Mourning Dove Study Guide

8/9/2019 Mourning Dove Study Guide

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Mourning Doveby Emil SherPresented by The Ark Collective

in association with Theatre Direct

discover | reflect | discussCompanion Guide to the Production

for high-school and adult groups

Written and compiled by Jessi Linn Daviesfor Theatre Direct Canada


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Mourning Doveby Emil SherPresented by The Ark Collectivein association with Theatre Directdiscoverdiscover || reflectreflect || discussdiscussCompanion Guide to the ProductionCompanion Guide to the Productionfor high-school and adult groufor high-school and adult groupspsWritten and compiled by Jessi Linn DaviesWritten and compiled by Jessi Linn Daviesfor Theatre Direct Canadafor Theatre Direct Canada


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A Note from the Playwright,

Mourning Dove is inspired by a true story but it is not based on it.

This is not a matter of splitting hairs. Were the play based on realevents, it would mean following a chronology of actual events and

offering up details and facts, perhaps even some statistics for good

measure. All of this can be compelling on stage but it is not the story

I wanted to tell. I was drawn to a grey zone where cold facts are

overshadowed by the passion, the uncertainties, the confusion and

convictions that fuel the choices we make and shape the relationshipsthat shape us. I didnt want to create a pamphlet in Mourning

Dove but a play, a world where fictional characters confront hard

truths. Nor did I see any value in creating a world that presents a

moral judgement. The world in which Doug, Sandra, Tina and Keith

live is too complex for fast-and-easy, paint-by-number answers.

When we pigeon-hole individuals into boxes and reduce them to

monochromatic stick figures we rob them of the colours and hues

that define us. Ours is not a black-and-white world, and in Mourning

Dove I set out to create a group portrait of individuals whose colours

are not fixed. Mix two colours and you get a third. A simple drop,

like a single thought, can change things, sometimes irrevocably. Andso I consider Mourning Dove to be part of a wider conversation

Emil Sher

we have with each other and with ourselves,

recognizing the words we share as drops that

can change whatever they touch in small,

subtle and, sometimes, significant ways.


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Fact Check

Euthanasiais the putting to death, bypainless method, of a terminally-ill or severelydebilitated person through the omission

(intentionally withholding a life-saving medical

procedure, also known as passive euthanasia) or

the commission of an act (active euthanasia).

Origin:From the Greek eu well + thantos death

From the Canadian

Criminal Code

14. No person is entitled toconsent to have death inflicted on

him, and such consent does not

affect the criminal responsibility

of any person by whom death

may be inflicted on the person by

whom consent is given.

Murder vs. Manslaughter

229. Culpable homicide is

murder

(a) where the person who causes

the death of a human being(i) means to cause his death, or

(ii) means to cause him bodilyharm that he knows is likely to

cause his death, and is reckless

whether death ensues or not;

234. Culpable homicide that

is not murder or infanticide is

manslaughter.

241. Everyone who counsels

a person to commit suicideor aids or abets a person to

commit suicide, whether suicide

ensues or not, is guilty of an

indictable offence and liableto imprisonment for a term not

exceeding fourteen years.

www.canlii.org

From the Bible:

As God observed how bad it was ...

he said to Noah ... I will destroy all

mankind from the earth. Make a boat.... All will die. But I promise to keep you

safe in the ship with your wife ... Bringa pair of every animal - a male and a

female - into the boat with you, to keep

them alive through the flood...And Noah

did everything as God commanded him.

Genesis 6:12 to 22

And [God] said, I will blot out from

the face of the earth all mankind that I

created...For I am sorry I made them.

Genesis 6:7

Mourning Dove is inspired by the Canadian case ofRobert Latimer and his daughter Tracy. For more

details of that particular story see the following

CBC article:

www.cbc.ca/news/background/latimer


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Open Invitation:Stakeholders Brainstorming ExerciseMourning Dove, through its complexity and care, presents

a range of relationships, actions, and reactions within

the play. Take a moment to think about the kinds of

individuals or groups of people with whom this play would

particularly resonate.

Write a list of all those stakeholders who might be

exceptionally interested in this subject matter.

Draft a letter to someone on this list encouraging them to

take interest in the play, outlining reasons why Mourning

Dove would be relevant to the letters recipient.

Did you know...There are some stakeholder groups who will be seeing

this production of Mourning Dove. Why do you think

these groups are interested in the play?

Reena www.reena.orgReena is a non-profit social service agency dedicated to integrating adults with

developmental disabilities into the mainstream of society.

A Firm of Lawyers

LArche Canada www.larche.ca

LArche is a unique vision of care giving and community building that fosters

inclusion, understanding and belonging. Caregivers and volunteers from diverse

cultures and backgrounds share deeply committed relationships with people

with developmental disabilities.


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Sample Discussion Questionsfor group discussion or written response

PainWhy do you think Doug asked

Keith to tie him up? What do

you think Doug learned fromthe experience?

Do you think the comparison

between an ailing beloved pet

and an ailing child is apt?

What constitutes ameaningful existence?

Does anyone have the right

to decide what meaningful isfor another?

FaithWhich characters believed in

fate or pre-determination?

What is your reaction to ethicist

Rudy Krutzens statement in

reference to Robert Latimer?

We have to play God; there is

no alternative, for we are the

only gods there are.

Do you believe in absolutes?

If euthanasia was legal, would that have made

a difference for Doug? What might he, his

wife, or his neighbours have done differently?

In an essay supporting Robert Latimers

actions, ethicist Rudy Krutzen states that

Robert was punished by a judicial system for

loving his daughter more that he feared it. Do

you agree with Kruntzens opinion?

Law

Why do you think the playwright chose toinclude Noahs Ark as the story Doug needed to

enact for Tina?

There is mention of playing God in the play.

Do you think Noah is playing God when he

selects the animals? Do you think Doug isplaying God when he chooses to end Tinas

life? How are their decision-making processes

similar or different?

Discuss the symbolism of marionnette puppets

in the play.

Metaphors

Krutzens essay appears in Ethical Issues: Perspectives for Canadiansedited by Eldon Soifer, published by Broadview Press.


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More Discussion Questions

Relationships

Theatrical Choices

What role do you think the characterof Keith plays in adding to the

complexity of the script?

Why do you think the toolshed was

chosen as the setting for the play?

Why do artists dramatize events from

real life? Does there have to be real-

What do you think would have happend if Dougrevealed his plans to Sandra before she left for

church?

Why is Keith so angry when he finds out the truth?

How do you think the members of Team Tina feel

after Tina has died?

Do you think that Doug and Sandra will stay

together? Do you think they will have more children(either together or independently)?

Is it morally objectionable to have blind

obedience for the laws of the land?

Do you think that Sandra is morally

culpable of Dougs act of ending Tinas life?

The prosecution in the Latimer case

argued that to deliver a verdict of not

guilty would signal open season onthe disabled. How do you react to that

statement?

Do you think Dougs decision to end Tinas

life was one of courage or cowardice?

Morality

life inspiration for aplay to be written at

all?

Discuss the

playwrights choice of

representing Tina bylighting and breath

only. Does it make a

difference that Tina

is played by a live (ienot pre-recorded)

performer each

night?


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Liza Balkan (Director): Liza is a Dora Award winning actor as well as director, writer, dancerand educator. She recently directed 7 Stories at CCPA in Victoria, BC. Over the summer she wasassistant director on Trojan Women and All's Well That Ends Well at the Stratford Festival. She also

directed the sold out hit: Opera On the Rocks at Paupers Pub for the Toronto Fringe festival this pastJuly. As a member of the Tapestry New Works Studio, she has directed Opera Briefs 06/07 for the

company. Liza received a Dora Award for her performance in Tapestry New Opera/Theatre PasseMurailles Still The Night. The Cross Canada Tour of the show also garnered her nominations for

Calgarys Betty Mitchell Award. Her other directing credits include: Half an Hour/Directors Project -Shaw Festival; Skylight and Trying/Persephone Theatre; The premiere of Jason Shermans adaptationof Gorkys Enemies and The Good Woman of Setzuan/Ryerson Theatre School; The Pajama Game/Bathurst Street Theatre; Pavlov's Brother/Toronto Fringe and Bunnicula for Theatre Athena. She has

worked as Assistant Director on productions at NAC, Soulpepper and Shaw Festival.

Rick Banville (Production Manager):Rick has been a Production Manager in Torontofor thirteen years and is currently the Technical Producer for Volcano. Most recently, Rick was Opera

Ateliers resident Production Manager. In Ricks five years with the company he Production Managedtheir Toronto seasons at the historic Elgin Theatre and helped orchestrate tours to Asia and the United

States. In addition to working as the Technical Director for Tarragon Theatres Extra Space for fiveyears, Rick also Production Managed for various summer theatres including the Bluewater SummerPlayhouse (19992002), The Blyth Festival (2003), and Resurgence Summer Festival (2004). Rick

left theatre a couple of years ago to stay home and help raise his son. He is thrilled to be back at itwith such great company. He loves his family!

Steve Cumyn (Doug Ramsay): Recent theatre credits include "In the Solitude of CottonFields" for NTS (watch for the remount at the Theatre Centre in May); "Wild Dogs" for Nightwood;and "The Sisters Rosenweig" for the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company. Steve was a member of

the Stratford Shakespeare Festival company for five seasons, playing in "The Duchess of Malfi", "HenryIV (Part One)", "Noises Off" and "The Swanne" amongst others. Theatre credits in Toronto includeCanStage productions of "Angels in American" (Dora Award, Best Actor) and "Twelfth Night"; "The

Orphan Muses (Topological); "King Lear" (Necessary Angel); and "Never Swim Alone" (Theatre Passe

Muraille). Film and tv credits inlcude "Murdoch Mysteries", "Paradise Falls" (series regular), "NeroWolfe" (series regular), "Ice Bound", "Voices" and "Sins of the Father". Kin and friends, here and gone,teachers all, love and thanks.

Artistic Team

Jessi Linn Davies (Education Consultant):Jessi Linn is a freelance teacher andeducation consultant. A graduate of Queens Universitys Artists in the Community Education programat the Faculty of Ed., she has focused on creating inclusive classrooms and open communication

through theatrical improv. Jessi Linn has worked with Theatre Direct, LKTYP, the Canadian Opera

Company, Opera Atelier, Tapestry, the Bad Dog Theatre and in schools across Ontario. Upcomingprojects include a workshop series for summer camps and Theatre Directs Walking the Tightrope.www.jessilinn.com


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Colin Doyle (Keith Martel):Colin is thrilled to be working with such an amazing cast andcrew and would like to thank Emil and Liza for this great character and opportunity. He is a twotime Dora nominated actor for DIB AND DOB AND THE JOURNEY HOME (Roseneath Theatre) and

OFFENSIVE FOULS (Theatre Direct's '08 season) and last year was named a 2008 Artist to Watchby NOW Magazine for KALVIN the GREAT (Fringe) and as the Soldier in A SOLDIER'S STORY

(Summerworks). He feels so fortunate to have worked with some great theatre companies includingthe role of Danny in DANNY KING OF THE BASEMENT, White Man in Obsidian Theatre's HIP

HOP WHO STOLE THE SOUL?, Carousel Players, Talk is Free Theatre, Petrolia Playhouse, Magnus

Theatre to name just a few.

Fiona Jones (Stage Manager):Selected theatre credits include: April 14, 1912, TheStronger... Variations, The Stronger... A Variation, And One Night It Snowed, Dinner at 7:30, Now the

Day is Over and Brides Albatross. (Theatre Rusticle); Trudeau Stories (Black Dog / Theatre PasseMuraille); Death of a Chief (Native Earth / NAC); Get Stuffed, Elijahs Kite, workshop of Shelter,

Wordplay 2007 (Tapestry New Opera Works); Banana Boys, Trout Stanley, Cold Meat Party, Tiger ofMalaya, Home is My Road, Belle and Life Sentences (Factory Theatre); An Acre of Time, The Roadto Hell, The Wines of Tuscany, one word and The Retreat (Tarragon Theatre); A Midsummer NightsDream, Babes on Bay Street, Beast on the Moon, and Sleeproom (Theatre Passe Muraille); The

Danish Play and Smudge (Nightwood Theatre)

Vickie Papavs (Sandra Ramsay): Vickie is honoured to be a part of this production, and to

be associated with such a talented cast and production team. As a Toronto-based actress, Vickie hasmade her career in theate, film, television and radio. Some favourite theatre credits include: Medea

(MTC, Mirvish Productions), Much Ado About Nothing (Manitoba Theatre Centre), Last Romantics,It's All True (Necessary Angel), The Winter's Tale (Centaur Theatre), Twelfth Night, The School For

Scandal (Banff Theatre Festival), Ah, Wilderness!, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Stratford Festival).Recent film/television credits: Flashpoint, The Murdoch Mysteries, The Gathering, Weapon, BurgeonAnd Fade and This Is Wonderland. Vickie sends much love to her husband Murray Furrow and their

little muse, Owen.

Thomas Ryder Payne (Sound Design): Thomas Ryder Payne is a Toronto-basedcomposer, sound designer, producer and teacher. He spent 6 years recording and touring with the Juno

nominated rock band Joydrop including recording two records, touring North America extensively andwriting the top 20 single Sometimes Wanna Die. As a producer, Thomas works primarily from his

home studio and has produced records for Rebekah Higgs, Parker and Kathryn Rose among others. Asa sound designer/composer for the theatre he received his first Dora award last year and is excited to

be working in Stratford. Recent designs include: Happy Days (National Arts Centre), If We Were Birds(Summerworks), My Fellow Creatures (Buddies), Alias Godot (Tarragon), Madre (Aluna Theatre. Doraaward for Best Sound Design/Composition), The Sheep and The Whale (Cahoots/Modern Times) bloom(Modern Times. Dora nomination) and Leo (Tarragon. Dora nomination).

Artistic Team


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Rebecca Picherack (Lighting Design): Credits include Moliere, Alias Godot, Thom Pain,Goodness (co-produced with Volcano); I, Claudia (2001, 2002). Other theatres include: Blyth Festival,Buddies in Bad Times, DNA, Factory, GCTC, Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Mammalian

Diving Reflex, Mirvish Productions, Native Earth, Nightwood, Nightswimming, Theatre Passe Muraille,Volcano. Other: lighting designer for independent dance; 2 Dora Awards (10 nominations) for work in

independent theatre.

Emil Sher (Playwright):Emils work include stage plays, screenplays, radio dramas andessays. His plays for young audiences include Bluenose and Beneath the Banyan Tree, staged by

Theatre Direct Canada and directed by artistic director Lynda Hill. It was recently published byScholastic Canada and will tour the U.K. later this year. . Following its world premiere at the LorraineKimsa Theatre (Toronto), Emils adaptation of Hanas Suitcase, an acclaimed Holocaust childrens

book, toured Canada twice, has been staged in London (Ontario), St. Louis (U.S. premiere) Chicago,Lexington and Milwaukee and will be staged in Israel in 2010. Works-in-progress include twocommissioned plays: alphabet sop, a musical about dyslexia for the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre, and

Conviction, a play about wrongful convictions for Studio 180. www.emilsher.com

Victoria Wallace (Set and Costume Design):Selected credits include: CostumeDesign: Three Sisters, The Wild Duck, The Bald Soprano/The Lesson, Endgame, The Plays the Thing(Soulpepper); The Miracle Worker, Ghost Train (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People); The Diaryof Anne Frank (Stratford); The Rape of Lucretia (Edmonton Opera). Associate Costume Designer:The Ring Cycle (COC). Set/Costume Design: Happy Days (National Arts Centre); Dance of the Red

Skirts (Theatre Columbus) Mathilde (Nightwood Theatre); American Buffalo, Salt Water Moon(Soulpepper); The Bear/Swoon (Canadian Opera Company); Tideline, Geometry in Venice, A ShortHistory of Night (Factory); Chekhovs Heartache, Ward 6, Chekhov Longs (Theatre Smith-Gilmour);

Well (Tarragon);The Piano Lesson (Obsidian); New Canadian Kid (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for YoungPeople);Syncopation (Manitoba Theatre Centre/Mirvish Productions); Sticks and Stones, Cymbeline

(Stratford) Associate Costume Design: The Ring Cycle(Canadian Opera Company).

Artistic TeamKimwun Perehinec (Tina Ramsay):Theatres include: Blyth Festival, Buddies in BadTimes, DNA, Factory Theatre, LKTYP, Mammalian Diving Reflex, GCTC, MTC, Mirvish Productions,

Native Earth, Nightwood, Nightswimming, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Centre, Theatre Passe Muraille,Theatre Smith Gilmour, Volcano. She also designs lights for contemporary dance. Rebecca has touredextensively nationally and internationally, and occasionally she performs and directs. She has been

nominated 10 times and received 2 Dora Awards for her work in theatre.


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Founded in 1976, Theatre Direct has enjoyedpraise and respect from young people, parents andeducators for their award-winning productions

that consistently tackle difficult subjectmatter with directness, honesty and integrity

using sophisticated theatricality supported byinnovative education programs and participatoryworkshops.

The company tours its productions and educationprograms to schools and theatre venues

throughout Toronto and the GTA. Productions of

Beneath the Banyan Tree, Bintis Journey, GettingWrecked and Toronto at Dreamers Rock havetoured nationally to such prestigious theatresas the National Arts Centre, Manitoba Theatre

for Young People and the Vancouver and TorontoInternational Childrens Festivals.

Our work is driven by a belief that youngpeople deserve truth not diversion, that they

have a cultural right to meaningful contentand compelling, relevant theatre. We view ouraudience as thinking, feeling, complex individuals,

not a market, not just future audiences but ourpresent audience that needs and demands theatre

that engages all their faculties and feelings.

Our audience inspires us to tackle big questions

in the same way children and youth ask them,honestly, directly, courageously and passionately.On December 4, 2008, Theatre Direct, one of

the countrys leading theatres for young people,announced the creation of a unique centre

devoted to arts education and performing artsserving children, youth and families.

As the largest arts tenant of the newly openedArtscape Wychwood Barns, Theatre Direct

is programming a theatre space dedicatedto young people and families and a spaciousrehearsal, education and event space. In

honour of the sites transit history and to

express the creative dialogue that flowsbetween our artists and audience weve calledthis space The Loop Centre.

In addition to showcasing Theatre Directsaward-winning productions for young peopleand hosting the companys innovative education

programs, The Loop will cultivate dynamicrelationships with the artists and organizations

residing in the Artscape Wychwood Barns andhost some of the countrys leading dance,music, and puppetry companies. Future

programming also includes guest productionsfrom Quebec and the UK.

Creating year-round programming thatnurtures our audiences love and appreciation

of the arts in our very own home is thefulfillment of a long held dream of TheatreDirect.

Visit our website regularly to find out how you

can get involved!

www.theatredirect.ca

www.loopcentre.ca


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