Miss Julie Education free essay sample

Theatre presents Miss Julie by August Strindberg in a new translation for the 21st century EDUCATION PACK Spring Tour 2013 Introduction UK Touring Theatre presents Miss Julie by August Strindberg in a new translation for the 21st century Tours nationally from 16th April to 18th May 2013 Directed by Denis Noonan Production Design by Mike Lees Lighting Design by Crin Claxton â€Å"Don? t step down Miss, take my advice. No one will believe that you willingly descended, people will always say that you fell† Miss Julie, widely regarded as August Strindberg? masterpiece, is a tale of lust, power, class conflict and boundaries broken. Midsummers Eve, Sweden, 1888. While the servants? party continues in the barn outside, aristocratic Miss Julie is drawn to the kitchen and to the socially ambitious Jean, her father? s valet. What starts as a harmless flirtation, soon descends into a ferocious power struggle, from which neither can escape. Miss Julie was one of the most important plays of the Naturalistic movement in 19th century European theatre. We will write a custom essay sample on Miss Julie Education or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Its vivid depiction of the class system is still as pertinent today, and has received worldwide critical acclaim. This production presents an ideal opportunity for students to experience and study a classic text, exploring the production? s themes, characters and the style of Naturalism. It is the World Premiere of an exciting new English translation of the play, so an excellent chance for your students to engage with the play through a powerful and accessible production. The production is particularly suitable for Key Stage 4/5 students studying towards GCE A Level Drama and Theatre Studies or Performing Arts, BTEC Performing Arts and GCSE Drama or Performing Arts. It is also of relevance to GCE A Level and GCSE students of English Literature, History and Sociology. ? Please note: This production is not thought suitable for young people under the age of 14. ? ? ? ? 2? About this Education Pack ? This Education Pack is designed to fully support our touring production of Strindberg? s Miss Julie, and provide you with additional Drama and cross-curricular activities to enhance your visit to the production, and to build into your existing study. The resource comprises 3 sections: Before your visit This section contains background information on the play, as well as practical activities to help your students fully understand the play before their visit, by encouraging them to think about the themes, characters and social/historical content. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Miss Julie Synopsis August Strindberg Characters Themes Literary and Theatrical Context Historical and Social Context Watching the play This section contains background information on the production and the theatre company; as well as questions and activities that students can engage with during their visit to see the production, to help maximise their understanding and enjoyment. †¢ †¢ †¢ Watching the production Cast Biographies Creative Biographies Translating Strindberg – an interview with the director Denis Noonan Evaluation and Follow-up Activities This section contains guidance for an evaluation session following the production, based on your students? critical appre ciation; as well as suggestions for follow-up activities. ? ? 3? Miss Julie Synopsis The play takes place on Midsummer? s Eve in Sweden in 1888. The entire play is set in one location, the kitchen of a large estate belonging to a Swedish Count (Miss Julie? s father). The action of the play takes place over a single night and the early hours of the next morning. The three characters in the play are Miss Julie the Count? s adult daughter, Jean his Valet and Kristin his cook. The Count himself is never seen. The play opens with Kristin alone in the kitchen cooking at the stove. Music can be heard from the servants? Midsummer? s Eve party in the barn outside. Jean enters to eat his dinner and reports that Miss Julie has stayed at home instead of going away with her father to visit their relatives; and has been dancing wildly with the servants, including himself, at the party in the barn. They discuss Miss Julie? s inappropriate behaviour for a young lady and that of the upper classes in general, and Jean promises to dance with Kristin when she finishes work. Miss Julie then enters and orders Jean to dance with her again and they leave to join the party, while Kristin continues working in the kitchen. Jean returns to Kristin in the kitchen and Miss Julie quickly follows him. She orders him to change out of his Valet? s livery and to get her a drink. After a while Kristin falls asleep in her chair and eventually goes to bed, while the flirtation continues between Miss Julie and Jean. Jean tells Miss Julie that he was love with her when he was a child, and they each recount recurring dreams they have had Miss Julie of falling and Jean of climbing. The servants then come to look for Jean, and can be heard outside singing a dirty song about him and Miss Julie. Unable to face them and with nowhere to hide, they escape offstage into Jean? s room where their relationship is consummated. When they return Jean suggests that they run away to Switzerland and set up a hotel together. However when Miss Julie reveals that she doesn? have any money of her own Jean abandons the plan and changes his tone, calling her a whore for throwing herself at him. Miss Julie gets hysterical and begins drinking wine excessively. She then tells him her family history, how her mother was a commoner, who believed in equality for men and women and raised her like a boy, teaching her to hate men. Jean orders Miss Julie to go upstairs and get some money from the house. Then Kristin enters dresse d for church, and discovers what has happened. She is disgusted with Miss Julie for demeaning herself by crossing the class barrier separating the nobility from servants. Kristin leaves and Miss Julie re-enters, carrying a bird cage. Jean insists that they cannot take the bird on their journey, and rather than abandon her pet, Miss Julie asks him to kill it. Jean decapitates the bird with the kitchen cleaver and Miss Julie finally breaks down. Kristin then enters and leaves for church, saying that she will tell the groom not to let out any of the horses so that they are unable to escape. Unable to escape, or stay and face the consequences, Miss Julie resolves to commit suicide and asks Jean to order her to do it. The bell rings, signaling that the Count has returned home. Jean immediately puts on his livery jacket and reverts to the role of servant. He hands Miss Julie his razor and gives her his final order to go the barn. ? 4? August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg was born in Stockholm on January 22, 1849. His father, Carl Oscar Strindberg, was a shipping merchant and his mother was his father? s former maid-servant. Strindberg attended the University of Uppsala, and then was variously employed in Stockholm as schoolteacher, tutor, journalist and librarian. His ? rst major play, Master Olof, was written in 1872 but not performed for 9 years, so Strindberg did not achieve ritical success until the publication of his autobiographical novel The Red Room in 1879. Srindberg frequently provoked controversy throughout Sweden and the rest of Europe with his work. He was vehemently attacked for his provocative book The New Kingdom (1880-02) and the publication of his volume of short stories Getting Married in 1884 led to him being prosecuted for blasphem y, though he was later acquitted. Partly because of these attacks, Strindberg moved to Germany in 1887 where he wrote The Father, and Denmark in 1888 where he wrote Creditors, Miss Julie and The Stronger. In 1889 he founded the Scandinavian Experimental Theatre in Copenhagen, which premiered Miss Julie with his wife Siri von Essen in the title role. However the play caused immediate shock and disgust, due to its frank portrayal of lust, inter-class relationships and most significantly the idea of sex without love. It was therefore not performed in Sweden until Strindberg established his own Intima Teater in Stockholm in 1907, and remained banned in Britain until 1939. Strindberg wrote with furious intensity. Scathing attacks and startling reflections alternate with line after line of delightfully chiselled metaphors. He participated in the strident debate about gender equality but adopted the uncommon position that men were the more oppressed sex. As the ranks of the labour movement swelled and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, the Social Democratic Party and the Swedish Employers? Confederation were founded, he turned the concepts of upper and lower class into everyday words. Between 1898 and his death from stomach cancer in 1912 he wrote thirty five plays, including To Damascus, Parts I II and III, Easter, A Dream Play, Storm, After the Fire, The Ghost Sonata, The Pelican and The Great Highway. A hundred years after Strindberg? death in 1912, his writing is as alive as ever. His plays are performed around the world; articles and books about the man and his works are published every year. ? 5? Miss Julie Characters Miss Julie Miss Julie is the Count? s daughter and the protagonist in the play. Although she is an aristocrat, she prefers to spend her time with the servants and tries to appear to be like one of them, rebelling against the class she was born in. When the audience ? rst sees her, she is noticeably drunk and has been dancing with the peasants at their Midsummers Eve party when she should be with her father visiting relatives. She speaks about a dream she often has, in which she is standing on top of a great pillar and longs to fall down, indicating a desire to escape her social position. However her attitude to her class position is clearly confused, as she alternates between giving orders to Jean and trying to convince him to treat her as an equal. In his Preface to the play, Strindberg describes Miss Julie as a man-hating â€Å"halfwoman†. Her hatred of men is blamed on her upbringing by her mother; a feminist who raised her as a boy, dressed her in boy? clothes and taught her male pursuits. However Miss Julie is simulanteously flirtatious and coquettish with Jean, using her feminine charms to pursue him throughout the first half of the play. She alternates between traditionally female behaviour and more aggressive, traditionally male behaviour. She also shows a sado-masochistic tendency: we hear from Jean that she trained her fiance like a dog by hitting him with a whip, and later she asks Jean to hit her and ultimately requests that he order her to kill herself. Jean Jean is the Count? valet; his personal man-servant who would help the Count dress, maintain his clothes and handle all money matters concerning his master? s household. Jean was born a farm-hand? s child in a very poor family and has managed to work his way up in the social rankings to what would be considered a prestigious job. Although he is still a servant, he is intelligent and has ambitions to attain an even higher social position. He has pretensions of gentility, drinking fine wine and dreaming about owning property and becoming a nobleman with a title. In spite of his genteel and charming behaviour, Jean? s desire for social advancement causes him to act ruthlessly when required. In Strindberg? s Preface to the play he says that Jean is â€Å"strong enough not to care who he stands on when he climbs. He? s already a stranger to his fellows: he despises them as part of the life he? s rejected†. Jean? s callousness is most evident in his treatment of Miss Julie. It is clear that beyond his sexual interest in her, his main desire is to use her as a stepping stone to a more powerful position. Ultimately, unlike Miss Julie, Jean survives the play unscathed. In Strindberg? s own words, Jean â€Å"will quite possibly end up as an hotelier; and even if he does not become a Romanian count, his son will probably get to university and very likely end up on the bench†. ? 6? Kristin Kristin is the Count? s cook and is betrothed to his valet, Jean. Unlike Jean and Miss Julie, she recognises her place in society and has no ambitions to move beyond her social position. Kristin is content to be a servant and wishes to retain the social order that she is accustomed to. At the start of the play she disapproves of the fact that Miss Julie is interacting with her social inferiors and later when she discovers that she has had sex with a servant she is appalled, declaring that she can no longer work for people with no sense of decency. However, she says that she still intends to marry Jean as planned, thus once again reflecting her desire to maintain order. Kristin is religious, attending church regularly and quoting passages from the bible. Strindberg describes her in his Preface as â€Å"a female slave, stuffed full of religion and morality†. She preaches morality but steals groceries from the household, attending church each Sunday to ask for forgiveness. PRACTICAL ACTIVITY Character Study 1. Split the students into three groups and allocate each group one character from the play. 2. Ask each group to go through the text and write down 10 significant things the character says about themselves in the play. 3. On another piece of paper ask the groups to write down 10 significant things the other characters say that about their character. 4. Ask each group to stand up and present their findings to the rest of the class, writing them on the board in two columns. 5. As a class, discuss the lists on the board and decide on 3 adjectives to describe each character. ? 7? Miss Julie Themes Social Class Much of the dramatic tension in Miss Julie is caused by characters trying to move beyond their social class. Miss Julie, the Count? s daughter, describes a recurring dream in which she stands on top of a high pillar and longs to fall down, indicating her desire to join the lower classes; while Jean, the Count? s valet, also has a recurring dream in which he tries desperately to climb a tree to plunder the golden eggs at the top, indicating his desire to rise above his lowly social origins. These dreams of transcending class barriers are re? ected in Jean and Miss Julie? s behaviour with each other. Although she is an aristocrat, Miss Julie prefers to stay at home with the servants and drink beer with Jean in the kitchen. By contrast, Jean tries to behave like a gentleman by dressing up in smart clothes, drinking ? ne wine, and speaking French. He also reveals a grand vision of his future in which he will own a hotel, become rich, buy a noble title and launch a family dynasty. However, when the bell rings at the end of the play he ultimately reverts to his role as a servant. The one character who is consistent in her attitude towards social class is Kristin. She understands that she belongs to the working classes and disapproves of anything that causes the dividing lines between the social classes to become blurred. Gender Roles and Identity In the play? s Preface, Strindberg describes Miss Julie as a â€Å"man-hating half-woman† and this ambiguity regarding her gender identity plays a large part in her downfall. We learn that her character has been shaped by the influence of her mother, a commoner who initially refused to marry Miss Julie? father but instead requested that he remain her lover. This refusal to conform to traditional female roles was evident in the way that Miss Julie? s mother ran her household. She forced men to carry out female tasks while women did the men? s work, causing ? nancial ruin for the estate. Her belief in sexual equality also led her to raise Miss Julie as a boy, making her wear male clothes and indulge in tradition ally male pursuits such as hunting. As well as reversing the traditional gender roles, Miss Julies mother taught her to despise men. This leads Miss Julie to treat her ? nce with contempt, making him jump over her riding whip and hitting him with it like an animal. Subsequently, when Jean kills Miss Julies green? nch, her rage at men is nakedly revealed as she shouts, â€Å"I? d like to see your whole sex swimming in a lake like that! †. It is clear that Strindberg believes that men and women have separate roles in society and he presents Miss Julie? s unladylike behaviour as unnatural and subversive. At the beginning of the play she pursues Jean and is the more dominant ? masculine? partner in their relationship, while he plays the coy, traditionally ? eminine? role. After their relationship is consummated their gender roles reverse and she becomes timid and more feminine, whereas Jean becomes stronger, more brutal and masculine. ? 8? Sexuality As soon as Miss Julie arrives on stage it is clear that she is driven to a large extent by sexual desire. She has been dancing wildly with Jean in the barn and continues pursuing him, forcing him to dance with her again. Ultimately, their ? irtation leads to Jean and Miss Julie having sex, but there is no sense that this carnal act is based on love. In the morning when they emerge from the bedroom, Jean admits that his romantic story of childhood longing for Miss Julie was invented to seduce her. Miss Julie is appalled at having been tricked. She asks Jean to say that he loves her but he refuses to make any sentimental gestures, accusing Miss Julie of simply trying to introduce romance into the relationship to alleviate her shame at having surrendered to lust. As con? ict develops between the two, Jean condemns Miss Julie, calling her a â€Å"slut† and a â€Å"whore†, and saying he has never before seen a woman â€Å"molest† a man like she did. Miss Julie reveals that her upbringing has made her despise men but that she still cannot control her weakness for them, and it is this unbridled sexual desire that destroys her. PRACTICAL ACTIVITY ?High Society? is a good exercise for introducing students to the concept of social class and status. 1. Use a set of numbered stickers, with one sticker for every member of the class. If there are 20 students in the class the stickers will be numbered from 1 to 20, where 1 represents the lowest possible status and 20 is the highest status. 2. Give each student a sticker to stick on his or her forehead. It is important that the student must not see the number of their sticker. 3. Explain that the students are about to enter a party and must behave towards each other with due regard to status. So for example, if they encounter someone with a very high number on their head they must be polite and deferential, whereas if they meet someone with low number they should dismiss them as quickly as possible. 4. Members of the group will naturally assess their status from the way in which others behave towards them and the high status characters will ? d themselves being offered seats and glasses of champagne while the low status characters will be expected to serve the champagne. 5. At the end of the exercise, ask the students to arrange themselves in their full hierarchy with the high status characters at one end of the room and the low status characters at the other. It is important that this portion of the exercise is done without talking so that each student can make a judgment of their status without being unduly in? uenced by the opinions of others. 6. This activity can be repeated in groups of three, using the characters from the play instead of numbered stickers. ? 9? Literary Theatrical Context Literary Naturalism The literary school of Naturalism developed in the mid to late 19th century and was largely guided by the new idea of Social Darwinism, which arrived in response to the scienti? c work of Charles Darwin. Social Darwinists believed in the ? survival of the ? ttest? , a process by which the strongest individuals in society survive and thrive while the weak individuals die off. Writers such as Emile Zola took this principle of Social Darwinism and applied it in a literary context by presenting characters in a struggle for survival. One of the key elements which sets Naturalism apart from other literary schools is the belief that man is not fully in control of his own will. Rather, he is driven by forces outside his control including heredity (the tendencies we inherit from our parents), environment (the culture in which we are born and raised) and chance. Because characters in Naturalism do not have full control of their actions, the work of Naturalistic writers can be seen as ? eterministic?. In other words, it is pre-determined that certain characters will succeed or fail based on their heritage, environment or other random factors over which they have no control. These dominant forces play a key role in the ? fate? which befalls Miss Julie. Her parental heritage and the environment of her upbringing makes her a â€Å"man-hating, half woman† in the mould of her mother, causing a confused gender identity which prevents her from occupying a ? normal? female role. Theatrical Naturalism Naturalism in the theatre developed not only in response to Social Darwinism and Naturalism in literature, it also sought to do away with outdated theatrical forms of romantic melodrama which had dominated theatre in the early part of the 19th century. Naturalistic theatre practitioners wanted to present life in all of its harsh reality and examine it in detail without making concessions to the polite sensibilities of theatregoers. For example, Strindberg did not shy away from presenting the animalistic passion of Miss Julie? sexual desire in spite of the obvious offence it would cause. He was also unafraid of leaving Kristen alone on stage in silence for several minutes while Julie and Jean are at the dance. In his stage directions he insists that this section must not be rushed and that Kristen must simply carry on her domestic tasks as if she were alone in the room, without making any acknowledgement of the audience? s presence. Strindberg? s commitment to showing harsh realities and presenting his drama in ? real life? etail without old fashioned theatrical devices like footlights made him a leading ?gure in theatrical Naturalism. His work in? uenced other Naturalistic writers like Maxim Gorky and Anton Chekhov, whose plays were subsequently produced by Konstantin Stanislavsky who is widely regarded as the most important practitioner in Naturalistic drama. ? 10? Tragedy Strindberg? s conception of Miss Julie as a ? awed character moving towards an inevitably destructive fate is ? rmly rooted in the literary tradition of tragedy that dates back to the ancient Greek drama of Aristotle. An important aspect of Aristotelean tragedy is the unity of time, space and action which dictates that the drama must take place on one day, in one place and with a sequence of events which logically follow on from one another. Strindberg? s play clearly adheres to this convention, taking place over the course of one night in the kitchen of the Count? s house with a series of events that lead inexorably to Miss Julie? s death. Although Miss Julie? s fatal downfall makes Strindberg? s play ? tragic? , it is not a tragedy in the strictest classical sense. In Greek drama characters are ruined because of a lapse in moral judgement, but Social Darwinists would argue that Miss Julie strays over social and sexual boundaries because of the irresistible hereditary and environmental forces that drive her rather than through poor moral decision-making. PRACTICAL ACTIVITY Theatrical Naturalism – Private Moments 1. Ask each student to choose an everyday activity that they can do on their own e. g washing the dishes, cleaning their bedroom. 2. Give the students 10 minutes to work on this in their own time. The aim is for the students to carry on with the activity as if they were alone in the room, just as Kristin is during the pantomime in Miss Julie. 2. Share the activities with the rest of the group. Each student should perform their activity for 1 minute, with attention to detail, making their activity completely believable to the audience. They should not acknowledge the audience or attempt to entertain or amuse them in any way. ? 11? Historical Social Context Social Darwinism In 1859 Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in which he described his theory of ? atural selection?. This theory is based on the idea that living species must compete with each other for survival. The weaker species will tend to die out while the stronger species survive and reproduce. Darwin called this process ? the survival of the ? ttest?. In spite of initial objections from religious groups, Darwin? s theories began to gain broader support; and although this thinking was based in the scienti? c sphere, the concept of ? survival of the ? ttest? started to have in? uence in other areas. In political thinking, the term ? Social Darwinism? came to prominence in the late 1800s. Social Darwinists saw the process of natural selection occurring in human society with ? strong? individuals rising to form the ruling classes and ? weak? individuals declining into poverty and dying out as a result. Those who were successful had achieved their status because they had naturally adapted to take advantage of their environment while the weak had achieved less because they were less well evolved. The in? uence of Social Darwinism can be clearly seen in Strindberg? s characters. Although Jean comes from lowly origins he has adapted to his environment by listening to the ? ne speech of his social betters and observing their behaviour. This has allowed him to adopt sophisticated manners, and although he does not currently occupy the position of a gentleman, he is suitably prepared to evolve into this role if the opportunity arises. By contrast, Miss Julie? s upbringing has made her poorly adapted to her surroundings. Her mother has forced her to become an â€Å"unnatural† (according to Strindberg) â€Å"half-woman†. As a result she is clearly un? for her social position and is naturally selected to fall. Marxism The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Frederich Engels in 1848 and became a seminal text for all revolutionary thinkers and activists in their struggle to overthrow capitalism. Marx and Engels emphasised the need for the working classes to unite and act collectively and this began to stimulate a greater class consciousnes s among workers throughout Europe, leading to the development of Trade Unions. This political change was beginning to be felt in Sweden in the latter half of the 1800s. The position of the working classes was improving, with trade unions going on strike for higher wages and shorter working days, while in 1881 a law was passed to limit child labour in factories. The class tensions which were developing in Europe in the late 19th century are evident in Miss Julie. In his Preface, Strindberg wrote of â€Å"the old nobility giving way to a new nobility of nerve and intellect† which clearly refers to Jean, the intelligent servant, rising through society to replace the dying dynasty of Miss Julie? s family. ? 12? Feminism The position of women in Swedish society went through huge changes in the latter half of the 19th century. In 1845 women were given the right to own property and the following year they were given the right to hold certain speci? c jobs, such as teaching. In 1862 women were also given the right to vote and by the 1870s they were admitted to the universities for the ? rst time. Compared with other European countries, Sweden? s attitude to the role of women was extremely liberal. In Britain, by contrast, women were only given the right to vote in 1918. Beyond the legal provision of rights for women, major cultural changes were taking place in how they behaved socially. The ? New Woman? chose to take on the qualities of men by dressing in masculine clothing and behaving in a sexually aggressive way. The rise of feminism also saw women shunning the traditional role of housewife and home maker to live independently of the husband? s dominating in? uence. The rise of the ? New Woman? is a major issue in Miss Julie. Miss Julie? s mother clearly falls into this category, insisting that men and women are equal and orcing men to do household chores that would normally be done by women, while the women work in traditionally male roles. The fact that this policy leads to ? nancial disaster on the family estate suggests that Strindberg fundamentally disagrees with the notion of men and women being treated as equals. Miss Julie? s free thinking and sexually aggressive behaviour also position her in the ? New Woman? category and the fact that t hese actions lead to her destruction clearly indicates Strindberg? s opposition to liberal feminism. PRACTICAL ACTIVITY 19th century social and historical influences on the play 1. Split the students into three groups. Allocate each group one of the historical movements of Social Darwinism (Survival of the Fittest), Marxism and Feminism. 2. As a homework project, ask each group to research the historical movement they? ve been given and to find three examples of its influence on the characters in Miss Julie. 3. Ask the three groups to present their findings to the rest of the class in an engaging way, combining presentation and extracts from the text. ? 13? Watching the Play We hope that you are looking forward to your visit to see UK Touring Theatre? s production of Miss Julie. In order to maximise your students understanding of the show we have created a number of questions which your students can think about when watching the production. Some students may find it helpful to make notes during the show, others may prefer to concentrate fully on the production and make notes afterwards. Set †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Sketch the main scenic elements How is the 19th century kitchen created on stage? What are the visual qualities of the set? What colours and textures are used in the set and how do these create an atmosphere? Lighting †¢ †¢ How does the lighting affect the impact of the scenes? How would you describe the quality of the lighting? Costume †¢ How have costumes been used to help indicate different characters and their social class? Performance †¢ †¢ †¢ How would you describe the acting style? Identify the vocal techniques used throughout the show. i. e. pace, pitch, projection, inflection. How do the actors physicalise the characters? Narrative and Themes †¢ †¢ How are the themes of the play drawn out by the company? What decisions has the director made in the telling of the story? Music †¢ What effect does the music used in the play have on the atmosphere created? ? 14? Cast Biographies FELICITY RHYS – MISS JULIE Felicity trained at East 15 Acting School. Theatre includes: Enjoy (Theatre Royal Bath – Number One Tour); A Merrily Grimm Christmas, The Street and The Ramayana (all Redbridge Drama Centre); Oliver Twist (World Tour); The Lover, The Misanthrope, The Bear, The Bald Prima Donna, Teechers, A Christmas Carol (all Sevenoaks Playhouse – Repertory Season); Motherone (Oxford Playhouse Studio); Amazing Grace The Musical (Wales Theatre Company – Clwyd Theatr Cymru / Sherman Theatre / Swansea Grand Theatre); Roleplay (English Theatre of Hamburg); A Game of One Half (Jermyn Street Theatre), Dracula (English Theatre of Copenhagen); Blithe Spirit (Brewhouse Theatre Taunton); Macbeth (Courtyard Theatre). Television and Film includes: Two Series of 2 Dy a Ni (ITV Wales); Pobol y Cwm (BBC); Torchwood (BBC); 9 Steps to a New Start (Those People Productions – official selection Cardiff Screen Festival). Radio includes: A Dance to the Music of Time and Something Understood (both BBC Radio Four). ADAM REDMAYNE – JEAN Adam trained at LAMDA. Theatre includes: The Circle (Chichester Festival Theatre Number One Tour); A Merrily Grimm Christmas (Redbridge Drama Centre); Henry V and As You Like It (both British Shakespeare Company); The Misanthrope, The Lover, The Proposal, Teechers (all Sevenoaks Playhouse – Repertory Season); Take Two (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Roleplay (English Theatre of Hamburg); You Couldn? t Make it Up (Guilded Balloon Edinburgh / New End Theatre Hampstead); The Crucible, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hedda Gabler (all Dramaworks UK – International Tours); Arcadia (ICA); Romeo and Juliet (Creation Theatre Company); What? Wrong With Angry (Wild Justice Company / Arts Theatre); The Hostage (European Tour). Television and Film includes: Things to Do Before You? re 30 (Samuelson Productions); Sweet Swan of Avon (Miramar); Something is Rotten (Kinomees Productions – Estonia); History? s Hardest Prison (National Geographic); Soldier Soldier and The Knock (ITV). Radio includes: Mob y Dick (BBC Radio Four); Northfields (Urban Scrawl / Theatre 503). ? 15? Creative Team Biographies DENIS NOONAN – DIRECTOR Denis trained as an actor at East 15 Acting School in the 1960s, under Margaret Berry who founded the school. Following several years work as an actor he moved into directing and teaching. His acting experience included repertory seasons in Manchester, Leicester, Hornchurch, the Glasgow Citizens? Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre; as well as productions at Birmingham Studio Theatre, the Roundhouse Theatre in London and on several occasions at the Edinburgh Festival. Denis was formerly Associate Director of Dramaworks UK, a touring theatre company which specialised in performing the works of Shakespeare and other classic plays in South East Asia. Productions directed included Hedda Gabler, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet and The Crucible. He also directed Scrooge at the Hackney Empire Theatre (London); A. W. O. L. at the Jermyn Street Theatre; a season of American plays at the Camden Theatre and A Play About The Bronte Sisters, which toured major Arts Centres around Britain. Denis Noonan? work as an Acting Coach and teacher of the performing arts has taken him to many centres in the UK and abroad, including the London Academy of Music And Dramatic Art (LAMDA), The Italia Conti Academy Of Theatre Arts, Mountview Theatre School, The Academy Drama School In London. He is an inspirational and highly regarded acting coach, whose former students have included Kate Winslet, Russell Brand and Ethan Hawke. Denis also appeared in a television documentary a bout the Italia Conti Academy in which his acting classes were featured. MIKE LEES – PRODUCTION DESIGN Mike trained in production design at the Rose Bruford School of Speech and Drama. Mike has designed the sets and costumes for more than 200 productions in London, the UK, Europe, America and the Middle East. Recent designs include Gone (New Ambassadors Theatre, London Tour); Mathilde (Vauldeville Theatre London Edinburgh); Calendar Girls (Regional Tour); What I Heard About Iraq (Arts Theatre London Tour); Holding Hands at Paschendale (Lyric Belfast London transfer); The Little Mermaid (National Theatre of Dubai UAE Tour); the UK premier of Max Frischs Count Oederland (Arcola Theatre); Pete Dud: Come Again! Leicester Square Theatre Tour); The Drowsy Chaperone (American Theatre London); Anansi (Southwark Playhouse); A Tale of Two Cities The Musical (UK Tour directed by Paul Nicholas); Quality Street, A Day By The Sea, Myths Hymns (Finborough Theatre); Fred Astaire: His Daughters Tribute (London Palladium). Future productions include regional tours of The Adventures of Robin Ho od, Whistle Down the Wind (UK) Cinderella (USA). www. ikeleesdesigns. com ? 16? CRIN CLAXTON – LIGHTING DESIGN Crin? s lighting designs have been seen at numerous venues across the UK and abroad, ranging from Number One venues to small and mid-scale theatres. She has a strong background in touring theatre and companies she has worked for regularly include Paines Plough, RIFCO, Clean Break, Snap Theatre, Spare Tyre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Julie Macnamara, Dance Umbrella and Stratford Circus. Theatres and spaces lit include: Manchester Arts Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Westcliff Palace Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, The Albany Deptford, Roundhouse London, Greenwich Theatre, Diorama London, The Arcola London, Riverside Studios, The Hawth Crawley, Hackney Empire Theatre, The Lyric Hammersmith, Contact Theatre Manchester, the Lighthouse Poole, Mumford Theatre Cambridge, Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield, Soho Theatre Studio London. For eleven years Crin was the Technical Manager at the Ovalhouse Theatre London. UK TOURING THEATRE PRODUCER UK Touring Theatre was founded in 2012 by Adam Redmayne and Felicity Rhys, who together have over 25 years experience of working in the theatre. The company is committed to developing exciting new adaptations of classic European plays; touring to theatres across the UK, Europe and beyond. UK Touring Theatre is an offshoot of another theatre company, Dramaworks UK, which was run by Adam Redmayne and Denis Noonan from 2000-2004, and toured classic theatre to Singapore and South East Asia. Previous productions included Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hedda Gabler and The Crucible. UK Touring Theatre? s focus is on producing powerful new English language translations and adaptations of classic European plays, with wide appeal for a contemporary audience, to tour nationally and internationally. We aim to produce productions for native English speakers here in the UK and English speaking audiences overseas, which are innovative and accessible yet challenging; with the focus strongly on the original text, language and themes. We believe that a great classic play will stand the test of time, nd can be adapted for a 21st century audience without obscuring the writing. We aim to develop scripts that are powerful and exciting, while still reflecting the playwrights? original intentions. UK Touring Theatre? s focus is on excellence and quality. Quality of text, quality of production and quality of acting. All our actors have trained at the foremost drama schools in the UK and worked extensively in the theatre in the UK and abroad. We aim to bring the best of British th eatre to venues large and small across the world. www. uktouringtheatre. o. uk ? 17? Translating Strindberg An interview with the director Denis Noonan What made you want to direct this play? I actually played the role of Jean in Miss Julie many years ago, when I was a student at East 15 Acting School in the sixties. It? s a play that I? ve always wanted to revisit ever since. I am a huge fan of Strindberg? s work as a whole and I think that the issues and themes in Miss Julie are still very relevant today. It? s a powerful piece. Exactly what relevance do the themes and issues in Miss Julie have to today? s society? Well firstly the issue of class hierarchy and status. People may think that the class system doesn? t exist in this country today, but as an Irishman who grew up in a working class family and then moved over to London, I can tell you that it most certainly does. For me social class, and wanting to escape one? s social class, is the central theme of the play. And that? s something you see all the time today aspirational people like Jean who want to climb up in the world, seeking fame and fortune, as well as the upper classes who try to pretend they? re not â€Å"posh†. Strindberg? bitterness about the upper classes is something that comes through extremely strongly through the voice of Jean in Miss Julie, it? s almost autobiographical, after all he was the son of a servant himself. Then of course there are the other themes in the play lust, power struggle, the battle of the sexes – they are all issues that we can relate to today. Like all great playwrights, Strindberg? s message is still pertinent to society today. This production is a brand new translation of the play. Can you describe the process of translating the play from Swedish? First of all Felicity (who plays Miss Julie) and our Swedish language advisor Kristina wrote a literal translation of the text, word for word from the original Swedish script. By going back to the original Swedish text we discovered that Strindberg? s original script is much more direct and fast paced than many other English translations we had read. Almost every line finishes with an exclamation mark, which implies a sense of directness and urgency. Myself, Felicity and Adam (who plays Jean) then worked through the literal translation, rewriting the lines in such a way that retained Strindberg? original intentions while making them actor-friendly and also accessible for a modern audience. We also improvised around some of the lines to enable the text to flow and for the actors to embody the voices of the characters. The whole process took about 8 months and numerous drafts, but the result is a script that I think really reflects what Strindberg originally wanted to achieve with the play, a script that flows, is exciting and accessible to a modern audience and that the actors have a real ownership of. What are the challenges involved in translating Strindberg? The main challenges are obviously the linguistic ones, the fundamental differences between Swedish and English. For example Strindberg uses the Swedish formal and informal â€Å"you† throughout the play to show the changing balance of power between ? 18? Miss Julie and Jean. In English we don? t really use that, so we had to find other ways of marking the shifts in power through the language used. Idioms are also obviously difficult, as they don? t translate literally, but it? s quite fun trying to make up your own English ones that mean the same thing! I think the benefits of doing your own translation massively outweigh the challenges though – firstly there are many more words in the English language than in Swedish, which meant that we often had a lot of choice when translating a specific word, which can affect the line as a whole and then the effect it has on the other character in the scene who hears it. We always tried to retain Strindberg? s original intentions in the lines though, to make the boldest choices, which are ultimately more exciting and engaging for the actors and the audience. What is your overall vision and intention in this production of Miss Julie? My production strives to be true to Strindberg? s original intentions, to be direct and have an immediacy to the audience which is watching it. I want the audience to be involved and affected by what they see on stage, much like Strindberg? s audience was back in 1889. I am a strong believer in what Peter Brook once said, that the audience should come out of the theatre feeling and thinking differently to when they went in – otherwise it? s a waste of time. If you could direct any play in the world, what would it be? August Strindberg? s Miss Julie. ? 19? Evaluation and Follow-Up Activities Put the students into pairs and ask them to discuss their favourite moments from the production. Then share these with the rest of group. Ask the students to each come up with one question they would like to ask the director about the production. Ask the students to each write a review of the production, discussing different aspects such as set design, performance and direction. Allocate th e students different roles; such as director, set designer or actor and ask them to describe how they would they would approach their own production of Miss Julie in this role. Put the students into groups of four, then nominate one student as the director and the other three as the actors in the play. Give each group a scene from the play to work on and encourage them to work together to come up with their own practical interpretation of the scene. Divide the class into two halves. One half has the responsibility for planning a ? defence? of Miss Julie as an innocent girl who has been corrupted by Jean. The other half must plan a ? prosecution? of Miss Julie, arguing that she sows the seeds of her own downfall. The prosecution must be allowed to make their case ? rst after which the defence will respond to the accusations that are made. In order to prevent this exercise from becoming a dry intellectual discussion of Miss Julie? s behaviour, the groups should be invited to add as much dramatic content to their presentations as possible. They may decide to reconstruct excerpts from the play that serve their cause or even call witnesses to testify. Based on the performances of the two teams the teacher must either condemn Miss Julie or Jean. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Further Information Workshops UK Touring Theatre has devised a series of practical drama workshops to accompany the play, which can be held at your school. Workshops are run by the director of the play and/or members of the cast, and can be booked as follows: Full day workshops (? 500) – available January to March 2013 2 hr workshops (? 200) – available during the tour period (subject to tour schedule) For further information or to book your workshop, please contact: UK Touring Theatre Tel: 020 8318 3630 / 07970 042190 E-mail: [emailprotected] co. uk Website: www. uktouringtheatre. co. uk ? 20?