Resources & Links
http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=15037
This site gave great descriptions of one of the productions. It included many pictures which gave me a better understanding of what the production might look like.
http://www.seesummerandsmoke.com/
I used this site probably the most since it was one of the most current as well as largely stated productions. It was very informative with its pictures and information of Tennessee Williams.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_and_Smoke
Wikipedia listed many of the past productions as well as the actors. It was a very descriptive site.
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc9.htm
I was able to get a better understanding of the author and where some of his ideas arose from. This was a very informative site of Tennessee Williams and various works.
http://london.broadway.com/photo_op/id/3004679#
I really liked the productions stills from this site. It was different then some of the other sites that I had seen which helped me enjoy the production a little better.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Dramaturg's Statement
Summer and Smoke is one of Tennessee William's most notable works. It is filled with romance and passion which is very appealing to an audience. Before this particular play can be produced the production team has to discuss several things.
One of the most important things is the time period. The play is set between 1900-1916 and it is crucial to have everything historically correct. This particular time period is called the Progressive Era. This was a time period of great change as well as new ideas and concepts of ways of living. Everything from the vehicles to the telephone visually looked very different of what we use today.
Another thing that is very important is the location. The play is written around the south and its natural beauty which almost becomes another character. Majority of the play is set outside and should really reflect the authenticity of Mississippi.
The title of the play sounds very basic yet it has an underlining feeling. The words Summer & Smoke are two things that can be perceived as being very sexy. It is a play on words that can sound perfectly innocent yet they can also hint at the plays seduction through "smoke and mirrors" concept if you will.
The last big thing to consider is how to stage this play. In the script some of the most important parts take place outside in front of a fountain. Also many scenes take place under the stars. It would be challenging to decipher what is more important, the outside or inside scenes. The scenes indoor are at the town rectory which are very poignant as well as Johns home and Alma's family home.
Summer and Smoke is one of Tennessee William's most notable works. It is filled with romance and passion which is very appealing to an audience. Before this particular play can be produced the production team has to discuss several things.
One of the most important things is the time period. The play is set between 1900-1916 and it is crucial to have everything historically correct. This particular time period is called the Progressive Era. This was a time period of great change as well as new ideas and concepts of ways of living. Everything from the vehicles to the telephone visually looked very different of what we use today.
Another thing that is very important is the location. The play is written around the south and its natural beauty which almost becomes another character. Majority of the play is set outside and should really reflect the authenticity of Mississippi.
The title of the play sounds very basic yet it has an underlining feeling. The words Summer & Smoke are two things that can be perceived as being very sexy. It is a play on words that can sound perfectly innocent yet they can also hint at the plays seduction through "smoke and mirrors" concept if you will.
The last big thing to consider is how to stage this play. In the script some of the most important parts take place outside in front of a fountain. Also many scenes take place under the stars. It would be challenging to decipher what is more important, the outside or inside scenes. The scenes indoor are at the town rectory which are very poignant as well as Johns home and Alma's family home.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Educator's Packet of Summer & Smoke (for a high school level)
Alma: female, Caucasian, early 30's. the fragile, lonely, and oversensitive daughter of a minister. She often nervously rings her hands. The caregiver to her mother.
John: male, Caucasian, late 30's. A physician who resents following his fathers lead. A lively character who enjoys the nightlife.
Rev. Winemiller: male, Caucasian, 50's. A reverend, Alma's father.
Mrs. Winemiller: female, Caucasian, 50's. Very childish, has to be taken care of by Alma. Requires a lot of care and attention.
Dr. Buchanan: male, Caucasian, 50's. A respected physician. The father of John.
Rosa Gonzales: female, Hispanic, 20's. John's on again off again girlfriend.
Papa Gonzales: male, Hispanic, late 40's. Owner of the Moon Lake Casino. The father of Rosa Gonzales.
Nellie Ewell: female, Caucasian, early twenties. A music student of Alma's. Later becomes John's bride.
Mrs. Bassett: female, Caucasian, elderly. The town gossip. Attends all the rectory meetings.
Roger Doremus: male, Caucasian, mid 30's. plays the French horn. Attends all rectory meetings.
Mr. Kramer: male, Caucasian, 40's. Small in stature.
Rosemary: female, Caucasian, elderly. Very bossy. Member of the rectory meetings.
Vernon: male, Caucasian, 50's. Attends the town meetings. Recites and writes his own verse plays.
Dusty: male, Caucasian, 20's, waiter.
- About the Play
Setting: Set in Mississippi from the turn of the century through 1916.
Story: The story is considered to be a romantic drama full of repressed passion between the two main characters, Alma and John. Alma, a young woman who is fragile, lonely, and oversensitive struggles to form a connection with the man she has always loved. John, a handsome son of the town's respected doctor, confuses Alma by his actions. He is know for his flirtatious ways. - Main Character Breakdown
Alma: female, Caucasian, early 30's. the fragile, lonely, and oversensitive daughter of a minister. She often nervously rings her hands. The caregiver to her mother.
John: male, Caucasian, late 30's. A physician who resents following his fathers lead. A lively character who enjoys the nightlife.
Rev. Winemiller: male, Caucasian, 50's. A reverend, Alma's father.
Mrs. Winemiller: female, Caucasian, 50's. Very childish, has to be taken care of by Alma. Requires a lot of care and attention.
Dr. Buchanan: male, Caucasian, 50's. A respected physician. The father of John.
Rosa Gonzales: female, Hispanic, 20's. John's on again off again girlfriend.
Papa Gonzales: male, Hispanic, late 40's. Owner of the Moon Lake Casino. The father of Rosa Gonzales.
Nellie Ewell: female, Caucasian, early twenties. A music student of Alma's. Later becomes John's bride.
Mrs. Bassett: female, Caucasian, elderly. The town gossip. Attends all the rectory meetings.
Roger Doremus: male, Caucasian, mid 30's. plays the French horn. Attends all rectory meetings.
Mr. Kramer: male, Caucasian, 40's. Small in stature.
Rosemary: female, Caucasian, elderly. Very bossy. Member of the rectory meetings.
Vernon: male, Caucasian, 50's. Attends the town meetings. Recites and writes his own verse plays.
Dusty: male, Caucasian, 20's, waiter.
- A Look inside Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical awards. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi, in the home of his paternal grandfather, the local Episcopal rector. The home is now the Mississippi Welcome Center and tourist office for the city. Williams' middle name, Lanier, indicates his family's Virginia connections to the artistic family from England, and earlier from Italy. In the early 1930s Williams attended the University of Missouri, where he joined Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His fraternity brothers dubbed him "Tennessee" for his rich southern drawl. In the late 1930s, Williams transferred to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri for a year, and finally earned a degree from the University of Iowa in 1938. He is one of America's greatest playwrights. Some of his works include: The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar named Desire, Cat on a Hot Ten Roof, The Night of the Iguana, and many more.
Production History:
Venue: Apollo Theatre
Location: London, England
Run dates: 2006
Producing agent or Producer: Stanhope Productions
Director: Adrian Noble
Designers: Peter McKintosh (set design), Deidre Clancy (costume design), Peter Mumford (lighting design)
Actors in lead roles: Rosamund Pike (Alma), Chris Carmack (John)
"But this is a play on a slow burn, and its final scenes are superb. It demonstrates many of the virtues that make Williams one of the supreme playwrights of the 20th century."
Financial Times
Venue: The Paper Mill Playhouse
Location: Millburn, New Jersey
Run Dates: Jan. 10-Feb. 11 2007
Production: Hartford Stage
Director: Michael Wilson
Designers: Tony Straiges (scenic design), Rui Rita (lighting design), David C. Woolard (costume design) and John Gromada (sound design and original music).
Actors in lead roles: Amanda Plummer (Alma), Kevin Anderson (john)
"Despite a rather large cast, our attention is drawn to the soul of the play, Alma's spiraling fall from grace. It remains as heartbreaking as that of any of Williams' heroines. This stunning revival can stand tall among anything currently on or off Broadway."
Curtain Up
Venue: Music Box Theatre
Location: New York, New York
Run dates: Oct. 6, 1948-Jan. 1, 1949
Produced and Directed by: Margo Jones
Designers: Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner; Lighting Design by Jo Mielziner; Costume Design by Rose Bogdanoff; Assistant to Mr. Mielziner: John HarveyActors in lead roles: Tod Andrews (john), Margaret Phillips (Alma)
"the production at the Music Box finds Tennessee Williams as fumbling and obvious as he is trenchant and evocative in 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'"
Google Answershttp://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/100619.htmlTaken from:"At the Theatre," by Brooks Atkinson. The New York Times (October 7,1948).
Venue: Criterion Center Stage Right
Location: New York, New York
Run dates: Sept. 5, 1996-Oct. 20, 1996
Directer: David Warren
Producer: The Roundabout Theatre Company
Designers: Derek McLane (set designer), Martin Pakledinaz (costume design), Brian MacDevitt (lighting design), John Gromada (sound)
Actors in lead roles: Harry Hamlin (John), Mary McDonnell (Alma)
Venue: Port City Playhouse
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Run dates: June 2006
Producer: Don Neal Williams
Director: Rosemary Hartman
Designers: William Buchanan
Actors in lead roles: Maggie Keele (Alma), Richard Isaacs (John)
"The cast worked really well together. They all fit into their roles really well. The casting was really well done."
Show Biz Radio
Classroom Exercise
Each student will assume the persona of a character from Summer & Smoke. They will be able to create their own diary. The entries can include the character's various traits: sex, rank, personality, and social standing.
This will give the students a better understanding of the character's and the actions in the play.
5 Questions that may arise:
- Why do you think the play is titled Summer & Smoke?
- What was your overall concept?
- Specifically, what character did you connect with and why?
- After reading the script of Summer & Smoke, was the production of the play similar to what you expected?
- Do you think this play would be interpreted differently if it were set in modern day?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Understanding the Time Period between 1900-1916
In order for the "Production Design Team" to fully understand all aspects of the play, they must understand the time when Summer & Smoke took place. This was a time period that called for extreme measures to bring about change. There were four goals of progressives. They were to promote moral reform, protect social welfare, create economic reform, and to improve factory efficiency.
http://www.sagehistory.net/progressive/index.html
http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/e-gov/e-politicalarchive-Progressive.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1061.html
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/progress/prohib/prohib.html
http://www.onpower.org/history_prog.html
In order for the "Production Design Team" to fully understand all aspects of the play, they must understand the time when Summer & Smoke took place. This was a time period that called for extreme measures to bring about change. There were four goals of progressives. They were to promote moral reform, protect social welfare, create economic reform, and to improve factory efficiency.
http://www.sagehistory.net/progressive/index.html
http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/e-gov/e-politicalarchive-Progressive.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1061.html
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/progress/prohib/prohib.html
http://www.onpower.org/history_prog.html
Production Photos
University of Illinois at Chicago
May 1984
Director: Caroline Dodge Latta
Scene Designer: Chris Harris
Port City Playhouse
Alexandria, Virginia
Run dates: June 2006
Director: Rosemary Hartman
Designers: William Buchanan
Criterion Center Stage Right
New York, New York
Run dates: Sept. 5, 1996-Oct. 20, 1996
Directer: David Warren
Designers: Derek McLane (set designer), Martin Pakledinaz (costume design), Brian MacDevitt (lighting design), John Gromada (sound)
Designers: Derek McLane (set designer), Martin Pakledinaz (costume design), Brian MacDevitt (lighting design), John Gromada (sound)
The Paper Mill Playhouse
Millburn, New Jersey
Director: Michael Wilson
Director: Michael Wilson
Designers: Tony Straiges (scenic design), Rui Rita (lighting design), David C. Woolard (costume design) and John Gromada (sound design and original music).
Apollo Theatre
London, England
2006
Director: Adrian Noble
Designers: Peter McKintosh (set design), Deidre Clancy (costume design), Peter Mumford (lighting design)
http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/14292/summer-and-smoke
Reviews
Financial Times
Summer and Smoke
By Alastair Macaulay
Published: October 20 2006
Now that the subjugation of women has again resumed front-page status, Tennessee Williams's rare play Summer and Smoke has more social relevance than one at first assumes. But during its first half this play seems to be a minor version of something better. A well-brought-up young lady falls headlong in love with a good-looking but none too well-behaved young man. We might almost be watching Showboat or Carousel. As he grows more depraved, more doomed, and her conflict of repression and desire is ever more evident, the play seems to be a lesser version of some other play by Tennessee Williams himself.
But this is a play on a slow burn, and its final scenes are superb. It demonstrates many of the virtues that make Williams one of the supreme playwrights of the 20th century. He is the finest master of the dramatic metaphor since Ibsen (the meanings of both "summer" and "smoke" here open poetically). And he has a piercing sympathy for the emotionally fragile. The story he tells of the repressed Alma ends up quite unlike that of his other heroines. The young doctor John learns from her about soul (smoke); she learns from him about the flesh (summer). He gives her sleeping pills; she remarks to another man: "The prescription number is 96814. I think of it as the telephone number of God."
Rosamund Pike reveals in Alma a deeply affecting blend of pathos, nobility and eloquence. Beautiful and fragile in looks, she plays the role with riveting focus. She is perfectly contrasted with the American actor Chris Carmack, with his fallen- angel charm and his mixture of sensual abandon and painful embarrassment. There is more than one kind of heartbreak in this play: "All rooms are lonely where there is only one person."
Summer and Smoke Press Reviews
http://www.seesummerandsmoke.com/
A Curtain Up New Jersey Review
Summer and Smoke
Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance January 14, 2007
An early work of Tennessee Williams, Summer and Smoke is filled with the rich and rueful lyricism that permeated The Glass Menagerie. That it also has a simmering erotic edge that ignited more viscerally in A Streetcar Named Desire, secures its place as a provocative and significant play in the Williams canon. This glorious co-production comes to the Paper Mill Playhouse from the Hartford Stage, where it was, and still is, directed with a gratifying balance of toughness and tenderness by Michael Wilson. Except for Kevin Anderson replacing Marc Kudisch in the role of John Buchanan Jr., the cast, including the marvelous and mesmerizing Amanda Plummer, remains in tact. That all the plays compassionate textures are also in tact is also good news.
There isn't a minor role that isn't given a memorable twist, including Alma's stifling friends and the bevy of Glorious Hill, Mississippi townspeople, dressed for all seasons by the talented David C. Woolard, who contribute to the social flavor and temperament of the times. Despite a rather large cast, our attention is drawn to the soul of the play, Alma's spiraling fall from grace. It remains as heartbreaking as that of any of Williams' heroines. This stunning revival can stand tall among anything currently on or off Broadway.
Curtain Up
http://www.curtainup.com/summerandsmokenj.html
New York Herald Tribune
Summer and Smoke
By: Howard Barnes
(October 7, 1948).
"the production at the Music Box finds Tennessee Williams as fumbling and obvious as he is trenchant and evocative in 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'"
Google Answers
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/100619.html
Taken from:
"At the Theatre," by Brooks Atkinson. The New York Times (October 7,1948).
The New York Times
The Hope of Connection in William's World
By BEN BRANTLEY
Published: September 6, 1996, Friday
But under the direction of David Warren, ''Summer and Smoke'' does indeed unfold as an awkward clash of elements that goes way beyond its central paradox. A musical sense of tempo is crucial to playing anything by Williams; here, nearly everyone seems to be following a different orchestral baton.
Consider, for example, the actual music meant to set the mood for the production. John Gromada's lovely piano-based score is plaintive, understated and elegiac, conforming to the traditional reading of the play as a sort of tone poem. The acting, on the other hand, is most often either manic and overwrought or flat and mechanical. Humorous passages stand out like one-liners, and lines that should probably be murmured are screamed.
Add to this the fact that the star performances -- by Mary McDonnell as Alma Winemiller, a repressed, genteel spinster, and Harry Hamlin as John Buchanan Jr., the hedonistic doctor she loves -- are often in direct contradiction of Williams's own descriptions of them. And while their characters may be polar opposites, these actors only seldom suggest the hope of connection that gives the play its pathos.
The New York Times
http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9A00EEDF163BF935A3575AC0A960958260
Showbiz Radio
Summer and Smoke: Another Solid Show from Port City
By: Laura and Mike Clark
June 10, 2006
The cast worked really well together. They all fit into their roles really well. The casting was really well done. The show is about two hours long with a fifteen minute intermission. Usually when you have plays that are just talking and very character driven, they can be really boring and drawn out. This show moved along at at a really nice pace. It wasn’t boring.
One of the disadvantages of the crowded set was the lighting was sometimes too focused. It made it easy for the actors to walk out of the lights. All of a sudden they would be in a deep dark shadow. That was a little distracting. I don’t know how you would fix that other than making the stage a lot brighter, but you really didn’t need that. It had the feel of 1916’s. Another thing, at one point there was a sound effect of a gun being fired. That just wasn’t effective. It sounded like a small little pop on the door, like someone was knocking on the door. It would have been more effective for that scene, that’s on of the turning points in the play, if they could have had a cap gun go off off stage and fired that.
ShowBizRadio
Theater Info for the Washington DC region
http://www.showbizradio.net/2006/06/10/review-pcp-summer-and-smoke/
Summer and Smoke
By Alastair Macaulay
Published: October 20 2006
Now that the subjugation of women has again resumed front-page status, Tennessee Williams's rare play Summer and Smoke has more social relevance than one at first assumes. But during its first half this play seems to be a minor version of something better. A well-brought-up young lady falls headlong in love with a good-looking but none too well-behaved young man. We might almost be watching Showboat or Carousel. As he grows more depraved, more doomed, and her conflict of repression and desire is ever more evident, the play seems to be a lesser version of some other play by Tennessee Williams himself.
But this is a play on a slow burn, and its final scenes are superb. It demonstrates many of the virtues that make Williams one of the supreme playwrights of the 20th century. He is the finest master of the dramatic metaphor since Ibsen (the meanings of both "summer" and "smoke" here open poetically). And he has a piercing sympathy for the emotionally fragile. The story he tells of the repressed Alma ends up quite unlike that of his other heroines. The young doctor John learns from her about soul (smoke); she learns from him about the flesh (summer). He gives her sleeping pills; she remarks to another man: "The prescription number is 96814. I think of it as the telephone number of God."
Rosamund Pike reveals in Alma a deeply affecting blend of pathos, nobility and eloquence. Beautiful and fragile in looks, she plays the role with riveting focus. She is perfectly contrasted with the American actor Chris Carmack, with his fallen- angel charm and his mixture of sensual abandon and painful embarrassment. There is more than one kind of heartbreak in this play: "All rooms are lonely where there is only one person."
Summer and Smoke Press Reviews
http://www.seesummerandsmoke.com/
A Curtain Up New Jersey Review
Summer and Smoke
Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance January 14, 2007
An early work of Tennessee Williams, Summer and Smoke is filled with the rich and rueful lyricism that permeated The Glass Menagerie. That it also has a simmering erotic edge that ignited more viscerally in A Streetcar Named Desire, secures its place as a provocative and significant play in the Williams canon. This glorious co-production comes to the Paper Mill Playhouse from the Hartford Stage, where it was, and still is, directed with a gratifying balance of toughness and tenderness by Michael Wilson. Except for Kevin Anderson replacing Marc Kudisch in the role of John Buchanan Jr., the cast, including the marvelous and mesmerizing Amanda Plummer, remains in tact. That all the plays compassionate textures are also in tact is also good news.
There isn't a minor role that isn't given a memorable twist, including Alma's stifling friends and the bevy of Glorious Hill, Mississippi townspeople, dressed for all seasons by the talented David C. Woolard, who contribute to the social flavor and temperament of the times. Despite a rather large cast, our attention is drawn to the soul of the play, Alma's spiraling fall from grace. It remains as heartbreaking as that of any of Williams' heroines. This stunning revival can stand tall among anything currently on or off Broadway.
Curtain Up
http://www.curtainup.com/summerandsmokenj.html
New York Herald Tribune
Summer and Smoke
By: Howard Barnes
(October 7, 1948).
"the production at the Music Box finds Tennessee Williams as fumbling and obvious as he is trenchant and evocative in 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'"
Google Answers
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/100619.html
Taken from:
"At the Theatre," by Brooks Atkinson. The New York Times (October 7,1948).
The New York Times
The Hope of Connection in William's World
By BEN BRANTLEY
Published: September 6, 1996, Friday
But under the direction of David Warren, ''Summer and Smoke'' does indeed unfold as an awkward clash of elements that goes way beyond its central paradox. A musical sense of tempo is crucial to playing anything by Williams; here, nearly everyone seems to be following a different orchestral baton.
Consider, for example, the actual music meant to set the mood for the production. John Gromada's lovely piano-based score is plaintive, understated and elegiac, conforming to the traditional reading of the play as a sort of tone poem. The acting, on the other hand, is most often either manic and overwrought or flat and mechanical. Humorous passages stand out like one-liners, and lines that should probably be murmured are screamed.
Add to this the fact that the star performances -- by Mary McDonnell as Alma Winemiller, a repressed, genteel spinster, and Harry Hamlin as John Buchanan Jr., the hedonistic doctor she loves -- are often in direct contradiction of Williams's own descriptions of them. And while their characters may be polar opposites, these actors only seldom suggest the hope of connection that gives the play its pathos.
The New York Times
http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9A00EEDF163BF935A3575AC0A960958260
Showbiz Radio
Summer and Smoke: Another Solid Show from Port City
By: Laura and Mike Clark
June 10, 2006
The cast worked really well together. They all fit into their roles really well. The casting was really well done. The show is about two hours long with a fifteen minute intermission. Usually when you have plays that are just talking and very character driven, they can be really boring and drawn out. This show moved along at at a really nice pace. It wasn’t boring.
One of the disadvantages of the crowded set was the lighting was sometimes too focused. It made it easy for the actors to walk out of the lights. All of a sudden they would be in a deep dark shadow. That was a little distracting. I don’t know how you would fix that other than making the stage a lot brighter, but you really didn’t need that. It had the feel of 1916’s. Another thing, at one point there was a sound effect of a gun being fired. That just wasn’t effective. It sounded like a small little pop on the door, like someone was knocking on the door. It would have been more effective for that scene, that’s on of the turning points in the play, if they could have had a cap gun go off off stage and fired that.
ShowBizRadio
Theater Info for the Washington DC region
http://www.showbizradio.net/2006/06/10/review-pcp-summer-and-smoke/
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Production History
Venue: Apollo Theatre
Location: London, England
Run dates: 2006
Producing agent or Producer: Stanhope Productions
Director: Adrian Noble
Designers: Peter McKintosh (set design), Deidre Clancy (costume design), Peter Mumford (lighting design)
Actors in lead roles: Rosamund Pike (Alma), Chris Carmack (John)
This particular production seems interesting because all of the lead actors background is mainly in television. They didn't have much experience on the stage yet judging by the reviews they did a pretty outstanding job.
Venue: The Paper Mill Playhouse
Location: Millburn, New Jersey
Run Dates: Jan. 10-Feb. 11 2007
Production: Hartford Stage
Director: Michael Wilson
Designers: Tony Straiges (scenic design), Rui Rita (lighting design), David C. Woolard (costume design) and John Gromada (sound design and original music).
Actors in lead roles: Amanda Plummer (Alma), Kevin Anderson (john)
In researching through the pictures of this production I found it surprising that the Alma character (Amanda Plummer), appeared much older than what the character is usually portrayed as.
Venue: Music Box Theatre
Location: New York, New York
Run dates: Oct. 6, 1948-Jan. 1, 1949
Produced and Directed by: Margo Jones
Designers: Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner; Lighting Design by Jo Mielziner; Costume Design by Rose Bogdanoff; Assistant to Mr. Mielziner: John Harvey
Actors in lead roles: Tod Andrews (john), Margaret Phillips (Alma)
This was the original production of Summer and Smoke.
Venue: Criterion Center Stage Right
Location: New York, New York
Run dates: Sept. 5, 1996-Oct. 20, 1996
Directer: David Warren
Producer: The Roundabout Theatre Company
Designers: Derek McLane (set designer), Martin Pakledinaz (costume design), Brian MacDevitt (lighting design), John Gromada (sound)
Actors in lead roles: Harry Hamlin (John), Mary McDonnell (Alma)
This particular theatre company is very prestigious by having three permanent theatres as well as having 122 Tony nominated productions.
Venue: Port City Playhouse
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Run dates: June 2006
Producer: Don Neal Williams
Director: Rosemary Hartman
Designers: William Buchanan
Actors in lead roles: Maggie Keele (Alma), Richard Isaacs (John)
The Port City Playhouse was establishe in 1977.
Venue: Apollo Theatre
Location: London, England
Run dates: 2006
Producing agent or Producer: Stanhope Productions
Director: Adrian Noble
Designers: Peter McKintosh (set design), Deidre Clancy (costume design), Peter Mumford (lighting design)
Actors in lead roles: Rosamund Pike (Alma), Chris Carmack (John)
This particular production seems interesting because all of the lead actors background is mainly in television. They didn't have much experience on the stage yet judging by the reviews they did a pretty outstanding job.
Venue: The Paper Mill Playhouse
Location: Millburn, New Jersey
Run Dates: Jan. 10-Feb. 11 2007
Production: Hartford Stage
Director: Michael Wilson
Designers: Tony Straiges (scenic design), Rui Rita (lighting design), David C. Woolard (costume design) and John Gromada (sound design and original music).
Actors in lead roles: Amanda Plummer (Alma), Kevin Anderson (john)
In researching through the pictures of this production I found it surprising that the Alma character (Amanda Plummer), appeared much older than what the character is usually portrayed as.
Venue: Music Box Theatre
Location: New York, New York
Run dates: Oct. 6, 1948-Jan. 1, 1949
Produced and Directed by: Margo Jones
Designers: Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner; Lighting Design by Jo Mielziner; Costume Design by Rose Bogdanoff; Assistant to Mr. Mielziner: John Harvey
Actors in lead roles: Tod Andrews (john), Margaret Phillips (Alma)
This was the original production of Summer and Smoke.
Venue: Criterion Center Stage Right
Location: New York, New York
Run dates: Sept. 5, 1996-Oct. 20, 1996
Directer: David Warren
Producer: The Roundabout Theatre Company
Designers: Derek McLane (set designer), Martin Pakledinaz (costume design), Brian MacDevitt (lighting design), John Gromada (sound)
Actors in lead roles: Harry Hamlin (John), Mary McDonnell (Alma)
This particular theatre company is very prestigious by having three permanent theatres as well as having 122 Tony nominated productions.
Venue: Port City Playhouse
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Run dates: June 2006
Producer: Don Neal Williams
Director: Rosemary Hartman
Designers: William Buchanan
Actors in lead roles: Maggie Keele (Alma), Richard Isaacs (John)
The Port City Playhouse was establishe in 1977.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Space:
The form of transportation of the 1910's.
This is a photograph of an actual historical house in Mississippi. This is what I envision Alma and her family’s home looking like.
http://www.photovault.com/show.php?cat=Cities/Midwest/sMississippi?tg=CMSVolume01/CMSV01P04_16
This would be the perfect style home for John and his fathers’ practice. The office is located in the front of the house and the bedrooms are all upstairs. I like the contrast between John and Alma’s home because he has bold features such as the columns, the black shutters and the large scale in size. Alma’s’ on the other hand is small with delicate and detailed features.
http://www.photovault.com/show.php?cat=Cities/Midwest/sMississippi?tg=CMSVolume01/CMSV01P05_01
This is what the rectory would look like. All of the towns meetings and gatherings are located here.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/2355135640_358bd16615.jpg?v=0
The form of transportation of the 1910's.
Something Alma would most likely wear.
http://www.kittyprint.com/KTP/Images/Fashion/1902Lady.jpg
Shoes that were popular between 1910 and 1915.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mendoukuse/Firefly1/photo#5152274359264120946
This painting captures the beauty of Mississippi and its natural resources.
http://www.southernbyways.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/night-on-the-mississippi-zoom.jpg
The blues were just becoming popular at this time period and many references were made about it throughout the play.
Dainty and beautiful enough to be the fountain where Alma and John spent a lot of time together.
Most of the play takes place outside at night. This picture displays almost a ghostly, as well as a Smokey feel.
http://www.books-about-california.com/Pages/Palace_of_Fine_Arts/Palace_of_Fine_Arts_text.html
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sound:
Lyrics to "Yellow Dog Blues" (featured in the play)
Lyrics to "Yellow Dog Blues" (featured in the play)
Since Susan Johnson lost her jockey Lee,
there's been much excitement, more to be.
You can hear her moanin' night and morn,
"Wonder where my easy rider's gone.".
Cablegrams come of sympathy,
telegrams go of inquiry.
Letters come from Alabam'
and everywhere that Uncle Sam
has even a rural delivery.
All day the phone rings,
but it's not for me.
At last good tidings
fill our hearts with glee.
This message comes from Tennessee.
Chorus
Dear Sue your easy rider struck this burg today
On a southbound rattler side-door Pullman car.
I seen him and he was on the hog.
Easy rider, got to stay away
So he had to vamp it but the hike ain't far.
He's gone where the Southern cross the Yellow Dog.
Second Verse
I know the Yellow Dog district like a book,
I know the route that rider took;
Every cross tie, bayou, burg, and bog.
Way down where the Southern cross the Dog.
Money don't exactly grow on trees;
on cotton stalks it grows with ease.
No racehorse, racetrack, no grandstand
is like old Beck and buckshot land
Down where the Southern cross the Dog.
Every kitchen there is like a cabaret;
Boll weevil works
while the people play
The Yellow Dog Rag
all the livelong day.
(This particular song was one that John Buchanan requested at the Moon Lake Casino.)http://www.jumbojimbo.com/lyrics.php?songid=5830
This song is available on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl4UMmk9KlYTo purchase: http://entertainment.circuitcity.com/Music/Album.aspx?prodid=CSO339.2&si=ccity-prod&store=Music
$13.99
Santiago Waltz
(This song was featured in the play during the fourth of July celebration. The band played this as Alma and John were star gazing.)
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/b/b04/b0430/b0430-2-150dpi.htmlAlexander's Ragtime Band (lyrics by Irving Berlin)
(Lyrics to a very popular dancing song in 1911.)
http://ingeb.org/songs/alexande.htmlTo purchase:
http://payplay.fm/suekeller12/wma/2
$7.77
Arnold Schoenberg, String Quartet #2, op.10
(A very popular song that could be played in the background at the rectory meetings.)
This song is available to be heard at you tube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhTtfTQc90g
To purchase:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Arnold+Schoenberg,+String+Quartet+%232,+op.10&btnG=Search+Products&show=dd&cid=14701872638647429806
$5.00-$71.00
Alban Berg Op.6
Three Pieces / 1914-5 / Orchestra
(Appropriate to the times and could be payed at any of the social gatherings.)
http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/berg_works.html
To purchase:http://search.a1books.com/cgi-bin/mktSearch?act=showDesc&code=gbase&rel=1&ITEM_CODE=028941978127
$24.25
Time
The Progressive Era actually started long before 1900 and continues in many ways to the present time, for American has been in the business of reform from its earliest existence as a nation. Yet the Progressive Ear as designated by historians—roughly 1900 to 1916—was a “just in time” phenomenon. Had Progressivism for some reason not gotten off the ground, the country could well have seen far more violence and upheaval than actually happened. By the end of the 19th Century much of America was a tinderbox. Cities were crowded with millions of immigrants, working conditions were appalling, and corruption darkened politics from the local level to the highest institutions in the land. Some thing had to be done, and it was. Although the progressive reformers did not fix everything, there was little that escaped their fury. With input from the “muckrakers”—journalists such as Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and others—and under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt and many other political and business leaders, the nation began to clean up its act. By 1916 hundreds of national, state and local laws had begun to make the cities cleaner and healthier, the workplace safer, and businessmen more honest and considerate of their workers and customers. Much was done out of what has been called “enlightened self-interest,” which for some meant doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. But whatever the motives of the reformers, progress was made, and not a moment too soon.
http://www.sagehistory.net/progressive/index.html
Important Mississippi Events between 1900-1916:
1903 - A new capitol building, constructed at a cost of $1 million, is dedicated in Jackson.
1907-The boll weevil arrives in Mississippi, destroying most of the state's cotton crop.
1908 - Mississippi adopts statewide prohibition.
1910 - Mississippi Normal College, now the University of Southern Mississippi, is organized.
1916 - The Mississippi State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis is established.
Governor Theodore Bilbo establishes the state's first Highway Commission.
http://www.shgresources.com/ms/timeline/
Alma's religious views on faith played a large role in all of her decision making. She prayed often and didn't agree with any forms of immoral behavior. She was considered a spinster since she was over the typical marrying age. She had never engaged in any sexual encounters since her beliefs prohibited her to do so without being married. John on the other hand was not influenced by religion at all. He was a very skilled physician that had the tendency of being a flirt. Most of the money he earned went directly to gambling at the nearest casino. He in a way degraded women because of his lack of respect and his actions. Art was one thing that he and Alma valued. They both enjoyed various works whether it be through paintings, sculpture, entertainment or books.
The Progressive Era actually started long before 1900 and continues in many ways to the present time, for American has been in the business of reform from its earliest existence as a nation. Yet the Progressive Ear as designated by historians—roughly 1900 to 1916—was a “just in time” phenomenon. Had Progressivism for some reason not gotten off the ground, the country could well have seen far more violence and upheaval than actually happened. By the end of the 19th Century much of America was a tinderbox. Cities were crowded with millions of immigrants, working conditions were appalling, and corruption darkened politics from the local level to the highest institutions in the land. Some thing had to be done, and it was. Although the progressive reformers did not fix everything, there was little that escaped their fury. With input from the “muckrakers”—journalists such as Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and others—and under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt and many other political and business leaders, the nation began to clean up its act. By 1916 hundreds of national, state and local laws had begun to make the cities cleaner and healthier, the workplace safer, and businessmen more honest and considerate of their workers and customers. Much was done out of what has been called “enlightened self-interest,” which for some meant doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. But whatever the motives of the reformers, progress was made, and not a moment too soon.
http://www.sagehistory.net/progressive/index.html
Important Mississippi Events between 1900-1916:
1903 - A new capitol building, constructed at a cost of $1 million, is dedicated in Jackson.
1907-The boll weevil arrives in Mississippi, destroying most of the state's cotton crop.
1908 - Mississippi adopts statewide prohibition.
1910 - Mississippi Normal College, now the University of Southern Mississippi, is organized.
1916 - The Mississippi State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis is established.
Governor Theodore Bilbo establishes the state's first Highway Commission.
http://www.shgresources.com/ms/timeline/
Alma's religious views on faith played a large role in all of her decision making. She prayed often and didn't agree with any forms of immoral behavior. She was considered a spinster since she was over the typical marrying age. She had never engaged in any sexual encounters since her beliefs prohibited her to do so without being married. John on the other hand was not influenced by religion at all. He was a very skilled physician that had the tendency of being a flirt. Most of the money he earned went directly to gambling at the nearest casino. He in a way degraded women because of his lack of respect and his actions. Art was one thing that he and Alma valued. They both enjoyed various works whether it be through paintings, sculpture, entertainment or books.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Facts: Characters and Casting
Alma: female, Caucasian, early 30's. the fragile, lonely, and oversensitive daughter of a minister. She often nervously rings her hands. The caregiver to her mother.
John: male, Caucasian, late 30's. A physician who resents following his fathers lead. A lively character who enjoys the nightlife.
Rev. Winemiller: male, Caucasian, 50's. A reverend, Alma's father.
Mrs. Winemiller: female, Caucasian, 50's. Very childish, has to be taken care of by Alma. Requires a lot of care and attention.
Dr. Buchanan: male, Caucasian, 50's. A respected physician. The father of John.
Rosa Gonzales: female, Hispanic, 20's. John's on again off again girlfriend.
Papa Gonzales: male, Hispanic, late 40's. Owner of the Moon Lake Casino. The father of Rosa Gonzales.
Nellie Ewell: female, Caucasian, early twenties. A music student of Alma's. Later becomes John's bride.
Mrs. Bassett: female, Caucasian, elderly. The town gossip. Attends all the rectory meetings.
Roger Doremus: male, Caucasian, mid 30's. plays the French horn. Attends all rectory meetings.
Mr. Kramer: male, Caucasian, 40's. Small in stature.
Rosemary: female, Caucasian, elderly. Very bossy. Member of the rectory meetings.
Vernon: male, Caucasian, 50's. Attends the town meetings. Recites and writes his own verse plays.
Dusty: male, Caucasian, 20's, waiter.
I personally would like to see this play with all races in the cast, but unfortunately historically, I don't think it would work. The play takes place in Mississippi between the turn of the century and 1916. I think it would be unlikely to have John Buchanan and his father as black physicians in those days. I think that Rosa and her father could be either Caucasian or Hispanic. The Dusty character who plays the waiter could be any race. I think all of the people who attend the town meetings would most likely be Caucasian since they were viewed as having the same social class and standing.
The Facts: Exegesis
Middy blouse- (pg.15) a loosely fitting blouse with a sailor collar worn by women and children.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middy
Promethean figure- (pg.21) Greek Mythology Relating to or suggestive of Prometheus.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Promethean
(Ancient Greek: "forethought") is a Titan known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals for their use. He was then punished for his crime by Zeus. His myth has been treated by a number of ancient sources, in which Prometheus is credited with (or blamed for) playing a pivotal role in the early history of humankind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus
Doppelganger- (pg. 31) a ghostly counterpart of a person; a ghostly double of a living person.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/doppelganger
Imp- (pg.34) a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word derives from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree. Imps are usually described as mischievous more than seriously threatening, and as lesser beings rather than more important supernatural beings. The attendants of the devil are sometimes described as imps. They are usually described as lively and having small stature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imp
Malaria- (pg.35) Malaria is one of the world's most common diseases, caused by a parasite that is transmitted to humans by a female mosquito's bite. The discovery of this parasite in mosquitoes earned the British scientist Ronald Ross the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902. In 1907, Alphonse Laveran received the prize for his findings that the parasite was present in human blood.
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/malaria/
Plume- (pg.41) a prominent bird feather often used as an ornament.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plume
laconic- (pg.44) A "laconic phrase" is a very concise or terse statement, named after Laconia, a polis of ancient Greece (and region of modern Greece) surrounding the city of Sparta proper. In common usage, Sparta referred both to Lacedaemon and Sparta. Similarly, a laconism is a figure of speech in which someone uses very few words to express an idea, keeping with the Spartan reputation for austerity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconic
Bastille Day- (pg.53) Americans have The 4th of July; the French have Bastille Day. On July 14, 1789, an outraged group of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a fortress and prison in France where prisoners of influence were held, in hopes of capturing ammunition. For the peasant class, the Bastille stood as a symbol of the hypocrisy and corruption of the aristocratic government - controlled mostly by nobility and clergy. This important event marked the entry of the popular class into the French Revolution. The French recognize Bastille Day as the end of the monarchy and beginning of the modern republic. The lasting significance of the event was in its recognition that power could be held by ordinary citizens, not in the King or in God.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/99bastilleday.html
Rectory- (pg.68) Depending on denomination, local custom, and the status of the minister, the building inhabited (or formerly inhabited) by the leader of a local Christian church can be referred to by one of several names. In Roman Catholic churches it is often called a rectory, sometimes a presbytery. Traditionally, Catholic rectories housed several priests from a parish, as opposed to other denominations where the church leader is often married and raising children.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectory
“Yellow Dog Blues”- (pg. 73) - the song that W. C. Handy was to “compose” later as “The yellow Dog Blues”. In 1903 Handy has related how he heard a lean, raggedy, black guitarist in Tutwiler’s railroad depot, singing of going to where the ‘Southern cross the Yellow Dog”. Writers have speculated the origin of this nickname for over five decades. The picture becomes even less clear as at least two railroads seem to be involved; the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley (Y.&M.V.) and the Yazoo Delta (Y.D.)
http://www.earlyblues.com/Yellow%20Dog.htm
Cyclorama- (PG.87) a cyclorama is a cylindrical panoramic painting designed to provide a viewer, standing in the middle of the cylinder, with a 360° view of the painting. The intended effect is that the viewer would feel as if they were standing in the center of a historic event or famous place — surrounded by the panoramic image.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclorama
Burma- (pg.88) of or relating to Myanmar (formerly Burma) or its people, language, or culture.
http://www.answers.com/topic/burmese?nr=1&lsc=true
Joyeux Noel- (pg.111) How Merry Christmas is said in France, Quebec, Louisiana, Switzerland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_greetings
Weathercock- (pg.112) a weathervane, especially one in the form of a rooster.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/weathercock
Derby- (pg.122) a stiff felt hat with a round crown and a narrow, curved brim.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/derby
Red Goose Shoes- (pg.124) The Red Goose Shoe Company of St. Louis, Missouri, began selling shoes to pioneer families headed west in 1869. The company's name was originally Gieseke-D'Oench-Hayes, after its founders, but when the company became advertising conscious in the early 1900's, they changed the name. Gieseke is German slang for "goose" so the goose image came naturally. The red color came later when, during the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, some stock boys painted the goose on the cartons red. The head of the company liked the idea, and so Red Goose Shoes was trademarked in 1906.
http://www.dallashistory.org/cgi-bin/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=32753
Spinster- (pg.24) a woman who has remained single beyond the conventional age for marrying.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spinsterish
Palmetto- (pg.32) Any of several small, mostly tropical palms having fan-shaped leaves, especially one of the genus Sabal, such as S. palmetto of the southeast United States. Also called sabal.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/palmetto
Byronic- (pg.53) British poet acclaimed as one of the leading figures of the romantic movement. The "Byronic hero"—lonely , rebellious, and brooding—first appeared in Manfred (1817). Among his other works are Childe Harold (1812-1818), The Prisoner of Chillon (1816), and the epic satire Don Juan (1819-1824). Byron was notorious for his love affairs and unconventional lifestyle. He died while working to secure Greek independence from the Turks.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/byronic+
William Blake- (pg.58) visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827).
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Facts: Basics
Title: Summer & Smoke
Author: Tennessee Williams
Language/Translator: English
Year of Original Publication: 1948
Genre/Length/Structure: Drama, full length, part one with six scenes, part two with six scenes
Agency Controlling License: Dramatists Play Service
Royalty Fee: Book/item: $7.50. $75 per performance. SPECIAL NOTE: A CD (#4345CD) with cue sheet containing the original music composed by Paul Bowles for the New York production of this play is available through the Play Service for $60.00, plus shipping. The nonprofessional fee for the use of this music is $15.00 per performance.
Cast Breakdown: 8 men, 6 women: 14 total
Time and Setting: Set in Mississippi from the turn of the century through 1916.
Bio of Author: Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical awards. He moved to New Orleans in 1939 and changed his name to "Tennessee," the state of his father's birth. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948 and for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955. In addition, The Glass Menagerie (1945) and The Night of the Iguana (1961) received New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards. His 1952 play The Rose Tattoo received the Tony Award for best play.
Plot Summary: A play that is profoundly affecting, SUMMER AND SMOKE is a simple love story of a somewhat puritanical Southern girl and an unpuritanical young doctor. Each is basically attracted to the other but because of their divergent attitudes toward life, each over the course of years is driven away from the other. Not until the end does the doctor realize that the girl's high idealism is ultimately right, and while she is still in love with him, it turns out that neither time nor circumstances will allow the two to come together. Because of the explicit details provided by the author’s production notes, the stage directions, and the diagram of the set design, nonprofessionals should have no difficulty in mounting the play effectively.
http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1805
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