?
Which performance of Romeo & Juliet did you least enjoy and why?
10
Born Great
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
them.”
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene V
William Shakespeare was definitely born great. In 1564 (the same year that
Michelangelo died) Shakespeare was born and the world was forever changed.
His 37 plays and countless poems and sonnets are more than just classics; they
have affected and touched the lives of actors and audiences for 449 years!
Will Shakespeare probably had no idea that nearly four centuries later his
words would be quoted or that his characters would become historical figures
themselves. From King Lear to Romeo, Ophelia to Juliet, and Othello to
Hamlet, Shakespeare’s characters have been born on the stage time and time
again and we find that life lessons, supernatural phenomena and hilarious jokes
have yet to become old and outdated. He is
called The Bard – not just any old bard, but The
Bard. If you look up its meaning you will see
why. Shakespeare’s legacy has traveled from a
little town in England called Stratford to the
Globe Theatre on the shore of the River
Thames. There you could see his plays for a few
pennies – one cent if you wanted to stand with
“the groundlings” and throw rotten vegetables
during the parts you didn’t enjoy and two cents
if you wanted to sit with the power elite. His
works are now in classrooms, libraries, theatres
and stages all over the world and the power of
his words will never die.
Look up the definition of “bard” and write it
down here:
Why do you think William Shakespeare is called The Bard?
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the small town of Stratford-uponAvon, England. His actual birthday was either April 22nd or the 23rd but it is
known that he was baptized on April 26th. At that time Stratford had only nine
streets and fewer than 1500 inhabitants. It was a market town, a place where
local farmers could go to buy and trade goods, livestock and other items.
Shakespeare was the son of a man named John Shakespeare who was one of the
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most prosperous men in the town. He made his living as a glove maker and also
dealt wool and timber. His mother’s name was Mary Arden. William
Shakespeare had seven brothers and sisters.
When he was about four years old Shakespeare went to what was called a
“petty school” or a “free school” to learn to read. This was a small private
school for both boys and girls. At six, girls left the petty school to be taught at
home by their mothers or by private tutors. At the same age, middle class boys
began grammar school – a free government sponsored school. The purpose of
the grammar school was to teach the boys Latin so that they could go into
careers of business, politics, law, medicine, teaching or the clergy. At 13,
Shakespeare left school (for unknown reasons – perhaps to begin earning money
to help his family) and became an apprentice to a butcher! Imagine how
different the world would be, had he stayed with that profession!
Stratford-upon-Avon is in the heart of the English countryside. Shakespeare
would have known the surrounding meadows, trees, rivers and ponds very well.
We can tell that he was an avid adventurer in his youth because his plays are
filled with apt descriptions of nature and the countryside where he grew up.
For example, in Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet says: “death lies on her like an
untimely frost upon the sweetest flower in the field” in reference to Juliet’s
feigned death.
In November of 1582, when he was eighteen years old, Shakespeare was
obliged to marry a woman named Anne Hathaway. Anne was twenty-six years
old at the time, quite a bit older than Shakespeare - and from Shottery, a small
village about a mile away from Stratford. They had their first child, Susanna,
about a year after their marriage, in May of 1583. On February 21, 1585, they
had twins, Judith and Hamnet; this probably inspired Shakespeare’s famous
comedy about twins A Comedy of Errors. In the 1580’s Shakespeare said
goodbye to his family and set off to make his fortune in London. Shakespeare
ended up spending 20 years away from his family and only briefly mentioned
Anne Hathaway in his will; it is assumed their marriage was not the happiest of
unions.
Having grown up in a sleepy country village Shakespeare would have found
London busy and exciting. At the time, London was at least ten times larger
than any other English city. The London stage was dominated by the plays of a
group of writers known as the “University Wits” because they had all attended
universities. Shakespeare, a small town country bumpkin who had never been
to college, had to work very hard and write many well regarded plays before he
was accepted as an intelligent playwright. It is rumored that he even made a
living taking care of playgoers horses for a short while! At the time, almost all
of the English plays were written in ten syllable unrhymed lines called “blank
verse.”
12
A good example of this is:
“is this the face that launched a thousand ships?”
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6,
7, 8,
9,
10)
Can you write your own line in blank verse?
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Soon after Shakespeare broke into the London theatrical scene he was met with
overwhelming success. Though he had not gone to college and was from a
small country town, people loved his plays because they were exciting, had
strong characters and interesting plots. By 1592 he was a recognized actor and
he was writing and producing his first play, Henry IV, Part One (although some
people believe that Love’s Labour’s Lost was his first.) In 1594 Shakespeare
became a principal shareholder of a very successful acting company, The Lord
Chamberlain’s Men, which later became The King’s Men and would end up
being the most popular company of its time.
Much was to happen in the next six years. Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died in
1596. During this same time period, his financial situation seemed to be on the
rise. In 1597, he bought a house in Stratford called New Place and five years
later bought over one hundred acres of farmland and a cottage. In 1599 The
Globe Theatre was built and Shakespeare’s plays were featured there.
Shakespeare died on (or a day after) his birthday on April 23, 1616. In 1623,
Shakespeare’s fellow actors published his First Folio of plays. Shakespeare,
almost more than any other playwright in the history of theater, demonstrated
superb understanding of what appealed to the masses. His plays are still
popular today because the issues that they discuss are still relevant: greed,
love, devotion, enemies and simple, straight-up comedy.
Shakespeare probably had no idea just how huge an impact he would make
upon the world. Who would have thought that his works would become
famous in all areas of the arts, including ballet! The Bard did use dance in
his scripts. It is, after all, the masked ball at the Capulet’s house that first
sparks the flame between Romeo and Juliet. Here’s a beautiful verse of the
Bard’s poetry about dance . . .
“When you dance I wish you
A wave o’ the seas, that might ever do
Nothing but that; move still, still so, and own
No other function.”
13
William Shakespeare wrote Romeo & Juliet in 1594 or 1595 when he was about 30 years
old. Let’s look at what was happening in the world around this time period.
1590
The microscope was invented
1591
Philip II of Spain bough the Hieronymus Bosch painting “The Garden of Earthly Delights”
1592
Ruined Roman city of Pompeii is discovered
The plague kills 15,000 people in London, England
Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor of India, who later built the Taj Mahal, was born
1593
Famous dramatist and poet, Christopher Marlowe, is killed in a tavern brawl
London theatres close on account of the plague
1594
Henry IV is crowned King of France
Italian painter Tintoretto dies
The first opera, Dafne, by Jacopo Peri, is performed
1595
The Dutch begin to colonize the East Indies
Mercator’s atlas is published
1596
Tomatoes are first introduced into England
The first water closets (indoor bathrooms) are installed at the Queen’s Richmond Palace
Sir Francis Drake dies
Galileo invents the thermometer
Perhaps there is a masterpiece like Romeo & Juliet in your future. To be prepared, take
note of some of the major things happening now (and in the past few years) so that future
generations will know what was happening in the world when they read about you in the
history books! Fill in the blanks below with historical events that you think people might
like to know about.
2008
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2011
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2009
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2012
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2010
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2013
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Analyze This!
Milwaukee Ballet’s Department of Education recommends that you read the
play Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare before seeing the ballet so that
you really understand the story. There are many serious issues surrounding this
story and it will help you to process your thoughts about the subject matter by
talking about it. After reading the play and watching the ballet and/or one of
the movies, discuss the following questions with a teacher or parent.
•
The Capulets and the Montagues have been feuding for years but the play does not
reveal the cause of this feud. Can you think of any reasons why the two families might
fight?
•
How can these quarrels be resolved without violence?
•
Romeo has misgivings about going to the Capulet’s party but he lets his friends talk him
into going anyway. Have you ever done anything you didn’t really want to but you let
your friends convince you to do it? What was it? Were you glad you did it in the end or
did you regret your decision? What about Romeo; do you think he was glad he went to
the Capulet’s party?
•
Juliet’s parents want her to marry Paris, a man she has never met. How do you think
Juliet feels about this? If your parents wanted you to marry someone you had never
met, how would you feel?
•
The Prince could have executed Romeo for killing Tybalt; instead his punishment was
banishment. What is banishment? Romeo believes banishment to be a punishment
worse than death; why do you think he feels that way? Which would you prefer?
•
Romeo made the foolish choice of killing himself when he thought Juliet was dead.
What might have happened if Romeo had not killed himself? What reasons led Romeo
to commit suicide? Why is suicide a poor solution?
•
Could a story like this happen today? Why or why not?
•
Could this story have ended any other way or did fate really determine the outcome?
15
Apprentices – Then
Then and Now
As you read Shakespeare’s biography, you found out that he spent a small time
as an apprentice to a butcher! During Shakespeare’s time, many people
started their careers by apprenticing first. Even today, people have to spend
time as an apprentice, trainee or intern to get a foothold in the job of their
choice including our very own dancers. At Milwaukee Ballet, we have a second
company of dancers called Milwaukee Ballet II (MBII) who serve as apprentices
to our company. We also have paid apprentice dancers in the professional
company. Let’s find out more about Shakespearian apprentices and then more
about Milwaukee Ballet’s trainees..
First, read these excerpts from Peter Chrisp’s Welcome to the Globe!
The Story of Shakespeare’s Theater…
The Boy Player (Actor)
My name’s Nick Tooley and I’m 12 years old. Since I was 10, I’ve been living with Richard
Burbage (one of the owners of the Globe Theater) and his wife, Mistress Winifred. They’ve
been better to me than my own parents.
I’m apprenticed to Mr. Burbage. That means that he is teaching me how to be a player. In
return, he receives the wages I earn at the Globe. The Burbages give me good regular meals, a
bed in their house and two suits of clothes a year.
My master is a wonderful teacher. He has taught me how to walk and move on stage, and how
to make myself heard all the way to the back of the playhouse. I play mostly women’s roles
because girls are not allowed to act. We boys have to wear big dresses, wigs, and make-up on
our faces. When my voice gets deeper, I will play men.
The hardest work of all is learning all my lines. I have a part in most of the plays we put on. I
often sit in the tiring house, repeating my lines over and over again until I have them all in my
head.
* Disguises – In some of Shakespeare’s comedies, women dressed up as men as a disguise. So
the boys had to play women pretending to be men.
* Boy stars – The audience found the boy players totally convincing. Some boys became stars
in their own right. Their roles were often as long and demanding as those of the leading men.
The Groundling
I love coming to the Globe in the afternoon, when my master gives me a penny. He’s a printer,
and I’m his apprentice. I stand in the yard with the other apprentices to watch a play. It costs
a penny. We can’t afford more than that, but we like it here. If we get bored, we throw apple
cores at the players. We often make fun of the gallants with their fancy clothing up in the
galleries. They look down on us and call us stinkards and groundlings, but we don’t care. . .
We apprentices work hard, but we know how to have fun too.
* Most London apprentices were in their late teens and early twenties. They went around in
gangs and were known for their wild behavior.
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Rachel Malehorn, Nicole Teague, Susan Gartell, Courtney Kramer, Valerie Harmon, Barry Molina, Justin Genna,
Parker Brasser-Vos, Mengjun Chen and Isaac Sharratt (not pictured) were all in MBII and are now in the Company!
Now read about Milwaukee Ballet’s Trainees and Apprentices…
Trainees: The Milwaukee Ballet II program was established in 1978 to nurture
and develop dancers with the technical skills and artistry required for a
professional career as a dancer. The MBII curriculum is based on the artistic
vision of the Milwaukee Ballet organization and will give the training needed to
bridge the gap between student and professional through performing
opportunities with the Milwaukee Ballet Company as well as performances
created specifically for MBII. The MBII program strives to develop strong and
confident dancers. It also encourages the dancers to expand their personal
development educationally and socially. Upon completion of the MBII program,
individuals will serve to better our community through their knowledge of the
arts. Regular assessments with Artistic Staff will monitor individual progress
and development of each MBII dancer. Graduation from MBII is dependent on
the satisfactory completion of all requirements of the course. Many MBII
dancers have gone on to become professional dancers with the Milwaukee
Ballet as well as in companies throughout the country.
Apprentices: Within the professional company, the first level of entry is called
an Apprentice. Apprentice dancers are new to the Company and may come
from the MBII program or from other ballet schools and companies across the
world. They are treated the same as anyone else in the Company and have the
same opportunities to be cast in the shows. They may only be an Apprentice
for two years and then must either be promoted to Artist or let go from the
Company.
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The Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II Program 2013-14
Photo by Timothy O’Donnell
•
What similarities do you find between Shakespearian Apprentices and Milwaukee
Ballet’s Trainees and Apprentices?
•
What differences are there?
•
Which type of apprentice would you rather be?
•
Name three jobs today that use apprentices:
•
What is appealing about being an apprentice?
•
What is difficult about being an apprentice?
•
What do you think about Nick Tooley?
•
Are there any boy players in the ballet Romeo & Juliet?
•
What roles do the MBII trainees have in the ballet Romeo & Juliet?
•
Where do you think the name “groundlings” came from?
•
Look through your ballet program or the ballet website and find out how many trainees
the ballet has this year:
•
Are they all from Wisconsin?
•
If not, where are they from?
•
What roles are the trainees dancing in Romeo & Juliet?
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Trees, Apples and Swords
Activities from: Shakespeare for Kids, His Life and Times by Colleen Aagesen
and Margie Blumberg
Romeo & Juliet centers around two families, the Capulets and the
Montagues. Family issues are at the core of this tragedy. Knowing about
your family and where they are from is really important.
JULIET: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father, and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet…
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot,
Nor arm nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O be some other name.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo doff thy name,
And for thy name which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.
Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene II
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Your Own Family Tree
Materials:
• Paper or poster board large enough to write down all the names and
dates
• Pencil
• Ruler
• (You may want to do this on scratch paper first and then neatly copy it
onto poster board – then you can decorate it by drawing or pasting
pictures of your family on to it. When you are finished, present it to
your family!)
To begin, write “Mother’s Side of the Family” on the upper left-corner of your
paper and write “Father’s Side of the Family” on the upper right-hand corner.
Use your ruler to divide your paper in half with a line drawn from top to
bottom.
Your grandparents’ generation: Near the top of the page, on the left-hand
side of the sheet, write down the names of your mother’s parents next to each
other. Near the top of the page, on the right-hand side of the sheet, write the
names of your father’s parents next to each other. Connect each pair with a
horizontal line between the names.
Your parents’ generation: Draw a small vertical line from the middle of both
horizontal lines that you drew between your two sets of grandparents, and then
draw two horizontal lines – as many inches across as you think you’ll need to
list the names of your mother, her brothers and sisters, their husbands and
wives and your father, his brothers and sisters, and their husbands and wives
(your aunts and uncles). Place your parents’ names on the appropriate side of
the chart to the right and left of the center line, which you drew earlier.
Your generation: Draw a horizontal line between your parents (and their
siblings and spouses). Draw vertical lines down from the middle of each of
these lines, and then draw horizontal lines again, as many inches across as you
think you’ll need to list your name, your name, your brothers’ and sisters’
names, and the names of your first cousins.
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Apple Moye
Here is a recipe as it was written in Elizabethan times:
“Take Apples, and cut them in two or foure peeces, boyle them till they be
soft, and bruise them in a mortar, and put thereto the yolks of two Eggs,
and a little sweet butter, set them on a chafingdish of coales, and boyle
them a litle, and put thereto a litle Sugar, synmaon and Ginger, and so serve
them in.”
Here’s the modern version of this recipe:
Ingredients:
• 8-10 apples
• ¼ cup water
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ cup sugar
Utensils:
• Knife
• Saucepan
• Fork
• Glass measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
Peel and core the apples, quarter them, and place them in a saucepan with the
water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Mash
the apples with a fork and blend in the egg yolks, butter, spices and sugar.
Cook over a very low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
Serve hot or chilled with ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet. Garnish with
cookies.
Serves 4-6 people.
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Make a Sword
The rapier (a type of sword), which had been in use in England since 1540,
was regulated in 1570 by the Queen when she proclaimed that the rapier,
weighing in at about two and a half to three pounds, could be no longer
than 36 inches. At each gate of London, a citizen was posted whose job it
was to break the point of any rapier that exceeded this limit. For
members of the society who engaged in fighting, the rapier’s quality, as
well as the swiftness and cleverness of its owner, was a matter of life and
death.
Materials:
• Sheet of newspaper
• Scissors
• 30-inch long cardboard cylinder from tube of wrapping paper
• Tape
• 2 styrofoam balls or newspaper or aluminum foil
• Crepe paper (gold, silver or any other color)
To make the guard, roll the sheet of newspaper into the shape of a tube. Cut
several inches off one end so that the paper guard will be 6 inches long.
Flatten it and cut a hole in the middle of it. The hole should be large enough
for the cardboard wrapping paper tube to fit through it. Slip the tube through
the hole until about seven inches of the tube is left. These seven inches will
be the handle of the sword.
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Tape the guard to the cardboard tube securely.
Twist the ends of the guard slightly so that they are pointing upwards and look
more decorative. Tape the ends of the guard in their new position to bind the
edges.
Cover and decorated the blade of your sword (the cardboard tube) and the
guard by wrapping the colored crepe paper around it. Wrap the paper around
and around the blade and the guard many times until it is one unit with no
sharp edges. Tape the crepe paper to the tube and guard as you wind it
around to prevent it from unraveling. Don’t wrap the guard and the blade
separately. Rather, wrap the crepe paper around one side of the guard and
then cross it over to the other side, there-by anchoring it even further to the
blade portion of the sword. When you are finished wrapping, secure the crepe
paper with tape at the ends.
Push two Styrofoam balls into each end of the tube, letting them stick out a
bit. Alternatively, if you can’t find Styrofoam balls, wad up some newspaper or
aluminum foil into a ball and use this for the tip of the sword and to reinforce
the handle.
Stage a Sword Fight
Now that you have your very own rapier, you and a friend can stage a
dramatic fight.
For theatrical productions, actors had to know not only how to speak the lines effectively but
also how to dance, do stunts, and handle props. In particular, sword fights had to be practiced
over and over again if they were going to be convincing to the audience members sitting and
standing inches away from the stage.
Shakespeare used the power of his pen to write dramatic dueling scenes, which often led to
tragic consequences for a play’s characters. In Romeo & Juliet, Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, and
Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, engage in a sword fight. Because Romeo has secretly married
Tybalt’s cousin, Juliet, he desires nothing but peace between himself and his new cousin. So,
in trying to help put a stop to the fight, he and another friend, Benvolio, try to separate Tybalt
and Mercutio by coming between them. In doing so, Romeo interferes and gives Tybalt a
chance to deliver a fatal thrust to Mercutio. Moments before Mercutio dies, he says, “A plague
o’ [on] both your houses!”
•
•
What do you think he means by this?
Based on what ends up happening in the play do you think a plague of sorts
does come over the Capulets and the Montagues?
Here are some instructions for staging your own sword fight. You will have to go through the
steps and practice first. Once the steps become natural, mix them up, make up new ones and
then give yourself a situation in which you can make your sword fight real and dramatic.
Practice until it is perfect and then find an audience of parents, friends, classmates or
neighbors and give a performance. (Remember, the goal is to choreograph the fight just like a
dance, wherein both participants know exactly what is going to happen. Once you and your
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partner have rehearsed, you need to add facial expressions and sound effects to make it look
real; that is the goal. If someone gets hurt, it means there was a variation from the plan or
someone wasn’t paying attention and you haven’t done your job as actors!):
Note: All directions for sword fighting are given for a right-handed person.
Position
Stand facing your opponent with your feet wide apart, your right foot forward
and turned out slightly, and your left foot behind the right one and turned out
to a 45-degree angle. Bend your knees slightly.
The High-Low-High Sequence
To begin: Standing a safe distance from each other, hold the sword in your
right hand and point it to your left and to the side of your opponent’s body at
about waist height.
Both opponents: Raise your right arm, moving it in a semicircular, clockwise
motion around and up and over the head toward the center line, letting your
swords meet in what’s called the “top hat” position. The two swords meet
above your heads and cross in the middle. Let them touch slightly. Now,
lower your right arm to your left again, guiding the sword away (stay away
from your opponent’s face and body) in a semicircular, counterclockwise
motion, and bring the swords together in the low position at the feet. The
point of each sword should be pointing at your opponent’s foot in the low
position. As your raise and lower your arm with the sword, think of yourself
tracing and retracing the outline of a half moon. From this low position, sweep
up in a semi-circle to the top-hat position once more. Repeat this sequence as
many times as you like.
Add Footwork
(Note: When you advance forward, beginning with your right foot, you step
“heel then toe.” When you retreat, beginning with your left foot, you step
“toe then heel.” Whenever one person advances, the other retreats, which
ensures that there will be a safe distance between the two at all times.)
With your swords in high position, you and your opponent will sweep your
swords in that semicircular motion to the low position. Just as you both reach
that low position, right before the blades touch, your opponent steps back as
you step forward. That safe distance spoken of earlier is maintained at all
times.
Then, without any stepping, you and your opponent guide your blades back up
into the high position using that semicircular motion once again. From this
high position, you and your opponent again sweep your swords in that
semicircular motion to the low position. This time, though, just as you both
reach that low position, right before the blades touch, you step back as your
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opponent steps forward. You can repeat this sequence as many times as you
like.
Thrust and Lunge Movement
From the low position, your sword and your opponent’s sword separate, and
you each move your swords to the right. Then you extend your sword toward
your opponent’s navel (this movement is called a thrust). Even with the
extension of your sword, 12 inches of spaces still exist between you and your
opponent because, at the same time that your sword is extended, your
opponent steps back. Then, you step forward (lunge), bending your right knee
deeply. Then, in defense, your opponent’s move is a defensive move called “a
universal parry.”
Then, you and your opponent slowly guide your swords over you heads using the
semicircular motion again. Your swords are now pointing to your left and away
from your opponent’s body at about waist height, which is the starting
position.
You can repeat this sequence of moves, this time allowing your opponent to be
the one who lunges and thrusts.
Back to the High-Low-High Sequence – and then the “Kill”
Repeat the High-Low-High sequence without moving forward or backward.
To end the sword fight – called “the kill” – begin from the high position. Let
the swords meet in the low position once more, but this time allow the sword
to follow through their arc and disengage. You then go back to a top hat
position at which point your opponent – from the right – lifts the point of his
sword from his shoulder over his head in a counterclockwise direction to your
right side. With the sword now on your side – and with the edge, never the
point – you opponent leans forward to tap your right side.
Then your opponent pulls his blade back and establishes distance before you –
with your face high and away from your opponent’s blade – lower yourself to
the floor gently in defeat, without letting your knees hit the floor hard and
without hitting your opponent with your sword.
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Les Enfants
Enfants Terribles
Terribles
Romeo, Juliet and Sergei Prokofiev
CAPULET: Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what, get thee to a church a Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face
Speak not, reply not, do not answer me.
My fingers itch. Wife, we scarce thought us blessed,
That God had lent us but this only child;
But now I see this one is one too much,
And that we have a curse in having her.
Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare, Act III, Scene V
Sergei Prokofiev, composer of Romeo & Juliet, had a long and fascinating life
that led him around the world composing and performing his music. Prokofiev
was born on the same day as William Shakespeare – on April 23, 1891 in
Sontsovka, Russia. His mother Maria was his first piano teacher and kept him
surrounded by music and culture, often taking him into Moscow and St.
Petersburg to expose him to music and theatre. The first operas Sergei saw
were Faust and Prince Igor and he was so affected by them that he went home
to begin working on his first opera The Giant at a mere age of nine! He had
already been playing the piano for some time and had written his first
composition “Indian Gallop” when he was five. Sergei kept all of his
compositions in notebooks that he continued to be inspired by when he was a
teenager. He called these early works his “little puppies”. When Sergei was
ten years old he was granted an audition for a famous Moscow professor and
composer Sergei Ivanovich, and because of this he received private training
from composer Reinhold Moritsevich Gliere. In 1904 when Sergei was 13 years
old, he and his mother uprooted and went on a journey to St. Petersburg to
audition for the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He became the youngest student
ever to be accepted and said this about his audition:
“The entrance examination was quite sensational. The examinee
before me was a man with a beard who had nothing to show the
examiners but a single romance without accompaniment. Then I
came in, bending under the weight of two huge folders containing
four operas, two sonatas, a symphony and a good many pianoforte
pieces. ‘Here is a pupil after my own heart!’ observed RimskyKorsakov, who headed the examining board.”
•
Who is Rimsky-Korsakov?
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From a young age, Prokofiev was fiercely independent and rebellious and this
earned him the title of “enfant terrible” (rebellious or bad child) while he was
studying music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. Prokofiev insisted
on sticking to his own musical style and although this caused some frustration
on the part of his teachers and fellow classmates, it served him well. When
Prokofiev was 17, he played his own composition Opus 4: Reminiscence, Élan,
Despair and Diabolic Suggestions, at a concert series called “Evenings of
Contemporary Music” where the city’s musical leaders went to be seen and see
new talent. The buzz surrounding his work and his performance was extremely
positive. Later, in his last year at the Conservatory, Prokofiev competed for
the much sought-after Anton Rubinstein Prize for the best pianist in the school.
He opted again to perform his own work, First Piano Concerto, despite the
controversy and risk it would involve. Sergei wrote the following in his
memoirs:
“At my request, Jurgenson printed the piano score of the First
Concerto in time for the examination. I bought 20 copies and
distributed them to the examiners. When I came out on the stage
the first thing I saw was my concerto spread out on 20 laps – an
unforgettable sight for a composer who has just begun to appear in
print! My most serious competitor was Golubovskaya… a very subtle
but intelligent pianist. We were extremely gallant and courteous to
each other: on the eve of the examination we inquired after the
condition of each other’s fingers, and in the long hours of suspense
while the judges were deciding our fate, we played chess. After a
long and stormy session the prize was awarded to me.”
Romeo & Juliet is filled with rebellious youth – both Romeo and Juliet are
acting in direct disobedience by even getting to know each other because of
the rivalry between their families, the Montagues and the Capulets.
Sometimes being a rebel can take different forms – as you read above, Sergei’s
rebellion was intellectual and derived from his self-confidence and drive to
create new and innovative music. It seemed to serve him well in school but he
had his fair share of tough times as an adult because of his unconventional
ways. Romeo and Juliet’s rebellion did not serve them as well. They both died
for love and it wasn’t until their parents realized what happened that they
decided they would put their fighting aside and try to become friends.
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So, what about you? Have you ever rebelled against your parents or your
teachers? In the space below recount a story about your experience as an
“enfant terrible” and about the lessons you learned because of it:
Sergei Prokofiev
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Sources & Special Thanks
Writing and Design
Alyson Chavez, Director of Community Outreach
Special Thanks to:
Michael Pink
The Cast and Crew of Romeo & Juliet
Sources:
Aagesen, Colleen and Margie Blumberg. Shakespeare for Kids – His Life and
Times. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, Inc., 1999.
Ballenberg, Birdie. Looking at Ballet. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp.,
1989.
Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell
Publishing Group, Inc., 1990.
Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Ed. Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1998.
Chrisp, Peter. Shakespeare. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2002.
Chrisp, Peter. Welcome to the Globe! The Story of Shakespeare’s Theater.
London: Dorling Kindersley, 2000.
Foster, Cass. Shakespeare for Children – The Story of Romeo & Juliet.
Scottsdale: Five Star Publications, 1989.
Grant, Gail. Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet. New York:
Dover Publications Inc., 1967.
Grescovic, Robert. Ballet 101. New York: Hyperion, 1998.
Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. Ed. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan Press
Ltd.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Charles Jasper Sisson. New
York: Dell Publishing Co. Inc., 1958.
Articles:
Ballet Met. “William Shakespeare.”, “Shakespeare and Dance.”, “World events around the
time of Shakespeare’s writing Romeo & Juliet.”, “Earlier choreographic versions of Romeo &
Juliet.” – www.balletmet.org
Finkelstein, Richard. “Romeo & Juliet – A Ballet Timeline.” – www.artslynx.org
Philp, Richard. “Romeo and Juliet – Shakespeare, Prokofiev, Colorado Ballet.” – 2002.
The Prokofiev Page. “Childhood.”, “Enfant Terrible: The Conservatory Years.”, “Exploration
and Revolution.”, “America and Europe.”, “Return Home.”, “The War.”, “Twilight.” –
www.prokofiev.org
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Appendix A: Wisconsin Model Academic Standards
Parents and Teachers: This Study Guide utilizes the following Wisconsin Model
Academic Standards:
English Language Arts
• Standard A: Students in Wisconsin will read and respond to a wide range of writing to
build an understanding of written materials, of themselves, and of others.
• Standard B: Students in Wisconsin will write clearly and effectively to share
information and knowledge, to influence and persuade, to create and entertain.
• Standard F: Students in Wisconsin will locate, use, and communicate information from
a variety of print and non-print materials.
Social Studies
• Standard B: Students in Wisconsin will learn about the history of Wisconsin, the United
States and the world, examining change and continuity over time in order to develop
historical perspective, explain historical relationships, and analyze issues that affect
the present and future.
Dance
• Standard E: Students in Wisconsin will develop critical and creative thinking through
their dance experience.
• Standard F: Students in Wisconsin will understand the expressive power of dance as a
means of communication and understand that it is subject to multiple interpretations.
• Standard G: Students in Wisconsin will reflect upon and appreciate dance as an art
form past and present.
• Standard H: Students in Wisconsin will dance to build bridges to other disciplines and
cultures.
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Appendix B: Being a Good Theatre Audience
Unlike actors on your television, performers on the stage are aware of their
audience and want very much to communicate their art to you, and feel your
appreciation in turn. In fact, by the time you arrive at a theatre for a
scheduled performance, many people (choreographers, composers, dancers,
technicians, costume and lighting designers, etc.) have worked very hard to
bring you their best efforts. In order to show respect for those efforts, every
audience member must give the performance their full attention and avoid any
behavior that interferes with anyone else doing the same. We have rules that
help us accomplish this goal, and you should do your best to understand and
follow them:
1. No gum, candy or food in the theatre (it makes noise and sticky messes).
2. No shoving or running in the lobby (you know why).
3. No cameras or video recorders. Flashes are dangerous for dancers and
unapproved photos and videos violate copyright laws.
4. No hooting, whistling, or yelling during the performance. The performance
has begun when anyone on the stage starts talking or dancing, or when the
orchestra starts playing. You are welcome to show your appreciation for the
performance with applause at the end of the ballet or sometimes, at the end of
a section or solo. You are also welcome to laugh if someone on stage is being
intentionally funny.
5. No talking or whispering during the performance. You will have plenty of
time to discuss your impressions at intermission or after the show.
6. Always arrive at the theatre with plenty of time to find your seats and settle
into them. Late arrivals mean disruption for everyone else, including the
performers.
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Appendix C: Balletomania!
Balletomania
There are many ways to become a balletomane (a ballet fan or enthusiast)
besides taking dance classes or wanting to be a ballerina or premier danseur
yourself. Here are some suggestions for enjoying ballet:
Watching ballet on film – check with your local library to see what videos they
offer. Regular video stores also offer musicals which sometimes have some
great dancing in them (although not usually ballet.)
Read the stories the ballets are based on and listen to the music before you
go to see the show – you will understand the whole ballet a lot more if you are
not struggling to keep up with what the characters are doing. If the ballet does
not have a plot, being familiar with the music will help you focus on the
dancing more.
Keep a ballet scrapbook – clip and save articles, reviews and promotional ads
from the newspaper. Collect and save all of your programs, ticket stubs and
even autographs from your favorite dancers to add to your book. Sometimes, if
you wait at the Stage Door after a performance, you can meet the dancers as
they leave the theatre.
Write a review of the ballets you see – read the professional reviews in the
papers first. Do you agree with them? Do you like things they forgot to
mention? If you don’t agree with them, write your own review and try to
describe what you saw and why you liked it.
Check out books in the library about ballet – there are a number of fictional
and non-fictional books about ballet, being a dancer, the art of ballet and its
stars.
Workshops – attend special workshops at your school or local theatres.
Look for ballet in art – several painters, sculptors and photographers use dance
and dancers as their inspiration. For example Edward Degas painted dancers
on stage and in the studio. Local artist Jason Fricke has done beautiful
drawings of Milwaukee Ballet’s dancers and you can see them in the theatre
boutique!
AND OF COURSE . . .
Going to the theatre – attend as many performances of Milwaukee Ballet and
other local dance companies as you can. Check the entertainment section of
your newspaper for listings of upcoming shows.
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