the night alive play guide | round house theatre

NIGHT ALIVEB Y

CONOR McPHERSON D I R E C T E D B Y

RYAN RILETTE

PLAY GUIDEOCTOBER 21 - NOVEMBER 13, 2015 | 2015 - 2016 SEASON

Pictured: Katie deBuys & Edward Gero

THE PLAYWRIGHT

2 ROUND HOUSE THEATRE | The Night Alive Play Guide 301.585.1225 | www.RoundHouseTheatre.org

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Ryan Rilette

RoundHouseTheatre.org301.585.1225 EDUCATION CENTER

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240.644.1099 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

[email protected]@Roundhousetheatre.org

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This play guide had been prepared by the Round House Theatre Artistic and Education staff, along with production dramaturg Brent Stansell.

Designed by Cheyenne Michaels.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE 3

THE PLAYWRIGHT 4

4 About the Playwright

4 Comments By the Playwright

THE PLAY 5

5 Synopsis, Setting and Characters

5 Excerpts from the Play

6 Comments About the Play

THE PRODUCTION 7

7 - 8 An Interview with with Designer Meghan Raham

CULTURAL CONTEXT AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 9

9 Glossary of Terms/Slang Used in The Night Alive

10 An Interview with the Playwright

by John Patrick Shanley

11 - 12 “Unprovoked Violence on Dublin’s Streets

Shouldn’t Be Accepted As Normal”

by Mick McCarthy, A Dublin local

FOR THE CLASSROOM 13

13 Common Core/Curriculum

13 Practical Information & Theatre Etiquette

14 Discussion Topics & Activities for the Classroom

14 Response Letter

Round House Theatre is a home for great ensemble acting and lifelong learning. We seek to captivate audiences with stories that inspire compassion, provoke emotions, and demand conversation. It is our hope that this play guide will serve to not only enhance the understanding of students who attend as part of an education program, but also allow all audience members to deepen their own theatrical experience. Use this play guide as a starting point or as a way to continue engaging in the show long after the performance ends. We want to inspire you, our audience, in an ongoing dialogue of ideas while encouraging lifelong learning and participation in theatre.


TITLE PAGE

A R O U N D H O U S E T H E A T R E P R O D U C T I O N Ryan Rilette, Producing Artistic Director

presents

NIGHT ALIVEB Y

CONOR McPHERSOND I R E C T E D B Y

RYAN RILETTE

Scenic & Costume Designer: MEGHAN RAHAM

Lighting Designer: COLIN K. BILLS

Composer/ Sound Designer:

ERIC SHIMELONIS

Props Master: KASEY HENDRICKS

Fight Choreographer: CASEY KALEBA

Dialects: MARY COY

Dramaturg: BRENT STANSELL

Assistant Director: GABRIELLE HOYT

Production Stage Manager: JANA LLYNN*

CAST

Tommy EDWARD GERO*

Aimee KATIE DEBUYS*

Doc GREGORY LININGTON*

Maurice MICHAEL TOLAYDO*

Kenneth JOSEPH CARLSON*

* Member Actors’ Equity Association, The Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

The Night Alive is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.Sponsored in part through generous support from Esthy & Jim Adler and Judy & Leo Zickler.

Dublin Harbour. Photo by Giuseppe Milo on Flickr. www.goo.gl/XPA2k6

THE PLAYWRIGHT


THE PLAYWRIGHT

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Conor McPherson was born in Dublin in 1971. He attended the University College in Dublin, where he began to write and direct. His

plays include Rum & Vodka, The Good Thief, This Lime Tree Bower, St. Nicholas, The Weir (Olivier Award, Best Play), Dublin Carol, Port Authority, Shining City (Tony Award nomination, Best Play), and The Seafarer. Film work includes “I Went Down,” “Saltwater,” Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame,” “The Actors,” and an adaptation of John Banville’s “Elegy for April” for the BBC. Other awards include the George Devine Award; Critics’ Circle Award; Evening Standard Award; Meyer Whitworth Award; Stewart Parker Award; two Irish Film & Television Academy Best Screenplay Awards; CICAE Best Film Award, Berlin Film Festival (“Saltwater”); Best Film and Best Screenplay Awards, San Sebastian Film Festival (“I Went Down”).

COMMENTS BY THE PLAYWRIGHT

ON LONELINESS

“All I can say is my work is a battle against loneliness. It’s an acknowledgment that we all have a fundamental loneliness even though you may not be alone. But all that loneliness can be eased by admitting and sharing that fact. Having said that, it does not necessarily mean that my work is bleak. I don’t think it is. I think it is quite optimistic because its intention is to make contact, to make connection. It’s really that simple.”

“I’m asking, why are we here, and what’s beyond? We know so little of the why, what the universe is, what infinity is. The veil around us is very fragile.”

ON THE SUPERNATURAL

“Often I’m trying to situate [the characters] in the context of an awareness of the cosmic situation, of human life, intelligence, and consciousness. You have to look at it in the framework of the universe and eternity. That’s where we are, we have no idea how it all works, no idea what time is or space is. We sort of live in a giant mystery we don’t understand. I frame my plays in the darkness of that, and bring the characters to the edge of the frame. I always think that makes the dramatic stakes go up quite high.”

“I try not to have anybody say it, but sometimes there are supernatural elements...It is more about the feeling of the eternal.”

ON IRISHNESS

“It is the whole notion of Catholicism and the idea of the spiritual world somehow being more real than the material world. Irish people are more concerned about the inner life…and the inner response. A monologue gets into what people really think, which is entertaining and exciting because people don’t normally tell us what they really think. It is also what they think makes sense. Or what they think sounds rational. But they don’t actually express the more primal thing, which is the voice that is in there.”

ON MORALITY

“I think my characters always tend to find an innate sense of what’s right and wrong, or at least worry about it and usually come back to traditional moral law, which is basically utilitarian: If I don’t treat other people well, I may not get treated well myself. The characters come back to the fear of not being loved. But my plays always have characters who are shown an opportunity to break out. The whole play is about whether they do or don’t.”

Photo by Dara Mac Dónaill for The Irish Times. www.goo.gl/wm38ez

THE PLAYEXCERPTS FROM THE PLAY

DOC: A day will come when we understand what time is and we can perceive, you know, time waves, waves in time. Vibrations from another time—like, why not?

KENNETH: Fear is not just one thing. Sometimes you’re just worn out by being really scared for days on end, where you actually just want something bad to happen—just to…Get it over with.

MAURICE: Death is real, Tommy! Yeah! You’re just knocking the days off the calendar. There’s even days when Mass just takes you nowhere, just deposits you back on the pavement, just another invisible man, knowing that the end is sneaking in on you and knowing it’s gonna be the worst part of your life.

TOMMY: You think I’m just some…fool? Who doesn’t know what’s going on inside his own head? Like I don’t fucking know what’s going on? I know what’s going on! I know, okay?

MAURICE: You only get a few goes, Tommy. At life. You don’t get endless goes. Two, three goes, maybe. When you hit the right groove, you’ll click right in there. No drama. … This is it. Living in the moment.

DOC: Will I tell you the good thing about Christmas? No one can turn you away. You see that light in the window. In you go.

TOMMY: Yeah. But you can’t save everybody though, can you?

DOC: [Y]our man says he doesn’t care how regular I say I am, I’m not as regular as the other regulars.

TOMMY: Yes, you are!

DOC: Yeah, well, the other regulars are more regular, and he says it does’t matter how regular I ever become—I’ll never be as regular a regular as the other regulars because they’re just way more…erm…

TOMMY: Frequent?

MAURICE: So…You gonna tell me anything about yourself?

AIMEE: Nothing to tell.

TOMMY: What were you dreaming about?

AIMEE: We were in here and two men came in and told me I was dead and I had to get up and go with them.

MAURICE: All I’m asking—what happened to all that sweetness…is what I want to know.

TOMMY: What sweetness?

MAURICE: When we used to go down the canal, and you holding my hand, and asking me all the questions in the world. And now the country is a shambles and we’re crying out for people like you. That can lead us into the light, Tommy.

SYNOPSIS

The play is set in the drawing room of an Edwardian house in Dublin which is now a bedsit, inhabited by

ne’er-do-well fifty-something Tommy. He rents the room from his Uncle Maurice who lives upstairs, and keeps his ex-wife and kids at arm’s length. Tommy’s friend Doc also sleeps in the room; during the day the two men scrape by, performing odd jobs in people’s sheds and gardens, and bickering about everything from wages to banana sandwiches.

One night, Tommy rescues a young woman named Aimee from a beating on the street. He brings her home to get her cleaned up and offers her a place to sleep. Aimee begins to form friendships with all three of these damaged, lonely men, but trouble crashes into their lives in the form of Aimee’s ex-boyfriend, Kenneth.

SETTINGThe play takes place in the first-floor drawing room of an Edwardian house near the Phoenix Park in Dublin. It is Autumn. The present.

CHARACTERS

Tommy played by Edward Gero

5 301.585.1225 | www.RoundHouseTheatre.orgROUND HOUSE THEATRE | The Night Alive Play Guide

Maurice, Tommy’s uncle(pronounced “Morris”)played by Michael Tolaydo

Doc, Tommy’s friend and sometime business partnerplayed by Gregory Linington

Aimeeplayed by Katie deBuys

Kenneth, Aimee’s former boyfriendplayed by Joseph Carlson


THE PLAY

COMMENTS ABOUT THE PLAY

From the Playwright Conor McPherson

“ I think with things like The Night Alive, it’s probably better if no one really says what they’re thinking. Because what can you say to the audience that they don’t already know? All you can do is ask questions, really. My feeling with plays is that what’s really happening in the play has to be underneath the play, beyond the play, and not really in the language of the play. It’s really in between all the words. It’s really just a feeling. You’re trying to communicate a feeling. And if you do that, then that’s real. Because I think anybody can communicate an idea. We’re all quite adept at understanding ideas. But sharing a feeling is a whole other thing. If you can reach that place…I think that’s what plays should be trying to do. You’re supposed to walk out of the theater feeling different, not thinking different. Not thinking. So I don’t know that my characters have anything to say, really. They talk a lot, but I don’t really know that there’s a huge amount of wisdom.”

“I know how difficult life is for lots of people, but at the same time, we’re just lucky to be here. You’re lucky to be conscious. You’re lucky to be inside looking out and going, “What is this?” It’s a massive privilege, and we don’t have it for very long. Life is short. And that’s all you get, I suspect. So yeah, I do find it hard not to be sort of optimistic. It’s funny, but as I get older, even though I feel anxious about things, I always feel like I have a reason to keep going. And I think that’s being a romantic. Because what that’s intrinsically saying is that life has meaning because if your life is completely meaningless and going nowhere and it just has no direction, it’s impossible to live it. And that’s depression. But to feel that anything is imbued with meaning, well that’s a massive gift. And it’s also very mysterious. I think you’re only one step away from

believing in God if you believe your life has meaning. But I don’t think you have to be able to articulate it or express it in language, it’s just enough to be getting on with your day with an absence of psychic pain and physical pain. That’s a good day.”

From Critics

“Another raw and beautiful entry in this great Irish playwright’s stunning ongoing series of dramatic meditations on life, loneliness and the possibility of redemption.”

— Chicago Tribune, Steppenwolf Theatre production in Chicago

“From subtle but laugh-out-loud comedy to delicate sweetness to creeping dread…a surprisingly emotional trip, and it’s not one to miss.”

— Newcity, Steppenwolf Theatre production in Chicago

“As writer and director, Mr. McPherson has planted in our minds a subliminal awareness of more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in any philosophy. By its end, the play pulses with the possibility of redemption, if I may use a much-abused word. I do mean only the possibility; but even that nebulous hope kindles a glow, both warming and chilling, you rarely experience at the theatre.”

— Ben Brantley, London Theater Journal The New York Times, London production

“The beauty of McPherson’s writing is that peripheral, shimmery weirdness, the tug at your sleeve of something so otherworldly and luminous, you can’t bear to turn around and look. What’s going on? A spellbinding and absolutely gorgeous new play by one of the true poets of the theater, that’s what.”

— David Cote, Time Out, New York production

“The Night Alive might register as a sitcom uncomfortably spliced into a tragedy, except for that underlying and connective sense of the luminous. Whenever you think you’re settling into a familiar groove of dialogue, with eccentric losers engaged in antic bickering, the play ascends to a place that can only be called transcendent.”

— Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“McPherson described the play as a modern day Nativity tale. And although there’s not an infant messiah on the premises, there is a contest between decency and savagery, charity and exploitation, and faith and despair. The pitched battle between good and evil, of perennial interest to McPherson, is here conveyed in the form of a question: What kind of story will you choose to guide you on your bewildering path?...The ending of the play, which must remain a secret, is purposely ambiguous. Everyone I talk to seems to have a highly original interpretation—a sign of the fertility of McPherson’s play.”

— Charles McNulty, LA Times

Henrietta Street in Dublin. Photo by William Murphy on Flickr. www.goo.gl/406M4d


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OVERVIEW AND NOTES:

BACK SECTION OF OLD EDWARDIAN DUBLIN RESIDENCE; DRAWING-ROOM HAS BECOME A BED-SIT, AND IS RUN-DOWN AND INHABITED BYSOMETHING OF A HOARDER.

THE "FRONT" OF THE HOUSE WOULD BE OFFSTAGE RIGHT; WE SEE THEBACK OF THE HOUSE STAGE LEFT, AND PART OF A BRICK GARDEN WALLTHROUGH THE UPSTAGE FRENCH DOORS, WITH IVY GROWING ON IT.

A SET OF INTERIOR DOORS SR LEADS TO MAURICE'S HALLWAY; OUR ONEGLIMPSE AT THE REST OF THE HOUSE, WHICH-- THOUGH OLD-- SEEMS TOBE IN MUCH NICER SHAPE; IT HASN'T LOST THE TOUCH OF MAURICE'SLATE WIFE.

UPSTAGE, A SET OF FRENCH DOORS LOOKS OUT TO A SMALL "BALCONY" LANDING AT THE TOP OF STAIRS TO THE GARDEN.A GARDEN WALL WITH IVY CAN ALSO BE SEEN HERE BEYONDTHE BALCONY RAILING.

THERE IS A SMALL MAKESHIFT BATHROOM (JUST TOILET)BUILT INTO THE CORNER OF THE ROOM OUT OF FRAMING ANDPLYWOOD. IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS BUILTTHINGS BEFORE BUILT IT, BUT THAT HE CARES FAR MORE FORFUNCTION THAN AESTHETICS.

AGAINST THIS BATHROOM, JUST DS, SITS A UTILITY SINK AS PART OF THE MAKESHIFT "KITCHEN"; IT WILL BE PRACTICAL(NEEDS RUNNING WATER).

THE INTERIOR US/ DS WALLS AND CEILING OF THE ROOM AREANGLED/ OPENED UP FOR SIGHTLINES; THE FLOOR IS NOT RAKED.

INTERIOR FLOOR IS WOOD PLANKED, RUNNING SR-SL; SEE ALSODECK ELEVATION. THERE ARE A FEW LOOSE BOARDS WHERE TOMMYSTASHES HIS MONEY TIN.

INTERIOR OF ROOM SHOULD FEEL SOMETHING LIKE THE BARELYTOGETHER GHOST OF A ROOM THAT WAS ONCE FAIRLY GRAND; HASMANY NICE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES (MOULDING, BASEBOARD, TRIM,ETC.) BUT IS SIMPLY DECAYING. THE WALLS AND CEILING ARE PITTED/CRACKED PLASTER (PAINT ELEVATIONS TO FOLLOW).

CEILING HAS OLD PLASTER MEDALLION WHERE LIGHT FIXTURE HANGS.

BLACK BRICK FACADE OF HOUSE SITS JUST AT EDGE OF STAGE DECK, SO THAT ONLY THE 1/2" OR SO VENEER OF BRICK FACING REACHES HOUSE FLOOR; THIS IS TO HELP THEROOM FEEL A BIT ELEVATED, AS THOUGH ON A RAISED FIRST FLOOR.

UPSTAGE SPACE IS LIMITED, BUT IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, AN ONSTAGE ACTOR CROSSOVER JUST UPSTAGE OF THE GARDEN WALL (BETWEEN GARDEN WALL AND SCRIM) SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE; DISCUSS EXACT SCRIM PLACEMENT WITH DESIGNER/ LIGHTING DESIGNER.

A MUSLIN CYC OR FLAT HAS BEEN ADDED JUST OUTSIDE TOMMY'S WINDOW STAGE LEFT. iT IS ABOUT 5'W x 12'H, BUT SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH DESIGNER/ LIGHTING DESIGNER BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH LOGISTICS/ BUILD.

THE PRODUCTION

The Night Alive takes place in a pretty specific place. Tell us how you approached researching the setting & costumes for the Round House Theatre (RHT) production.

Yes—very specific! I started a little more broadly, by researching drawing rooms in old Edwardian houses to see what the most notable interior architectural features are, and how the rooms are used, and what kinds of spatial arrangements would be most useful to the action of the play. First-person research—going to the actual location—is always best when possible, but a trip to Dublin was a bit out of reach for us this time, so [director] Ryan [Rilette] and [lighting designer] Colin Bills and I did the next best thing, and “walked” around the neighborhoods surrounding Phoenix Park in Dublin on Google Street View! It was a great way to get a real understanding of what those houses are like from the exterior, and in the context of that specific neighborhood. Colin found a corner home with a garden wall that backed up to the park that was perfect; I essentially opened up the side wall of it so that we could peer inside. We took some artistic liberties with what we’ve put on stage to help us with the mechanics of the play, but the space is grounded in both exterior and interior realities from research.

This is your second show at Round House where you have designed both sets and costumes (Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love in 2014 being the first), and you will be returning later this season as the set designer for Cat on

a Hot Tin Roof. Is your process different when you are designing both sets and costumes? Do you prefer doing both or just designing one area?

A great question. I suppose my process for designing in each area is roughly the same when designing both as it would be if I were doing one or the other, except that it’s much more immersive. The timelines are different enough that I can generally start early with the set, but knowing that I will also be designing the costumes helps me design the scenery because the characters and their actions are very specifically on my mind, too.

I don’t have a preference, per se—I just love to design things!—but designing both sets and costumes isn’t something I would take on for every show. The Night Alive is a larger undertaking than Fool for Love was, because there’s just so much more stuff! But it’s also a contained world, which makes it manageable, and also really fun. I’ve designed both areas for some large musicals, which is also really fun but only possible with excellent assistants and support. And then it’s always nice to go from designing both back to “only” doing one or the other…

Having previously designed for Fool for Love, you’ve spent a lot of time working with Producing Artistic Director Ryan Rilette, who is also directing The Night Alive. What is it like working with him as a director? Ryan’s great. He’s very direct and very actor-focused, so

AN INTERVIEW WITH MEGHAN RAHAM, SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGNER FOR THE NIGHT ALIVE

Set rendering for The Night Alive by Meghan Raham.


THE PRODUCTION

it’s easy to have conversations and make decisions and move forward. He’s also comfortable trying something and changing his mind, which makes decisions feel less precious or high-stakes. I think we both are ultimately grounded in the reality of what the actual moments of the play feel like onstage, and focus on creating the right context for those moments to occur, however it needs to happen.

Costumes, particularly for a modern show, can be heavily influenced by the actors cast in each role. Were there any decisions you made as the costume designer for The Night Alive that were particularly influenced by the actor?

Yes—virtually all of them this time around! I was lucky in that the actors were cast before I started working in-depth on designing the clothes, so I was able to design with the actual people very much in mind from the beginning. That doesn’t always happen, so it’s a real gift when it does. That said, there have certainly been additional things I’ve learned from them since rehearsal has started and we’ve had a few rounds of fittings. Clothes are very personal, and the same shirt will do very different things on different people, so I’m always excited to learn from the actors’ presence, and to help them feel comfortable in the character they’re creating.

Costume renderings for The Night Alive by Meghan Raham.


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CULTURAL CONTEXT &

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

GLOSSARY OF TERMS/SLANG USED IN THE NIGHT ALIVE

Phoenix Park in Dublin - A 1,750 acre urban park in Dublin that contains various landmarks and tourist attractions, including the Dublin Zoo. (1)

Autumn in Dublin - The month of October is characterized by daily highs decreasing from 59°F to 53°F over the course of the month. Daily low temperatures range from 43°F to 48°F. Over the course of October, the length of the day decreases rapidly.

Gas hob - A gas stove with four burners.

Electric coin meter - A meter that allows landlords to charge tenants for the air conditioning/heating/hot water that they use.

Bang - To wash.

Guards - An Garda Síochána (meaning “the Guardian of the Peace”), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí or “the guards” is the police force of Ireland. Its headquarters are in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. (2)

Evening Herald - The Herald is a mid-market tabloid evening newspaper published in Dublin. It was called The Evening Herald until 2013.

Kip - Slang meaning to sleep; often with the connotation of a temporary or charitable situation, or one borne out of necessity.

Nicking - British slang for “stealing.”

Peppa Pig Piano potties - Potty chairs made for toddlers with cartoon characters of Peppa Pig and her friends, popular figures in children’s television.

Lock-up - A garage that is rented out.

Squids - Gaelic slang for “quid.” One pound (£1) or a number of pounds sterling. (4)

Black pudding - A blood sausage typically made with pork’s blood and oatmeal and/or barley.

Sin sceal eile - Gaelic for “That’s another story.”

Immersion - An immersion heater is an electric water heater that sits inside a hot water cylinder. They act a bit like a kettle, using an electric resistance heater to heat the surrounding water.

Twig - Slang for observe or notice.

On the game - Working as a prostitute.

Connemara pony - The Connemara pony is a pony breed originating in Ireland. They are known for their athleticism, versatility, and good disposition. (3)

Gute nacht, mein schitz - German for “Good night, my darling”—potentially has misspelled “schatz.”

Battered sausage - Popular food similar to a corndog, but generally not served on a stick.

Nip - To sneak away or flee.

Eurospar - Supermarket chain.

Pulling your peanut - Pulling your leg/teasing.

Pup - Slang for younger man.

i mo phoca - Gaelic for “in my pocket.”

Runners - British slang for “sneakers.”

Photo (1) by William Murphy on Flickr. www.goo.gl/RZcZ1K; photo (2) by Mic on Flickr. www.goo.gl/Od76uL; photo (3) by Lindy Buckley on Flickr. www.goo.gl/VqUC7J; photo (4) by William Warby on Flickr. www.goo.gl/AMVKgn.

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CULTURAL CONTEXT &


INTERVIEW WITH THE PLAYWRIGHTExcerpted from a conversation between McPherson and fellow playwright John Patrick Shanley published in the December 2013 issue of American Theatre, alongside the full-length script of The Night Alive.

JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY: Did you spend a lot of time thinking about the structure of The Night Alive?

CONOR MCPHERSON: I was pushing my little daughter on a swing in the park and all I saw was this little room, and this guy bringing this girl in. I had the idea that this girl was going to come and stay, and this guy’s life was all over the place. Also, it’s nice to watch two people who don’t know each other get to know each other, because that’s easy to write! When you have a play with a married couple, what are they going to say to one another? So I had this idea, and that was one play. The second part of the story was going to be this whole other play—one of those plays set in Heaven, or Purgatory, really. And the people from the first play were going to be in this other play. Except they’d be playing different characters. And, at a certain point, God was going to come and explain everything. Part of that very strange and horrible impulse (which I thought was genius for about five minutes), was that it allowed me to play with the notion of an afterlife. Eventually, I was able to pull the second play into the first one and do it that way.

JPS: There’s a beautiful question that the older character, Maurice, asks of Tommy: “Where is that beautiful boy? Where is the goodness in the young boy that I knew?” It circles around a question about such a flame: Does it go out, or is it still there? Can you find it again?

CM: Absolutely—it’s a yearning. They’re all yearning for something. On the simplest level, The Night Alive is trying to deal in emotions rather than ideas. It asks questions. It’s almost like a Nativity play for me, where the human beings are really yearning for the transcendent. And that seems to come for them in the shape of the idealized feminine, which comes into their world, and she sort of shakes everything up.

JPS: There’s this Dickensian quality as well. There’s a real villain and a transmogrifying (to use a nice big word) feminine element. But you’ve updated the Dickens heroine, and she’s been funkified while still having the same effect.

CM: I think you’ve really hit the nail on the head. When I had the very first idea for the play, I saw it as a kind of Charles Dickens story. You’re the first person who’s ever said that. It’s funny, in this day and age, to do a play like

that—it’s very old-fashioned and traditional. I don’t know if that’s risky or if it’s very outdated. I don’t know—it’s almost like a fairy tale.

JPS: You’ve been on a metaphysical journey for your whole artistic life, and these plays are a pantomime of your journey. Where do you feel you are on that journey with The Night Alive, and where do you want to go next?

CM: What’s good about The Night Alive is it’s a supernatural play with no ghosts. I see it as containing something of the supernaturalism of everyday life, as opposed to being a play with something scary or literally metaphysical at it’s heart. I’m quite pleased with it because I think there’s something in it that you can’t put your finger on. My whole mantra when I’m directing plays or working with people on plays is: A play has to stay ahead of the audience. But the problem of course is that it’s very difficult to do that, because the audience is so intelligent. And I always say, if you can stay ahead of them for 40 percent of the time—or if there’s 20 or 30 minutes of the play that does that, then that’s a very good play. The Night Alive always just manages to stay ahead of the audience. What the play seems to be about keeps changing. What kind of play it is keepings changing, all the way to the end. And even after the play is over, it changes. Where am I with that? I have no idea. And I think that’s okay! Jesus, I would hate to know where I am. I’d hate to say, “Yes, I know that I’m in the first stage of my middle period.” But I will say one thing: What happens as a playwright is, you get a great run for 10 to 15 years, writing all of the low-hanging fruit; all of the strong ideas are there. But should you do it for your whole life? There are very few playwrights who get better as they get older. So I am in that place where I’m wondering. I have no ideas for another play.

An illustration of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, “Lucie Manette meets Mr. Jarvis Lorry” by Fred Barnard.


CULTURAL CONTEXT &


This article, written by a Dublin local, discusses both the inherent violence and beauty of the city he calls home.

I’m proud of my city. It hasn’t always been this way but over the years I’ve come to admire it more and more. I like nothing more than to hear positive things

being said about Dublin. I find it annoying when people constantly harp on about the negatives. You can apply that mindframe to literally anything and the result will always be the same. Let’s get something straight; Dublin is far from perfect. We all know this but how many cities actually are? Every city in the world has social problems that need tackling, transport services that need improving; environmental concerns that require action. All these factors have an impact on a city’s reputation. Dublin is no different in this regard—but it also has its own set of unique and underrated charms that make it special in so many ways. Over the last two decades Dublin has become a much more modern, vibrant, and cosmopolitan city. We are growing up as a city and we needed to.

However, despite the optimism, something sinister is lurking beneath the surface and it won’t go away.

Last month my positive image of Dublin was shattered. A video emerged on the Internet of a Brazilian student being brutally beaten by teenage thugs for no apparent reason. The video is sickening to watch. On the same day, a German couple were attacked when asked for a cigarette lighter. Every year there are similar stories like these that blight the Paddy’s Day festivities and leave a stain on our reputation, but these types of random violent attacks are certainly not just confined to St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, innocent people seem to get kicked and punched on our streets quite regularly.

Only recently I read that a Chinese girl was brutally assaulted on Moore Street by a group of teenage girls as passersby looked on in horror. Look at any daily newspaper and it won’t take too long before you find a story relating to some form of violent assault on the streets of Dublin. People don’t feel safe on our streets and I don’t blame them. How could they with this as the backdrop to our city life? Dublin seems to have a history of street violence. Granted, it’s not a city-wide problem as most parts of Dublin are safe and peaceful. It seems to be in the city centre, the heartbeat of Dublin, where it rears its ugly head time and time again.

There was widespread and justified public revulsion on seeing the aforementioned video. People were angry at how visitors to our shores could be so violently assaulted for no apparent reason. On seeing the video it made me

UNPROVOKED VIOLENCE ON DUBLIN’S STREETS SHOULDN’T

BE ACCEPTED AS NORMAL

By Mick McCarthy, The Journal April 16, 2014

A man walks his dog through the streets of Ballsbridge, Dublin. Photo by Giuseppe Milo on Flickr. www.goo.gl/U6htkd


CULTURAL CONTEXT &


feel depressed about being a Dubliner. One moment I was proud of my city and the progress it has made and the next I was ashamed.

In the aftermath, I was somewhat encouraged to see such vocal public outrage. Media websites were bombarded with negative comments about Dublin. Our lenient justice system, the lack of gardai presence on the streets, dodgy areas, unruly teenagers, drugs, underage drinking, bad parenting and the welfare system were all topics up for discussion. People were genuinely concerned and offered opinions and solutions. Many very valid points were made, others were extreme and irrational. Emotions can run high when incidents like these happen but the response has to be balanced and realistic. What was evident to me was that Dubliners, proud of their city, wanted an end to this terrible malady.

As we all know making comments on Internet sites is not going to put an end to this problem. I’ve the feeling there is a certain acceptance that street violence is just a part of life in Dublin city, that it ‘goes with the territory’ so to speak. Are we a violent people? I don’t think so but certainly violent people live among us. Do other cities have this problem? Certainly muggings, pick pockets, fights and drunken disorderly are common urban issues in most cities…but unprovoked violent assaults? Is that our domain?

Fortunately, the more streetwise of us might see a potential for trouble and avoid it by crossing the street, ducking into a shop or hailing a taxi, and a Dubliner would be more likely to detect a potential threat. But what if you don’t see the signs, like so many tourists and non-Irish nationals? What if there is no time to react? Take the Brazilian student on St. Paddy’s Day for instance. He became ‘involved’ with a group of teenagers after one of them took his hat. Look what happened to him. He could never have imagined that such an innocuous incident could lead to him being knocked unconscious in the street. Are these people just left to ride their luck? Are we completely helpless to counter the menace that exists on our streets? One thing is certain; it isn’t going to go away until something is done about it.

Dublin is a great city and, despite the problems I’ve mentioned, it’s still a relatively safe one. I think it suffers badly from a perception problem, a feeling it is more hostile and dangerous than it actually is. However, there’s no doubt that street violence is an issue in Dublin and we are all potential victims of it as long as we accept it as being part and parcel of life in our city.

www.thejournal.ie/readme/unprovoked-violence-on-dublins-streets-shouldnt-be-accepted-as-normal-1418023-Apr2014

A man strolls through the St. Michaels Hill neighborhood of Dublin. Photo by Giuseppe Milo on Flickr. www.goo.gl/Wpw8al


FOR THE CLASSROOM

COMMON CORE/CURRICULUM

Conor McPherson’s The Night Alive and this play guide address specific educational objectives.

Common Core State Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy. CCRA. SLS. 1Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussion (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics, texts, and issues building on other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS. ELA- Literacy. CRA. WS. 2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS. ELA- Literacy. CRA RS Lit 1Determine two or more themes of internal ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account.

National Core Arts Standards

TH.Re7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work.

TH Re8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

TH Re9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

TH Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

TH Cn10.2 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND THEATRE ETIQUETTE

Location and Arrival: Round House Theatre is located at 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda, MD. The cross streets are East-West Highway and Waverly Street. Feel free to use the restrooms and water fountain in the lobby before the show begins, at intermission, or after the show.

The Night Alive is about 100 minutes long without an intermission.

Theatre Etiquette:

It would be a good idea to take a minute to give your students these quick theatre etiquette reminders:

• The actors can hear the audience and appreciate the laughter, gasps, and quiet attention. We encourage you to engage in the performance—laugh when things are funny, listen closely, and remember that the actors experience the audience in a tangible way. They can hear and see you! Talking, moving around, or other activities are very distracting to others and can dampen the energy of what is happening on stage.

• There is no food or drink permitted in the theatre.

• Cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off and put away during the performance. Do not text during the show.

• Blackouts may happen during the show. Please remain seated and quiet.

• There is no photography allowed in the theatre.

• Once seated, please stay in your seat through the performance. If you leave the theatre during the show, re-entrance is at the discretion of the house manager.

• We prefer chaperones sit among the students rather than gathering together.


FOR THE CLASSROOM

DISCUSSION TOPICS & ACTIVITIES FOR THE CLASSROOM

• Discuss the things that characters don’t say, as well as the language of their physicality. How do they replace verbal responses with physical ones?

• Why did the playwright decide to have some of the violent incidents happen offstage? What does this do for the audience and what story does it tell?

• Why is the play called The Night Alive?

• Conor McPherson has described this play as a “Nativity play.” How is this statement true?

• What do Tommy and Aimee get from one another?

• Does it make you a less moral person to disengage from suffering in the world? Does engaging, but not doing make you morally superior?

• What does Kenneth represent? Why does he do what he does to Doc? What is violence to him?

• What happens at the end of the play?

• Read the interview with playwright Conor McPherson, conducted by fellow playwright John Patrick Shanley on page 10. Consider how McPherson’s responses add to your experience of seeing The Night Alive. How does McPherson’s discussion of his own work illuminate the themes?

• Read the article “Unprovoked Violence on Dublin’s Streets Shouldn’t Be Accepted As Normal” on pages 11-12. Consider how McCarthy’s view might be shared or disputed by the characters in The Night Alive.

Activities

1. Dreams play an interesting role in The Night Alive. Aimee and Doc both experience dreams that they share with Tommy.

Activity: Keep a dream journal for a week. When you wake up, attempt to recall as many details as you can from your dreams. Share this dream in the form of a monologue. Who needs to hear it? Why does this need to be shared? What does that dream say about your own thoughts, fears, and wishes?

2. The dramaturg is responsible for providing artists with information that fleshes out their understanding of the play’s content, themes, and language Activity: Research a topic that The Night Alive dramatizes and write a paragraph that explains the subject in a way that could influence the performance choices.

3. Read two selections of reviews from productions of The Night Alive around the world. Activity: Assess the production you saw at Round House Theatre. Write a review with your analysis of the creative choices made in bringing the story to the Round House Theatre stage.

RESPONSE LETTER After you’ve seen the show and discussed your reactions in the classroom, let us know what you thought! Your response letter lets us know what parts of the play were important or meaningful to you, and what you’d like to learn more about. All of the letters we receive are forwarded to the artists involved in our productions. Ask a great question and you may get a response.

Here’s what to do:

Choose an artist involved in The Night Alive whose work was particularly memorable or interesting to you—perhaps an actor, the director, or a designer.

• Write a letter to the artist including the following:

• A description of your experience seeing The Night Alive at Round House Theatre

• Your feedback on the artist’s work

• Any questions you have about the artist’s work or the production

• Be sure to include your NAME, AGE, SCHOOL, and MAILING ADDRESS in your letter, so we know where to send a response!

• Send your letter to RHT Education viaEmail | [email protected] mail | 925 Wayne Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910

Photo by Christian Reimer on Flickr. www.goo.gl/LDmBTC

the night alive play guide | round house theatre

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