drama education pack

PRODUCTION ELEMENTS & CREATIVE DECISION 01

DRAMA EDUCATION PACK

HOW TO USE THIS PACK 02

HOW TO USE THIS PACK:

CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION FOR TEACHERS

• The resource materials in this pack are designed to enhance your Drama students’ enjoyment and understanding of An American in Paris.

• This pack is aimed to support students who are studying the production elements of a live performance for their Drama GCSE, AS or A-Level. The resources are primarily aimed at pupils aged 14+ who are studying courses in Drama at Key Stage 4 or 5, though they can be adapted to suit other purposes or age groups.

• This Drama Education Pack specifically breaks down the production elements and provides information for each individual theatre maker.

• We encourage teachers to use this pack in conjunction with the Live Theatre Evaluation Pack after seeing the production of An American in Paris. Students can use this to support ‘Step 4’ in the 5 steps to Live Theatre Evaluation scheme of work.

• These resources have been built through conversations with secondary Drama teachers and reference the GCSE and A-Level specifications for 2016 teaching.

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Curriculum Relevance

Useful Links

Director and Choreographer - Christopher Wheeldon

Set and Costume Designer - Bob Crowley

Lighting Designer- Natasha Katz

Projection Design - 59 Productions

Writer - Craig Lucas

Sound Designer - Jon Weston

Musical Score Adaptation - Rob Fisher

Orchestrator - Christopher Austin

Additional Orchestrator - Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott

Cast - Robert Fairchild

Cast - Leanne Cope

Sketches: Costume

Set Models

Rehearsal photos

03HOW TO USE THIS PACK

CURRICULUM RELEVANCE

GCSE objectives:• Apply knowledge and understanding when making, performing and responding to drama

• Develop a range of theatrical skills and apply them to create performances

• Work collaboratively to generate, develop and communicate ideas

• Develop as creative, effective, independent and reflective students able to make informed choices in process and performance

• Reflect on and evaluate their own work and that of others

• Develop an awareness and understanding of the roles and processes undertaken in contemporary professional theatre practice

Skills:• Analysing and evaluating their own process of creating live theatre

• Analysis and evaluation of live theatre work by others

AS and A-Level objectives:• Develop and apply an informed, analytical framework for making, performing, interpreting and understanding drama

and theatre

• Develop an understanding and appreciation of how the social, cultural and historical contexts of performance texts have influenced the development of drama and theatre

• Understand the practices used in twenty-first century theatre making

• Participate as a theatre maker and as an audience member in live theatre

• Understand and experience the collaborative relationship between various roles within theatre

• Develop the creativity and independence to become effective theatre makers

• Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others

Skills:• Analysing and evaluating the process of creating their own live theatre and the effectiveness of the outcome

• At AS, interpreting and evaluating live theatre performance by others

• At A-Level, interpreting, analysing and evaluating live theatre performance by others.

From Department of Education: Drama AS and A-Level Drama Subject Content, Feb 2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405329/Drama_and_theatre_GCE_180215.pdf

From Department of Education: Drama GCSE Subject Content, Feb 2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405327/Drama_GCSE_180215.pdf

04VIDEO LINKS

USEFUL LINKS:• Below are a selection of videos and interviews that will give you an insight into the theatre making process

of An American in Paris.• On each page, for cast and creatives, you’ll find individual links and timecodes (T/C) that show you where

to begin listening for the relevant creative, as well as additional video footage.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS VIDEO LINKS

Introductory videos:An insight into An American in Paris:A mini documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH0EuXWrc7sRehearsal footage, interviews with Christopher Wheeldon, Natasha Katz (Lighting Designer), Bob Crowley (Set and Costume Design) and Ben Pearcy (Projections)

Creating An American in Paris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMWyAPoxsWE

A conversation with the creators: Christopher Wheeldon and Craig Lucas:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKtFrAY6tNU

From Paris to Broadway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ivYBbq58I

Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wt8tLjkI4w

Casting the Future of An American in Paris:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-417RHLDY

Other more in-depth interviews with cast and creative team: Talks at Google: Interview with the creative team and some Broadway cast members, including Leanne Cope and Robert Fairchild:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-julcrwxSw

Greene Space: Interview with Stuart Oken (Producer), Christopher Wheeldon (Director and Choreographer) and Rob Fisher (Musical Score Adaptation):

http://www.thegreenespace.org/story/-demand-video-wqxr-presents-american-paris-preview

Sitzprobe at the Théâtre du Châtelet: Music rehearsal process:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmEsfzcHfXs/

Theatre Talk: Bringing the Gershwins’ music to the stage again. Robert Kimble (Theatre Historian) and Rob Fisher, (Musical Adaptation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ExR6Yz0G8

Print links and articles:Christopher Wheeldon: From Ballet to Broadway https://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2015/jun/08/christopher-wheeldon-tony-award-american-in-paris-winters-tale

Christopher Wheeldon on Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4styy1/i_am_christopher_wheeldon_directorchoreographer/creatives

Bob Crowley:https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/oct/02/theatre-bob-crowley-set-costume-designer

Natasha Katz:http://livedesignonline.com/business-people-news/live-design-award-winner-natasha-katz

Leanne Cope:http://www.roh.org.uk/people/leanne-cope

Robert Fairchild: https://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Robert-Fairchild.aspx

05CREATIVE TEAM

CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON

Biography:Wheeldon was born in Yeovil and trained at The Royal Ballet School, joining the The Royal Ballet in 1991. He joined New York City Ballet in 1993 and was promoted to Soloist in 1998. He served as NYCB’s first-ever Artist in Residence in 2000/01 and was named NYCB’s first Resident Choreographer in July 2001.

Wheeldon has created productions for all the world’s major ballet companies and won the Tony® Award for Best Choreography and was nominated for Best Direction of a Musical for An American In Paris. He one of today’s most celebrated ballet choreographers.

Jerome Robbins is Wheeldon’s all-time favourite choreographer.

Role: The director is responsible for realising the production on stage and leads the creative vision of the whole production. The director leads the rehearsals and collaborates with the designer,

the musical director and the production team to make sure the production is the best it can be. They hand over responsibility for the production to an associate or assistant director once the production is open.The choreographer is the director for all dance and movement. A choreographer uses dance steps and routines to create a narrative within the dance and uses specific styles and accents to establish mood and tone.

Links:Talks at Googlehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-julcrwxSw

Language of ballet: T/C: 21:33, 22:57Challenges of ballet: T/C: 46:45

Greene Space http://www.thegreenespace.org/story/-demand-video-wqxr-presents-american-paris-preview/

Christopher is interviewed throughout but particular moments include: T/C: 14:23, 16:00, 21:22, 28:38 Rehearsal process: T/C: 35:48

An insight into An American in Paris:A mini documentaryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH0EuXWrc7s

Creating An American in Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMWyAPoxsWE

Chistopher Wheeldon trailer of rehearsal and show footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvX9ebyHwc

Conversation with Christopher Wheeldon andCraig Lucas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKtFrAY6tNU

Print:Wheeldon: From ballet to Broadway https://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2015/jun/08/christopher-wheeldon-tony-award-american-in-paris-winters-tale

Christopher Wheeldon on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4styy1/i_am_christopher_wheeldon_directorchoreographer/creatives)

CHOREOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR


BOB CROWLEY

Biography:Bob Crowley is an AQA AS and A-Level Drama prescribed practitioner.

Bob Crowley is a set and costume designer who has won six Tony® awards for his work on Broadway productions, now including An American in Paris in collaboration with 59 Productions (Tony® for Best Scenic Design of a Musical 2015). He has also won Olivier and Drama Desk awards and is a judge for the Linbury prize for stage design. Crowley is an AQA Drama prescribed practitioner.

Irish born Crowley was briefly an art teacher before turning to set design. He has designed extensively for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House, Disney and broadway.

Low-tech in his design process, Mr. Crowley starts each production with a piece of white paper and a number 4B pencil (Wall Street Journal, 2015).

Role: A set and costume designer works closely with a director to create the visual world of the musical or play. The process involves exploring the scripts and deciding on a collaborative vision for

the production (in particular the context to embed the story within).The set, costume and other dressing communicate to the audience information about the characters, their environment and the overall themes, mood and tone of the production, and so it is the set and costume designer’s responsibility to bring this together as a cohesive vision. The set and costume designer can be one person, two people, or a full team.

Links:Putting Paris on Stagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe6pFaM_Ej4

Portrait of the Artistshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9w7bekDXw

Talks at Googlehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-julcrwxSw

Leanne Cope talking about her ballet costumes: T/C: 30:14Christopher Wheeldon on setting and staging: T/C: 36:00


Printhttps://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/oct/02/theatre-bob-crowley-set-costume-designer

AQA Prescribed practitionerhttp://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/drama/a-level/drama-and-theatre-7261/subject-content/prescribed-practitioners

http://59productions.co.uk/project/an_american_in_paris_broadway

Bob Crowley’s designs can be seen at the backof this pack

SET & COSTUME DESIGNER


NATASHA KATZ

Biography:Natasha Katz has worked extensively in opera, ballet and on Broadway for over thirty years. She has designed over 50 Broadway shows and is the winner of six Tony® awards, including Best Lighting Design of a Musical for An American in Paris.

Natasha has a strong creative relationship with Christopher Wheeldon working together extensively at the Royal Opera House.

Katz has highlighted the long history of women pioneering lighting design (Jean Rosenthal, Arden Fingerhut, and Tharon Musser) and advocates passionately for a future of female theatre makers.

Recent Productions:Recent design and video projects include War Horse at the National Theatre and the Lincoln Centre in New York. They were also the video designers for the Olympic Opening Ceremony in London 2012, invited by director Danny Boyle to provide design, animation and film production services.

Other video design projects include Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Big Fish on Broadway; David Bowie Is at the V&A and on a world tour; Game at the Almeida; Little Dancer at the Kennedy Center, Washington; The Forbidden Zone at Salzburg Festival; Feast at the Young Vic; Reise Durch die Nacht and Request Programme at Schauspiel Köln; Fraulein Julie at Schaubühne, Berlin; Black Watch at National

Theatre of Scotland; and Les Misérables world tour. Other productions for the National Theatre: Wonder.land;

Great Britain; Emil and the Detectives; Beauty and the Beast; Really Old, Like 45; Mother Courage and Her Children; Time and the Conways; Waves;...some

trace of her and Attempts on Her Life.

Role: The lighting designer will work closely with the creative team, particularly the director and designer, to make all artistic decisions concerning the lighting of the production. The lighting design is integral to the production and contributes to telling the story, communicating narrative information such as time or place as well as mood, atmosphere and theme.

Links:Putting Paris on Stagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe6pFaM_Ej4


PrintAward winner Natasha Katzhttp://livedesignonline.com/business-people-news/live-design-award-winner-natasha-katz

http://59productions.co.uk/project/an_american_in_paris_broadway

LIGHTING DESIGNER

59 PRODUCTIONS

Role: 59 Productions is a creative studio specialising in performance, exhibitions and live events. For An American in Paris they provided the technical projection design working closely with Bob Crowley and Natasha Katz to bring the scenic pieces to life through projection.

Links:http://59productions.co.uk/project/an_american_in_paris_broadway

PROJECTION DESIGN


CRAIG LUCAS

Biography:Craig Lucas is an award winning writer of plays, films, operas and musicals, including The Light in the Piazza (Tony® Award for Best Book of a Musical) and Prelude to a Kiss (Obie Award, Pulitzer finalist, Tony® nomination).

Role: The writer creates the play, creating the narrative and language and structuring the story.

WRITER

Links:Portrait of the Artistshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9w7bekDXw

Conversation with Christopher Wheeldon and Craig Lucashttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKtFrAY6tNU


Christopher Wheeldon talking about the story and context:T/C: 38:09, 42:14

Greene Spacehttp://www.thegreenespace.org/story/-demand-video-wqxr-presents-american-paris-preview/

Stuart Oken (Producer) on the context of story: T/C: 54:06

JON WESTON

Biography:Broadway: On The 20th Century; You Can’t Take It With You; The Bridges of Madison County; Big Fish, How to Succeed…; 13,The Musical; The Color Purple; Caroline, or Change (AUDELCO Award); Nine; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Off-Broadway and Regional: The Last Five Years; Death Takes a Holiday; Parade (Mark Taper Forum dir by Rob Ashford); A Little Night Music (L.A. Drama Critics Award); Family Guy, Live!(Carnegie Hall).

Role: The sound designer creates sound effects and atmospheres, both naturalistic and abstract to create the auditory world of the production. Sounds help tell the story and aids the audience’s emotional and thematic understanding. The Sound Designer may choose, edit and remix music, work with the composer to make original music or work with live musicians in the theatre.

SOUND DESIGNER

09CREATIVE TEAM

ROB FISHER

Biography:Rob Fisher is an internationally recognised music director, conductor and pianist, and a leading figure in American music and musical theatre. He has been a guest of nearly every major orchestra in the US as conductor or pianist.

Fisher is currently represented on Broadway as the score supervisor and arranger for An American in Paris (Grammy nomination).

Role: For An American in Paris, Fisher had the central role of taking the compositions of George Gershwin and arranging and adapting the scores for use within the musical. A musical score adaptation is necessary when a production is using existing compositions in a new way.

Links:The Greene Space: Cast and Creatives:Christopher Wheeldon, Rob Fisher and Stuart Oken (Producer)http://www.thegreenespace.org/story/-demand-video-wqxr-presents-american-paris-preview/W

Rob is interviewed throughout but particular moments include: T/C: 18: 48, 25:06, 26:58, 59:53.

Sitzprobe at the Théâtre du Châtelethttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmEsfzcHfXs

MUSICAL SCORE ADAPTATION

CHRISTOPHER AUSTINORCHESTRATOR

Biography:Christopher Austin is a conductor and orchestrator whose career includes credits from the Royal Opera House. Austin has worked with Christopher Wheeldon previously on Wheeldon’s adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Austin is a professor in composition, orchestration and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2009 his work there was the subject of the BBC documentary ‘How to Be a Composer’.

Role: An orchestrator writes scores based on a composer’s drafts. They also transpose music originally written for one voice or instrument to be performed by another or multiple voice types or instruments.

Links:Sitzprobe at the Théâtre du Châtelethttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmEsfzcHfXs

Theatre Talk: Robert Kimble (Theatre Historian) and Rob Fisherhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ExR6Yz0G8

The Greene Space: Cast and Creativeshttp://www.thegreenespace.org/story/-demand-video-wqxr-presents-american-paris-preview/

PrintRoyal Opera House profile http://www.roh.org.uk/people/christopher-austin

10CREATIVE TEAM

DON SEBESKY & BILL ELLIOTTADDITIONAL ORCHESTRATIONS

Don Sebesky Biography:Don is a composer, arranger and conductor, he has worked with such orchestras as the London Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Pops, The New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic of London, and the Toronto Symphony. His theatre credits include Porgy andBess (London production by Trevor Nunn), Sinatra At The Palladium, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate (2000 Tony Award), Bells Are Ringing, Flower Drum Song, Parade, The Life, Cyrano, The Goodbye Girl, Will Rogers Follies, and Sinatra At Radio City.

Bill Elliot Biography:Bill Elliott is an arranger, orchestrator, composer, conductor, and bandleader who has made a specialty of writing in vintage styles of music. In 2015 he won a Tony® award for Best Orchestrations for An American in Paris on Broadway. In 2015 he orchestrated two additional Gershwin musicals: the Chichester (England) Festival Theatre debut production of Damsel In Distress and the Encores! revival of the 1924 Gershwin musical Lady Be Good.

Links:Don Sebeskyhttp://www.donsebeskymusic.com/

Bill Elliothttps://www.berklee.edu/people/bill-elliott

Original Broadway Production photography by Matthew Murphy.

ACTORS 11

ROBERT FAIRCHILD

Biography:Robert Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended the 2002 and 2003 summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, and enrolled as a full time student in the autumn of 2003.

Fairchild joined the New York City Ballet in 2005, and in October 2009 became a principal dancer.

His favourite dance movie is Singing in the Rain and he cites watching a Gene Kelly video as his inspiration for wanting to become a dancer.

Plays Jerry Mulligan: Early 20s, American GI, spontaneous, playful, deeply affected by the war, has the makings of a true artist.

Jerry Mulligan is an American soldier who fought in WWII. He is extremely unsettled by the war and wants to stay in Paris to pursue a career as an artist, uncomfortable with the prospect of returning home as a ‘hero’. In Paris, he falls for Lise, but Milo, the rich heiress, falls for him. Jerry loves deeply, is passionate about his painting and is haunted by the demons of the war.

Links:Jerry Mulligan Character Sketchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVY3a9lUuzM

From Paris to Broadwayhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ivYBbq58I


Ballet informing musical style: T/C: 48:55Christopher Wheeldon on the audition process for An American in Paris: T/C: 17:50


Rehearsal process/ Triple threat performers (Stuart Oken):T/C: 38:52, 35:48Process of acting: T/C: 07:26


PrintNew York City Ballet profilehttps://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Robert-Fairchild.aspx

ACTOR

ACTORS 12

LEANNE COPE

Biography:English dancer Leanne Cope trained at The Royal Ballet School from age 11 and graduated into the Company in 2003. She became a First Artist of The Royal Ballet in 2009.

Cope created several roles at the Royal Ballet, including in Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV: Danse à grande vitesse and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Choreographer Liam Scarlett called her ‘a presence on stage like no other’ (see Royal Ballet profile in links).

Cope won Best Female Dance in the The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards 2015 for her role in An American in Paris.

Plays Lise Dassin: 18, grieving, passionate, secretive. Ballet dancer.Lise is a Jewish young woman living France during WWII. The Baurels took her in as their own and

raised her in hiding in order to avoid the Nazi occupation. Lise falls for Jerry on her first day of freedom but feels a great debt to the Baurels and a duty to stand by Henri, their son. Lise’s character journey is one of self-expression and conflicting desires.

Links:Lise Dassin Character Sketchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUk6nVhs_3U

Leanne Cope on Lisehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKsucYZ74JI

Broadway.com - Leanne’s prep for performancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKsucYZ74JI

Casting the Future of An American in Paris (triple threat performers)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-417RHLDY


Christopher Wheeldon on Leanne: T/C: 18:06Dancing in heels: T/C: 27:51Christopher Wheeldon on the audition process for An American in Paris: T/C: 17:50


Rehearsal process/ Triple threat performers (Stuart Oken) T/C: 38:52, 35:48Leanne Cope: T/C: 39:48


PrintRoyal Opera House profilehttp://www.roh.org.uk/people/leanne-cope

ACTOR

SKETCHES: COSTUME 13

© Copyright Bob Crowley

COSTUMES

Lise

Jerry Adam

Madame Baurel

Henri Baurel

14

COSTUMESPrologue street scenes

Milo

The Baurels Baurel’s party guests

Madame Baurel

SKETCHES: COSTUME


15

COSTUMESLise work place- Galleries Lafayette

Galleries Lafayette - Fantasy Fashion

Galleries Lafayette - Ladies who lunch / customers

Galleries Lafayette - Fantasy swimwear

SKETCHES: COSTUME


Baurel workers and shop workers

16

COSTUMESAn American in Paris ballet

Baurel party- Russian ballet

SKETCHES: COSTUME


Ballet de Paris

17

COSTUMES

SKETCHES: COSTUME


18SET MODELS

SET MODELSBallet sets


19SET MODELS

SET MODELSParisian street scenes


20SET MODELS

SET MODELSOther scenes


REHEARSAL PHOTOS 21

REHEARSAL PHOTOS

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