Visual Story:

John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock’s

The 39 Steps

Relaxed Performance: Wed 21 October, 12.30pm

This visual story is designed for visitors to the Relaxed Performance of The 39

Steps. This pack contains information about the play and lots of images to help

prepare anyone who may be anxious about their visit. This visual story also has

information to help you to find your way around Theatre by the Lake.

Special tours of the building We offer special tours of the theatre to customers booking for our Relaxed Performances. On a day of your choice, one of our friendly members of staff will show you around the theatre so you can get to know it a bit better. You’ll see the Front of House areas, including the café, toilets and where the ‘chill-out space’ will be on the day of the performance. You’ll also see the auditorium, including where you’ll sit to watch the show. To book a tour, please contact Mary Elliott at

mary.elliott@theatrebythelake.com or 017687 81103 or 017687 72282 (Ext.

269)

Contents:

Theatre by the Lake

The play – The 39 Steps

Section One: Theatre by the Lake

Where is the play?

The play is being shown at Theatre by the

Lake in Keswick. The theatre is located next

to a lake called Derwentwater. To walk to

the theatre from the town centre, follow

signposts for ‘The Lake’. If you wish to use a

satnav, the postcode is CA12 5DJ.

There is a car park next to the theatre. This

is a council car park so you have to pay to

park there – make sure you have plenty of

change. There are a limited number of free

parking spaces for blue badge holders.

Here is a picture of the theatre from the outside.

Access

Lift access is available to all floors of the theatre. There is only one lift, located

in the café on the ground floor.

There are disabled toilets on each floor, suitable for wheelchair access. On the

first floor, there is an additional ambulant disabled toilet. These are clearly

signposted.

Inside the theatre

This is the foyer (the inside area) of the theatre.

The foyer can get quite busy before the show as everyone waits to go into the

auditorium (where the play is shown). You may have to queue for your tickets

which you can pick up at the Box Office. Please contact us prior to your visit if

you feel that queuing might be distressing for anyone in your party and we can

make alternative arrangements. If you have any questions about the show or

about your visit you can ask the friendly team at Box Office.

If you would like somewhere to sit, there are seats on the first and second

floor. The second floor (also called the Circle) will be a much quieter area if you

wish to have some ‘chill out time’ before, during or after the performance.

On the ground floor, there is a café (called the Stalls bar) which will be open

before, during and after the show. The café sells hot and cold food, alcoholic

and soft drinks as well as crisps and snacks. You can pre-order drinks for the

interval, which will be waiting for you when you come into the foyer during the

break.

Ice creams will be on sale in the foyer

and you can take them into the

auditorium. Groups can pre-order ice

creams and we can bring them into the

auditorium for you at the interval, if

you would prefer not to leave your

seats. They can be purchased at a

discounted rate. Please speak to Box

Office staff for details.

You might notice some people walking around with walkie-talkies. This is the

Front of House team and they are there to make sure that everything runs

smoothly. They will check your tickets and help you to find your seats. They

can also answer any questions that you may have about the play or about the

theatre.

You can take your bags and coats into the auditorium with you. You can just

pop these on the backs of your seats or underneath them. You may also take in

any hand held electronic devices that you may need.

Information about the Auditorium, the stage and the set

The auditorium is the part of the theatre where the audience sits when

they are watching the play.

The stage is the area where the actors perform the play.

The set is the name for all the scenery, furniture and objects used on

stage in a play.

What does the auditorium look like?

The stage is at the front of the theatre and is raised up so you can see what is

going on. There are three different levels in the auditorium – you will be sitting

on the bottom level.

Because this is a relaxed performance you can get up out of your seats if you

need to and move around. However, you won’t be allowed to go on to the

stage. You can leave the auditorium if you need some quiet time or if you need

to use the toilet.

You will have some time before the show to find your seats and get comfy

before the play begins. These are the seats in the auditorium where the

audience sit.

How long does the play last?

The play is shown in two halves with a break in the middle (called the

‘interval’). In total, it is about 2 hours 20 minutes long.

- The first half lasts about 1 hour and 10 minutes

- The interval lasts 20 minutes

- The second half lasts about 50 minutes

After the show

If you would like to, after the show you can meet the actors who appear in the

play. They will talk to you about what it is like to be on stage and about their

characters. You can ask them anything you’d like to know.

Most people who come to the theatre don’t get to meet them, so this is a

special opportunity just for you and your friends or family. The session will last

15 minutes.

During this meeting you will be able to take photographs. Please note that

during the show, photography is not allowed.

After this session you can return to your seats to collect any bags or coats and

then you will leave the auditorium. You can still use any of the theatre’s

facilities such as toilets, café, chill-out area etc.

Section Two: The Play The 39 Steps

There’s a full summary of the play at the end of this visual story.

The 39 Steps is a thrilling adventure story and follows handsome hero Richard

Hannay as he attempts to solve the mystery of the 39 Steps, clear his name of

murder and save his country from an international network of spies. He travels

from London’s West End, across the Forth Bridge and over the misty moors of

Scotland, encountering several bewitching beautiful women along the way!

The play is based on a classic thriller written by Alfred Hitchcock. This hilarious

version sees 4 actors play 139 roles. There’s plenty of action and fun to keep

you giggling – and amazed!

The characters in the play (in the order they appear):

Richard Hannay: Our hero of the story. A dashing and charming ex-military man who sweeps the ladies off their feet and saves the country from disaster.

Annabella: A beautiful and mysterious German agent who meets Hannay at the theatre and introduces him to The 39 Steps.

Pamela: An attractive and sweet girl, who meets Hannay on a train. She at first believes that he is a murderer, but soon falls for his charms.

Margaret: The pretty (much younger) wife of John the farmer. Margaret is impressed with Hannay’s worldliness and helps him escape across the moors.

A whole range of other characters are played by two other actors including policemen, travelling salesmen, Scottish innkeepers (the McGarrigles), Margaret’s grumpy husband (John), Mr Memory and the Professor.

What the play will look like:

The play is set in a 1930s flat that is being decorated. The set has minimal

scenery and has scaffolding, ladders and various other props littered around.

As the story unfolds, the action moves from location to location – but the set

doesn’t change. The actors cleverly use the props to give the impression of the

different locations – a flat, a theatre, the Scottish Moors, a party, a police

station, a railway station, a railway carriage and even the Forth Bridge. Lights,

sounds and special effects are also used to help the audience imagine the

different places.

This is Hannay’s London apartment, where the decorators are painting and he

sits down to tell them the story of The 39 Steps:

As the play progresses the set stays the same but special effects and props are

used to create new places in the space. For instance, smoke and boxes create a

train:

There is plenty of physicality in the actor’s performance as Hannay finds

himself hanging from the Forth Bridge:

It’s not just big pieces of set that help change the scene, even small pieces such

as picture frames create windows at the old farmhouse:

What will happen in the play:

Act 1

During a performance at the theatre, Richard Hannay meets the beautiful and

mysterious Annabella who persuades him to let her come back to his flat. She

reveals that she is a German agent and her life is in danger after discovering a

secret plot. Hannay is sceptical but agrees to let her stay. She tells him a little

about the 39 Steps and warns him about a man with only half a finger but

before she can give him any real details she is stabbed. Hannay, afraid that he

will be blamed for the murder, goes on the run and heads to Scotland as

directed by the ghost of Annabella (who prompts him from beneath a sheet!)

She tells him to go to a big house where he will find more answers.

Hannay travels north from London and meets Pamela on a train. She knows he

is on the run and turns him into the police, but Hannay escapes and continues

his journey. Once in Scotland he is aided by the sweet Margaret, but then

quickly betrayed by her older, jealous husband, John. After various incidents

and mishaps Hannay finally makes it to his destination and meets the

Professor, who turns out to be the evil agent that Annabella warned him

about. He tries to persuade Hannay to switch sides but is rebuffed and shoots

him.

Act 2

Hannay survives the shooting thanks to a hymn book in his pocket but is

arrested by the local police. They do not believe his story about the Professor

and Hannay must escape once again. He meets Pamela at a political rally

where he is captured and taken into ‘custody’ by two thugs posing as

policemen. Hannay pleads with Pamela to help him and explains more of the

story, leading to the thugs deciding to take Pamela too. They are handcuffed

together in the car but when the driver gets out to clear the road, Hannay

escapes, dragging the unwilling Pamela along behind him.

During the night, Pamela overhears the two ‘policemen’ talking and realises

that Hannay has been telling the truth. In the morning she relays to Hannay

what she heard and they go to the Palladium where the Professor is picking up

a ‘mysterious package.’

It turns out that it is Mr Memory that holds the secret to the 39 Steps but

before he can reveal it, he is shot by the Professor. Hannay and the Professor

fight and in the struggle, the Professor is shot dead.

Mr Memory is lying injured on the floor. He tells Hannay and Pamela all about

the 39 Steps and that it was an espionage ring trying to smuggle secrets about

the air force out of the country. After relaying his detailed explanation, his

‘hardest job yet’, he sadly dies.

The nation, however, has been saved. Hooray. Pamela and Hannay are heroes.

They return to the flat and we see that they get married and have a baby.

A sign is held up to denote THE END.

Further information on the story and characters:

In this section you will find out more about what happens in the play and there

are also some notes on particular moments which are dramatic, distressing or

exciting which you might want to talk through before coming to see the show.

The play starts in a flat with a team of decorators. They are waiting for

some wallpaper to arrive and can’t continue with the job. To pass the

time they turn on the radio and The 39 Steps is on. They decide to listen.

The ‘decorating team’ do a quick mime of the total story and then settle

down to listen to the radio play. The action then slips into The 39 Steps

and the 4 decorators become actors and play all the different characters

in the story. At the end of the play, the action goes back to the

decorators. This is a special theatre device called ‘framing’ which means

that the action is a ‘story within a story’. Think of it like a sandwich – the

decorators are the bread and the spy story in the middle is the filling!

The play has lots of characters – 139 in fact! But rather than having 139

actors on stage we only use 4 actors to play them all. The actors use

their bodies, voices and costumes to show when they are playing

different characters. Watch out for the train scenes when Richard and

Patrick switch between lots of characters just by putting on different

hats and changing voices! It must be exhausting!

Similarly, the action moves between lots of exciting locations. Rather

than use lots of expensive scenery that would take ages to move, the

actors use props to cleverly represent different locations and

environments. An indoor lamp becomes a street light, scaffolding

becomes a bed, an elevator and even the Forth Bridge; a plank becomes

a door, corridor walls and a table; a train carriage is made out of boxes!

Occasionally small models and toys are used to show what is happening.

See if you can spot the toy car, a toy train and even a plane!

Lights are also used for special effects. During one of Hannay’s escape

sequences a light is shone across the audience to represent car

headlights.

The actors do lots of mime sequences to show action taking place –

walking up stairs, hanging on to the outside of a train carriage, chase

sequences with dogs – they even pretend to be an aeroplane. The

sequences are all quite short and lots of fun!

At about 50 minutes into the first section you will hear gunfire from a

plane. The actors sit on a step ladder and mime the action. Frances also

mimes the plane crashing with a model aeroplane on a stick. There will

be lots of noise as the planes attack and then crash.

During one of the chases, Hannay escapes by swinging across the Forth

Bridge. The bridge is represented by the scaffolding and Hannay hangs

on to it, slowly moving along. There will be a short blackout. See if you

can hear a splash – this signifies Hannay falling into the water.

Throughout the show, we will be using music, smoke and light changes

to build tension and mark dramatic moments. We have taken specialist

advice and removed some sound effects (such as loud whistles),

dampened certain sound effects and reduced the amount of smoke used

in some scenes. We have also reduced the amount of light effects.

Please speak to a member of the team if you have any concerns.

During the play there are 3 murders – Anabella is stabbed, the Professor

and Mr Memory are both shot. However, the actors are only pretending

and no-one actually gets hurt.

When Anabella is stabbed, she has a knife sticking out of her back. This is

just a clever prop that is sewed on to the back of her costume.

Just before the interval, Hannay is shot by the Professor and there is a

loud gunshot and a red light. Hannay appears in Act 2 though – the

bullet was stopped by a hymn book in his coat pocket!

At certain times during the story, the actors will come down into the

auditorium and say lines whilst in the auditorium. This will take place in

Row A and Row G and down the side aisles. If you think this might cause

distress to anyone in your party, please let Box Office know and we can

ensure that you are seated away from any potential interaction.

Towards the end of the play we see the Professor’s body being thrown

from the top of the scaffolding – but don’t worry, this is not a real

person. The actor moves into the wings and Hannay throws a dummy.

There is a very short ‘blackout’ period after this scene so that the

dummy can be removed from the stage. It will not be completely dark

though as we will keep house lights on at a low level.

In Mr Memory’s first act he references Mae West. Mae West was a

famous, American film star who starred in lots of black and white films.

The play was based on a film by a famous director, Alfred Hitchcock.

Throughout the play there are lots of references to his other films such

as North by North West, Rearview Mirror, Psycho and Vertigo.