Play Guide [1.2MB PDF] - Arizona Theatre Company

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written monologues will be based on this example. 3) Once the monologue has been performed, ask the class who they think the character is. What clues were present in the example? Did the object or cultural reference make it easier to guess? Why or why not? 4) Have each student select an item that is not his/her own. 5) Each student will then have 10-15 minutes (or longer, depending on class length) to write a short monologue as a character for whom the chosen object has meaning. Parameters for the monologue are as follows: • Monologues should be formatted like the sample scene from The Glass Menagerie. • • • • • The monologue should begin with a contemporary description of the character. Using what they know of the characters from the play, students should consider the following: o How old is this character? o What is he or she wearing in this monologue scene? o Where does the scene take place? (Again, keep in mind what you know of the characters and the play. Don’t take the character completely out of their world – update that world to 2010.) The monologue should be the length of a decent paragraph and should have a beginning, middle, and end. The character is sharing what the chosen object or cultural reference means to him or her. If a student chooses an object or reference that could relate to multiple characters, it is up to the student to choose which character they would like to write as. However, there must be evidence in the play that a character would relate to the contemporary object (e.g., the character had a relationship with the 1930s equivalent in the original play). Remember who the characters are and their relationships to one another and to keep those relationships the same in the contemporary monologue. Students should not feel obligated to write as their own gender; they should write what is interesting to them. Students should try to capture the voice of the character as much as possible, while also considering what a contemporary version of the character would sound like. What contemporary phrases might this character use? Encourage students to really delve into the minds and emotions of the characters that they are writing. WHY is this object or cultural reference meaningful to the character? WHAT does the character get from his or her relationship with this object/reference? HOW do they feel about the object/reference? HOW does the character respond to the way that other characters in the story feel about the chosen object/reference? The Glass Menagerie Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 36
The Glass Menagerie 6) Depending on the class, choose one of the following performance options. • You may choose to have volunteers read their own monologues, which gives the students an opportunity to portray the characters as they were written. • Alternatively, ask the students to trade monologues and perform each other’s. This is a good option if the class seems less comfortable with each other or the students seem concerned about reading their own work aloud. If the second option is chosen, the students should do their best to portray the character as described by the monologue’s author; he/she should use the character description to assist in character development. 7) After each monologue, ask the class the following questions: • Which character was this? How could you tell? • What in the monologue made it clear what the object/reference means to the character? If it wasn’t clear, what could have been done to make it more apparent? • How was the character emotionally connected to the object/reference? • How did the writer captured the contemporary voice of this character in the monologue? How did the actor assist with presenting this character? 8) Continue this process until all monologues have been performed. 9) As a class, discuss the idea of producing a 2010 version of The Glass Menagerie. Could this play work in a contemporary setting with its original text? Why or why not? If you could not change the text, what on stage would need to be changed in order to set this play in 2010? What would you imagine? Would you enjoy seeing a version of this play with modernized characters and references? Debriefi ng Questions 1. Did seeing the play help to clarify the characters and story in your mind? Why or why not? 2. What was diffi cult about this activity? What was fun? 3. Did you feel comfortable writing the monologue? Why or why not? 4. Did you feel comfortable acting out the character? Why or why not? 5. Do you feel like you have a better understanding of these characters now that you have considered them as contemporary people? 6. Do you think that families like the Wingfi elds still exist? 7. Did any of these characters seem more familiar to you once they had been updated? In what way? How did that make you feel? Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 37
Page 1 and 2: Play Guide The Glass Menagerie Ariz
Page 3 and 4: WHO WE ARE Arizona Theatre Company
Page 5 and 6: SYNOPSIS Laura A socially awkward a
Page 7 and 8: WILLIAMS were still people in New O
Page 9 and 10: MEMORY MEMORY PLAYS The Glass Menag
Page 11 and 12: TIME DEPRESSION We’ll cut out bod
Page 13 and 14: WOMEN A 1936 poll in Fortune magazi
Page 15 and 16: DEFENSE IN DEFENSE OF THE MATRIARCH
Page 17 and 18: HISTORY Costume Design for the Gent
Page 19 and 20: HISTORY TERMS The Bombing of Guerni
Page 21 and 22: TERMS Milk Fund: “Milk funds” w
Page 23 and 24: MOVIES DEPRESSION SHOPPING LIST—1
Page 25 and 26: SYMBOLISM Tom describes the gentlem
Page 27 and 28: DISCUSSION 5. What is the signifi c
Page 29 and 30: 3. Discuss the symbol of the glass
Page 31 and 32: - Speaking characters are shown by
Page 33 and 34: 2) Have each student return to his
Page 35: Debriefi ng Questions 1. Do you fee
Page 39: Sample Monologue 2 (The girl in thi

Play Guide [1.2MB PDF] - Arizona Theatre Company

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