Plays

=__**Plays**__=

Description:
During most of the last four decades, Athol Fugard has dedicated his art to fighting Apartheid, remarkably keeping together an all-black theater troupe in extremely difficult conditions and appearing in many of his own plays as often unsympathetic white characters. Many of his plays were banned in his homeland, and were premiered instead at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He is generally considered the finest South African playwright, and his works have been widely performed abroad. Of all his plays, none is more personal than "Master Harold". . . and the Boys; because it relates a boyhood incident which involved himself and which haunted him for years until he tried to atone by writing this play in 1982. -WSU Dept. of English

Rationale and connections:
This play sheds light on Apartheid and what a naive boy might go through when confronted with it. It will aid students in having conversations surrounding how racism has developed historically and also where we are at today. A social studies unit on Apartheid would be incomplete without introducing this play. It could also accompany a unit on civil rights.

Text Difficulty: 60 pages, South African dialect, short sentences and dialogue Layout: Somewhat Complex Purpose and Meaning: Complex Structure: Somewhat Complex Language Features: Somewhat Complex Knowledge Demands Fiction: Complex

Media Resources:
1964 Court Statement by Nelson Mandela - [] **A Fugard Website by Iain Fisher** [] Contains: biography, pictures, plays, hot news, etc. Fisher's website is also linked to UCSD's Theatre & Dance website: []
 * Information about Fugard **

Description:
This groundbreaking play starred Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeill, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands in the Broadway production which opened in 1959. Set on Chicago's South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena, called Mama. When her deceased husband's insurance money comes through, Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans, however: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school.

The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust and love among the Younger family and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. Winner of the NY Drama Critic's Award as Best Play of the Year, it has been hailed as a "pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre." by //Newsweek// and "a milestone in the American Theatre." -Amazon.com

Rationale and connections:
This play makes clear to the reader that in America's very recent history, African Americans were still being segregated and many people help prejudice against them. It highlights the difficulties these families went through in the attempt to live out normal American lives. Obvious connections to social studies and civil rights exist as well as a connection to economics and the use of money.

Text Difficulty: 159 pages, some dialect, racial and class themes
Layout: Somewhat Complex Purpose and Meaning: Complex Structure: Somewhat Complex Language Features: Somewhat Complex Knowledge Demands Fiction: Complex

//A Dream Deferred// by Langston Hughes -
[]

The Harlem Renaissance video - [|http://www.history.com/videos/the-harlem-renaissance-an-artistic-explosion#the-harlem-renaissance-an-artistic-explosion]

Mini Documentary on Lorraine Hansberry - []

Description:
Two young gentlemen living in 1890's England use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") on the sly, which is fine until they both fall in love with women using that name, which lead to a comedy of mistaken identities.

Themes:
Satire of society, Triviality

Rationale and connections:
Students will learn how text can be used as a criticism of society. Recognizing Wilde's humor as a veil, students will understand his goal of trivializing society's institutions and customs, such as marriage through satire and farce. An introduction to WWI could find value in this play as it would be introducing a world not yet affected by world war. Social studies could also benefit from introducing this play as a companion to a unit on institutions and the role of government in personal issues.

Text Complexity:
This play is complex due to unfamiliar British vocabulary, double entendres, and the implicit purpose of criticizing upper- class society. Students must be able to comprehend irony, satire and wit. 176 pages.

Lexile:
Unknown

Media Resources:
(clip from film about Earnest's multiple identities) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcnbutsPmyM (brief previews from a theatre of the most entertaining parts of the play) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNCliKCN9gY (famous Wilde quotes) http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Oscar_Wilde

**Title: //Cyrano De Bergerac//**

Genre: Romance
Photo courtesy of: anneboleson.wordpress.com

Description: Edmond Rostand's classic romance tells the unforgettable story of one unique man's bravery, loyalty, and unspoken love.
-Betterworldbooks.com

Text complexity:
The play is written in verse, which may make it more difficult to read. There may also be some challenging vocabulary.

Rationale and connections:
This piece explores what makes a person beautiful, inner or outer beauty. Freshman students are at a point in their life where they are searching for their own identity and trying to relate with others, so this play is a great fit for them. A social studies unit on societal values could benefit from including this play.

Additional Resources:
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=** Title//: A Doll's House// **= =** Author: Henrik Ibsen **= =** Genre: Drama **= == =** Description: **= ==== Norwegian-born Henrik Ibsen's classic play about the struggle between independence and security still resonates with readers and audience members today. Often hailed as an early feminist work, the story of Nora and Torvald rises above simple gender issues to ask the bigger question: //To what extent have we sacrificed ourselves for the sake of social customs and to protect what we think is love?// Nora's struggle and ultimate realizations about her life invite all of us to examine our own lives and find the many ways we have made ourselves dolls and playthings in the hands of forces we believe to be beyond our control. – Amazon. ==== =** Themes: ** gender roles, inequality, materialism, appearances, freedom, obligation, corruption = =** Rationale and connections: **= ==== Helps students build background knowledge in 19th-century history and culture. Students contemplate the ideas of self, love, and societal influences against the backdrop of this play to gain deeper understanding of their own life and experiences. A social studies unit regarding feminism as well as societal values would benefit from including this play. ==== =** Text Difficulty: **=

72 pages, ages 14 and up
=** Lexile: NP **= =** MediaResources: **=

A couple of film versions have been produced. 1950’s and 1970’s.
= = =** Title//:// //Night of the Iguana// **= =** Author: Tennessee Williams **= =** Genre: Drama **= == =** Description: **= ==== A defrocked Episcopal clergyman leads a bus-load of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life.Set at a Mexican hotel in the early 1940's, the drama presents several character portraits of searing intensity. They include the minister, Shannon, who is tortured with self-loathing, and Hannah Jelkes, a person living free from societal mores, who is entirely without shame. The play's main axis is the development of the deeply human bond between Hannah Jelkes and Lawrence Shannon. ==== =** Themes: ** gender, feminism, identity, human bonds, loneliness, desire, faith, redemption, love = =** Rationale and connections: **= ==== Students will gain exposure to the work of this famous American playwright, and come to understand the importance of this work in connection to their own lives. They will explore the idea of allegory and the many themes at work here. Williams deals with attraction, youth, beauty, self sacrifice, and the passage of time. Teenagers will connect with these and bring their own ideas and energy out in response to this exciting piece. A obvious inclusion in any social studies curriculum dealing with societal expectations and norms. ==== =** Text Difficulty: **=

168 pages, ages 15 and up
=** Lexile: NP **= =** Media Resources: **=