the second mrs. wilson teacher information packet

5 0L W TMAY 6 - 31

T H E S E C O N DMRS. WILSON

joe dipietro

gordon edelstein

A WORLD pREMIERE BY

direCtedBY

TEACHER INFORMATION

pACKET

Teacher I n formaT Ion PackeT

C o m p i l e d a n d W r i t t e n b y

BeTh f. mILLeS Director of Education

STeVe ScarPa Director of Marketing & Communications

maLLory PeLLegrIno Education Programs Manager

krISTIanna SmITh Interim Principal Teaching Artist

BarBara SonenSTeIn Resident Teaching Artist

Teacher Information Packet Layout by cLaIre zoghB

gordon edeLSTeIn ARTIsTIC DIRECToR H JoShUa BorenSTeIn MAnAgIng DIRECToR

MAY 6 – 31 , 2015on the ClA ire tow stAge

in the C . newton sChenCk i i theAtre

BY JOE DIpIETROdireCted BY GORDON EDELSTEIN


50TH SEASON COMMUNITY pARTNER

L o n g W h a r f T h e aT r eg r aT e f U L Ly a c k n oW L e d g e S

T h e g e n e ro S I T yo f o U r e d U c aT I o n S U P P o r T e r S

anna FitCH ardenGHi trUSt

eliZabetH CarSe FoUndation

FrederiCk a. delUCa FoUndation

tHe HearSt FoUndationS

elaine GorbaCH levine CHaritable FoUndation

tHe GeorGe a. & GraCe l. lonG FoUndation

tHe SeymoUr l. lUStman memorial FUnd

national Corporate tHeatre FUnd

tHe SeedlinGS FoUndation

WellS FarGo FoUndation

tHe WertH Family FoUndationFoUndinG SUpporter oF lonG WHarF tHeatre’S

video StUdy GUide and SUpporter oF tHe edUCatorS’ laboratory

* Member of Actors’ equity Association, the Union of professional Actors and stage Managers in the United states ° Member of United scenic Artists, UsA-829 of the iAtse

this theatre operates under an agreement between the league of resident theatres and Actors’ equity Association, the Union of professional Actors and stage Managers in the United states.

JOSHUA BORENSTEIN MAnAging direCtor

GORDON EDELSTEIN ArtistiC direCtor

P R E S E N T S

BY JOE DIpIETROdireCted BY GORDON EDELSTEIN

set design ALExANDER DODGE°

CostUMe design LINDA CHO°

lighting design CHRISTOpHER AKERLIND°

soUnd design & JOHN GROMADA° originAl MUsiC

wig & MAkeUp design LEAH LUCAS

prodUCtion stAge MAnAger pETER VAN DYKE*

AssistAnt stAge MAnAger AMY pATRICIA STERN*

pRODUCTION SpONSORthe Blanche and irving laurie Foundation

COLLABORATING SpONSORS


the seCond Mrs. wilson was workshopped at the white heron theatre Company, july 2014

7

Look for ThIS SymBoL To fInd dIScUSSIon and WrITIng PromPTS, qUeSTIonS and cLaSSroom acTIVITIeS!

c o n t e n t s aBoUT The P Lay

Characters 8

Synopsis 10

About the Playwright: Joe DiPietro 11

Historical Fiction: a Genre 12

The WorLd o f The P Lay

Profile of Edith Wilson 14

Profile of Woodrow Wilson 21

Profile of The Men in the Wilsons’ Circle

• Colonel Edward House 23• dr. Cary Grayson 23• Secretary Joe Tumulty 24• Senator Henry Cabot Lodge 24• Vice President Thomas Marshall 25

Historical Timeline 26

League of Nations 28

SUPPLemenTaL maTer I a L S

Suffragist Movement 31

A Vote for Women: The19th Amendment to the US Constitution 31

Presidential Succession: The 25th Amendment to the US Constitution 33

The Role of United States First Ladies 35

Curriculum Connections 37

For the First-Time Theatregoer 38

7

A B o U tt H e P L A Y

c H A R A c t e R s

98

Edith Wilson: The first lady of the

United states.

PrEsidEnt WoodroW Wilson: The 28th President of

the United states.

The time is 1915-1919 and the play takes place mostly in and around The White House.

The set pieces are simple and fluid, giving the play an easy, flowing, cinematic feel.

Setting

9

sEnator hEnry Cabot lodgE:

60’s. Educated and literate. A powerhouse.

ViCE PrEsidEnt thomas marshall:

65. Rather amiable.

ColonEl EdWard housE: A Texan with a Texan’s

charm. 50’s. slight and sickly.

rEar admiral Cary grayson: The president’s personal

physician. Late 30’s.

sECrEtary JoE tumulty:

The president’s secretary. Irish-American. Acerbic, loyal,

a political animal.

10

s Y n o P s I s

I n t H e c L A s s R o o mhave you ever been the non-dominant gender in a group, i.e. a man in a group full of women or a woman in a group full of men? how did that group dynamic affect how you worked? did you feel more empowered or less empowered? Explain.

10

EDITH: Mark my word, someday my husband will rise from that bed, and stand before us and either thank us for saving

his presidency, or curse us for throwing it all away. That is the choice God has put before us. And that is the choice I put before you now.

t is the spring of 1915, when Edith Galt, a widowed businesswoman and “the first woman in Washington to own an automobile,” catches the attention of President Wilson.

Though the relationship scandalizes the president’s closest advisors—who feel he inappropriately trusts and relies on her insight and political counsel—Edith and Woodrow marry in December 1915, less than a year after the death of Wilson’s first wife, Ellen.

The Wilsons form a union greater than anticipated as the world heads into the Great War. Edith forthrightly declares “I have lived my life exceeding the expectations of men,” and she does not allow the men in her new world push her around. After Wilson suffers a debilitating stroke in 1919, Edith and Dr. Grayson decide rather than abdicate the presidency or acquiesce to the pressures of succession, Edith will serve as the protector of her husband and his beloved League of Nations. “And that is when Edith Wilson became President of the United States.”

Pressure begins to rain down on the White House as the press, the Vice President, counselors, and advisors grow suspicious about Wilson’s health and leadership. Edith continues to insist that “his condition is improving,” but Henry Cabot Lodge is on the attack. Lodge takes this opportunity to attack Wilson’s idealism and the League of Nations, insisting that the League “relinquishes [the United States’] sovereignty.” Wilson remains uncompromising, but something has got to give… or else the Wilsons stand to lose everything.

I

PlAywright Joe DiPietro is a very busy man these days, running back and forth between previews for his Broadway world premiere Living on Love, starring renee Fleming and Douglas Sills, to rehearsals for the world premiere of The second Mrs. Wilson at long wharf theatre. DiPietro has consistently balanced his work for the Broadway stage with smaller plays dealing with subjects like creationism, family, and the quest for love. Now, at long wharf, DiPietro is making his first foray into historical drama.

The second Mrs. Wilson is a departure from DiPietro’s previous work. DiPietro, a self-avowed political junkie, was reading a story about hillary Clinton’s possible presidential run in which the reporter dropped a tiny off-handed remark—Clinton would be the first female president of the United States, if you didn’t count edith wilson. “i read that and thought, wait, what?” he said. in 1919, upon returning from the Paris Peace Conference, President woodrow wilson suffered a stroke, which left him partially paralyzed. According to a white house official history, edith “took over many routine duties and details of government.” the history is a bit more complex than the white house record would indicate. wilson’s stroke was more severe than officials were led to believe. Vice President thomas Marshall, ambivalent at best about assuming the duties of the presidency, couldn’t even get an audience with the wilsons, DiPietro said. “i didn’t know the full story of woodrow wilson’s second wife’s participation … i’d never seen an exploration of that and i thought that this was a

great piece of untold American history,” DiPietro said. “it is a shocking story in this day and age,” he said. inspired by the english tradition of history plays, DiPietro decided edith wilson’s story was worthy of dramatization. “i just love working on history plays. i love bringing a dramatist’s sharpness and wit to it. i like making history lively and relevant, and show the humanity of the participants. i just love it,” he said. “i’ll learn a lot from this experience.” he immersed himself in the time period, reading biographies of wilson and her husband, President woodrow wilson, and histories of the tumultuous period following world war i. he viewed documentaries.

DiPietro knew the process would be a lengthy one. “My belief is research, research, research, then put it away and start writing the play,” DiPietro said. DiPietro took some creative license with the material, conflating some historical figures, for example. he believes that some history plays can get so dense that the humanity at the center of the work can be lost. “it is not a documentary. it is my dramatic interpretation, but it sticks very closely to the facts. i wanted to show what it was like to be a strong, shrewd woman at a time when women couldn’t yet vote in every state,” he said.

But, the personal informs the political, DiPietro said. edith was motivated by her fierce love for woodrow and her need to protect him and his legacy at all costs. She was also extraordinarily intelligent, capable, and driven—a formidable opponent to the men seeking to usurp her husband’s power. “it’s a rollicking story,” he said.

11

A B o U t t H e P L A Y W R I G H t :J o e D I P I e t R o

“I JUST LoVe WorkIng on hISTory PLayS... BrIngIng a dramaTIST’S SharPneSS and WIT To IT. I LIke

makIng hISTory LIVeLy and reLeVanT, and ShoW The hUmanITy of The

ParTIcIPanTS.”

Pho

to

Cr

eDit

: AN

Dr

eA Z

UC

ker

Ph

ot

og

rA

Phy

13

What’s FaCt and What’s FiCtion in historiCal FiCtion?

“History is the study of change over time. Historical fiction brings history to life by placing appealing characters in accurately described historical settings. Historical fiction is realistic fiction set in a time remote enough from the present to be considered history. Although the story is imaginary, it is within the realm of possibility that such events could have occurred. In these stories, historical facts blend with imaginary characters and plot” (Lynch-Brown, 1999).

In the case of The second Mrs. Wilson, the characters are real people, but their words and actions are imagined by the playwright. The second Mrs. Wilson is not fact. Instead, it is probable fiction.

12

HIstoRIcAL F IctIon: A GenRe

after seeing the play, discuss or have your students answer all or some of the following questions:

i. sEtting (timE and PlaCE)1. in what historical period does the play take place? 2. list some details you remember from the play. Compare these descriptions with

what you have studied about this particular historical period. 3. has the play accurately created particular historical period? Explain using specific

examples.

ii. CharaCtErs1. What historical figures’ names do you recognize? list and describe them. 2. list positive and negative character traits of at least four of the main characters. 3. Choose one character. research this character (biography, autobiography,

contemporary’s opinions, etc). use at least two sources of information. do you think your chosen character was accurately portrayed in the play?

4. Explain the characters’ involvement in the historical setting and events.

iii. thEmE1. What social condition in history does the play reveal? 2. What comment do you think the playwright is making about this social condition? 3. how can this social condition be related to contemporary life? 4. Write the theme of the play in one sentence. you may use a line from the play.

iV. Plot and summary1. Why do you think the playwright chose to write about this particular historical

episode? 2. is the playwright revealing any new insights about the historical characters or

historical events? SoUrce: http://faculty.education.ufl.edu/Pace/english_ed/genre%202/historical.pdf

I n t H e c L A s s R o o m

13

W o R L D o F t H e P L A Y

to be a woman in a man’s world

“May I say, senator, I spend my days surrounded largely by men,

and let me assure you, it is not the most pleasant of existences.

You are full of ambition, and rivalry, and self-admiration.

We women may be considered less clever, and weaker, and far-too-easily-swayed.

But if women ruled this world, not one of us would place our own unbridled ambition

in the way of lasting peace.”

151514

E

eDItH BoLLInG GALt WILsonO C T O B E R 1 5 , 1 8 7 2 – D E C E M B E R 2 8 , 1 9 6 1

1515

dith Bolling was born on October 15, 1872 to Judge William Holcomb Bolling and Sallie White. She was the seventh of eleven children who grew up in the small town of Wytheville, Virginia. Her family was wealthy before the Civil War but had to give up the family plantation after the war. With no public schools and no money for a formal education, Edith was homeschooled by her grandmother Bolling, who lived with the family. Edith learned to read and write, knew the bible from cover to cover, and grew up listening to the works of Dickens and Shakespeare. Edith took pride in the fact that she was related to pocahontas.

Edith was sent to a girls’ boarding school at the age of fifteen to study music but was forced to cut her education short due to the family’s financial burden of having many boys who needed an education. After two years of formal schooling, Edith went to live with her married sister Gertrude in Washington, D.C. where she met Norman Galt. Norman’s family owned the best-known jewelry store in Washington D.C.: Galt & Bro. Jewelers. In 1896, Norman and Edith were married.

The next few years would be difficult for Edith. In 1899, both Edith’s beloved grandmother and father

died. In 1903, Edith and Norman had a son who died after only three days. Edith learned that she would never be able to conceive more children. Then, in 1908, Norman died after a brief illness.

Edith, when faced, as the sole owner of Galt’s, with the decision to sell or find a partner for her husband’s business, decided to keep the store and run the business. Galt’s flourished, and Edith began to enjoy life again. She was the first woman in Washington to buy an electrically powered automobile and delighted in driving herself around Washington.

Edith regularly vacationed in Europe, but when war broke out in 1914, she took her vacation in Maine with her a young friend named Altrude Gordon. Altrude was dating Dr. Cary Grayson who was taking care of President Wilson’s ailing wife, Ellen.

After Ellen Wilson’s death, Dr. Grayson called on Edith to comfort the president’s cousin, Miss Helen Bones, who was staying at the White House and had been very lonely since the death of Mrs. Wilson. Edith agreed, and she and Helen became fast friends. It wasn’t long before Edith would have a chance to meet Woodrow Wilson in person. >

15

E

gALT & BRo. JEWELERs

16

ne afternoon, Helen invited Edith for tea at the White House where she met President Wilson. The lonely and bereaved president responded warmly to Edith’s intelligence and charm. Friendship turned into romance, and two shorts months after meeting (and less than a year after Ellen had passed), Wilson proposed marriage to Edith. Edith put off a formal engagement suggesting that they get to know each other.

Wilson took Edith into his confidence, and they wrote to one another daily. He shared with her the things he was concerned about as president, especially matters regarding the brewing war in Europe. President Wilson was sympathetic with the Allies but was determined that the United States stay neutral in the fighting. When German submarines sank the British Lusitania, President Wilson wrote a note of protest to Germany with Edith’s counsel.

Edith and Wilson continued to fall in love, and she accepted the President’s second proposal of marriage in October of 1915. In proposing to her, Wilson made the poignant statement that “in this place time is not measured by weeks, or months, or years, but by deep human experiences...” They were married on December 18, 1915 in a private ceremony at Edith’s home. It was a marriage of minds as well as hearts.

In 1916, Wilson ran for re-election as president, and Edith helped him campaign. Wilson won a second

term but was not able to keep peace in Europe. On April 2, 1917, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. “The world must be made safe for democracy,” he said.

In January 1918, Wilson made his famous “Fourteen Points” speech to Congress. The speech listed the goals for which America and peace seeking nations were fighting. Edith read the speech in advance and was thrilled. She believed everyone would agree with its aims.

In October of 1918, word reached Washington that Germany was ready to sign an armistice. On November 11, 1918, the Armistice was signed and the World War was ended.

The peace treaty among nations was to be signed in Paris, France. Wilson’s advisors urged him not to go. No president had ever left the country while in

office. Edith argued that President Wilson must go to Paris. She knew that the President must meet with the other Allied leaders and that his idea for a League of Nations should be linked to the peace treaty. on December 4th, 1918, the Wilsons sailed for France.

In Paris, the Wilsons were given a parade. The overall

sentiment was that Wilson had brought about peace, and Americans were loved. On February 14, the delegates to the peace conference voted to make the League of Nations a part of the peace treaty. The Wilsons were overjoyed.

16

e D I t H B o L L I n G G A L t W I L s o n c o n t I n U e D

O

17

When the Wilsons returned home, they found that many Americans supported the idea of the League of Nations, but 38 powerful Republican senators were strongly opposed to the League. Their spokesman was Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Republicans feared that American soldiers would have to help defend foreign countries if the US joined the League.

To Wilson’s dismay, Senator Lodge and others wanted changes made to the League’s constitution. Wilson refused to ask the Allies for further changes. He had given his word in the name of the American people and would not take it back. Wilson decided to make a cross country railway tour to win the support of the American people for the League, insisting that the future peace of the world was at stake.

On this tour to campaign for the League of Nations, Wilson began to suffer headaches and his health failed. One morning he woke to the left side of his face drooping and slurred speech. Edith demanded that they immediately return to Washington D.C. Three days later, Wilson suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. Dr. Grayson prescribed complete rest. He announced that President Wilson was very sick, but he did not report that the president had suffered a stroke.

Edith consulted with medical experts on how to best care for the President, especially considering that Wilson had 18 months left in his second term. Edith was told that Wilson would not recover unless he was shielded from problems. She was advised to examine everything that required the president’s attention and try to handle as many items as possible without involving him. It was quietly understood that the president had always discussed public affairs with Edith and that she would be able to rise to the challenge of helping the president recover.

From then on, no one except Wilson’s doctors saw the president without seeing Edith first. She studied

all papers sent from Congress and government agencies. She would briefly summarize reports that she felt the president needed to see. After the president read her reports, Edith would send the various agencies replies from Wilson’s handwritten comments and decisions.

Dr. Grayson supported Edith and praised the accuracy of her reports. Vice-President Marshall was relieved that Wilson would not resign as he did not want the responsibility of being president. Conversely, Senator Lodge and other senators were not happy and openly questioned who was running the country in the Fall of 1919. They called Edith “The Iron Queen,” “The Presidentress,” and even “America’s First Woman President.”

Despite Edith’s plea that Wilson compromise with Republicans on The League of Nations, he refused to change any wording of it. When the treaty came to the Senate, it was rejected. Wilson looked at the defeat as all the more reason to get well. His dream was that he would continue to fight for peace in the world.

After the White House, Edith and Wilson chose to stay in Washington. They lived a quiet life taking automobile rides, watching movies at home, and enjoying the theatre on weekends. Edith remained devoted to Wilson until his death on February 3, 1924. After his death, she spent much of her time keeping his memory alive. She provided letters and

1918

papers to biographers, and she made his boyhood home in Staunton, Virginia a museum.

Years after Wilson’s death, Edith was often invited to White House social events and enjoyed a friendship with President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Edith would listen to President Roosevelt ask Congress to declare war on Japan on December 8th, 194, and she would remember her husband Woodrow ask for Congress to declare war on Germany in 1917.

After peace finally came in 1945, the United Nations took the place of the League of Nations and tribute was paid to Woodrow Wilson in the ceremonies. Over the years, Edith would continue to be a strong spirit in Washington. She supported John F. Kennedy for the presidency in 1960. On December 28th, 1961 at the age of 88, Edith died on what would have been Woodrow Wilson’s 105th birthday.

e D I t H B o L L I n G G A L t W I L s o n c o n t I n U e D

EDITH In HER oLD AgE, WITH JFK

19

bEForE seeing the play:

read Edith’s story and consider the following:

• After her first husband’s death, Edith learned the jewelry business and took over the head operating and decision making role of Galt’s. (Having no previous business experience)

• Edith was the first woman in Washington to own an automobile and drive herself around town-despite the custom of the day of a woman needing a chaperone.

• Edith was never publicly involved in politics. She was well known and publicly adored for her gracious manners and fashion sense.

• In My Memoir, Edith writes, “I, myself, never made a single decision regarding public affairs...the only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband.”

based on the information you have, what do you think Edith Wilson’s role was after President Wilson’s stroke?

aFtEr seeing the play:

• Based on the events of the play, has your opinion of Edith Wilson’s role changed?

• How did the Edith Wilson in the play reflect or differ from the Edith Wilson you imagined from the given biography?

Consider this speech of Edith’s from The Second Mrs. Wilson:

Do you know what my late husband left me when he passed on? His business—a modest jewelry firm. Every lawyer and banker in town urged me to sell it, for I had not a drop of business experience. But I thought, I am a reasonably shrewd person, and if my husband—who was a dear man but not the sharpest of the lot—if he could run this company, then why can’t I? And under my leadership, do you know what happened? It flourished. My company flourished. I have lived my life exceeding the expectations of men.

• What do you think the playwright Joe diPietro is saying about the woman Edith Wilson? Was she living within the expectations/rules of her time or exceeding them?


ConTInUED on nExT PAgE

2020


FEminism: The belief that women are and should be treated as potential intellectual equals and social equals to men. These people can be either male or female human beings, although the ideology is commonly (and perhaps falsely) associated mainly with women.

Feminism also, by its nature, embraces the belief that all people are entitled to freedom and liberty within reason--including equal civil rights--and that discrimination should not be made based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, religion, culture, or lifestyle.

In the most basic sense, feminism is exactly what the dictionary says it is: the movement for social, political, and economic equality of men and women. Public opinion polls confirm that when people are given this definition, 67 percent say they agree with feminism.

• Was Edith Wilson a feminist?

SoUrceS:

giblin, James. edith Wilson:the woman who ran the United States. Viking Penguin, 1992.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/first-ladies/edithwilson

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/portrait/wp_edith.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/edith_Wilson

http://www.britannica.com/eBchecked/topic/644666/edith-Wilson

http://www.biography.com/people/pocahontas-9443116

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=feminism

http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/whatisfem.htm

21

tHomAs WooDRoW WILsonD E C E M B E R 2 8 , 1 8 5 6 – F E B R U A R Y 3 , 1 9 2 4

22

t H o m A s W o o D R o W W I L s o n c o n t I n U e D

homas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, VA on December 28th,1856 to Reverend Joseph Ruggles Wilson and Janet Woodrow. He spent his youth in the south, as the son of a devout Presbyterian family and lived through the Civil War and its aftermath. Wilson grew up to be an accomplished scholar, earning several degrees and was an enthusiastic orator. He had a successful university career as president of Princeton and served two years as Governor of NJ before becoming our 28th (two-term) president of the United States in 1912.

After the election of 1916, Wilson concluded that America could not remain neutral in the World War. On April 2, 1917, he asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

Massive American effort slowly tipped the balance in favor of the Allies. Wilson went before Congress in January 1918, to enunciate American war aims. This speech would be known as his famous Fourteen Points, the last of which would establish “a general association of nations...affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike”—what became The League of Nations.

After the Germans signed the Armistice in November 1918, Wilson went to Paris to try to build an enduring peace. He later presented to the Senate the Versailles Treaty, containing the Covenant of the League of Nations, and asked, “Dare we reject it and break the heart of the world?”

Unfortunately for Wilson, the election of 1918 had shifted the balance in Congress to the Republicans, and the Versailles Treaty failed in the Senate by seven votes.

SoUrceS:rogers, James T. Woodrow Wilson: Visionary for Peace. new york: facts on file, 1997.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1919/wilson-bio.htmlhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/woodrowwilson

T

WILson WITH ELLEn AnD FAMILY

WILson As PREsIDEnT oF PRInCETon

23

ColonEl EdWard housE

Previously an unofficial advisor to four different governors of Texas, Colonel Edward House became an advisor, close friend and supporter of New Jersey governor Woodrow Wilson in 1911, and helped him win the

Democratic presidential nomination in 1912. He became an intimate of Wilson and helped set up his administration. House was offered the cabinet position of his choice (except for Secretary of State which was already pledged to William Jennings Bryan) but declined, choosing instead “to serve wherever and whenever possible.” House was even provided living quarters within the White House.

In September 1918, Wilson gave House the responsibility for preparing a constitution for a League of Nations. In October 1918, when Germany petitioned for peace based on the Fourteen Points, Wilson charged House with working out details of an armistice with the Allies. House helped Wilson outline his Fourteen Points, and worked with the president on the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant of the League of Nations. House served on the League of Nations Commission on Mandates.

On May 30, 1919 House participated in a meeting in Paris, which laid the groundwork for establishment of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). It was this conference that revealed serious policy and personality disagreements between Wilson and House. Throughout 1919, House urged Wilson to work with Senator Henry Cabot Lodge to achieve ratification of the Versailles Treaty, but Wilson refused to deal with Lodge or any other senior Republican.

In February 1919, House took his place on the Council of Ten, where he negotiated compromises unacceptable to Wilson. In mid-March 1919, Wilson returned to Paris and lost confidence in House, relegating him to the sidelines. In fact, after they returned to the U.S. later in 1919, the two men never saw or spoke to each other again.

SoUrce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/edward_m._house

dr. Cary grayson

Cary T. Grayson was born to dr. John Cooke Grayson and Frances Adelena Pettus in Culpeper County, Virginia. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1898. He received his M.D.

and as well as his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of the South. In 1907, he was appointed Naval surgeon aboard the Mayflower, the presidential yacht of President Theodore Roosevelt. He continued in this role for the entire William Howard Taft administration.

While at a dinner party in March 1913, he attended to President Woodrow Wilson’s injured sister and quickly became a close confidant of the new President. In 1915, after the death of Wilson’s first wife, Grayson introduced Wilson to his soon-to-be second wife, Edith Bolling Galt. Grayson’s close personal relationship with Woodrow Wilson led to his commission as a Rear Admiral on August 29, 1916. This rapid promotion of Dr. Grayson from Passed Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant to Medical Director with the rank of Rear Admiral was unprecedented and was due to his position as White House Physician. Grayson resided in the White House and lived with Wilson while he attended peace talks in Paris in 1919. After Wilson

P R o F I L e o F t H e m e nI n t H e W I L s o n s ’ c I R c L e

2524

left office in 1921, the Navy assigned Grayson to the U.S. Naval Dispensary, so he could continue to see to Wilson’s health.

SoUrce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cary_T._grayson

sECrEtary JosEPh tumulty

As a state legislator, Tumulty acted as an advisory to Woodrow Wilson in his 1910 gubernatorialcampaign. He then served as Wilson’s private secretary while Wilson was Governor of

New Jersey (1911) and while Wilson was President of the United States (1913-1921). This position would in later years become the White House Chief of Staff. After Wilson’s reelection in 1916, anti-Catholic sentiment from his wife, Edith Wilson, and from his adviser Col. Edward M. House caused Wilson to fire him, until intervention by his former student David Lawrence caused him to be reinstated.

During Wilson’s journeys to peace negotiations in Versailles, and later after his stroke, Tumulty took on many of the daily tasks of the presidency, along with Edith Wilson. Previous friction from Tumulty’s firing caused the partnership between Mrs. Wilson and Tumulty to be strained at best.

sEnator hEnry Cabot lodgE

Lodge was a staunch advocate of entering World War I on the side of the Allied Powers, attacking President Woodrow Wilson’s perceived lack of military preparedness and accusing pacifists of undermining American patriotism. After the United States entered the war, Lodge continued to attack Wilson as hopelessly idealistic, assailing Wilson’s

Fourteen Points as unrealistic and weak. He contended that Germany needed to be militarily and economically crushed and saddled with harsh penalties so that it could never again be a threat to the stability of Europe. Before the end of Wilson’s first term and well before America’s entry into the Great War, Lodge confided to Teddy Roosevelt, “I never expected to hate anyone in politics with the hatred I feel toward Wilson.”

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1919–1924), Lodge led the successful fight against American participation in the League of Nations, which had been proposed by President Wilson at the close of World War I. He also served as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 1918 to 1924. During his term in office, he and another powerful senator, Albert J. Beveridge, pushed for the construction of a new navy. The summit of Lodge’s Senate career came in 1919, when as the unofficial Senate majority leader, he did not want to secure approval of the Treaty of Versailles. He opposed the Treaty because it did not call for unconditional surrender. Lodge made it clear that the United States Congress would have the final authority on the decision to send American armed forces on a combat or a peacekeeping mission under League auspices. Lodge maintained that membership in the world peacekeeping organization would threaten the political freedom of the United States by binding the nation to international commitments it would not or could not keep. Lodge appealed to the patriotism of American citizens by objecting to what he saw as the weakening of national sovereignty: “I have loved but one flag and I cannot share that devotion and give affection to the mongrel banner invented for a league.”

SoUrce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/henry_cabot_Lodge

25

ViCE PrEsidEnt thomas marshall

Marshall was put forth as Indiana’s choice for the Democratic presidential candidate, but Wilson had a larger campaign. Indiana’s delegates lobbied to have Marshall named the vice residential candidate in exchange

for supporting Wilson. Indiana was an important swing state, and Wilson hoped that Marshall’s popularity would help him carry it in the general election. He had his delegates support Marshall, giving him the vice presidential nomination. Marshall privately turned down the nomination, assuming the job would be boring given its limited role. He changed his mind after Wilson assured him that he would be given plenty of responsibilities. During the campaign, Marshall traveled across the United States delivering speeches.

An ideological rift developed between the two men during their first term, leading Wilson to limit Marshall’s influence in the administration, and his brand of humor caused Wilson to move Marshall’s

office away from the White House. During Wilson’s second term, Marshall delivered morale-boosting speeches across the nation during World War I and became the first vice president to hold cabinet meetings, which he did while Wilson was in Europe. While he was president in the United States Senate, a small number of anti-war senators kept it deadlocked by refusing to end debate. To enable critical wartime legislation to be passed, Marshall had the body adopt its first procedural rule allowing filibusters to be ended by a two thirds majority vote—a variation of this rule remains in effect.

Marshall’s vice presidency is most remembered for a leadership crisis following a Stroke that incapacitated Wilson in October 1919. Because of their personal dislike for him, Wilson’s advisers and wife sought to keep Marshall uninformed about the president’s condition to prevent him from easily assuming the presidency. Many people, including cabinet officials and Congressional leaders, urged Marshall to become acting president, but he refused to forcibly assume the presidency for fear of setting a precedent. Without strong leadership in the executive branch, the administration’s opponents defeated the ratification of the League of Nations treaty.

SoUrce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_r._marshall

26 27

1856 Woodrow Wilson born in Staunton, Virginia

1885 Woodrow Wilson marries Ellen Axson

1900 Republican McKinley Elected President

1901 McKinley assassinated, Theodore Roosevelt takes over the presidency

1902 Wilson becomes president of Princeton University

1904 Roosevelt (R) elected President

1906 Wilson begins relationship with Mary Peck Pure Food and Drug Act

1907 Panic of 1907 causes losses for Wall Street

1908 Taft (R) elected President

1910 Wilson elected Governor of New Jersey Mexican Revolution

1912 Wilson elected President

1913 16th Amendment authorizes income tax

1914 Ellen Wilson dies June Archduke Franz Ferdinand is shot July Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia August Germany declares war on Russia and France, invades Belgium UK declares war on Germany

1915 Wilson begins relationship with Edith Galt May Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary

H I s t o R I c A L t I m e L I n e

26

27

Lusitania is sunk

1916 Wilson re-elected, but Republicans gain control of Congress

1917 US declares War on Germany February Russian Revolution April US troops sent to France

1918 Wilson gives his Fourteen Points Speech 116,000 US soldiers die, 204,000 more wounded German Kaiser abdicates, armistice on Western front

1919 Wilson Suffers stroke Treaty of Versailles 18th Amendment prohibits alcohol

1920 Wilson wins the Nobel Peace Prize for Fourteen Points. Albert G. Schmedeman, US minister in Oslo, accepted the prize on his behalf. 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote

1921 Adolf Hitler speaks to a crowd of 6,000 in Munich

28 29

Wilson’s Passion For his lEaguE oF nations

Woodrow Wilson engineered the creation of the League of Nations as part of the treaty ending WWI. Wilson went to Paris, France twice to participate in the drafting of the treaty. When Wilson returned to the US he found that many senators wanted changes made in the treaty. Without approval from the Senate, the US could not sign the treaty or join the League of Nations. Wilson believed that if he carried his message of peace to the American people, the voice of the people would overcome opposition in the Senate. Wilson set out on a national tour to convince the US people of the necessity of the treaty for world peace. Unfortunately, Wilson’s health failed him, and the battle for the treaty was lost.

Wilson’s belief in the treaty showed foresight and ultimately his idea was not lost. “I can predict with absolute certainty, he said, “that within another generation there will be another World War if the nations of the world do not concert the method by which to prevent it.” World War II (1939-1945) involved many of the same nations involved in WWI. After WWII, the US would join other nations in the establishment of the United Nations to establish and keep world peace. Wilson’s idea of a League of Nations would succeed after all!

lEaguE oF nations from PBS American Experience

Woodrow Wilson’s supreme goal in World War I was to broker an effective and lasting peace. in January 1918, President Wilson made his famous “Fourteen Points” speech to Congress. The speech listed the goals for which America and peace seeking nations were fighting. They included the freedom of the seas, limits on armies and weapons and a League of Nations that would insure that no country threaten the independence or territory of another. At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Wilson fought hard, but was not able to incorporate his Fourteen Points in the treaty. He did, however, make sure the League of Nations was an inextricable part of the final agreement. He hoped that once the League was established, it could rectify the treaty’s many shortcomings.

Of the Treaty’s 440 articles, the first twenty-six comprise the Covenant of the League of nations. This covenant describes the operational workings of the League. Article Ten obliges signatories to guarantee the political independence and territorial integrity of all member nations against outside aggression, and to consult together to oppose aggression when it occurs. This became the critical point, and the one that ultimately prevented the treaty’s ratification by the Senate.

L e A G U e o F n A t I o n s

“We can either lead this world with our morality or we can sink with our brothers into the mire. I am insisting upon a new

institution- a formation of an international body that will alter the way man settles his arguments. This League of nations,

as I propose to call it, will embrace the most Christian of ideals-honor, brotherhood, self-governing. And it will keep order

through reason and negotiation, not bloodshed. This great, horrible, war will be the last the world will ever see.”

—Wilson from The second Mrs. Wilson, Joe DiPietro

29


• Choose a side, either Wilson or lodge, and defend or condemn the league of nations. make sure to support your opinion.

• do you think Wilson and lodge could have reached a compromise? how would that have been accomplished? brainstorm what this compromise would look like.

SoUrceS:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/portrait/wp_league.html

rogers, James T. Woodrow Wilson: Visionary for Peace. new york: facts on file, 1997.

Senator Henry Cabot Lodge led the opposition. Lodge and Wilson were bitter political foes, but they also had legitimate differences of views on the League and on the covenant’s Tenth Article. Lodge believed that the League, under Article Ten, could require the United States to commit economic or military force to maintain the collective security of member nations. Wilson did not share this interpretation of Article 10, an article that Wilson had written himself. Wilson stated that the veto power enjoyed by the United States in the League Council could prevent any League sanction, but if a unanimous League voted sanctions, the vote amounted only to advice, in any case. The United States would not be, therefore, legally bound to the League’s dictates. Wilson did declare, however, that the United States would be morally bound to

adhere to the League’s resolutions. A moral bond was, for Wilson, infinitely superior to a mere legal one. Article Ten was, for him, “a very grave and solemn obligation.”

Wilson and Lodge could not find a compromise, and the Treaty was voted down. The United States remained officially at war until June of 1921 when President Warren Harding approved a joint congressional resolution

proclaiming the war with the Central Powers ended and later signed a separate peace treaty. The resolution and the new treaty specified that although the United States was not a party to the Versailles Treaty, it retained all rights and advantages accorded to it under the pact’s terms, excluding the League Covenant. The United States never joined the League of Nations.

A MAP oF WILson‘s nATIonAL ToUR To ConvInCE THE AMERICAn PEoPLE oF THE nECEssITY oF THE TREATY FoR WoRLD PEACE.

30 31

s U P P L e m e n t A Lm A t e R I A L s

ALIson TURnBULL HoPKIns In JAnUARY 1917 PICKETs FoR sUFFRAgE oUTsIDE THE WHITE HoUsE gATE.

Because I am a woman, I

must make unusual efforts to

succeed. If I fail, no one will

say, “she doesn’t have what it

takes.” They will say, “Women

don’t have what it takes.”

Clare boothe luce

31

s U F F R A G I s t m o V e m e n t

edITh gaLT WILSon may haVe decIded on

PreSIdenTIaL ISSUeS When her hUSBand

WaS ILL WhILe In offIce, BUT In her day

She dIdn’T haVe The rIghT To VoTe for

a PreSIdenT (no LeSS acT aS PreSIdenT.)

Before 1920, Women dId noT haVe The

rIghT To VoTe In The U.S. The SUffragIST

moVemenT foUghT for TheSe rIghTS,

and The PeoPLe Who Were ParT of ThaT

moVemenT Were SUffragISTS.

www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/suffragist

a VotE For WomEn

During the winter of 1916–1917, suffragists took their long-fought battle for women’s right to vote to the nation’s capital. Picketing outside of the White House, they urged President Woodrow Wilson to take a stand and support their cause. During a time when the United States was fighting to uphold the ideals of democracy abroad during World War I, these women dared to ask of their democratic rights at home: “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?”

On August 26, 1920, with the support of the president, Congress, and 36 state legislatures, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution became law, barring the federal and any state government from denying the right to vote of any citizen based on sex. Women finally had the right to vote.

SoUrce:https://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/vote-women-vote-

cedaw

a QuiCk look at suFFragE and thE WomEn’s rights moVEmEnt

suFFragist timElinE

1869 The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) are founded. Each fighting towards women’s rights.

1880 The two groups merge to become National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

1890Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho pass state amendments being the first to give women the right to vote.

1916Woodrow Wilson promises that the Democratic Party Platform will endorse suffrage.

1917Wilson pushes for women’s rights voting amendment

President Wilson issues a statement supporting a federal amendment to grant women’s suffrage.

U.S.A. joins World War I

1918 War stalls suffrage momentum.

1919

The House and Senate clear the amendment

32 33

1920With Tennessee as its 36th state, the 19th Amendment is ratified.

1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law, making discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or nation origin illegal.

2009 President Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, expanding an employee’s rights to seek fair compensation.

today From the ACLU’s “What You need To Know”

• Women still make just 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Black women earn only 64 cents and Latinas only 54 cents for each dollar earned by white men.

• The U.S. Department of Justice reports that approximately one in four homeless women is homeless because of violence committed against her.

• Over 1,000 public K-12 schools in the United States have single-sex education programs. Many rely on discredited science and gender stereotypes.

s U F F R A G I s t m o V e m e n t c o n t I n U e D


• What is the future of the fight for women’s rights and gender equality?

• Watch the following two videos gender equality. Compare and Contrast. Which do you feel makes the more compelling argument?

– Joss Whedon “Make Equality Reality” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdmzlkhuuoI

– Emma Watson at HeForShe Campaign at the UN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkjW9PzBrfk

• What does gender equality look like?

• What do you believe the responsibilities of the First lady should entail?

• during the time period of The Second Mrs. Wilson many women in the country still did not have the vote. Pretend you are a common citizen in 1918 without strong ties to the suffrage movement. as this character, write what do you believe the responsibilities of the First lady should entail.

SoUrceS:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html?_r=0

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/https://www.aclu.org/issues/womens-rights

http://history.house.gov/exhibitions-and-Publications/WIc/historical-essays/no-Lady/Womens-rights/

33

P R e s I D e n t I A L s U c c e s s I o n :t H e 2 5 t H A m e n D m e n t

amEndmEnt XXV

section 1.In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

section 2.Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

section 3.Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a writtendeclaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

section 4.Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive

Today a president’s wife could not play the role that Edith did. The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would prevent it. This amendment says that the vice-president shall immediately become

the acting president if the president is unable to perform his or her duties.

When Edith took over administrative tasks during her husband’s illness, she considered this to be her duty. She considered putting her husband’s health and well-being first as a point of national interest.

“I studied every paper sent from the different secretaries or senators and tried to digest and present in tabloid form the things that, despite my vigilance, had to go to the President.

I, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs. The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very

important decision of when to present matters to my husband.” – Edith Wilson on her role during the President’s illness

t h E 2 5 t h a m E n d m E n t

ADoPTED on FEBRUARY 10, 1967

In the wake of JFK’s assassination, this amendment clarifies the line of succession should the president be incapacitated.

34 35

departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress

may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, withintwenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

P R e s I D e n t I A L s U c c e s s I o n c o n t I n U e D


should the spouse of the President have a hand in national affairs? Why or why not?

35

t H e R o L e o F U n I t e D s t A t e s F I R s t L A D I e s

he wives of U.s. presidents

are often important American

figures in their own right. Although

they have no official responsibilities, first ladies are a

highly visible part of U.s. government. The role of the

first lady has evolved over the centuries, from hostess

of the White House to advocates for

public policy.

abigail adams (1744-1818)

Throughout President John Adams’ career, his wife, Abigail Adams, served as an unofficial adviser and their letters show him seeking her counsel on many issues, including his presidential aspirations. Adams remained a supportive spouse and confidante after

her husband became the president in 1797, and her eldest son, John Quincy, would become president 7 years after her death in 1825.

hElEn taFt (1861-1943)

Helen Taft was born on June 2, 1861, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and went on to work as a schoolteacher before marrying William Howard Taft

in 1886. An independent thinker, she became her husband’s primary political adviser and organized his presidential campaign. As first lady she established new traditions and was the first presidential partner to have her memoirs published.

ElEanor roosEVElt (1884-1962)

Eleanor Roosevelt—the niece of Theodore Roosevelt—was one of the most outspoken women in the White House. She married Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1905. During her husband’s presidency, Eleanor gave press conferences and wrote a newspaper column.

After his death, she served at the United Nations, focusing on human rights and women’s issues.

nanCy rEagan (1921- )

Nancy Reagan is a former first lady of the United States, the widow of Ronald Reagan. She was a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and 50s, and married then-actor Ronald Reagan in 1952. She served as first lady of California before moving into the White House.

Her major initiative was the “Just Say No” drug awareness campaign. After her husband contracted Alzheimer’s disease, she became a strong advocate for finding a cure.

hillary Clinton (1947-)

During Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, Hillary emerged as a dynamic and valued partner, and during his subsequent presidency, Hillary took on far more than the traditional role of the first lady. In 1993, Bill selected her to head the Task Force on

National Health Care Reform. The controversial commission produced a complicated plan that never

T

36 37

came to the floor of either house. It was abandoned in September 1994.

Despite this failure, she was influential in the creation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provided state funding for children whose parents could not afford to pay for their health care, and she was also instrumental in the passing of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, a series of reforms aimed at American adoption and foster-care systems.

miChEllE obama (1964- )

Michelle attended Princeton University, graduating cum laude in 1985, and went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. Following law school, she worked at a Chicago law firm, where she met her husband, President Barack Obama. The

couple married on October 3, 1992. As First Lady, she has focused her attention on current social issues such as the Let’s Move campaign which aims to solve the problems of childhood obesity through exercise and healthy eating.

• Compare and discuss the different causes first ladies like abigail adams, helen taft, Eleanor roosevelt, nancy reagan, hillary Clinton and michelle obama have championed over the years.

• how might cultural attitudes affect how the role of First lady is defined?

• do you think Edith Wilson’s role as First lady was extraordinary? Why or why not?

• how does defining the President’s spouse as “First lady” affect the public’s thoughts on electing a woman? What alternative gender-neutral name could be applied?

• 49 countries around the world have had female heads of state, including: united kingdom, Pakistan, norway, australia, brazil, india, thailand, germany, and turkey. Considering the list includes both first, second, and third world countries with completely different cultures, why do you believe the united states has yet to have a female candidate in a general Election for President? a full list of countries may be found at: http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2012/06/03/how-many-countries-have-ever-had-a-woman-leader/


F I R s t L A D I e s c o n t I n U e D

SoUrce: http://www.biography.com/people/groups/us-first-ladies

37

c U R R I c U L U mc o n n e c t I o n s

We BeLIeVe ThaT TheaTre can SUPPorT and work in tandem with everyday classroom activities and scholastic goals. Below are some suggested activities that can be done for each production, with a focus on vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing.

VocaBULary

• Highlight words in the script that are unfamiliar.

• Write definitions in the margins of the script.

• Find synonyms for new vocabulary words.

• Find antonyms for new vocabulary words.

• Study the new vocabulary words for spelling tests.

comPrehenS Ion

• Create a story map for the play.

• Create a biography for one of the characters.

• Map out the relationships in the play.

• Summarize the play.

• Summarize each individual scene.

• Summarize the play from the perspective of one of the characters.

• Answer the essay and text-related questions.

• Discuss the play’s themes.

• Discuss the current events that correlate with the themes of the play.

• Cut out articles from magazines and newspapers that discuss some of the issues and topics brought up in the play.

f LUency

• Read the script aloud in a large circle.

• Pair up and read scenes aloud together.

• Pick a character and focus on reading his/her lines with accuracy and expression.

• Switch roles so that the students have a chance to experiment with different vocal expressions for different characters (tone, tempo, and volume).

Wr I T Ing

• Write journal entries or monologues using vocabulary words.

• Write a journal entry or monologue from the perspective of one of the characters.

• Write a scene depicting part of the story that we hear about in the play, but is not in the stage action.

• Write a review of the production.

• Write a letter to one of the cast members, designers, director, playwright, or staff members sharing your impression and questions regarding the show.

• Write a letter from one character to another.

• Write a new ending to the play.

38

H e L P F U L H I n t s FoR tHe F IRst-tIme tHeAtReGoeR

DO arrive early. Make considerations for traffic, parking, waiting in line, having your ticket taken, and finding your seat. If you need to pick up your tickets from the box office, it is a good idea to arrive at least twenty minutes early. Generally, you can take your seat when “the house is open,” about half an hour before the show begins. Late seating is always distracting and usually not allowed until intermission or a transition between scenes, if it is allowed at all. Follow the old actors’ mantra:

to be early is to be on time.

to be on time is to be late.

to be late is UnForGivable.

DO turn off your cell phone. Phones and any other noise-making devices should be switched off before you even enter the theatre: you won’t be allowed to use them anyway. Texting during a performance is also rude. The intermission is a good time to use your phone, but remember to turn it off again before the next act begins.

DON’T leave your garbage in the theatre. Food and drinks are usually not permitted in the theatre at all, with the exception of bottled water. If it is allowed, be sure to throw out your trash in a garbage can or recycling bin in the lobby; don’t leave it for the house manager or ushers at the end of a show.

DO watch your step. Aisles can be narrow, so please be considerate when finding your seat. Avoid getting up during the performance whenever possible, since it can be very distracting. You can use the restroom before the show and during intermission. Also, be careful not to cross in front of the stage, as it will break the illusion of the show. Don’t step on or over seats, and never walk on the stage itself.

DON’T talk during the performance. Chatting is extremely rude to the actors and the audience around you. Everyone is trying to pay attention to the play and those nearby will be able to hear, so please be quiet and considerate.

DO get into it! Actors feed off of the audience, just as the audience feeds off of the actors. Don’t be afraid to laugh, clap, or cry if you are so moved. However, there is a line that can be crossed. Please be respectful, and don’t distract from the work of the professionals on stage. After all, people paid good money to watch the show, not you. Just enjoy the experience and let yourself have an honest response.

THE MAJoR ConsIDERATIon To KEEP In MInD Is THAT YoUR

ACTIons CAn BE DIsTRACTIng noT onLY To THE REsT oF THE

AUDIEnCE, BUT To THE ACToRs on sTAgE As WELL. BEHAvIoR

THAT Is ACCEPTABLE In oTHER PUBLIC sETTIngs, LIKE MovIE

THEATREs, BALLgAMEs, oR ConCERTs, Is oUT oF PLACE WHEn

ATTEnDIng THE THEATRE.

THE FoLLoWIng TIPs sHoULD HELP YoU gET ACqUAInTED WITH

soME Dos AnD Don’Ts FoR FIRsT-TIME THEATREgoERs.

the second mrs. wilson teacher information packet

Documents