The Tempest. A study guide prepared by Jobsite Theater

Transcription

1 The Tempest A study guide prepared by Jobsite Theater Jobsite Theater 2017 This program is presented as part of the Arts in Education Program, which is funded and jointly sponsored by the Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. 1

2 Welcome!... 3 Before Coming to the Show... 4 Synopsis... 4 Our production... 5 The characters... 5 What should you do before the trip?... 7 Theater etiquette... 7 Shakespeare and Elizabethan theater... 8 Historical context Pre-show activities After Your Visit Post-show activities Post-show visits Appendix: Standards Listing Special Thanks and Sponsors About Jobsite Theater About David M. Jenkins

3 Welcome! First of all, thank you for bringing your students to live theater! We know the many demands on your time both in and out of the classroom. We look forward to hosting you in the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center! Please feel free to contact me with any questions before or after your visit: Jobsite is thrilled to continue our commitment to making the Bard accessible to regional audiences with this delightful fantasy. Our production reimagines the character of Prospero as a woman, to be played by Jobsite ensemble veteran Roxanne Fay. Roxanne has previously been seen in our humble cockpit as Touchstone in As You Like It, Feste in Twelfth Night, and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing as well as Madame in our Best of the Bay Award winning production of The Maids. On a distant island a woman waits. Robbed of her position, power, and wealth her enemies have left her in isolation. But this is no ordinary woman, nor an ordinary island. She is a magician, able to control the very elements and bend nature to her will. When the vessel carrying those who wronged her appears in the distance, she creates a vast magical storm to bring them to her then they awake finding themselves in a place where nothing is as it seems. Thanks again for your hard work in helping create the audiences of tomorrow! Best Regards, David M. Jenkins, PhD Producing Artistic Director 3

4 Chapter One Before Coming to the Show Synopsis Alonso, the king of Naples, is returning from his daughter s wedding in Tunis. He is accompanied by his son, Ferdinand, his brother, Sebastain, and Antonio, the Duke of Milan. An old Milanese courtier, Gonzalo, is also on board. The ship is wrecked in a storm and all the passengers and crew are thrown into the furious sea. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, and her fifteen year-old daughter, Miranda, are watching the shipwreck from an island. She tells her, for the first time, how they came to be on the island. Twelve years before, when she had been Duke of Milan, her brother Antonio, had usurped her, but with Gonzalo s help she had escaped in a small boat with his baby daughter, Miranda, and her library of books about magic. They had ended up on the island and Prospero had turned the only inhabitant, Caliban, a deformed and savage creature, into her slave. There are also spirits on the island. One of them, Ariel, had been imprisoned in a tree trunk by Caliban s mother, the witch, Sycorax, who had then died. Prospero used her magic abilities to rescue her and he made the spirit swear to serve her. The ship s passengers are cast up on the island unharmed, and even their clothes are not wet or damaged. Alonso believes his son to be dead but Ferdinand has landed on another part of the island. He encounters Miranda and they fall in love at first sight. He is the first man, apart from her father and Caliban that she has ever seen. Prospero puts Ferdinand to work manually, controlling all his movements with magic. Ariel pesters Prospero for her freedom and Prospero promises it once she has done some things for her, regarding the newcomers. Ariel leads the party towards Prospero s cell. During this journey Antonio and Sebastian plan to kill Alonso so that Sebastian can be king. Two other members of the party, Trinculo, the court jester, and Stephano, a boisterous butler, are also wandering about on the island. Caliban recruits them to help him overthrow Prospero. They all get drunk then set off for Prospero s cell. Ariel reports the plot to Prospero. Prospero has released Ferdinand and given her blessing to the marriage of the two young people. When the three would-be usurpers arrive at her cell they are distracted by some brightly colored clothes that have been hung out for them, then they are chased away by a band of spirits who have taken on the form of dogs. 4

5 Ariel brings the party to the cell. Prospero renounces her magic and reveals herself. She forgives her brother and prepares to return to Milan to resume her dukedom. Miranda and Ferdinand are betrothed. Sailors arrive and announce that the ship hasn t been wrecked after all, and is safely anchored off the island. Ariel is set free. Caliban and the drunken servants are also forgiven. There is a final celebration of their reunion. (Source: Our production You may have recognized that Prospero is being played by a woman, a break from the way the part was originally written. A film starring Dame Helen Mirren also recently used this approach, and we think it does some very interesting things to the play. We ll let the spectator decide what exactly it does. If you choose to make this a class discussion, it relates to TH.912.H.2.6: Explore how gender, race, and age are perceived in plays and how they affect the development of theatre. You may also watch the Mirren version of The Tempest and accomplish standard: TH.68.C.3.2: Compare a film version of a story to its original play form, as well as LAFS.1112.RL.3.7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. We are choosing to highlight the magical and fantastical modes of storytelling in this production, doing our best to get away from a realistic approach in favor of one that demands both actor and spectator use their imaginations! The characters Prospero - The play s protagonist, and mother of Miranda. Twelve years before the events of the play, Prospero was the duke of Milan. Her brother, Antonio, in concert with Alonso, king of Naples, usurped her, forcing her to flee in a boat with her daughter. The honest lord Gonzalo aided Prospero in her escape. Prospero has spent her twelve years on the island refining the magic that gives her the power she needs to punish and forgive her enemies. Miranda - The daughter of Prospero, Miranda was brought to the island at an early age and has never seen any men other than her father and Caliban, though she dimly remembers being cared for by female servants as an infant. Because she has been sealed off from the world for so long, Miranda s perceptions of other people tend to be naïve and nonjudgmental. She is compassionate, generous, and loyal to her father. Ariel - Prospero s spirit helper. Ariel is referred to throughout most criticism as he and in our production as she but her gender and physical form are ambiguous. Rescued by Prospero from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch Sycorax, Ariel is Prospero s servant until Prospero decides to release her. She is mischievous and ubiquitous, able to 5

6 traverse the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will. She carries out virtually every task that Prospero needs accomplished in the play. Caliban - Another of Prospero s servants. Caliban, the son of the now-deceased witch Sycorax, acquainted Prospero with the island when Prospero arrived. Caliban believes that the island rightfully belongs to him and has been stolen by Prospero. His speech and behavior is sometimes coarse and brutal, as in his drunken scenes with Stephano and Trinculo (II.ii, IV.i), and sometimes eloquent and sensitive, as in his rebukes of Prospero in Act I, scene ii, and in his description of the eerie beauty of the island in Act III, scene ii (III.ii ). Ferdinand - Son and heir of Alonso. Ferdinand seems in some ways to be as pure and naïve as Miranda. He falls in love with her upon first sight and happily submits to servitude in order to win her father s approval. Alonso - King of Naples and father of Ferdinand. Alonso aided Antonio in unseating Prospero as Duke of Milan twelve years before. As he appears in the play, however, he is acutely aware of the consequences of all his actions. He blames his decision to marry his daughter to the Prince of Tunis on the apparent death of his son. In addition, after the magical banquet, he regrets his role in the usurping of Prospero. Antonio - Prospero s brother. Antonio quickly demonstrates that he is power-hungry and foolish. In Act II, scene i, he persuades Sebastian to kill the sleeping Alonso. He then goes along with Sebastian s absurd story about fending off lions when Gonzalo wakes up and catches Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn. Sebastian - Alonso s brother. Like Antonio, he is both aggressive and cowardly. He is easily persuaded to kill his brother in Act II, scene i, and he initiates the ridiculous story about lions when Gonzalo catches him with his sword drawn. Gonzalo - An old, honest lord, Gonzalo helped Prospero and Miranda to escape after Antonio usurped Prospero s title. Gonzalo s speeches provide an important commentary on the events of the play, as he remarks on the beauty of the island when the stranded party first lands, then on the desperation of Alonso after the magic banquet, and on the miracle of the reconciliation in Act V, scene i. Trinculo & Stephano - Trinculo, a jester, and Stephano, a drunken butler, are two minor members of the shipwrecked party. They provide a comic foil to the other, more powerful pairs of Prospero and Alonso and Antonio and Sebastian. Their drunken boasting and petty greed reflect and deflate the quarrels and power struggles of Prospero and the other nobles. Boatswain - Appearing only in the first and last scenes, the Boatswain is vigorously goodnatured. He seems competent and almost cheerful in the shipwreck scene, demanding 6

7 practical help rather than weeping and praying. And he seems surprised but not stunned when he awakens from a long sleep at the end of the play. (source: SparkNotes.com) What should you do before the trip? We do think it will be helpful to familiarize yourself with the play, but do not feel that it should be requisite to read the play first. If the students have never experienced Shakespeare before and reading is not a possibility, we recommend showing a few of the Guardian UK s Shakespeare Solo series to give students a live, quality introduction to the poetry and style of Shakespeare s language. Like spoken word, like hip-hop, Shakespearean iambic pentameter is a heightened style, not everyday speech. It was never meant to be read silently to yourself but spoken aloud and listened to! Theater etiquette The audience is why theater exists! We love playing with the audience, they are an active part of the event. The audience impacts the actors to the same extent that the actors can impact the audience. We want everyone to enjoy themselves, but to do that we have to make sure we: Completely silence all phones and gadgets and put them away for the whole performance. These things not only distract you from paying attention but distract others around you from being able to do the same. Ignore your notifications even if you have it on vibrate. Better yet why not just turn it off for two hours and relax? Please stay in your seat throughout the performance. Try to use the restroom before the show, during intermission, or afterwards. Feel free to laugh and gasp and applaud, but make sure you never talk out loud to those around you or repeat lines or words out loud. Even if you think you're just whispering, you are possibly disturbing people around you and/or the performers on stage. Allow yourself to get carried away! The language may sound alien to you at first, that s ok. it will take you a few minutes to get into the rhythm. Hang with it! Give it a chance! You ll be into it in no time! The only way you can do this though is by giving your undivided attention to the performers on stage. Sometimes the actors will speak directly to audience members when they are thinking about things or making a major decision. These moments of aside or soliloquy 7

8 represent important parts of the play and certain character s journeys. Give them eye contact back! We promise they won t bite! Our theater is small and the audience sits on three sides of the stage. That means if you can see someone else actors or audience members they can see you, too! A group discussion on theater etiquette accomplishes standard TH.912.S.1.1: Describe the interactive effect of audience members and actors on performances, TH.68.S.1.1: Describe the responsibilities of audience members, to the actors and each other, at live and recorded performances and demonstrate appropriate behavior., as well as TH.68.H.1.6: Discuss how a performer responds to different audiences. Shakespeare and Elizabethan theater William Shakespeare, baptized April 26th 1564 and died April 23rd 1616, is usually considered the greatest playwright of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. His extant work includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other shorter poems. Although his life began as a small-town son of a glove-maker, Shakespeare left his wife and children in Stratford at an early age to pursue the life of an actor, writer, and part owner of the leading theatre troupe in London. His troupe, known as The Lord Chamberlain s Men, was led by Richard Burbage and gained the respect of Queen Elizabeth I. After Elizabeth s death King James I took the throne, and Shakespeare s troupe won his favor and took the name The King s Men. He retired back to Stratford in His plays might have never been published if not for the work of two actor s from Shakespeare s company who compiled his plays in 1623, after his death, in what is known as The First Folio. Still today Shakespeare s plays are produced more than any other playwright, and have been translated into every major living language and studied by people worldwide. (Source: wikipedia.com) 8

9 Statistics from the late 16th century suggest that more than 10% of the population regularly attended plays.the first regular London playhouse, The Theatre, had been built by the actor and carpenter, J. Burbage, in Actually, it was built just outside the city of London in order to scape the Puritan civic authorities. Up to this time players had been forced to perform mostly in inn yards. In the typical Elizabethan playhouse: The overall shape was roughly round or octagonal shaped with an open space in the middle, or an unroofed yard surrounded by one or two galleries. The stage was an open platform, jutting out into the center of the yard. Under the stage, hidden by drapery, was a cellar with machinery for projecting ghosts and devils through trapdoors. Above the stage the first gallery provided an open balcony which could be used for appearances of actors. Above the balcony was a hut to house machinery to raise or lower actors or property onto the stage. The audience could stand around the stage, on three sides, for the payment of a penny. In the galleries, the best places cost as much as sixpence. Depending on the theatre, there were as many as 2,000 to 3,000 places for spectators. Shakespeare s company, the King s Men, owned and produced their plays in the Globe Theatre, which they opened in Like many others of its time, it was an open-roofed structure with a jutting stage, surrounded by curving balcony of seats. The stage itself was roofed and had many levels, so that almost any kind of scene could be represented. There was little in the way of props and scenery. Shakespeare s play often contain prologues apologizing for the poverty of the set and inviting the viewers to use their imaginations. The plays are full of vivid speeches that use words to create the scene for the audience. In an open theatre, plays were performed during the day with no lighting available beyond natural daylight. In an enclosed theatre, such as the Blackfriars which the King s Men purchased in 1609, evening performances could be given by torch and candlelight. This type of performance was more expensive and attracted a higher class audience. Theatre companies during Shakespeare s time consisted of male actors only; no women appeared on the stage. Young men dressed in women s clothing played these parts. The theatre was considered too vulgar an environment for women and a temptation to public immorality. Needless to say, the men were presented with the same temptations, but it was considered more socially acceptable for them. Although an actor could make a good living, 9

10 the profession was not considered respectable and the association between acting and a loose lifestyle is one that lives on today. Historical context Painting by Christopher Grimes, Bermuda The Wreck of the Sea Venture Excerpted from Alden T. Vaughan, "Shakespeare Discovers America, America Discovers Shakespeare," Shakespeare in American Life exhibition catalog. Folger Shakespeare Library, This section accomplishes standard LAFS.910.RL.3.9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). The story of the Sea Venture's wreck on the Bermuda Islands has often been told, but it bears a brief summary here because it opened Shakespeare's works to the influences of English colonization and, perhaps more important, because it undergirds the theory espoused intermittently since the late nineteenth century that Shakespeare set The Tempest on Bermuda and intended the characters to reflect early American persons and events. Bermuda, to this day, reminds visitors of its reputed Tempest connections with venues like Prospero's Cave (a night club), Caliban's Bar, and the Ariel Sands Beach Club. The five hundred potential colonists in nine ships that departed England in early June 1609 expected to sail north of Bermuda on their westward route from the Canary Islands to Virginia. When they were several days short of their destination, a massive hurricane scattered the fleet. One vessel sank; seven ships straggled into Jamestown, weeks overdue. 10

11 The flagship Sea Venture, carrying the fleet's admiral, Sir George Somers, and Virginia's new governor, Sir Thomas Gates, never arrived at Jamestown and was presumed to have been lost. News of the tragedy reached England when the surviving ships headed home from Jamestown, "laden with nothing but bad reports and letters of discouragement." England's only American colony, readers learned, was beset by Indians, ravaged by sickness, on the verge of starvation, and shorn of legitimate leadership. Its "headless and unbridled multitude," lamented the Virginia Company of London (the colony's supervisory body), had succumbed to "disorder and riot." Company spokesmen blamed everything, directly or indirectly, on "the Tempest." Against all expectations, the Sea Venture had weathered the storm barely. Among the survivors, William Strachey described the experience most vividly in a very long letter (twenty-two folio pages when finally printed), written in Virginia to an unnamed lady in England. For three days and four nights, Strachey remembered, all hands crew and passengers, noblemen and commoners pumped, bailed, cast trunks and barrels overboard, and jettisoned much of the ship's rigging, while sailors, lighting their way with candles, stuffed the leaking hull with whatever came to hand, even beef from the ship's larder. Many distraught souls, resigned to a watery death, bid their friends farewell or took refuge in drink. But "it pleased God," another survivor gratefully recalled, to push the Sea Venture within three-quarters of a mile of Bermuda, where it "fast lodged and locked" between coral boulders. All 150 passengers and crew rode the ship's boats to solid land. No humans, European or aboriginal, inhabited the Bermuda archipelago when the Sea Venture fortuitously arrived. During the previous century, ships of many nations had crashed on its reefs, and a few survivors had lived to describe the "Isle of Devils," but the most tangible signs of those accidental visits were the wild hogs whose ancestors swam ashore from shipwrecked vessels. Yet Bermuda was, as thesea Venture's passengers quickly realized, an island paradise strategically located for transatlantic commerce or piracy and free for the taking. Instead of the reputed devils and malicious spirits, the English encountered docile and abundant birds, fish, tortoises, and the immigrant hogs; fruits and berries were ubiquitous. The climate was salubrious, the environment healthy. During the next nine months, Admiral Somers supervised the construction of two seaworthy vessels from Bermuda cedar and the Sea Venture's salvageable timbers and tackle. Not everyone pitched in. Some men preferred a life of ease on Bermuda to the imagined perils of Virginia and refused to build the ships. Other men objected to cutting and carrying cedar logs, still others resented Gates and Somers's firm authority, and a few cast covetous eyes on the survivors' valuable goods. Strachey's letter bristles with charges of "conspiracy," "Mutinie," "Rebellion," and "bloudy issues and mischiefes." By the time the Sea Venture's 11

12 passengers and crew sailed to Jamestown in the newly completed Deliverance and Patience in May 1610, one man had been executed, one (maybe two) had been murdered, and two men who hid from harsh punishment were left behind. The Virginia Colony, Strachey discovered on arrival, was comparably chaotic. "[W]e found the Pallisadoes torne downe, the Gates from off the hinges, and emptie houses burnt" for firewood. Outside the fort, "the Indian[s] killed as fast if our men stirred but beyond the bounds of their blockhouse, as Famine and Pestilence did within." With only sixty men and women surviving from the several hundred who had reached Jamestown since 1607, Gates and the disheveled remnant abandoned the colony; only the unexpected arrival of fresh settlers and supplies under a new governor, Francis West, Lord De La Warr, saved the day. With order largely restored, Sir Thomas Gates left for England in early September 1610, carrying Strachey's letter. It was too candid for the Virginia Company of London to permit publication, but the manuscript fascinated many readers, including William Shakespeare. The Tempest (completed in late 1610 or early 1611) borrowed some of Strachey's words, phrases, and themes, as well as touches from Silvester Jourdain's less revealing pamphlet (1610), and many other mostly non-american texts and ideas. Elizabeth McKie. A Shakespearean Atlas. Manuscript, Chapel Hill, NC, Shelfmark W.b.638. Folger Shakespeare Library. 12

13 Pre-show activities (see the appendix for full standards descriptions) Background Questions Asking background questions is a simple way to gauge student knowledge of Shakespeare and his work. Consider: What do you think the play might be about, based purely on the title? What Shakespeare plays can you name? What can you say about them? What can you say about Shakespeare s lingering impact on the world today in terms of language, playwrighting, popular culture, or theater? If you had magical abilities, how would you use them? Is it ever ok to manipulate others? Even if you have good intentions? Name something someone has done to you that you have to forgive them for. Do you think you will ever be able to forgive them it is for the good of yourself and your family? Standards: TH.68.C.1.3, TH.68.H.1.2, TH.68.H.1.3, TH.68.H.2.Pa.a, TH.68.O.2.5, TH. 68.O.3.2,TH.912.C.1.3, TH.912.H.1.4, TH.912.H.2.1, TH.912.H.2.11, TH.912.H.2.2, TH. 912.O.2.5 Casting Call If your students have read the play, or even a portion of it, have a casting meeting where students can discuss possible casting decisions using famous TV or movies stars, or possibly even other fictional characters. Ask students to explain their choices based on their impressions or given circumstances of the text. Standards: LAFS.68.RH.1.1, LAFS.910.W.3.9, TH.68.C.1.2, TH.912.C.1.5, TH.912.C.3.1, TH.912.O.1.3 Watch and Repeat David Threlfall performs a Prospero monologue as part of the Guardian s Shakespeare Solos series. First ask the students to watch it, listening intently as to how the actor uses the poetry: Next, ask students to try to recreate the way Threlfall performs the speech themselves. They may do it alone, in pairs, or groups. Perhaps even one student per line. Finally, ask the 13

14 students if anyone would like to recite part of it using their own interpretation of the speech and the sounds it contains. Standards: TH.912.H.1.3, TH.912.O.2.2, TH.912.S.2.8 Caliban and Ariel in Visual Art Ariel and Caliban, two of Shakespeare s non-human characters, have left much room for interpretation in how they can be portrayed. The 19th century produced a number of artists inspired by Shakespeare who put scenes of his play on canvas. Visit this site ( classes/shakespeare_illustrated/tempestpaintings.html) and find a painting depicting Ariel or Caliban from The Tempest. Compare how you expected these characters to look with the artist s rendering. Keep these images in mind when you see the play and compare all three interpretations! Standards: LAFS.910.W.3.9, SS.912.H.1.1, TH.68.C.3.1, TH.912.C.3.1, TH.912.H.2.1, TH. 912.H.3.3, TH.912.S.2.9, Be a Sound Designer The Tempest is one of Shakespeare s most sound-heavy plays. Have students reread Caliban s speech at III.ii.132, Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises. Then go back and ask students to pick out as many references to sound as they can find, both in the text and in the stage directions. Creating a sound design for a play or movie is an important part of telling the story. What kinds of sounds exist on the island in The Tempest? Ask students to create one sound cue for a moment in the play, using music, voices or found items (recorded or live) to create the sound. How does sound help to tell the story? Standards: LAFS.68.RH.1.1, LAFS.910.W.3.9, TH68.C.1.4, TH.68.C.3.1, TH.68.F.1.1, TH. 912.H.1.3, TH.912.C.2.1, TH.912.O.1.1, TH.912.O.1.3, TH.912.O.3.5, TH.912.S.2.9, TH.912.S. 3.1, Pre-show visits We would love to send a teaching artist and possibly members of the production to your school before you visit to answer questions, contextualize the play the students will see, lead a workshop, or even watch what students are working on in class. The earlier you contact us to schedule this, the more likely we will be able to help you make this happen. Write to: djenkins@jobsitetheater.org Standards: Various. Ask for details, and we can custom-build a list. 14

15 Chapter Two After Your Visit Post-show activities (see the appendix for full standards descriptions) General Discussion 1. Why is it significant that the play begins with a storm at sea? 2. What does it mean that Prospero has to take off her robe, her magic garment, before she can tell Miranda about her history? 3. In Prospero s questioning of Ariel, we learn that the storm is part of Prospero s design. Does she want to punish the conspirators or lead them to repentance? 4. What does Caliban hope to accomplish by his plot against Prospero? Why does Shakespeare include this subplot mirroring the conspiracy of the nobles? 5. Why does Prospero decide to give up magic? What does her choice show about what she thinks happened in the past? How does she plan to live in the future? What has Prospero learned? Has she changed in any fundamental way or had the change already occurred before the beginning of the action? Discussion of Themes Justice:...The Rarer Action Is In Virtue, Than In Vengeance." (Prospero, 5,1) Servant & Master: Is There More Toil? Since Thou Dost Give Me Pains, / Let Me Remember Thee What Thou Hast Promised, / Which Is Not Yet Performed Me (Ariel, 1,2) Power & Colonization: All Things In Common Nature Should Produce Without Sweat Or Endeavour. Treason, Felony, Sword, Pike, Knife, Gun, Or Need Of Any Engine Would I Not Have; But Nature Should Bring Forth Of It Own Kind, All Foison, All Abundance To Feed My Innocent People. (Gonzalo, 2,1) Loss & Restoration: Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. (Trinculo, 2,2) Do the students have other ideas? Standards: LAFS.68.RH.1.2, TH.68.C.1.6, TH.912.C.1.7, TH.912.H.1.4, WL.K12.NH

16 Write a Review Explain to students that the director s job is to take the words on the script from the printed page to the stage and bring them to life. Explain that theater critics review shows and publish their opinions. For AmericanTheatreCritics.org, critic Sherry Eaker wrote, My point of view was that it wasn t the theatre critic s place to tell the playwright what he or she should be doing; instead, the critic should focus on what is already there and explain either why it works or why is doesn t work. The critic Goethe established a simple set of three questions that a critic should answer: What were the artists trying to do? How well did the artists do it? Was the work of art ultimately worth doing? After seeing the production, have each student write a review of The Tempest. The review should include one paragraph each for: 1. Introduction What did you watch, where and when, and maybe, why? 2. The script Did you like the writing, the story, the characters? Why or why not? 3. The sound - Did you like the music? Why or why not? 4. The acting Did you believe and care about the characters as portrayed? Why or why not? 5. The design Did you like the set, costume and light designs? Why or why not? 6. The staging How did the director stage the violence? Was it effective? 7. The audience What ways did the audience respond to particular moments? 8. Conclusion What will you remember about this performance? If you want to share your reviews, we would love to see them: comments@jobsitetheater.org Read more: How to Become a Theater Critic ehow.com how_ _becometheater-critic.html#ixzz1v9teymnc Standards: LAFS.68.RH.1.2, LAFS.910.W.3.9, TH.68.C.1.6, TH.68.C.2.4, TH.68.C.3.1, TH. 68.H.1.1, TH.68.H.1.2, TH.68.H.1.5, TH.68.O.1.3, TH.68.O.1.4, TH.68.S.1.3, TH.912.C.1.3, TH.912.C.1.7, TH.912.S.1.4 Water, Water, Everywhere Water imagery abounds in The Tempest and plays a vital role in the events that unfold. Ask students to share all of the ways that water is used in the play. Then ask students to pick one example of water imagery to recreate. They can make a collage, write a poem, use their 16

17 bodies, voices, instruments, or any other form of expression to demonstrate the feeling that the water evokes. Standards: LAFS.910.W.3.9, TH.68.C.1.4, TH.912.C.2.1, TH.68.C.3.1, TH.912.H.3.3, TH. 68.S.2.9, TH.912.S.3.1 Forgiveness and Reconciliation One of the reasons The Tempest is sometimes considered a comedy is that all the characters are forgiven for their misdeeds. Prospero forgives everyone in the very last scene of the play. Discuss when you think she makes the decision to forgive the characters who have betrayed her. Did those forgiven really repent? Do you think there is a possibility of Prospero being wronged again? Are there any characters who deserve an apology from Prospero? Standards: LAFS.68.RH.1.2, LAFS.910.W.3.9, TH.68.C.1.2, TH.912.C.1.2, TH.912.H.1.5 Look Up at the Sky Did you know that many of the moons of Uranus are named after Shakespearean characters, many of them from The Tempest? (Those that aren t Shakespearean are taken from Alexander Pope s poem, The Rape of the Lock.) For extra credit, ask students to look up the names of the moons of Uranus and find their namesakes in Shakespeare Standards: SC.5.E.5.3 Post-show visits We would love to send a teaching artist and possibly members of the production to your school after your visit to answer questions, lead a workshop, or even watch what students are working on in class. The earlier you contact us to schedule this, the more likely we will be able to help you make this happen. Write to: djenkins@jobsitetheater.org Standards: Various. Ask for details, and we can custom-build a list. Appendix: Standards Listing LAFS.68.RH.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. LAFS.68.RH.1.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. 17

18 LAFS.910.RL.3.9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). LAFS.910.W.3.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. LAFS.1112.RL.3.7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. SC.5.E.5.3: Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System -- Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets -- and identify Earth's position in it. SS.912.H.1.1: Relate works in the arts (architecture, dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) of varying styles and genre according to the periods in which they were created. TH.68.C.1.2: Develop a character analysis to support artistic portrayal. TH.68.C.1.3: Determine the purpose(s), elements, meaning, and value of a theatrical work based on personal, cultural, or historical standards. TH.68.C.1.4: Create and present a design, production concept, or performance and defend artistic choices. TH.68.C.1.5: Describe how a theatrical activity can entertain or instruct an audience. TH.68.C.1.6: Analyze selections from the canon of great world drama as a foundation for understanding the development of drama over time. TH.68.C.2.4: Defend personal responses to a theatre production. TH.68.C.3.1: Discuss how visual and aural design elements communicate environment, mood, and theme in a theatrical presentation. TH.68.C.3.2: Compare a film version of a story to its original play form. TH.68.F.1.1: Manipulate various design components to imagine the world of the character. TH.68.H.1.1: Explore potential differences when performing works set in a variety of historical and cultural contexts. TH.68.H.1.2: Analyze the impact of ones emotional and social experiences when responding to, or participating in, a play. 18

19 TH.68.H.1.3: Identify significant contributions of playwrights, actors, and designers and describe their dramatic heritage. TH.68.H.1.5: Describe ones own personal responses to a theatrical work and show respect for the responses of others. TH.68.H.1.6: Discuss how a performer responds to different audiences. TH.68.H.2.Pa.a: Explore socially and culturally significant theatre. TH.68.O.1.3: Explain the impact of choices made by directors, designers, and actors on audience understanding. TH.68.O.1.4: Discuss how the whole of a theatre performance is greater than the sum of its parts. TH.68.O.2.5: Explain how the contributions of significant playwrights, performers, directors, designers, and producers from various cultures and historical periods have influenced the creative innovations of theatre. TH.68.O.3.2: Explore how theatre and theatrical works have influenced various cultures. TH.68.S.1.1: Describe the responsibilities of audience members, to the actors and each other, at live and recorded performances and demonstrate appropriate behavior. TH.68.S.1.3: Describe criteria for the evaluation of dramatic texts, performances, direction, and production elements. TH.912.C.1.3: Justify a response to a theatrical experience through oral or written analysis, using correct theatre terminology. TH.912.C.1.4: Research and define the physical/visual elements necessary to create theatrical reality for a specific historical and/or geographical play. TH.912.C.1.5: Make and defend conscious choices in the creation of a character that will fulfill anticipated audience response. TH.912.C.1.7: Justify personal perceptions of a directors vision and/or playwrights intent. TH.912.C.1.8: Apply the components of aesthetics and criticism to a theatrical performance or design. TH.912.C.2.1: Explore and describe possible solutions to production or acting challenges and select the solution most likely to produce desired results. 19

20 TH.912.C.2.4: Collaborate with a team to outline several potential solutions to a design problem and rank them in order of likely success. TH.912.C.3.1: Explore commonalities between works of theatre and other performance media. TH.912.H.1.3: Present a design or perform in the style of a different historical or cultural context to gain appreciation of that time and culture. TH.912.H.1.4: Interpret a text through different social, cultural, and historical lenses to consider how perspective and context shape a work and its characters. TH.912.H.2.1: Research the correlations between theatrical forms and the social, cultural, historical, and political climates from which they emerged, to form an understanding of the influences that have shaped theatre. TH.912.H.2.2: Research and discuss the effects of personal experience, culture, and current events that shape individual response to theatrical works. TH.912.H.2.6: Explore how gender, race, and age are perceived in plays and how they affect the development of theatre. TH.912.H.3.3: Apply knowledge of non-theatre content areas to enhance presentations of characters, environments, and actions in performance. TH.912.O.1.1: Research and analyze a dramatic text by breaking it down into its basic, structural elements to support development of a directorial concept, characterization, and design. TH.912.O.1.3: Execute the responsibilities of director, designer, manager, technician, or performer by applying standard theatrical conventions. TH.912.O.2.2: Perform a scene or monologue in a non-traditional way that stays true to its dramatic structure and can be justified within the script. TH.912.O.2.5: Explain how the contributions and methods of significant individuals from various cultures and historical periods have influenced the creative innovations of theatre, and apply one of their innovations to a theatrical piece in a new way. TH.912.O.3.5: Design technical elements to document the progression of a character, plot, or theme. TH.912.S.1.1: Describe the interactive effect of audience members and actors on performances. 20

21 TH.912.S.1.4: Compare the artistic content as described by playwrights, actors, designers, and/or directors with the final artistic product and assess the success of the final artistic product using established criteria. TH.912.S.2.8: Strengthen acting skills by engaging in theatre games and improvisations. TH.912.S.2.9: Research and defend one s own artistic choices as a designer. TH.912.S.3.1: Articulate, based on research, the rationale for artistic choices in casting, staging, or technical design for a scene from original or scripted material. WL.K12.NH.2.2: Identify the elements of story such as setting, theme and characters. Special Thanks and Sponsors Our educational programs are made possible through the generosity of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Saunders Foundation. Jobsite Theater is sponsored by the Straz Center, Gobioff Foundation, Creative Loafing, Illumination Advertising, Fodder & Shine/The Refinery, Rollin Oats Tampa, the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, and the State of Florida - Division of Cultural Affairs. Learn more about the company at JobsiteTheater.org About Jobsite Theater Jobsite Theater is an incorporated professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theater company that has been serving the Tampa Bay area since Most of our productions occur in the Shimberg Playhouse at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, where we are the official theater company in residence. Jobsite Theater is dedicated to the creation of socially and politically relevant theater and the pursuit of performing it to the broadest possible audience. Jobsite has established and will continue to evolve a collective of like-minded artists, creating a supportive environment where artists of all disciplines may experiment, hone, and apply their skills in a professional laboratory environment. Through all forms of theater experimental, new plays, contemporary works, or the classics Jobsite hopes to inspire the community to become not just consumers, but true citizens. 21

22 Jobsite was founded as an artist s company, backed by an Artistic Associates collective, comprised of artists of varying disciplines. The Artistic Associates assist in the programming of the season and, with our Board of Directors, ensures the overall health and direction of the organization. Jobsite works exclusively with local talent. They have assembled an ensemble currently over 40 members strong who assist Jobsite in all elements of theatrical production. Ensemble members are also afforded opportunities to produce second stage work in late night slots or at times the theater might normally be dark. Jobsite has an apprenticeship program in place where theater artists in or who have just completed an educational program (and in some cases even those who may be unaffiliated) may come to get hands-on experience in all aspects of production, with a possibility of becoming an Ensemble Member upon completion of the program. About David M. Jenkins David M. Jenkins (Director, Dramaturg) is the Producing Artistic Director and a cofounder of Jobsite. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication (Performance Studies) from the University of South Florida, an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Florida, and a B.A. in Theater Performance, also from USF. He has additionally studied with Moscow State University, the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. David teaches in both the Theater and Communication departments at USF as well as in their Honors College. He has recently directed productions of The Threepenny Opera, Gloucester Blue, As You Like It, LIZZIE, The Maids, Lebensraum, SILENCE! The Musical, Annapurna (with Summer Bohnenkamp), Twelfth Night, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Macbeth and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He was honored to be directed by Israel Horovitz in the rehearsed staged reading of Horovitz s play Sins of the Mother (Frankie/Philly Verga), and was also recently seen in Cloud 9 (Betty/Edward), A Skull in Connemara (Tom Hanlon) Time Stands Still (James), The Hound of the Baskervilles (Dr. Watson), and The Lonesome West (Coleman). The latter earned him a Theatre Tampa Bay nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor, recognition as a Top 9 performance of 2013 by Creative Loafing s Mark Leib, and the Best Actor Award in CL s Best of the Bay Reader s Poll. He was the 2014 recipient of the Best Director Award from CL s Reader s Poll and Best Director of a Musical in the BroadwayWorld Tampa Regional Awards. Creative Loafing has twice honored him as 22

23 both Best Artistic Director and Best Actor. David has published articles in the scholarly journals Text & Performance Quarterly, Liminalities, and Departures in Critical Qualitative Research. He lives in Tampa Heights in a neat old house with his rad wife and a mess of critters. From our 2017 production of As You Like It. Photo courtesy Pritchard Photography. 23