my fair lady - shaw festival · a cockney flower girl with an appalling accent and an ambition to...

My Fair Lady Based on the play Pygmalion by BERNARD SHAW Adaptation and lyrics by ALAN JAY LERNER Music by FREDERICK LOEWE

C ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival

Study Guide

Grades 3‐8

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THE SHAW STORY MANDATE

The Shaw Festival produces and presents the work of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and playwrights writing anywhere in the world during, or about, the era of Shaw’s lifetime. VALUES • The Shaw Festival chooses works for presentation that are challenging, provocative and intelligent.

• Productions engage audiences with clever, insightful, and delightful por-traits of the human condition.

• The works chosen often resonate with the wit, social commentary, and topical relevance for which G.B. Shaw himself was well known. • The Shaw Festival is dedicated to excellence, consistency, and integrity

in all its creative and administrative practices.

• The Shaw Festival operates within a fiscally responsible and accountable framework. THE SHAW FESTIVAL ATTRIBUTES ITS SUCCESS TO: The Ensemble - their talent, continuity, generosity, and collegiality fuel all of the Festival’s efforts The Company - their singular sense of purpose fosters mutual trust, re-spect, and dedication to the Festival The Repertory - the alternating schedule of performance serves the au-dience and inspires the company The Mandate - 1856-1950 offers a wealth of material to fascinate and de-light, liberating the ensemble to explore complex questions from the safety of the not too distant past while encouraging audiences to re-discover themselves through the lens of historical perspective

The Shaw Festival is a crucible of progressive and provocative ideas inspired by the brilliance, bravery, humanity, and humour of

George Bernard Shaw. OUR THEATRES The Shaw Festival presents plays in four distinctive theatres. The Festival Theatre with 869 seats is The Shaw’s flagship theatre; the historic Court House where The Shaw first began performing seats 327; and the Royal George Theatre, modeled after an Edwardian opera house, holds 328. Our new Studio Theatre has flexible seating and can accommodate approxi-mately 200 seats. THE SHAW’S COAT OF ARMS In 1987, on the occasion of our 25th Anniversary, the Shaw Fes-tival became the second theatre company in the world to be granted a Coat of Arms by the College of Heralds. A large painted sculpture of our Coat of Arms adorns the lobby of the Festival Theatre.

C ONNECTIONS Shaw Festival Study Guide

WHAT MAKES SHAW SPECIAL

Festival Theatre

Court House Theatre

Royal George Theatre

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C ONNECTIONS

Study Guide

A practical, hands-on resource for the classroom which contains background information for the play, as well as suggested themes for classroom discussions. My Fair Lady is recommended for students in grade 3 and higher. This guide was written and compiled by Megan Gilchrist and Suzanne Merriam. Additional materials were provided by Molly Smith, Paul Sportelli, Ken MacDonald, Judith Bowden, Amanda Tripp, Joanna Falck, Carly Commerford and Leonard Conolly. Cover: Deborah Hay Photo by: Shin Sugino Previews: April 13 Opens: May 28 Closes: October 30

Eliza Doolittle DEBORAH HAY Freddy Eynsford-Hill MARK UHRE Mrs Eynsford-Hill / Cockney GABRIELLE JONES

Colonel Pickering PATRICK GALLIGAN Jamie BILLY LAKE Busker / Lady Boxington KIERA SANGSTER Bootblack / Charles / Policeman COLIN LEPAGE Cockney Quartet /Butler /

Dr Themistocles Stephanos KELLY WONG Henry Higgins BENEDICT CAMPBELL Cockney Quartet / Footman / Sir Reginald Tarrington LOUIE ROSSETTI Cockney Quartet / Consort /

Zoltan Karpathy JEFF IRVING George / Footman ANTHONY MALARKY Alfred Doolittle NEIL BARCLAY Harry / Lord Boxington KYLE BLAIR Tart / Embassy Guest / Maid MELANIE PHILLIPSON (until June 1)

MELANIE JANZEN (after June 1)

Busker / Angry Man DEVON TULLOCK Mrs Pearce / Queen of Transylvania PATTY JAMIESON Tart / Maid / Lady Tarrington ROBIN EVAN WILLIS Flower Girl / Maid SACCHA DENNIS

Mrs Higgins SHARRY FLETT Street Sweep / Maid HEATHER McGUIGAN Flower Girl / Swing KATIE MURPHY Flower Girl JACQUELINE THAIR

Cockney / Swing KELLAN ZIFFLE Buskers ALEXANDRE BRILLON CELESTE BRILLON AIDAN TYE LUKA VUJIC


THE PLAYERS

THE ARTISTIC TEAM Director MOLLY SMITH Musical Director PAUL SPORTELLI Choreographer DANNY PELZIG

Set Designer KEN MACDONALD Costume Designer JUDITH BOWDEN Lighting Designer JOCK MUNRO Projection Designer ADAM LARSEN Sound Designer JOHN LOTT

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The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. ‐Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady

MY FAIR LADY is a story about...

...the transformation of Eliza Doolittle from a dirty, uncouth Cockney flower seller into an elegant, well-spoken lady.

Professor Henry Higgins, a speech scientist can place any person by their accent to within two streets of where they were born. One night outside the Royal Opera House in London, Professor Higgins and a fellow speech expert, Colonel Pickering, hear the ear-splitting howls of a flower seller whose basket of flowers has been knocked to the ground. Higgins is horrified by her language and speech and tells Colonel Pickering that if Eliza could simply learn to speak proper English, he could pass her off as a duchess at an Embassy ball within six months. While Higgins says it jokingly, Eliza hears this proposition and seizes her chance. The next day, she arrives at Higgins’ home and says she’ll pay for lessons to learn proper English so she can work in a flower shop. Pickering then challenges Higgins to deliver on his boast and Higgins accepts claiming, "I’ll make a duchess of this draggle-tailed guttersnipe!" Eliza moves in and the transformation - both inside and out - for both Eliza and Higgins begins.

Higgins puts Eliza through a series of exhausting and degrading exercises to improve her speech. Eliza’s spirit is almost broken by his heartless attitude towards her, and her first public test of her skills, as the Ascot Racecourse, nearly ends in disaster as she slips back into her uncouth manner of speech.

However, with the encouragement of Pickering and Mrs. Higgins, Eliza’s next presentation to high society is a complete success. At the Embassy Ball, her manners are impeccable, her speech is proper, and everyone at the Ball is completely convinced by her performance. Afterwards, Higgins celebrates “his” success at winning the bet, but continues his lack of recognition for Eliza - she has served her purpose, and he seemingly is now done with her.

Eliza, who has learned self-respect from Mrs Higgins and Colonel Pickering, walks out on Higgins, and it is at that moment he realizes that he has come to care deeply for her. As he contemplates life without Eliza, the play ends with her return and they meet as equals - both having undergone transfor-mations.

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OO’S OO? (WHO’S WHO?)

My Fair Lady


ELIZA DOOLITTLE A Cockney flower girl with an appalling accent and an ambition to become a sales-lady in a florist shop. She asks the famous phonetician Henry Higgins to teach her to talk and act like a lady so that she can improve her station in life.

HENRY HIGGINS An upper class bachelor and phonetics expert who wagers that in six months he could pass Eliza off as a duchess at an Embassy ball or get her a place as a lady’s maid or shop assistant.

ALFRED DOOLITTLE Eliza’s father. He is a proud member of the ’undeserving poor’, a layabout and a heavy drinker. He visits Higgins to collect payment for the possession of his daughter.

COLONEL PICKERING An expert on Indian dialects visiting London to meet Henry Higgins. He assists in Eliza’s transformation.

MRS EYNSFORD-HILL Friends with Mrs Higgins and mother of Freddy.

MRS HIGGINS Henry’s mother. She is the first to test Eliza as a lady.

FREDDY EYNSFORD-HILL An upper class but penniless young man who falls desperately in love with Eliza Doolittle after she is transformed from a flower girl into a lady.

MRS PEARCE Henry Higgins’ housekeeper

© The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. All rights reserved. www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org

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The Playwright Bernard Shaw

SHAW THE BOY “I may add that I was incorrigibly idle and worthless as a schoolboy, and am proud of the fact.” But his bedtime reading consisted of the entire works of the entire works of Dickens and Shakespeare.

SHAW THE REBEL “Do not do unto others as you expect they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.” Shaw championed equity for those who had no voice in society - the underprivileged and women.

SHAW THE LOVER GBS loved women. He had life-long affairs with many, in letters, poetry, and prose but rarely of the flesh. He was a major supporter of women’s emancipation. “She is the slave of duty.”

SHAW THE VEGETARIAN “Meat is poison to the system. No one should live on dead things.” He believed this to be the reason he stayed mentally and physically fit into his 90s.

SHAW THE SOCIALIST “Socialism is … the economist’s hatred of waste and disorder, the aesthete's hatred of ugliness and dirt, the lawyer’s hatred of injustice, the doctor's hatred of disease, the saint's hatred of the seven deadly sins.” Shaw believed in activism. Intellect and words were his weapons.

SHAW THE SUPERMAN Shaw was interested in everything, had an opinion on every-thing, and criticized everything. No thought went unre-corded or unexpressed. The personal letters he wrote in his lifetime compose five large volumes. He wrote reviews, articles, essays , 55 plays and introduced a new adjective into the English language - Shavian - a term used to describe all his brilliant qualities.

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First A Myth ... ~ Roman poet Ovid wrote a myth about a sculptor named Pygmalion who created a statue of a beautiful woman named Galatea. He prayed to the goddess Aphrodite to bring his statue to life. She granted his request and Pygmalion and Galatea married and

enjoyed a long and happy marriage.

Then A Play ... ~ Bernard Shaw wrote a play called Pygmalion, about Henry Higgins, a linguistic scientist who takes a bet to transform Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower seller into a duchess. Higgins teaches Eliza how to speak and behave properly and wins the bet. Even though Eliza’s new education has left her unsuitable to return to flower selling she leaves Higgins in search of a new life.

Then A Film ... ~ Pygmalion was the first of Shaw’s works to be adapted for the screen. Against Shaw’s wishes, a “romantic ending” was added, with Eliza returning to Higgins. However, the film version did retain the highly controversial line from the play “Not bloody likely”, which was considered a “swear word” at the time.

Then A Stage Musical … ~ Alan Jay Lerner and Fritz Loewe created the musical My Fair Lady which opened on Broadway in 1965 and ran for 2,717 performances - a record at that time. The original Broadway cast recording of My Fair Lady spent 480 weeks on the Billboard charts, making it the third-longest selling album of all time.

And Again a Film ... ~ My Fair Lady was made into a film in 1964 starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. The film won eight Oscars. Some of the many modern takes on the My Fair Lady story include episodes of The Simpsons and The Family Guy, as well as the 1999 film She’s All That.

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They (Lerner and Loewe) have drawn song out of Shaw’s people, not imposed it on them. Kenneth Tynan Theatre Critic

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Theatre is all about teamwork. Here’s a list of some of the many people it takes to create live theatre.

Careers in Creative

⇒ Artistic Director ⇒ Director

◊ Intern Director ⇒ Actor

◊ Acting Apprentice ◊

⇒ Design

◊ Lighting ◊ Set ◊ Costume ◊ Sound ◊ Video/Projection

⇒ Planning Director ⇒ Music

◊ Director/Conductor

◊ Composer ◊ Music Intern ◊ Accompanist ◊ Singing Coach

⇒ Playwright ⇒ Literary Manager ⇒ Choreographer

◊ Dance Captain ⇒ Publications Coordinator ⇒ Speech and Dialect

Coaches ⇒ Arts Educator ⇒ Alexander Technique

Coach ⇒ Dramaturg

Careers in Administration

⇒ Executive Director ⇒ Executive Assistant ⇒ Human Resources

⇒ Development

◊ Fundraiser ◊ Researcher ◊ Customer Relations

⇒ Information Services ◊ Database Analyst ◊ IT Specialist ◊ Receptionist

⇒ Marketing ⇒ Finance

◊ Accountant ◊ Bookkeeper ◊ Payroll Coordinator

⇒ Audience Services ◊ Food & Beverage

Staff ◊ Ushers

⇒ Facilities ◊ Housekeeping ◊ Maintenance ◊ Security ◊ Groundskeeper

⇒ Distribution ◊ Printing Press

Operator ◊ Mailroom Coordinator

⇒ Sales ◊ Box Office ◊ Green Room ◊ Retail

⇒ Public Relations ⇒ Housing

◊ Maintenance

Careers in Production

⇒ Stage Management ◊ Stage Manager ◊ Assistant Stage

Manager ◊ Apprentice

⇒ Props ◊ Buyer ◊ Builder ◊ Driver

⇒ Wardrobe ◊ Buyer ◊ Milliner ◊ Accessorist ◊ Boots/Shoes ◊ Cutter ◊ Taylor ◊ Sewer ◊ Dyer ◊ Wardrobe Running

⇒ Scenic Art ◊ Painter

⇒ Scenery Construction ◊ Carpenter ◊ Welder ◊ Machinist ◊ Drafter

⇒ Audio ◊ Sound Operators/

Engineers

⇒ Technical Director ⇒ Electrics ⇒ Stage Crew

◊ Stage Carpenter ◊ Stage Hand ◊ Flyperson ◊ Stage Crew ◊ Changeover Crew

⇒ Wigs ◊ Wigmaker ◊ Hair Stylist ◊ Make-up


Did You Know... In 2010, the Shaw Festival supported the equivalent of 1,107 full-year jobs, and the total economic impact of the Festival is estimated at $75.4M!

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* Check out Who’s Who crossword puzzle on page 29 *

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In Act

I Higgins tames Eliza; in Act II, she tames him. Molly Smith, Director My Fair Lady

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MOLLY SMITH talks about directing My Fair Lady The Director is in charge of everything that happens onstage. They guide the cast and crew towards the goal of creating the best production possible. Here is what Molly Smith, the director of My Fair Lady, has to say about the show:

Inspired by Ovid’s classical myth of transformation in which the sculptor Pygmalion creates a beautiful ivory statue of a woman named Galatea and then falls in love with her, our story is about the transformation of a human being through language, manners, mind and dress. It is a double-headed transformation because both Eliza and Higgins are transformed. It is the story of emancipation – not just about Eliza, but Higgins as he moves into his own humanity. The other story is about class – and the rigid social structures which confine us. In a world increasingly blown apart by the dynamics of the very rich and the very poor, this musical hits the sweet spot of our contemporary awareness of class. It asks the question: How does language define us? How do we judge others through their language, manners and dress? How does our own class: lower, middle, upper, confine and define us? Ken McDonald’s beautiful set design and Judith Bowden’s stunning costumes will answer these questions through the physical world. Eliza comes from a rough and tumble world where there are real fights to survive. She has no mother, an absent father. When she comes to Higgins’ home – it is in desperation. When Eliza becomes a lady, she maintains the toughness, drive and spunk she had on the street and can turn it on and off at will. The street people are scavengers, manipulating and have their hands in each other’s pockets. There is range to them as well as range from rich to poor. Higgins is all head on fire with his ideas. He’s ahead of the curve in his ex-perimentations with language – a mad scientist. He is focused with a razor-like intensity and drive. She’s a wild animal – as driven as he is. In Act I, he makes her a lady but she still has all the robust, fiery energy she arrived with. In Act II, she tames him. It is a boxing match. She fights and argues to open his emotional side. She battles to break through, leaves him, takes off on her own, joins forces with his mother and beats him at his own game. In the end, when she comes back, he’s bereft – and they meet as equals – eye to eye.


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PAUL SPORTELLI, Music Director talks about the music in My Fair Lady The Musical Director coordinates all music for a show. They are responsible for sorting, assigning and transcribing musical parts, teaching the music to the cast and orchestra, and they also sometimes (but not

always) act as the show’s conductor. The conductor’s job is to set the pace (tempo) of the music, and keep the singers and orchestra performing together.

Everyone writing a musical based on pre-existing material should have a good reason why that material will benefit from musical treatment before they proceed. In My Fair Lady Lerner and Loewe truly found a way to use music to enlarge our understanding of Shaw’s original Pygmalion characters. Music has a way of striking at the core of an emotion in a way that is different from words, and is often more able to capture a sense of the indescribable. There is much these characters know, but a lot they don’t know. Lerner captures this sense of the unknown or indescribable in key lyrics, like Eliza’s “I’ll never know what made it so exciting” and Higgins’ “I’ve grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air.” What is it Eliza thinks she’ll never know? What is it in the air that Higgins can’t pinpoint? The answer is never given through words, but the music gives us strong clues. Observe the brilliance of how Lerner and Loewe use Higgins’ music to show character development—Higgins always sings up-tempos, but when we get to I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, he sings a ballad. That musical treatment gives us dramatic information about his character. At the end of end Act I, music and movement tell the story and create a perfect sense of “what will happen?” in a way that words could not. The writers are also smart in choosing the appropriate musical boundaries for Eliza and Higgins who never sing a duet. They do sing together (The Rain in Spain), but Pickering is there singing along as well. The only time they sing alone together is in the penultimate scene, when his singing interrupts hers and she walks out. While rehearsing this production, we've enjoyed the lyrics—especially immersing ourselves in all the dialects and realizing how much that informs the music-making! We’ve also enjoyed the music, but most of all, that marriage of words and music. Or as Lerner aptly called it, “the wings.”

We finally

arrived at those moments where music and lyrics could reveal what was implied and not repeat what was already in the text, and could catch the drama at the hilltops where it could ascent no further with-out the wings of music and lyrics… Alan Jay Lerner, The Street Where I Live

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JUDY FARTHING, Production Stage Manager talks about stage managing a musical The Stage Manager’s job is to maintain the overall “look” of a production. From the time rehearsals start until the final curtain of the show, the Stage Manager is in charge. They keep the show true to the director’s and designer’s vision, keep the pace of the show moving, call cues, protect the actors and crew by making sure everything and everyone moves on and off stage at the correct time, and

troubleshoot any problems that might arise. Stage Management is one of the very few jobs that touches every aspect of production … If you want to know what’s going on in the show, ask a Stage Manager!

Describe your job (what do you do?) I facilitate/supervise the smooth running of rehearsals and performances, and communicate the needs of the production to other departments such as: the Production Department (including set builders, set painters, wardrobe and wigs), the Administration Department and Front of House Department (including theatre managers and ushers). How did you get to be a stage manager? Schooling in technical theatre is an asset – extensive apprentice- ship and mentoring in the area of stage management. As my career continued, more opportunities came forward as a result of the past work relationships that I cultivated. I came to The Shaw when a position as an assistant stage manager opened up. When the Shaw Festival shows ended I worked in the “off season” as a stage manager with other theatre companies. I then worked here at the Shaw Festival as stage manager and then production stage manager. When you first began working on My Fair Lady, what was your greatest fear ? My skills at reading music were a little rusty. I very much enjoy working on a musical, but I have high school band music reading skills … and that was a long time ago! What is the best thing about working on My Fair Lady? I love the people I am working with on this production. The creative team, director, choreographer, music director, designers, and the cast of actors are all fabulous – exciting – passionate about their work and this production. It’s exhilarating to be in the rehearsal hall and now onstage watching and supporting them all. Theatre is a collaboration of talented individuals and this has been a shining example of why I love my job.

I love the people I

am working with on this production. The creative team are all fabulous, exciting, passionate about their work and this produc-tion. Judy Farthing, Production Stage Manager My Fair Lady

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KEN MACDONALD, Set Designer for My Fair Lady The Set Designer’s job is to take the audience on a visual journey by creating the world of the play.

Where did you get your ideas for the set design for My Fair Lady? When I read My Fair Lady I was struck by the many references to birds that came up. So I have based the set design on Victorian silhouettes of birdcages for; Professor Higgins house, the Ascot horse race, the Embassy ball room, and Mrs Higgins’ garden. The bird cage metaphor is used to represent social classes. Each of the upper and lower classes have their own particular ’cage’ and this reality drives the story. The various characters attempt to escape their individual bird cages and the only way to get out of their social class is to fight, then fly. What is your process when designing a set? First of all, I read the play — in this case I read both My Fair Lady and Shaw’s Pygmalion. Then I have many conversations with the director and other designers and together we choose a direction for visually representing and supporting the story and characters. In my many discussions with the director, the costume, lighting and projection designers we all agreed that we wanted the world of My Fair Lady to be grounded in 1912 England with the correct silhouette but modern at the same time. How might set design help tell the story of the play? The audience can tell a lot about the world of the play by the set and the way the characters relate to the set. For example, the set for under the bridge where the street people live is very grimy with rust and rivets representing the ugly, dirty dangerous world in which Eliza lives. On the opposite end, the set for the Embassy Ball consists of a blue curtain rising to reveal a 17’ glittering, brass bird-cage gazebo through which guests enter into the ball room. The two worlds of lower and upper class contrast in design, texture and colour.

The designer’s

challenge is that he can’t move the audience around, so he has to think about how to position the scenery to give the audience the best view. Thomas Schumacher How Does the Show Go On?

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JUDITH BOWDEN, Costume Designer for My Fair Lady The job of the Costume Designer is to help tell the story of the play because costumes tell the audience about the characters they are watching. Costumes are often used to show the audience that the play takes place in a certain historical period or in a special location eg. My Fair Lady is set in 1912

London, England

How do you begin the process of designing costumes? In my original discussions with Molly (the director) and Ken (the set designer), we talked about how we might add a modern twist to this musical while remaining true to the portrayal of real characters and story. We wanted to show the world where Eliza comes from as aggressive and violent so we can understand why Eliza is so desperate to get out. So, for the costumes for the people living in the streets I looked to steam punk for ideas. What is steam punk?

Steam punk is a fashion style that was popular in early 1980s and 1990s. This fashion style takes Victorian and Edwardian visuals and gives it a modern twist. For the characters who live in the streets of London, steam punk was a useful stylistic tool giving a visual edginesss to the characters forced to survive in the streets.

Where did you get your ideas for the costumes for My Fair Lady? All costume design begins with reading the play/musical and learning about the characters and their world. For example, at the beginning of the play, Eliza lives on the streets in 1912 — so her costume must reflect the hard, tough life of that time. Her next costumes are clothes that have been chosen for her by men. By the end of the play, her clothes reflect the influence of the other women, (especially Mrs Higgins and Mrs Pearce), as well as her own choice. I drew from the set designer’s bird imagery for the costumes of the upper class characters. During the Ascot scene, I have designed the costumes so the women look like exotic birds.

I despise those

gowns with a sort of weed here and weed there. Some-thing simple, modest, and elegant is what’s called for. Perhaps with a sash. Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady

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Ensemble Member CELESTE BRILLON shares her thoughts on performing TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

I’m 13 years old and in Grade 7 at Ecole La Marsh

French public school in Niagara Falls. For fun ... I

like to go shopping and hang out with friends, watch

Glee, snowboard, swim and look after my hamster.

I guess I got interested in theatre because both my

mom and dad were in theatre before I was born.

They were both in The Phantom of the Opera for 7 years in Toronto (my mom

was on stage and my dad was in the orchestra as a French horn player). We

went to a lot of shows and I was always performing with my brother and by

myself at home.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A PERFORMER?

I’ve been taking ballet since I was 2 1/2. I also take singing with my mom, tap,

lyrical and jazz lessons weekly as well as piano lessons. In the past I took vio-

lin and highland dance lessons. I’m also in a show choir called Niagara Star

Singers and we practice every week and perform at lots of openings. We just

got back from a performance trip to Disney World. I’ve gone to theatre camp

and drama camps and I sing in the chorale at school and have acted in our

drama productions there. Last year I was Jeanne in Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of

Arc).

HOW DID YOU START ACTING AT THE SHAW FESTIVAL?

I’ve had three roles with the Shaw Festival so far and am now an ensemble

member. In December 2008 I auditioned for the part of “Louise” in Sunday in the Park with George. I went for the first audition (I prepared a monologue

and sang I Know Things Now). I was really excited to be offered the part!

In 2010 I auditioned and was offered the role of Little Mary in The Women. This year I was offered the part in My Fair Lady as a street busker/urchin. I

didn’t audition since I’ve done about 150 shows at Shaw so far, so I guess they

know me by now.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR ROLE THIS SEASON?

This year I am acting with my brother Alexandre who is 10 and in Grade 4. I

think that’s one of my favourite things. This role has no talking or singing –

just ‘miming’ as buskers and street urchins I always like the costumes I get to

wear too. I’m really happy to be on stage at The Shaw again!


“ My favourite thing about

being a performer is being on stage … performing for

an audience.

Celeste Brillon, Ensemble Member My Fair Lady ”

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT My Fair Lady is set in 1912, London England. What was actually happening in the time period before My Fair Lady? Victorian Britain Victorian times means during Victoria's rule (1837-

1901). Queen Victoria ruled for 64 years.

◊ no electricity— gas lamps or candles were used for light

◊ no cars—people either walked, travelled by boat or train or used coach horses

◊ Britain built and ruled over a huge empire through-out the world

◊ tremendous change—in 1837 most people lived in villages and worked on the land; by 1901, most lived in towns and worked in offices, shops and factories

◊ the number of people living in Britain more than doubled from 16 million to 37

million causing a huge demand for food, clothes and housing

◊ factories and machines were built to meet this demand

◊ Britain became the most powerful and richest country in the world, ruling a quarter of the world's population ◊ many households had a servant or servants

◊ police force put in place and seaside holidays were invented

◊ new cookers and gadgets for the home were invented


Queen Victoria

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT My Fair Lady is set in 1912, London England. What was actually happening in the time period during My Fair Lady? Edwardian Britain The Edwardian Era (1901—1919) includes the reign of King Edward VII — Queen Victoria’s son — who ruled for only 10 years (1901-1910). ◊ a golden age for fashion and art - also called the

“Belle Epoque”

◊ growing gap between the upper class (rich) and lower class (poor)

◊ middle class grows (business owners, shop-keepers, doctors) with rise of factories and industry

◊ rights for women influence society and politics

◊ in theory, child labour is now against the law (in practice, it continues)

◊ hunting a popular sport among the upper class

◊ huge advances in technology — telephones, telegraphs, typewriters, motion pictures, vacuum cleaners, fire extinguishers, liquid detergent, cellophane, stainless steel, diesel locomotive, brassiere, tear gas, and refrigerators invented

◊ Titanic sinks in 1912

◊ electric trams began running in London

◊ first Model-T Ford car sold

◊ first flight across the English Channel


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Life as a 1912 Upper-Class Kid

◊ Children were considered the centre of the home. ◊ Childhood illness and death were a concern, but wealthy families could afford medicines and care from a doctor. ◊ Many of the cures given to children were worse than the disease, and sometimes were toxic concoctions of things such as mercury, chloride, opium, cocaine, and sulphur. ◊ Children played with wooden toys, wax and

porcelain dolls, teddy bears, clockwork toys, puzzles, toy boats and trains. ◊ New toys invented: “Minoru” (a racing-themed board game named after King

Edward’s racehorse) and “Mechanics Made Easy” in 1901 (changed to “Meccano” in 1907).

◊ Food was bland and meals consisted of potatoes with gravy, hot or cold meat,

a vegetable (such as cabbage), and for dessert a steamed pudding, a custard, or milk pudding and jam.

◊ Treats included satin pralines, peppermint lumps, toffee, and liquorice allsorts. ◊ Holiday trips were to the seaside, where children enjoyed treats such as ice

cream, seafood, candy floss, and sugar rock. ◊ Children were educated either in the home by tutors or at schools. Nannies

were hired to care for and educate young children. Older children were sent to boarding schools.

◊ Many schools had uniforms, a school motto, and song. ◊ School work was hard – for eg. write “an example of a compound-complex sentence” or record “the names of all the kings and queens of England in chronological order.” ◊ Boys learned arithmetic, Latin and political and social history. Girls were

trained in manners, music and languages such as German and French. ◊ Reading for pleasure was popular for both boys and girls. Popular authors

were Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Edith Nesbit, Lewis Carroll, Kenneth Grahame, Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm.

◊ Children who misbehaved were punished by humiliation, isolation, withdrawal of privileges, or by physical punishment such as the strap, cane or switch. ◊ The Scouting movement for youth began in 1909 (the Guides, for girls, began in 1910).


A lady

like you shouldn’t be walkin’ around London at this hour of the morn-ing. Streetperson speaking to Eliza Doolittle. My Fair Lady

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Look at her - a

prisoner of the gutters; condemned by every syllable she utters. Henry Higgens talking about Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady

Life as a 1912 Lower-Class Kid

◊ Children often missed or left school to work in workhouses, mills and mines. ◊ New laws introduced — children no longer expected to work alongside adults.

Also, children had to reach a certain level of education before leaving school. The age of school leaving was officially 13 years old.

◊ The poorest children were the most susceptible to illness and death, as their

families could not afford medicines or care from a doctor. ◊ Families lived in crowded housing conditions. Many families lived in one or two

rented rooms with shared washing and toilet facilities. This meant that illness spread quickly and was often difficult to control.

◊ Diptheria, tuberculosis, and accidents were all common causes of death for

poor children. ◊ Food was not nutritious. Mostly bread and margarine or jam. They may get

cooked potatoes or a boiled stew or soup, but the food was often so over-boiled that none of the vitamins or minerals were left. Malnutrition caused many children to die.

◊ Toys were handmade from whatever materials were available. ◊ They played games such as marbles, hoops, tops, skipping and conkers (played

with chestnuts in the Fall), leapfrog, hopscotch, hide and seek, and street cricket.

◊ A treat was going to a movie. The middle and upper-class children did not go - their parents disapproved of “living pictures.”

Would you prefer

to be an upper- or lower-class kid? Why? How is your life different today than in 1912?


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A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting noises has no right to be any-where — no right to live.

Henry Higgins My Fair Lady


LANGUAGE Does how you speak change the way you are? In My Fair Lady, Mr Higgins makes it his mission to change the way that Eliza speaks. He has her pronounce words over and over again and practice her vowels until she says them properly. Mr Higgins firmly believes that changing the tone of her voice will make her seem more like a ‘lady.’ During the time period of the play, Eliza would be considered more proper and ladylike if her speech was clearly polished and spoken. Sometimes you speak differently by changing the words you use or your tone of voice depending on who you are talking to.

Think about how you speak to other people. Do you speak to your parents the same way that you speak to your friends? What about your

teacher? What about a stranger? What about the parent of a friend?

Write a letter to a close friend about something exciting that happened to you this week. Then, write the same letter again, but

pretend you are text messaging or typing to your friend on the computer. Write your letter a third time, this time to your parents or another adult in your life. Compare your three letters. What are some of the similarities between your letters? What are the differences, if any? How is the way you write to your friends different from how you write to your parents? Did you take out any information depending on who you were writing to? Why or why not? ACCENTS AND DIALECTS ACCENT can be defined as: ¬ the specific way a person pronounces specific words. That pronunciation can be shaped by where the person lives or grew up, the person’s original (or native) language, or any number of social factors. DIALECT can be defined as: ¬ the way a person pronounces specific words, but also which words a person uses and how the person uses those words to convey his or her meaning. A dialect often will use words in very different ways than the “proper” or widely accepted usage of the language it comes from.

Do you speak a dialect? Do you have the same dialect as the rest of your immediate family? Siblings? Parents? Grandparents? Do you have the same dialect as your classmates? Teachers?

Site examples of specific words you use or pronounce differently than other people you know. What creates the difference in these dialects? Age? Location? Race?

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ACCENTS AND DIALECTS IN MY FAIR LADY In My Fair Lady, Henry Higgins speaks Standard English – the “proper” or widely accepted form of English within the United Kingdom. He enunciates his words clearly, making each sound easy to understand. Even when he is insulting someone, he chooses his words carefully (often selecting phrases that highlight his high level of education), as this quotation illustrates: “Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns, you incarnate insult to the English language; I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba.”

What does Henry’s dialect say about his personality? His values? His background? His economic status? How do other characters react to Henry’s dialect? What does Eliza think of the way Henry speaks? What does Pickering think? Rewrite Henry’s quotation from above in your own dialect.

Eliza, on the other hand, speaks the Cockney dialect of English – one of the traditional dialects of London’s poor working class. Cockney is known for its distinctive pronunciations and word choices, some of which can be seen here: “Aoooow! I ain’t dirty: I washed my face and hands afore I come, I did.” Eliza uses the word “ain’t” instead of “I am not”, “afore” instead of “before”, and “I come” instead of “I came”. She adds the phrase “I did” to the end of her sentence for extra emphasis. She makes the unusual “Aoooow” sound (which particularly drives Henry crazy) to express her anger and displeasure. All of these word choices stem from her upbringing in the Cockney dialect.

What does Eliza’s dialect say about her personality? Her values? Her background? Her economic status? How do other characters react to Eliza’s dialect? What does Mrs Pearce think of the way Eliza speaks? What do her father and his friends think? Rewrite Eliza’s quotation from above in your own dialect.

Practice different dialects with the following lines from My Fair Lady: Eliza: I ain’t done nothin’ wrong by speakin’ to the gentleman! Bystander: Blimey, he ain’t a tec; he’s a bloomin’ busybody, that’s what he is! Higgins: Remember, that’s your handkerchief; and that’s your sleeve. Don’t mistake the one for the other if you wish to become a lady in a shop. Freddy: I should be so happy if you would take it. You’ll enjoy the race ever so much more. Doolittle: I’ll tell ya, Governor, if you’ll only let me get a word in. I’m willing to tell ya. I’m wanting to tell ya. I’m waiting to tell ya.

An Englishman’s way of speaking absolutely classifies him. The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him.”

Henry Higgins My Fair Lady

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“ Whenever people have mental breakdowns they at once think of Dr. Chumley. ‐ Nurse Kelly Harvey

COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG In My Fair Lady Eliza Doolittle speaks with a Cockney dialect … just what is Cockney? Invented between 1844 and 1847, Cockney Rhyming Slang is a way of

speaking that uses rhyming words in phrases.

It is said that the slang was originally developed by the thieves of London,

so that they could communicate without the bobbies (police) understand-

ing what they were saying.

In Cockney Rhyming Slang, a word is represented by a phrase that ends in

a rhyme. For example, the word mate rhymes with china plate. So the

phrase china plate represents mate. However, in spoken slang, only the

beginning of the phrase would remain. So the word china means mate.

Here are some other examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang

Use the slang terms in a sentence as shown in example #1

1. Adam and Eve = believe Sentence: Would you Adam and Eve it? 2. Apples and Pears = stairs Sentence: _________________________________________________ 3. Bricks and Mortar = daughter Sentence: _________________________________________________ 4. China Plate = mate/ friend Sentence: _________________________________________________ 5. Dicky Bird = word Sentence: _________________________________________________ 6. Dog and Bone = telephone Sentence: _________________________________________________ 7. Whistle and Flute = suit Sentence: _________________________________________________

Write a note to a friend using your rhyming pairs and

phrases. You can use other sentences as well to help your

writing flow. Trade your note with a friend and see if you can decode each

other’s messages!

‘Ere! I’m goin’

away! He’s off his chump, he is. I don't want no balmies teachin’ me. Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady

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EXTENSION ACTIVITIES Missing Persons Report In My Fair Lady, Eliza leaves Professor Henry Higgins’ house after he shows no feelings for Eliza and her success as a lady. He takes the credit for her accomplishments, which makes Eliza feel unimportant and small. Because

she believes that Higgins was only using her to win a bet, Eliza displays her anger through a confrontation with him in his house. After this argument, Higgins learns that Eliza has gone missing.

Imagine you are a police officer investigating the report of a missing person. You need to write a report with information about: ¬ background about Eliza and Higgins ¬ testimony from household staff, Professor Higgins, Colonel Pickering, Alfred Doolittle, and other witnesses

¬ a timeline of events that led to Eliza’s disappearance ¬ your theories about where Eliza might have disappeared to based on evidence you have collected.

Draw and Design Design and create a missing person’s poster for Eliza Doolittle. You can use any kind of paper or materials that you like. Be sure

to include all of the important information about Eliza; what would you need to know to spot a person who was missing? Some examples might include her hair colour, height, or what she was last wearing. Include any details that you feel are important, and if you don’t know the actual details, use your imagination. Remember: missing person’s posters need to capture peo-

ple’s attention. The more creative you are, the more eye-catching your poster will be!

TV Talk Show Split up into groups of four. Imagine you are writing a script for an interview on a television talk show. Each

group member will play one character: Eliza, Higgins, Pickering, and the host of the show. As a group, write a 5-10 minute dialogue for these characters that discusses the events in the play. First, the group should brainstorm two questions that could be asked of each

character. Once the host writes the questions, the students playing the characters should brainstorm their answers and write them down. Your dialogue can also include more than questions if you want to make it more entertaining! Students who are playing the characters can interact with one another; humorous lines can be added if you wish. Once the script is written, all

four students should read the script together, acting as their characters.

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Come on, Eliza,

slip your old Dad half a crown to go home on. Alfred Doolittle My Fair Lady

BRITISH MONEY - HOW MUCH IS THAT? My Fair Lady takes place in London, England in the year 1912. Money operates much differently in England even today. In Canada we have dollar bills and other coins, but in England they have pounds, shillings, and pence.

Pound 12 pence = 1 shilling

S Shilling 5 shillings = 1 crown

d Pence 20 shillings = 1 pound

In 1912, the average working man in Britain received approximately 1 pound per week. At the same time in Canada, workers were receiving approximately $12 per week. Therefore, in Canada in 1912, an average family’s monthly budget would be approximately $50 per month! (It is important to note that at that time, the cost of living was much less than it is today).

What items could you purchase now on a budget of only $50 per month? What are the most important things in your budget that you absolutely need? What would you be willing to give up? Imagine some of the differences in how people spent their money in 1912. How would these decisions affect the economy and their way of life? “I really haven’t any – stop: here’s three hapence, if that’s any use to you.” Colonel Pickering Try some research – How much is a hapence worth? Do you think Eliza was happy or disappointed with the amount that Pickering offered her? Take A Penny, Leave A Penny It is important to note that 1912 was different than today in many ways. Parents in poor urban areas would sometimes ‘sell’ their children into jobs or to an employer. By doing this, parents would gain money to support their family and they believed the child they sold would have an opportunity to gain skills they could use later in life.

FACT: Today, 1 British pound = $1.57 Canadian Keeping this in mind, read the following quotes from the play and answer the following questions. HIGGINS: “Do you mean to say that you would sell your daughter for 5 pounds?” How much is 5 pounds in Canadian dollars? DOOLITTLE: “The missus wouldn’t have the heart to spend ten, Governor; ten pounds is a lot of money: it makes a man feel prudent-like; and then goodbye to happiness.” In your opinion, does ten pounds in Canadian dollars seem like a lot of money? Mr Doolittle only wants five pounds to sell Eliza, and he refuses to take ten. Why do you think he does this? HIGGINS: “I want to find her! The girl belongs to me! I paid five pounds for her!” How much money does five pounds equal in Canadian dollars? Why does this comment seem inappropriate for today’s society?


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The following is a list of quotes from the play My Fair Lady providing rich topics for discussion ... “There you are. ‘She ain’t got no parents.’ What’s all the fuss about? The girl doesn’t belong to anybody but me.” (Higgins, about Eliza) What does this statement reveal about Mr Higgins’ personality? What does it tell you about his view of Eliza? “I ain’t pretending to be deserving. I’m undeserving, and I mean to go on being undeserving. I like it, and that’s the truth.” (Alfred Doolittle) What do you think it means to be ‘undeserving’? Why would Mr Doolittle like feeling this way? “Now, what call would a woman with that strength in her have to die of influenza, and what becomes of her new straw hat that should have come to me? Somebody pinched it; and what I say is, them as pinched it, done her in.” (Eliza) What does Eliza mean when she says ‘pinched it’ and ‘done her in’? How do these phrases differ from the way people talk in our society in present day? “You don’t care. I know you don’t care. You wouldn’t care if I was dead. I’m nothing to you – not so much as them slippers.” (Eliza) Why do you think Eliza feels this way? How can you show your friends and family that you care? Brainstorm your ideas in a web. “I sold flowers. I didn’t sell myself. Now you’ve made a lady of me, I’m not fit to sell anything else.” (Eliza, to Higgins) What has Higgins done that has caused Eliza to feel this way? Do you think she could still sell flowers even though she is a lady? Why or why not? “And you mean to say that after you did this wonderful thing for them without making a single mistake, they just sat there and never said a word to you? Never petted you, or admired you, or told you how splendid you’d been?” (Mrs Higgins, to Eliza) How do you think Eliza feels after speaking to Mrs Higgins? Think about a time when you felt unappreciated. Share your thoughts with a partner. “I should never have known how ladies and gentlemen behave if it hadn’t been for Colonel Pickering. He always showed me that he felt and thought about me as if I were something better than a common flower girl. You see, Mrs Higgins, apart from the things one can pick up, the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated.” (Eliza) Do you agree with Eliza? Why or why not? “I want a little kindness. I know I’m a common ignorant girl, and you a book-learned gentleman; but I’m not dirt under your feet.” (Eliza, to Higgins) How does this quote show Eliza’s character development throughout the play? How has her perspective changed? In what ways has it stayed the same?

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Welcome to Our World - The World of Theatre The following activities are designed to help students learn about theatre and the various professions involved in operating a theatre company.

Theatre Brainstorm Have students imagine that their class is going to start a theatre company.

In groups, students discuss and choose: 1. a name for their theatre company

2. the type of shows they would like to present (eg. children’s theatre, comedies, mysteries, plays by Shaw, etc.) On a large piece of paper, students brainstorm the different jobs that might be needed in order to run their theatre company. Students may be asked guided questions in order to complete the activity (ie you have actors to put on the play, but how will the audience see them on stage? You have actors who need costumes, but where will the costumes come from?) Once they are finished brainstorming, have the students check their list against the list on page 8. Did they miss any important jobs? Older students could research how much each job pays (www.workinculture.ca is a good site regarding careers in the arts). Create a budget the theatre company and decide how much money their theatre would have to take in to cover expenses. What is my Job? Students select a job from the list on page 8.

Find out what that person does, and how to get that position (ie do you need to attend high school, college or university? Do you need

to apprentice? What sorts of skills do you need to do the job?). Have students present their findings to the class (as a report, or as a creative presentation, ie a skit, a Powerpoint or audio/video presentation etc.). Try crossword on page 29. Inside the Theatre There is much more to a theatre building that the theatre itself.

Have students research some of the places in a theatre company where people do their jobs (i.e. on stage, back stage, orchestra pit,

trap room, workshops, offices, lobby, etc.). Where would the students most like to work? Examine the sectional view of the Shaw Festival Theatre on page 27 and see if you can find the following: stage, backstage, orchestra pit, trap room, lobby, stage management booth, lighting, audience seating, balcony, lighting, and fly tower. Check your answers on page 28.


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Fly Tower

Trap Room

Lighting

Balcony/Gallery Seating

Stage Management Booth

Upper Lobby

Lobby

Backstage

Sets/Curtains/ Scrims/Lighting

Orchestra Pit

Stage

Orchestra Seating

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P R O D U C E R

S T A G E M A N A G E R

S T A G E

C O S T U M E

C H O R E O G R A P H E R

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GLOSSARY Brogue – a strong accent, notably in Irish dialects of English Consort – an association or partnership Dialect – a variety of language (specifically, often a spoken variety) that is characteristic of a particular area, community or group, often with relatively minor differences in vocabulary, style, spelling, and pronunciation Flippancy – disrespectfully disregarding someone or something, especially in respect to serious or sacred matters Ghastly – horrifying; shocking; extremely bad Gramophone – a brand of phonograph that introduced records. The phonograph plays records in a similar way to how CD players play CDs, except records are much bigger. The phonograph uses a needle to read the record so it knows what music to play Guttersnipe – a person who is from the lowest social or economic class Infantile – in a childlike or immature manner Phonetics – a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of sounds of human speech Poignant – evoking strong mental sensation, sometimes to the point of distress; emotionally moving Presumptuous – assuming beyond what is right or proper because of an excess of self-confidence or arrogance Tec - a detective Tomfoolery – foolish behavior; acting silly and nonsensical

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Sources

BOOKS & ARTICLES Garebian, Keith. The Making of My Fair Lady. Toronto: ECW Press, 1993.

Lerner, Alan Jay. The Musical Theatre: A Celebration. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.

Malam, John. Building Works: Theatre. From First Rehearsal to Opening Night. NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Peter Bedrick Books.

Schumacher, Thomas. How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theatre. New York: Disney Enterprises, Inc., 2007.

WEBSITES Children’s Lives and Activities http://www.1900s.org.uk/1900s-sources.htm and http://www.1900s.org.uk/1900s-streetgames.htm (“A Child at the Time”-first-hand account of childhood in Edwardian Brit-ain) http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/ (BBC website – primary history; lots of interactive-photos, videos, research, quizzes, activities, teachers’ resource section) http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/childrens_lives/edwardian_lives/index.html (Victoria and Albert Musem of Childhood site; information and images about children’s lives in Victorian Britain) http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/kids_pages/things_to_make/index.html (Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood site; crafts ie “Make your own Victorian village,” silhouettes, toys, etc.) Clothing/Fashion http://costumes.org (The Costumer’s Manifesto-wide variety of information on different eras) http://www.fashion-era.com/la_belle_epoque_1890-1914_fashion.htm (part of the fashion-era.com website – also includes other eras; information on clothing, hair, accessories, etc.) Inspiration http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51510656/My-Fair-Lady-Study-Guide (Cleveland Playhouse) http://www.mccarter.org/education/myfairlady/index.html (McCarter Theatre) http://www.repstl.org/studyguides/ (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) North American Perspective http://www.britishhomechildren.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=24&Itemid=192 (Maria Rye British Home Children) http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hnintro.htm (Eyewitness to History-Photos of Chil-dren at work 1908-1912) Victorian and Edwardian Britain http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8680000/8680305.stm (BBC production on the history of suffragettes in London) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/early-20th-century.htm (British National Archives site 1901-1918; lesson plans on a variety of topics ie suffragettes, education, the Titanic, changes in British society, etc.; “create your own website” about suffragettes or British society) http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/ (Britain 1901-1918) http://www.victorianweb.org/ (Scholarly articles on a diversity of topics; links to outside resources ie Victorian nursery rhymes, magic lantern shows, music, theatre, etc.) http://www.victoriaspast.com/ http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/victorians.html (School webpage; con-tains information on Victorian social history, including a section on children’s lives )


my fair lady - shaw festival · a cockney flower girl with an appalling accent and an ambition to...

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