My Fair Lady Study Guide

About The Cleveland Play House pg. 2 My Fair Lady

Exploring the Play The Creative Team – Lerner & Loewe pg. 3 My Fair Lady – synopsis pg. 4 Cast of Characters pg. 5 Fact & Figures pg. 6 Two Pianos pg. 7 George Bernard Shaw & Pygmalion pg. 10 Exploring the Context London 1912 pg. 12

Role of Women: Society and Suffrage pg. 14 Class pg. 15

Some Examples of Class Systems pg. 16 Exercises and Questions pg. 17

Language pg. 18 Accents and Dialects in My Fair Lady pg. 19

Standard English: How “Standard” Is It? pg. 20 Why Are There So Many Englishes? pg. 20 The Argument Against Linguistic Change pg. 21 Activity Sheets Character Objective pg. 22 Theme pg. 23 A Good Plot pg. 24 Character & Relationship pg. 25 Cockney Rhyming Slang pg. 26 Cockney Rhyming Slang vs. Hip-Hop pg. 27 British Currency pg. 28 Who Makes the Show? pg. 30 Be a Theatre Critic pg. 31 Teacher Notes Ohio State Standards pg. 32 Answer Sheets pg. 34

Written by: Kristoffer Diaz, Education Associate Edited by: Domenick Danza, Education Director

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The Cleveland Play House

The Cleveland Play House, America’s first permanently established professional theatre company, is an artist-inspired producing theatre who once had a core company comprised of many of the nation’s most accomplished theatrical professionals. The Cleveland Play House serves its community through the unique experience of live performances by telling a story that is entertaining, relevant and thought-provoking. We are the region’s most vital forum for the interactive exchange of ideas about the great truths and mysteries of human existence. Founded in 1915, the Play House is the oldest professional regional theatre in the United States. Paul Newman, Joel Grey and Jack Weston are among the many actors whose careers began at the Play House, which also operates the nation’s oldest community-based theatre education programming. In the early 1900s, Cleveland theatre featured mostly vaudeville, melodrama, burlesque and light entertainment, but a select group of Clevelanders sought plays of substance on timely topics. Together they formed The Cleveland Play House and founded a home in a farmhouse donated by Cleveland industrialist Francis Drury. Ultimately, Drury helped fund its permanent home at East 85th and Euclid Avenue. The original Play House was built in 1927 to house two theatres. In 1949 the Play House opened the 77th Street Theatre in a converted church, which featured America’s first open stage – the forerunner of the thrust stage that was popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1983 the 77th Street Theatre closed and Philip Johnson’s addition to the original facility opened, making The Cleveland Play House the largest regional theatre in the country.

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My Fair Lady EXPLORING THE PLAY

The Creative Team

Together, Alan Jay Lerner (Book and Lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (Music) formed one of the most well-known writing teams in the history of musical

comedy. Their biggest hit shows included:

BRIGADOON (1947) PAINT YOUR WAGON (1951)

MY FAIR LADY (1956) GIGI (1958)

CAMELOT (1960)

Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe

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Alan Jay Lerner was born in New York City in 1918. His father was a wealthy businessman, allowing Alan to attend prestigious private schools, including Harvard University (where he met and befriended future president John F. Kennedy). In addition to his work with Frederick Loewe, Lerner created musicals with composers such as Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, and Charles Strouse. In 1951, Lerner received an Academy Award for the screenplay of the film An American in Paris. Lerner was inducted into the prestigious Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1971, and passed away in 1986.

Frederick Loewe was born in Vienna, Austria in 1901. His father was a famous operetta star. At the age of eight, Frederick taught himself to play the piano by ear and was able to help his father rehearse for shows. By the age of fifteen, Loewe had composed a popular hit song, and had begun receiving great public recognition. He eventually moved to New York, where he met Alan Jay Lerner. Loewe was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1972, and passed away in 1988.

MY FAIR LADY SYNOPSIS

Egotistical professor of phonetics Henry Higgins and his new friend Colonel Pickering make an unusual wager: Higgins bets that over the course of six months, he can turn poor, unmannered flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a proper refined lady who will be able to pass for a duchess in the highest of society. Eliza, excited by the possibility of getting off the street, moves into the Higgins’ home, where Henry puts her through a series of exhausting and degrading speech therapy exercises. Eliza’s spirit is almost broken by Henry’s heartless approach to her training. Her first public outing - at the Ascot Racecourse - ends in near disaster as she slips back to her uncouth Cockney roots. Eliza succeeds in her next and largest challenge: The Embassy Ball. Her manners are impeccable, her speech is entirely proper, and all of Henry’s high society acquaintances are entirely convinced by her performance. After the ball, Henry celebrates winning the bet, but shows no signs of caring about what will happen to Eliza next – she has served her purpose, and he is finished with her. Eliza walks out on Henry, and he quickly realizes that he has come to care deeply about her. As Henry contemplates what he will do without Eliza, she returns to his home to give him another chance.

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MY FAIR LADY CAST OF CHARACTERS

Eliza Doolittle: A cockney flower girl from Lisson Grove working outside Covent Garden. Her potential to become “a lady” becomes the object of a bet between Higgins and Pickering. Henry Higgins: British, Upper Class professional bachelor, world famous phonetics expert, teacher and author of “Higgins’ Universal Alphabet.” Colonel Pickering: Retired British officer with colonial experience and the author of “Spoken Sanskrit.” Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Upper Class young man who becomes completely smitten with Eliza. Alfred P. Doolittle: Eliza’s father; an elderly but vigorous dustman. Mrs. Higgins: Henry’s long-suffering mother. Mrs. Pearce: Henry Higgins’ housekeeper. Mrs. Eynsford-Hill: Freddy’s mother and a friend of Mrs. Higgins. Professor Zoltan Karpathy: A bearded Hungarian; former phonetics student of Henry Higgins. Harry: Drinking companion of Alfred Doolittle. Jamie: Drinking companion of Alfred Doolittle. Bartender: George, works the Tottenham Court Road Pub. Mrs. Hopkins: A cockney woman of Tottenham Court.

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Original Broadway poster (the puppeteer in the cloud represents Shaw)

MY FAIR LADY FACTS AND FIGURES

Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner Music by Frederick Loewe

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion

My Fair Lady opened on Broadway on March 15th, 1956, and ran for 2,717 performances, which was then a Broadway record.

The original Broadway cast recording of My Fair Lady spent 480 weeks on the Billboard charts,

making it the third-longest-selling album of all-time.

In 1964, My Fair Lady was made into a film by Warner Brothers. The film rights for the musical sold for five million dollars,

an unheard-of price at the time.

Some of the many modern takes on the My Fair Lady story include episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy, as well as the 1999 film She’s All That.

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My Fair Lady Two Pianos

The 2006 Cleveland Play House production of My Fair Lady (directed by Amanda Dehnert) recreates the spirit of the beloved classic musical with a twist: instead of the typical large-scale Broadway orchestra, this production relies on two pianos to provide all musical accompaniment. Why create such a dramatic revision of such a landmark musical? Actually, the two pianos orchestration is no new reinvention. It was commissioned in 1959 by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, the show’s creators. Arranger Trude Rittman worked under the supervision of Lerner and Loewe to create a more intimate version of the score that would be suitable for touring shows and smaller scale productions of the wildly popular show. Although this musical arrangement was used sparingly around the time of its creation, it has become more popular in recent years. The two pianos version of My Fair Lady fits perfectly within an ongoing theatrical trend of doing smaller productions of large musicals. It may seem that such a decision is purely financial—after all, it is less expensive to hire two pianists than a full orchestra—but there are substantial artistic reasons to think small.

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Chicago Playbill

One of the most well-known names in the smaller-scale musical world is New York City Center’s Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert. Since 1994, the Encores! series has produced concert versions of major American musicals, often shows that have been forgotten by musical theater audiences. The purpose of the series is to celebrate and show off the scores of these shows—scenery and costumes are kept to a minimum, and actors perform with scripts in their hands. The current Broadway production of Chicago (on which the film version was based) originated as an Encores! production. A similar program—Reprise!—carries out the same mission in Los Angeles.

From the Encores! production of Purlie

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Sweeney Todd

Sometimes a smaller-scale version of a musical serves to spotlight a classic score. In the case of the current Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd however, the production’s intent is to reexamine the haunting musical and reinvent it with a brand new concept. Director John Doyle strips away realistic sets, places all of his props (and actors) onstage throughout the show, and replaces the orchestra with the actors themselves—renowned Broadway actor Patti Lupone, for example, plays the xylophone, triangle, and tuba at various points in the piece. The result is both a radical rethinking of Sondheim’s themes and original intentions and an unqualified artistic and economic success.

Sweeney Todd

The two piano version of My Fair Lady provides new ways of looking at and thinking about the venerable musical. Thanks in part to the immensely popular 1964 film, My Fair Lady is often remembered as much for big dance sequences and flashy Victorian Era fashion as for its classic score and story. Dehnert’s production turns its focus onto the show’s essential artistic parts by exploring what makes the piece uniquely theatrical and intimate. The production both celebrates the original music and investigates in new ways the themes of this timeless American classic.

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GEORGE BERNARD SHAW AND PYGMALION

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw was born to a poor family in Dublin, Ireland in 1856. He moved to London during the 1870s, where he would go on to become an acclaimed playwright, novelist, cultural and literary critic, and activist. In his lifetime, Shaw won both the Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Academy Award (Best Screenplay for Pygmalion, 1938); he is the only person to ever have received both prestigious honors. Some of Shaw’s more famous plays include:

Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1898) Candida (1898) Major Barbara (1905) Heartbreak House (1919) Saint Joan (1923)

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Shaw also wrote Pygmalion (1912), a stage play based on a myth created by Roman author Ovid in his epic poem Metamorphoses. In Ovid’s myth, a sculptor falls in love with a beautiful statue that he has carved. Shaw’s primary concern, however, was not love. Shaw was more interested in the ills of London society, particularly the unequal distribution of wealth, the inherent unfairness of the class system, and the male domination of society. The story of Pygmalion is very similar to that of My Fair Lady, with one glaring (and telling) difference: Eliza does not return to Higgins in the end. For Shaw, this lack of returning symbolized women’s refusal to serve merely as a tool or puppet to men—Eliza chooses to be her own woman rather than a creation of Henry’s teachings. Audiences, however, often openly wished for a romantic ending; as a result, both the 1938 film and My Fair Lady end with Eliza returning to Henry’s side.

Original poster for the 1938 film

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My Fair Lady EXPLORING THE PLAY

London 1912

Late Victorian London poverty

WORKING CLASS LONDON Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, as much as eighty percent of London’s labor force consisted of members of the working class, with more than thirty percent of Londoners living below the poverty line. Inner London was often perceived as dangerous, decadent, and a den for drunken, lazy, and unruly behavior; the poorest parts of the city were frequently referred to as “outcast London” or “the abyss.” However, studies by wealthy businessman Charles Booth showed that the vast majority - over three-quarters - of the city’s poor were victims of social structures and circumstance, including low wages, family illness, or irregular availability of employment. Booth believed that this portion of the working class was not in

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nearly as bad shape as they were made out to be—and he would prove to be correct. By the early Edwardian era, the working class was making great economic, social, and health strides, with the help of, among other factors:

Improved sanitation techniques and practices. Mass education. Increased charitable interest from the wealthy. Developing public welfare services. More readily and consistently available employment opportunities.

A London tenement street.

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Edwardian Era London men.

Horse-drawn and motor vehicles share the streets of

Edwardian Era London.

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ROLE OF WOMEN: SOCIETY AND SUFFRAGE Throughout the mid-nineteenth century, the wealthy inhabitants of greater London – the twenty percent of the population living above the poverty line - developed the concept of society: a cultural and economic elite known largely for style, fashion, and extravagant parties. In addition, members of society adhered to certain unalterable social principles, including:

Hierarchy: The members of society existed at the very top of the class system (or just under the monarchy); the poor of the inner city were deemed to be of a lower social class;

Respectability: It was the duty of a member of society to appear respectable to outsiders at all times; this included dress, speech, manners, and behavior;

Male dominance: The men in society were breadwinners and societal leaders.

This is not to say that women were completely unvalued within society. Although Upper and Middle Class women were not members of the work force, they often took on the role of gatekeeper within society – making sure that the rich stayed within the proper boundaries and the poor stayed away entirely. Regardless of economic status, women had f(UK). The Women’s Social and Political Unioorder to fight this unfair discrimination and One of the key components of the WSPU’s mwomen’s suffrage – the right to vote. Over ththe “Suffragettes”, as they came to be knownvoices heard: from five hundred thousand peto coordinated window-smashing raids throusociety shopping neighborhoods. In 1918, thsocial reformers) were rewarded, as UK womright to vote. In 1928, women were given the

ew rights in the United Kingdom n (WSPU) was formed in 1903 in

work towards lasting social reform. ission was the campaign for e course of the next fifteen years,

, went to great lengths to make their rson rallies in London’s Hyde Park ghout the city’s high fashion, high

e efforts of the WSPU (and other en over the age of 30 were given the exact same voting rights as men.

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CLASS

A social class system is defined as the ranking of the members of a culture into some sort of artificial order of value.

In a social class system, the members of a culture are divided into imaginary groups (or classes) which are then placed into a hierarchy (a series in which each element is graded or ranked). Groups that are believed to have the most power in that culture are placed at the top of the hierarchy, while groups with little or no power are placed at the bottom. There have been many different types of class systems throughout history. A class system can contain any number of groups, and these groups can be divided in any number of ways. Classes are often formed around socioeconomic lines (how much money a person has), but class can also be defined by other factors: education, race, occupation, ownership of land or other property, or political standing.

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SOME EXAMPLES OF CLASS SYSTEMS The Two Class System The most basic (and sometimes oversimplified) of the class systems, made up of:

An Upper Class, consisting of the rich and/or powerful, A Lower Class, consisting of the poor and/or weak.

In a two class view of slavery, for example, the Upper Class was made up of the slave-owners, while the slaves formed the Lower Class. In Marxism, the capitalists (people who own businesses) make up the Upper Class and control the lives of the proletariat or Working Class (people who work in the businesses). The Four Class System This system is particularly relevant to the time period in which My Fair Lady takes place. With new machines and technologies being constantly developed, safety was often a key concern for people who worked for a living. As a result, the level of danger people faced on their jobs became an important class distinction, and society could be said to be divided like this:

Upper Class – the cultural elite, who live off of their investments and do not have to work at all,

Upper Middle Class – workers who are employed in safe, clean jobs, Lower Middle Class – workers who are employed in dangerous jobs with

unsanitary working conditions, Lower Class – citizens who either do not work or do not make enough

money to enjoy any economic freedom. In The Four Class System, the distinction between Upper Middle Class and Lower Middle Class IS NOT how much money a person makes (although the safer, cleaner jobs often did pay more), but how safe and healthy a person’s work environment was. The Nine Class System In his book Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, historian Paul Fussell presents his theory of a nine class structure to describe contemporary American society:

Top out-of-sight: The incredibly wealthy -- for example, Bill Gates (estimated to be worth more than 50 billion dollars) or the Walton Family (who own Walmart and are estimated to be worth a combined 150 billion dollars),

Upper Class: Rich actors, athletes and other celebrities who have extravagant wealth and are constantly in the public eye (Lebron James, Angelina Jolie, and Jay-Z fall into this group),

Upper-Middle Class: Well-educated professionals who have made their own money (not inherited it from rich parents),

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Middle Class: Office workers (who are financially stable and work in safe desk jobs),

High Prole: Workers who work with their hands in jobs that require a certain amount of training and skills (carpenters and plumbers, for example). The term “prole” is short for proletariat.

Mid Prole: Workers in factories and the service industry; these jobs are often more dangerous and offer less money and security,

Low Prole: Manual Laborers who, for example, work on farms they do not own; these jobs can be extremely dangerous and tiring and often do not even pay minimum wage,

Destitute: The homeless and jobless who have no income, Bottom out-of-sight: Prisoners and anyone who is incarcerated in any type

of institution.

EXERCISES AND QUESTIONS

1. Class & Oppression: To answer the following questions refer to the Cast of Characters from My Fair Lady listed on page 5 and the “Four Class System” listed above. o Which class does each character belong to? o What role does each of the female characters play in London society? o How do the men in the play view the women? o How is each of the characters in the musical oppressed by someone in

a higher social position? o Are there any characters who are not in any way oppressed? Explain. o Are there any characters who do not oppress any other characters in

any way? Why do you think this is? 2. Suffrage:

To answer the following questions refer to the section “Role of Women: Society and Suffrage” on page 11 as well as the following websites:

- library.thinkquest.org/J002886/sufferage.html - www.ibiblio.org/unipress/ncbooks/suffrage/sufferage.html - Google: suffrage

o Examine the specific ways the suffrage movements chose to resist oppression.

o Create a time line of the suffrage movement in the United States. o Create a time line of the suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. o Compare the two time lines. What, if any, conclusions can be drawn? o How do you think Eliza would react to the suffrage movement at the

beginning of the play? o How do you think Eliza would react to the suffrage movement once

she has become a new woman and potential member of high society?

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LANGUAGE

“A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting noises has no right to be

anywhere—no right to live.” – Henry Higgins, Act One, Scene One

“An Englishman’s way of speaking absolutely classifies him. The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him.”

– from “Why Can’t The English?”

As a professor of phonetics (in his words, “the science of speech”), Henry Higgins believes that the way a person speaks is the most important factor in establishing his or her social class. He believes that there is a perfect, proper approach to the English language, and that a failure to understand and master that approach prevents a citizen from becoming a success. Eliza Doolittle, on the other hand, speaks in the language of the London streets. She is unconcerned with her pronunciation and grammar; as a poor flower girl supporting her hard-drinking father, she has more immediate issues to worry about. So who is right? ACCENTS AND DIALECTS The word ACCENT can be defined as: A characteristic pronunciation, especially:

a. One determined by the regional or social background of the speaker. b. One determined by the phonetic habits of the speaker's native language carried

over to his or her use of another language. In other words, an accent is the specific way a person pronounces specific words. That pronunciation can be shaped by where the person lives or grew up, the person’s original (or native) language, or any number of social factors. The word DIALECT can be defined as: A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists. A dialect, then, applies not only to the way a person pronounces specific words, but also which words a person uses and how the person uses those words to

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convey his or her meaning. A dialect often will use words in very different ways than the “proper” or widely accepted usage of the language it comes from.

Do you speak a dialect? Do you have the same dialect as the rest of your immediate family?

Siblings? Parents? Grandparents? Do you have the same dialect as your classmates? Teachers? Do you have the same dialect as your friends or family in other

neighborhoods? Do you have the same dialect as your friends or family in different cities? Site examples of specific words you use or pronounce differently than

other people you know. What creates the difference in these dialects? Age? Location? Race?

ACCENTS AND DIALECTS IN MY FAIR LADY In My Fair Lady, Henry Higgins speaks Standard English – the “proper” or widely accepted form of English within the United Kingdom. He enunciates his words clearly, making each sound easy to understand. Even when he is insulting someone, he chooses his words carefully (often selecting phrases that highlight his advanced education), as this quotation illustrates: “Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns, you incarnate insult to the English language; I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba.”

What does Henry’s dialect say about his personality? His values? His background? His economic status?

How do other characters react to Henry’s dialect? What does Eliza think of the way Henry speaks? What does Pickering think?

Rewrite Henry’s quotation from above in your own dialect. Eliza, on the other hand, speaks the Cockney dialect of English – one of the traditional dialects of London’s poor working class. Cockney is known for its distinctive pronunciations and word choices, some of which can be seen here: “Aoooow! I ain’t dirty: I washed my face and hands afore I come, I did.” Eliza uses the word “ain’t” instead of “I am not”, “afore” instead of “before”, and “I come” instead of “I came”. She adds the phrase “I did” to the end of her sentence for extra emphasis. She makes the unusual “Aoooow” sound (which

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particularly drives Henry crazy) to express her anger and displeasure. All of these word choices stem from her upbringing in the Cockney dialect.

What does Eliza’s dialect say about her personality? Her values? Her background? Her economic status?

How do other characters react to Eliza’s dialect? What does Mrs. Pearce think of the way Eliza speaks? What do her father and his friends think?

Rewrite Eliza’s quotation from above in your own dialect. STANDARD ENGLISH: HOW “STANDARD” IS IT? As previously mentioned, Henry’s Standard English is often viewed as the proper or correct approach to pronunciation and grammar in the United Kingdom. Standard English is taught in schools and spoken by important public figures in the government and media. However, most UK citizens speak with an accent specific to the region in which they live—not any national standard. Most UK citizens do not follow Standard English rules of grammar and vocabulary; as little as twelve to fifteen percent of the population adheres to this “standard”.

Use the Cast of Characters from My Fair Lady listed on page 5 and put an

“S” next to the name of each who speaks Standard English. Use the Cast of Characters from My Fair Lady listed on page 5 and put an

“R” next to the name of each who speaks with a regional dialect. In My Fair Lady, do all of the characters at the top of the social hierarchy

speak Standard English? Do all of the characters who are lower in the hierarchy speak with

regional dialects? If not, can you give reasons to explain why not?

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT ENGLISHES? Eliza and Henry both live in London, and they both speak English, but their dialects vary greatly. Both of their dialects are very different than your Cleveland dialect, which may be very different than that of a friend or family member from New York, Boston, or Dallas. How can so many people speak the same language in so many different ways? All languages are constantly evolving. As people use language in their everyday lives, they add to or change existing rules of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. When one group of people who speak a language live far away

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from other people who speak that language, it is likely that these new rules will not all be shared among all groups. If you and your friends invent a new slang word, teenagers in San Francisco will not automatically understand that new word’s meaning. You have adapted the English language according to your own local dialect. If all languages are always changing, then why would a linguistic scholar such as Henry Higgins be so resistant to dialects such as Cockney? Why would he fight so hard against change? THE ARGUMENT AGAINST LINGUISTIC CHANGE British linguistic scholar and dialect expert Peter Trudgill suggests that objections to language change are often “presumably really objections to what the objectors perceive to be symbolic of a threat to their culture and way of life.”

Restate Trudgill’s theory in your own words. What is he saying about the attitudes of people who are resistant to linguistic change?

In My Fair Lady does Henry Higgins perceive dialects as a potential threat to his way of life? If so, in what ways? Find evidence in the script that supports your answer.

Have you ever stereotyped or judged another person simply on their use of language? Have you ever been stereotyped or judged by the same standard?

Could Trudgill’s theory of “objections to language change” be used by the higher classes to discriminate against or oppress the lower classes?

List some ways that language can be utilized to maintain the class system and prevent shifts in political, economic, and/or social power.

List some ways that language can be utilized to break the class system and cause shifts in political, economic, and/or social power.

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Activity Sheet Character Objective

Characters in movies, plays, books, and stories have a basic similarity. They all have OBJECTIVES.

An objective is: SOMETHING A CHARACTER WANTS, NEEDS OR DESIRES throughout the story. They usually spend the entire time

pursuing this objective.

Each character in “My Fair Lady” has an OBJECTIVE as well. What is the primary desire of the following characters?

Eliza Doolittle: Henry Higgins: Colonel Pickering: Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Alfred P. Doolittle: Mrs. Pearce: Mrs. Higgins: Professor Zoltan Karparthy:

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Activity Sheet Theme

Every play has a THEME. Every book and movie does, too. Theme: the main idea or ethical precept of the play.

Theme is the same as topic, subject matter, premise or thesis.

My Fair Lady focuses on the theme of TRANSFORMATION. List three examples of how the theme of transformation is illustrated

in the plot of My Fair Lady. Be very specific.

1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do these examples connect to the objectives of the characters?

Think about your favorite movie or book. Answer the following questions:

Title: __________________________________________________________

What is the theme: _______________________________________________ List examples of how the theme is illustrated:

1. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Discussion question: What would happen if a story had no theme?

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Activity Sheet A Good Plot

Plot: what happens in a play; the story/stories being told as revealed by what

the characters say about themselves or each other; the action of the play.

Here are sixteen plot points from the script of My Fair Lady. Put them in the order they take place in the script

by placing a number (1 to 16) in the space at the left. _____ Eliza finally “gets it”.

_____ Higgins realizes he has deep feelings for Eliza.

_____ Eliza is a success and her feelings are hurt.

_____ Eliza asks Higgins for lessons.

_____ Higgins and Pickering make the bet.

_____ Higgins meets Pickering and Eliza outside Covent Garden.

_____ Freddie comes to visit Eliza.

_____ Eliza is presented at the Embassy Ball.

_____ Higgins works Eliza very hard.

_____ Eliza returns to Higgins.

_____ Freddy tells Eliza he is in love with her.

_____ Eliza’s father finds out she is living with Higgins.

_____ Eliza is tried out at the Ascot Races.

_____ Eliza is not recognized by her old friends.

_____ Eliza’s father takes money from Higgins.

_____ Eliza leaves Higgins.

A good plot… keeps you guessing. A good plot… surprises you. A good plot… will have multiple themes. A good plot… builds on a strong central conflict.

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Activity Sheet Character & Relationship

The central character in My Fair Lady is Eliza, as everything revolves around the relationship of the other characters to her.

For each character listed below, define that relationship and how each character “transforms” because of Eliza’s growth and change.

Henry Higgins: ________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Colonel Pickering: _____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Freddy Eynsford-Hill: __________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alfred P. Doolittle: _____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mrs. Pearce: __________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mrs. Higgins: _________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Activity Sheet Cockney Rhyming Slang

Perhaps the most infamous of all the British slang, Cockney Rhyming Slang is a richly complicated, in-the-know type of language. It is said that slang was

originally developed by the thieves of London, so that they could communicate without the bobbies (police) understanding what they were saying.

In Cockney Rhyming Slang, a word is represented by a phrase that ends in a rhyme. For example, the word mate rhymes with china plate.

So the phrase china plate represents mate. However, in spoken slang, only the beginning of the phrase would remain.

So the word china means mate.

Here are some other examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang. Use the slang terms in a sentence as illustrated in example #1.

1. Adam and Eve = believe Sentence: Would you Adam and Eve it? 2. Apples and Pears = stairs Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 3. Bricks and Mortar = daughter Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 4. Britney Spears = beer Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 5. China Plate = mate/ friend Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 6. Dicky Bird = word Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Continue on next page

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7. Dog and Bone = telephone Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 8. Duchess of Fife = wife Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 9. Pork Pies = lies Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 10. Whistle and Flute = suit Sentence: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Cockney Rhyming Slang vs. Hip-Hop How similar are these Cockney Rhyming Slang terms

to Hip-Hop terms used today?

List 3 Hip-Hop terms or phrases and explain their definition and their origin. Rap Term: ____________________________________________________ Definition or Origin: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rap Term: ____________________________________________________ Definition or Origin: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rap Term: ____________________________________________________ Definition or Origin: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Activity Sheet British Currency

Today’s British Currency consists of 100p (or “pence”) = £1 (or “pound”) This was not always the case!

The above equation only came in after decimalization on February 15, 1971. Prior to decimalization, British currency was a complex series of notes and coins.

Have a look at the Royal Mint’s website for more information. It is the best source for information as they made and still make British money!

http://www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_british_coinage/DecimalCoinage/The_old_system.asp

£ (Pound): Symbol for pounds sterling. In 1971 £1 = 100p. Prior to that, £1 = 20 shillings or 240 pennies! It was written as £/s/d (“d” was the symbol for pence). From 1776 till World War II (1939-1945), £1 fluctuated between $3-5 (1864 peak of $12).

£ s d: “pounds, shillings, and pence.” 4 farthings = 1 penny; 12 pence = 1 shilling; 2 shillings = 1 florin; 5 shillings = 1 crown; 20 shillings = 1 pound; 21 shillings = 1 guinea

¼d (fahdhing): symbol for a farthing, four to a penny, about the size of a copper cent, went out of circulation in 1956.

½d (haypnee): symbol for a halfpenny, about the size of a thin copper quarter.

1d (penee): symbol for penny.

2d (tuhpens): twopence, (also symbol for half groat).

3d (threpens): symbol for threepence, threepenny bit, silver (about size of a dime) until 1920, then 12-sided brass coin like a fat nickel.

4d: symbol for groat.

6d (sickspens): symbol for sixpence, about size of a dime, sometimes called tanner.

1/-, 1s, 12d: symbol for shilling (12d), about size of a quarter, still in circulation, equivalent to 5p, syn. bob, shilling bit. Continued on next page.

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2/-: symbol for florin, two shillings, about the size of a half dollar, still in circulation, equivalent to 10p, syn. two bob.

2/6d (too n siks): symbol for half a crown, two-and-six (pence), larger than a half dollar.

5/-: symbol for crown, five shillings, huge, much larger than a silver dollar.

10/-: symbol for (brown) ten shilling note, syn. ten bob note.

10/6d: ten-and-six, also half a guinea

20/-, £1, 240d, 100p: alternate for £1 (green), pound, pound sterling, sovereign.

21/-: symbol for guinea, twenty-one shillings.

£1: symbol for one pound note (green), first issued in 1928, new note issued in 1968, and reverting back to coins in 1983.

£5: symbol for five pound note (blue, though, like the tenner’s, they used to be huge white sheets inscribed with gold filigree, large enough to wrap up plenty of money in).

£10: symbol for ten pounds (brown) or ten pound note.

£20: symbol for twenty pounds or the twenty pound note (rainbow colors).

Consult the following web site to convert this American and British currency: http://eh.net/hmit/exchange/

American British

$180 £_____________ (pounds)

$.18 ______________d (pence)

$____________ £1 million (pounds)

$1 million £_____________ (pounds)

$____________ £3,000 (pounds)

$____________ 100d (pence)

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Activity Sheet Who Makes the Show?

It takes a lot of people to put together a theatrical production. It is very similar to the many people needed to put on a sporting event, like a

basketball game. Below are two lists of only some of the people who are integral parts to either a theatrical production or to keeping a basketball team in working order. Using the internet and what you learned from your visit to

The Cleveland Play House, write a brief description of each person’s responsibilities. Then, draw a line matching the person in column A

(theatrical production) to column B (basketball team).

A-Production Team B-Basketball Team

1. Director:_______________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

1. Fans:_________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

2. Stage Manager:_________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

2. Owner:________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

3. Actor:_________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

3. Coach:________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

4. Producer:______________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

4. Players:_______________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

5.Audience:______________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

5. Assistant Coach:_________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

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Writing Activity Be a Theatre Critic

A very strong element in the success or failure of a new production is the Theatre Critic. Use the following outline to write a review of the Cleveland Play House’s

production of My Fair Lady.

Paragraph 1: ABOUT THE PLAY 1. What was the title or the play? 2. Who wrote the play? 3. Which theatre company produced it? 4. What was your overall reaction to the play? 5. Give a brief synopsis of the plot of the play. Paragraph 2: 1. What aspects of the production (i.e. sets, costumes, lights, sound, acting), were similar to how you envisioned them? What aspects were different? What aspects would you like to have changed and why? 2. What scenes in the play did you find most/least interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable? What about these scenes made you like or dislike them so much? 3. Did the production move too slowly, quickly, or at the right speed? Paragraph 3: ABOUT THE CHARACTERS/ PERFORMERS 1. Did any characters touch you personally? Who was your favorite? 2. Were the character's motivations clear? In other words, could you understand what each character wanted? 3. Which actor do you think gave the best performance? What did this actor do that made you think s/he gave the best performance? 4. How did the way the actors use their bodies onstage enhance their performances? Paragraph 4: ABOUT THE SET 1. Did the set provide the right environment/atmosphere for the production? If so, how? If not, why not? 2. Did the set reflect the themes and style of the play? 3. Were there any interesting details in the set? If so, what? Paragraph 5: ABOUT THE LIGHTING AND THE SOUND 1. Did the lighting establish the right mood and atmosphere for the production? If so, how? If not, why not? 2. Did the music/sound add to the mood and atmosphere of the production or take away from it? How? Paragraph 6: ABOUT THE COSTUMES 1. Were the costumes appropriate for the mood and style of the production? If so, why? If not, why not? 2. Did any of the costumes reflect a character's personality or wealth? What clues did the costumes give about the characters? Paragraph 7: CONCLUSION Would you recommend this production to someone? If so, to whom? If not, why not?

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My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Can Professor Henry Higgins transform a poor flower girl named Eliza

Doolittle into a lovely young woman of high society? With “Just You Wait,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night,” this Lerner and Loewe musical is among the most honored and best loved in the history of American musical theatre. This special, intimate two-piano version of the production was approved by the authors years ago, but is rarely performed.

Standard: Social Studies Benchmarks: Grades 6-12

People in Societies - Students use knowledge of perspectives, practices and products of cultural, ethnic and social groups to analyze the impact of their commonality and diversity within local, national, regional and global settings.

Standard: Language Arts Benchmarks: Grades 6-12

Literary Text Standard - Students enhance their understanding of the human story by reading literary texts that represent a variety of authors, cultures and eras. They learn to apply the reading process to the various genres of literature, including fables, folk tales, short stories, novels, poetry and drama. They demonstrate their comprehension by describing and discussing the elements of literature (e.g., setting, character and plot), analyzing the author’s use of language (e.g., word choice and figurative language), comparing and contrasting texts, inferring theme and meaning and responding to text in critical and creative ways. Strategic readers learn to explain, analyze and critique literary text to achieve deep understanding.

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Standard: Music Benchmarks: Grades 5-12

Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts Standard - Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of music styles and cultures and the context of musical expression or events, both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of composers and performers to music heritage. Students analyze the historical, social and political forces that have influenced the function and role of music in the lives of people. Analyze and Responding Standard – Students listen to a varied repertoire of music and respond by analyzing and describing music using correct terminology. Students evaluate the creating and performing of music by using appropriate criteria. Valuing Music/Aesthetic Reflection Standard – Students demonstrate an understanding of reasons why people value music and a respect for diverse opinions regarding music preferences. Students articulate the significance of music in their lives.

Standard: Drama/Theatre Standards Benchmarks: Grades K through 12

Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts - Students understand and appreciate the historical, social, political and cultural contexts of drama/theatre in societies both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of playwrights, actors, designers, technicians, composers/lyricists, choreographers, directors, producing organizations and inventors to dramatic/theatrical heritage. Students analyze the social and political forces that have influenced and do influence the function and role of drama/theatre in the lives of people. Analyzing and Responding Standard - Students respond to dramatic/theatrical texts, experiences and performances by describing the distinguishing characteristics and interpreting meaning, themes and moods. Students analyze the creative techniques used in creating and performing dramatic/theatrical works and evaluate dramatic/theatrical works using appropriate criteria. Valuing Drama/Theatre/Aesthetic Reflection - Students demonstrate an understanding of reasons why people value drama/theatre and a respect for diverse opinions regarding dramatic/theatrical preferences. Students develop personal drama/theatre philosophies and articulate the significance of drama/theatre in their lives.

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Answers to: Activity Sheet A Good Plot

Here are sixteen plot points from the script of My Fair Lady.

Put them in the order they take place in the script by placing a number (1 to 16) in the space at the left.

7 - Eliza finally “gets it”.

15 - Higgins realizes he has deep feelings for Eliza.

11 - Eliza is a success and her feelings are hurt.

2 - Eliza asks Higgins for lessons.

3 - Higgins and Pickering make the bet.

1 - Higgins meets Pickering and Eliza outside Covent Garden.

9 - Freddie comes to visit Eliza.

10 - Eliza is presented at the Embassy Ball.

6 - Higgins works Eliza very hard.

16 - Eliza returns to Higgins.

13 - Freddy tells Eliza he is in love with her.

4 - Eliza’s father finds out she is living with Higgins.

8 - Eliza is tried out at the Ascot Races.

14 - Eliza is not recognized by her old friends.

5 - Eliza’s father takes money from Higgins.

12 - Eliza leaves Higgins.

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