Discovery

Guide

Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the film by

Alfred Hitchcock based on the novel by John Buchan

Directed by Sean Daniels

P.L.A.Y. (Performance = Literature + Art + You) Student Matinee Series 2013-2014 Season

Passport Program Sponsor P.L.A.Y. Student Matinee Series Sponsor

Dear Educators,Welcome back! It’s the start of a fresh school year full of new faces and possibilities, theautumn air is cool and crisp, the scenery outside is shifting, and there’s a world ofsurprises and unknowns on the horizon. And just in time too. In the last few weeks of anyseason, even summer, I find myself feeling restless and ready for a change of pace or a newadventure….much like our story’s hero, Richard Hannay, a man who finds himself mixedup in an escapade more epic than he bargained for.

“Engage students through rigorous and relevant instruction” – have you heard that sayingbefore? During the first two weeks of the rehearsal process, I sat in on rehearsals ahandful of times. The two phrases I heard most from the show’s director, Sean Daniels,were “Is there a funnier way to do this?” and “Why are you doing that?”

This show, as actor Aaron Muñoz told me, is a mental workout. “It’s built to break,” addedDaniels. And because the show is so astonishingly rigorous, no two performances are goingto be exactly alike. The actors - and the audience - really have to use their brains and stayon their toes, which is precisely the fun of it.

Rigorous we’ve got covered, but how is this show relevant, especially to our studentaudiences who (presumably) are not accidental pseudo secret agents dashing acrossScotland, wrongfully accused of murder and handcuffed to their worst nightmare? AsDaniels puts it, “It’s easy to identify with these characters, feeling bored with life, and thenfeeling as though things are happening out of your control while you try to regain who youare.” Does this sound like the start of the school year for anyone you know?

Humor also helps us make relevant connections. Comedy is universal. If we can find afunnier way to do things onstage, we can also find a way into the minds and memories ofour student audiences. We relate to things that make us laugh and things we understand.That’s why it’s essential that Sean continue to pepper the actors with “How can we makethis funnier?” and the almighty “Why?”

Concise, well-established motivations lead to clarity, understanding, and humor - whichlead to increased rigor and relevance - which lead to memorable connections and learning.And I think The 39 Steps is an awfully fun way to learn about adaptations, style, inventiveproblem solving, and Europe in the 1930s!

At the first rehearsal, Sean said, “As the director, it’s not my job to have the best idea in theroom. It’s my job to hear the best idea in the room.” This philosophy of collaboration seemsto have produced quite the rigorous and relevant show on our stage, and we can’t wait toshare it with you! Wishing you and your students a school year full of rigor, humor,clarity, understanding, relevance, collaboration, and excellent learning. We’ll see youat the theatre.

Sincerely,

Lara RhynerAssociate Director of Educationlrhyner@gevatheatre.org(585) 420-2058

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Table ofContents

Who, What,When &Where. . . . . . . . 2

“This show isa puzzle ...”. . . . 3

Buchan,Hitchcock& Barlow. . . . . . 4

From Pageto Screento Stage . . . . . . 5

BorrowingStyle . . . . . . . . . 6

Hitchcock’sStorytellingEssentials . . . . . 6

Espionage inthe 1930s. . . . . 7

Where in theWorld is RichardHannay? . . . . . . 8

CelebratingTheatricality . . . 8

From the CostumeDesigner . . . . . . 9

From the ScenicDesigner . . . . . . 9

From the StageManager . . . . 10

Resources. . . 10

“There’s a dangerous conspiracy against this island andwe’re the only people who can stop it.” – Richard Hannay

Participation in this productionand supplemental activities

suggested in this guidesupport the following

NYS Learning Standards:A: 1, 2, 3, 4; SS: 2, 3;

ELA: 1, 2, 3, 4; CDOS: 1, 2

Time: 1935

Location: England and Scotland

Synopsis: Richard Hannay, a man bored with the world, attends the Mr.Memory show on London’s West End. At the theatre, gunshots ring outand a mysterious woman pleads with Hannay to take her back to hisapartment. The woman, Annabella, a secret agent, reveals the basis of herhighly confidential espionage mission to Hannay, leaving him withseveral vital clues – the 39 Steps and Alt-na-Schallach - before she ismurdered by two thugs during the night. Accepting the challenge of thedire situation at hand, Hannay flees London by way of a train to Scotland.

Aboard the train Hannay meets Pamela, under less thanideal circumstances. She turns Hannay in to the police,who are misguidedly on his trail for the murder of Annabella. Hannayescapes the train, taking refuge in a cottage with a tenant farmer and hiswife, Margaret, who believes in his innocence and helps him flee againwhen the police show up, still in vigilant pursuit of him.

Upon finally reaching Alt-na-Schallach to continue Annabella’s mission,Hannay realizes he has walked into a trap. He is arrested, escapes fromthe police, and is accidentally mistaken for a prominent public official inan assembly hall where he encounters Pamela again, much to her greatdismay. Pamela turns Hannay over to the authorities once more - this timeto two heavies posing as policemen. They insist that Pamela accompanyHannay to the police station to identify him. As it

becomes apparent to Hannay that these are not real police men and thatthey are not headed to a real police station, the heavies decide tohandcuff Pamela to Hannay for safe-keeping when they are stopped by aflock of sheep in the road. At this opportune moment of chaos, Hannayforces Pamela to run from the heavies, crossing an obstacle-laden moor,while still handcuffed to him.

The pair rent a hotel room for the night, posing as a runaway couple.While Hannay sleeps, Pamela slips out of the handcuffs and attempts toleave, but upon overhearing the two heavies, in the lobby of the hotel,speaking on the phone about the nefarious 39 Steps plot, she realizesHannay has been telling the truth. Pamela returns to the room andHannay decides he must stop at nothing to clear his name and expose thecriminals before it is too late. Clues lead the pair to the London Palladiumto unravel the mystery. u

John Gregorio as…* Richard Hannay

Aaron Muñoz as…* Mr. Memory

* Milkman* Salesman 1* Paperboy

* Policeman 1* Radio Announcer 2

* Crofter * Pilot 1* Sheriff

* Mrs. Jordan* Mr. McQuarrie

* Heavy 1 * Mrs. McGarrigle

* Reindeer* Usherette

* Baby 2

Joel Van Liewas…

* Compere* Mrs. Higgins* Salesman 2

* Porter* Policeman 2

* Radio Announcer* Pilot 2

* Inspector* Master ofCeremonies

* Heavy 2

* Professor Jordan* Sheep

* Mr. McGarrigle* Detective

Superintendent* Baby 1

2Who, What, When & Where

“The Thirty Nine Steps? I tell you Mr. Hannay.You will never EVER KNOW!” - Professor Jordan

Words to Know

* Biscuit – cookie* Blimey – British

expression of excitement or alarm

* Communication cord –a pull cord that

stops the train in an emergency

* Compere – host ofa variety show

* Corker – somethingremarkable

* Crikey – expression of surprise

* Crofter – a tenant whoworks a small farm inthe Scottish Highlands

* Flat – apartment* Haddock and Herring

– types of fish* Hymn book – bookcontaining religious

songs of praise* Impertinent – rude* Inveterate – having

a persistent habit* Itinerant – travelingfrom place to place

* Lavatory – bathroom* Liverish – ill, unhappy,

bad tempered* Loch – lake

* Manacled - handcuffed* Mein Leibling –

German for “my dear”* Moors – broad expans-es of uncultivated land

* Old Country – England* Pound note – English

currency equivalent of a dollar bill

* Rouge – blush makeup for cheeks

* Shakedown – improvised bed

* Scotland Yard – headquarters of the

London Police* Tara – British slang

for “goodbye”* Tidy pile – money

* Vertigo – dizzy feeling* Vicinity –

surrounding area* Wunderbar – German

for “wonderful”

Monica West as…* Annabella

Schmidt* Pamela

* Margaret

“May I ask what earthquake caused your brain to work at last?” - Richard Hannay

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Director Sean Daniels, actor Monica West, costumedesigner Jen Caprio, and stage manager Frank Cavalloshare some of their insights into Geva’s The 39 Steps ...

…on what is most exciting and unique aboutGeva’s production of The 39 StepsJC: Comedy. Comedy is important. Comedy is smart.Comedy is hard work. Sean’s creative energy as acomedic director is unmatched, and it's rare to havesomeone that takes comedy so seriously. Find joy in theelement of surprise. SD: Our production is a real celebration of theatricalways of presenting cinematic ideas. Lots of us figuringout how to tell the story of certain movie momentsthrough the lens of what works in a theatre. It’s a greatshow for Rochester because it gets a look at everythingthat we love about cinema and about theatre. Rochesteris so well-educated about the history of cinema so we’retrying to work in as many Hitchcock references aspossible – obvious and obscure. There’s tons of ‘Eastereggs’ in this production.MW: An exciting and unique surprise, for me, has beenMargaret. She’s usually played as a dowdy simpleton,but between Jen’s fantastic costume design and a tablewith wheels that punctuates Margaret’s majormovements, she’s become quite a firecracker. I’mexcited to hear what people think of her. Ourproduction is both an homage to Hitchcock and a spoof.FC: The most exciting thing is seeing how many fun,crazy, inventive ideas come out of the collaborationbetween cast, director, designers, and production folks.

…on challenge and collaborationSD: This show is a puzzle, an intensely collaborativeprocess. It’s not my job to have the best idea in theroom. It’s my job to hear the best idea in the room.MW: I should mention that Sean is an incredible puzzlesolver. He came to the table with such great ideas, andhas allowed us, the actors, to add our ideas as theycame. We’ve really enjoyed putting the pieces of thispuzzle together. A scene that’s surprised me in itsdifficulty is when Hannay and Pamela are stuck in theirroom at the McGarrigle’s Hotel, trying to eat sandwich-es while handcuffed to one another. It actually took usabout 45 minutes to figure out how to let the comedy ofthose few minutes within that scene work. SD: It’s a great playground for artists, a great challenge

of a show where you have to figure out how to createmoment after moment, continually topping yourself. It’salso a great play for designers as it asks them to solvescene after scene, and keep reinventing the show ateach scene. JC: The challenge in this play lies more with doing whatis unexpected, and how. The quick changes and whatprops and other materials are needed have been figuredout, so we have a bit of a roadmap. The part that iscreative for us is what that roadmap gets to look like.FC: Specifically plotting every movement of the actors,crew, scenery, and dozens upon dozens of props andcostume pieces from the top of the show, through 35scenes, to the end, while working out how it canall occur smoothly and quickly has been quite achallenge. But it’s amazing that a group of people canput their heads and talents together to turn a book,a movie, an idea, into what we ultimately experience asa full production.

….on this show’s relevanceSD: It’s easy to identify with these characters – feelingbored with life and then feeling as though things arehappening out of your control while you try to regainwho you are. These are all things we struggle with.I think Richard Hannay is an incredibly likeablecharacter, and it will be easy for students to seethemselves in him. MW: The same for the girls, too. What girl wouldn'twant to look totallyglamorous and getto be ridiculous atthe same time, likeAnnabella, Margaretand Pamela? I thinkI share my love oflaughter with manypeople. Laughing canbring people of allages together -- espe-cially physical comedy.Everyone understandshow funny it is to seeone person play two,or five, different char-acters at the same time.Comedy is universal. u

“This show is a puzzle ...”

Above: Joel Van Liew and Aaron Muñozrehearse a scene from The 39 Steps.

John Buchan

John Buchan was born the sonof a clergyman in Perth,

Scotland in 1875. He attendedGlasgow and Oxford

Universities before becoming abarrister and a successful Civil

Servant. He was later appointedGovernor-General of Canada

and honored with the titleBaron Tweedsmuir.

In 1914, bed-ridden from anillness which kept him from

joining Britain’s military effortsin World War I, Buchan began

work on The Thirty-Nine Steps.Completed the following year,

The Thirty-Nine Steps sawthe introduction of Richard

Hannay, a character whowould appear in many

of his later novels.

As an experienced diplomat,Buchan was acutely aware of

the atmosphere of mistrustduring a period of war. Hisexperiences informed The

Thirty-Nine Steps. Buchan,by his own admission, wrote

“tales of a culture on the vergeof savagery” as the British

Empire sought to make senseof a rapidly changing world.

Buchan died in 1940 frominjuries sustained in a fall. He

was fortunate enough towitness The Thirty-Nine Steps

adapted into a well-receivedfilm by Alfred Hitchcock in1935. A John Buchan Centre

and The John Buchan Societynow exist to honor his

lifetime of achievements.

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Seven Hitchcock movies are playfully alluded to in

The 39 Steps:

* North by Northwest* The Birds* Vertigo* Psycho

* Strangers on a Train* Rear Window

* The Wrong Man

Were you able to catch each reference as it happened during

the show? In what way was each film referenced?

Buchan, Hitchcock & Barlow

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was born onAugust 13, 1899, in London, the

son of a poultry dealer. In 1920 hebegan to work in the motion-

picture industry, designing silentmovie title cards for the Famous

Players-Lasky Corporation.

Soon after, Hitchcock became ascenario writer and an assistantdirector before directing his firstfilm in 1925. In 1926 he directedThe Lodger, a silent film about a family who mistakenly suspect

their roomer to be Jack the Ripper. During the 1930s he

directed classic films such as The Man Who Knew Too Muchand The 39 Steps. Following his

move to Hollywood in 1939,Hitchcock directed Rebecca, whichwent on to win the 1940 Academy

Award for Best Picture.

Over the next thirty years,Hitchcock would go on to

produce and direct some of themost popular films of all time,

including Strangers on a Train,Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds.

Hitchcock produced two popularAmerican television series in the 1950s and '60s. His name also appeared on a series of

mystery-story anthologies. Hereceived the American FilmInstitute's Life Achievement

Award in 1979 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980.

Hitchcock died on April 29, 1980 in his Bel Air, California home.

He was 80 years old.

Patrick Barlow

Patrick Barlow was born inEngland on March 18, 1947. He is an actor, playwright

and comedian as well as the founder of the National Theatre of Brent in 1980 under his alterego, Desmond Olivier Dingle. He has appeared in such films

as Shakespeare in Love, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’sDiary and Nanny McPhee.

In addition to the stage, Barlow has written for thescreen, radio and television.

His adaptation of The 39 Steps premiered at West

Yorkshire Playhouse in June of 2005.

“Keep your seats please! No need for panic ladies andgentlemen! Bring on the dancing girls!” - Mr. Memory

5

“Beautiful mysterious woman pursued by gunmen.Sounds like a spy story.” - Richard Hannay

THE NOVEL

* Set in 1914* Opens with Hannay’sspeech about boredom

* Hannay has been in Rhodesia

* The Secret Agent is Franklin P. Scudder

* No romantic subplot* Authentic Spy Thriller

THE FILM* Set in 1935

* Opens with Hannay at Mr. Memory’s performance* Hannay has been in Canada

* The Secret Agent is Annabella Schmidt

* Hannay and Pamela subplot* Authentic Spy Thriller

THE PLAY* Set in 1935

* Opens with Hannay‘s speechabout boredom, then Mr.Memory’s performance

* Hannay has been in Canada* The Secret Agent is Annabella Schmidt

* Hannah and Pamelaromantic subplot

* Tongue-in-cheek Spy Thriller

After you attended The 39 Steps,were you able to identify anyspecific moments in the produc-tion that were reminiscent of oneor more of the following styles?

Farces feature broad humor andcomplicated, highly improbableplots.

Modern comedies showcaseclever dialogue, plot twists, famil-iar scenarios, physical humor,excellent timing, and a happy end-ing.

Pastiche is a work that imitatesother existing works, usually in areferential, ironic, or funny way.

Satire is humor that shows theweaknesses or poor qualities of aperson, government, or society.

Slapstick comedies are oftencharacterized by boisterousaction, obvious farcical situationsor jokes, physical comedy andhorseplay.

Spoofs are good-humoredmocks, imitations, or parodiesof something.

There are three well-known versions of The 39 Steps story, two of which areadaptations – John Buchan’s 1915 novel which was followed by AlfredHitchcock’s film version in 1935 and, much later, Patrick Barlow’s 1996 stageadaptation. Each adaptation, of course, filters the source material throughdistinct sets of criteria in order to accommodate a new telling of the story.

Adaptations are often designed to isolate specific elements of the original storyand then embellish those particular elements – it may be to develop the story ofa minor character or to highlight the ways in which an older story may have anunforeseen relevance for a new audience. Some adaptations are quite faithful tothe original material, keeping much of the dialogue or story structure. Otheradaptations may be only loosely based on the source material.

When Hitchcock adapted Buchan’s novel, he chose to make a significantamount of changes. Hitchcock, for example, removed or altered somecharacters and introduced entirely new characters, such as Mr. Memory.Barlow, in his stage adaption, made several major changes as well. The mostnotable change in Barlow’s adaptation of The 39 Steps is, perhaps, the use of acast of four to play all of the roles, with two of those actors portraying the vastmajority of those parts, sometimes within seconds of one another. Barlow’s plotline is essentially the same as Hitchcock‘s, but where Hitchcock’s versionis suspenseful with humorous elements, Barlow’s adaptation is much morecomedic and played for laughs.

Note, below, some of the many similarities and differences between the threemajor versions of The 39 Steps. u

From Page to Screen to Stage

6Borrowing Style

The stage adaptation of Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps borrows its clever, madcap style from many sources.

Commedia dell’arte was an Italian style of traveling comedy, popular in the 16th-18th centuries, where stockcharacters and standard plot scenarios were featured in improvised storylines. One stock character in particular,a physically agile, witty, acrobatic servant who switched roles frequently, called Arlecchino, reminds us of the twoclowns in The 39 Steps, who play multiple rapidly changing roles and exercise highly comedic, inventive, slapstickstyles of movement. From Commedia dell’arte we also borrow lazzi, short dramatic or overly exaggerated shticksthat are funny, but often have nothing to do with the story itself. For example: a character who pretends to be astatue and moves only when another character’s back is turned, or an actor playing two different characters at thesame time. Be on the lookout for these lazzi moments, and many more, in The 39 Steps.

Elizabethan Theatre was characterized by a bare stage, allowing the show’s language and audience’s imagination(rather than a detailed set) to create the world of the play. Additionally, young men, whose voices had not yetchanged, played female roles because women were not allowed to perform onstage in England until the 1630s. InThe 39 Steps, the male clowns play four female roles, and much of the action on the stage is brought to lifeby language and imagination, with the exception of a few choice set pieces, props, or costumes that come and goas necessary.

Film Noir is a style of 1940s-50s film, usually about crime, that uses dark shadows and stark lighting, ominousatmospheres, cynical characters, and foreboding background music to show the complicated moral nature of asubject. While this style is certainly more prevalent in Hitchcock’s film, hints of film noir – especially the use ofshadows, stark lighting, and silhouette – can be seen as an influence in the comedic stage adaptation as well.

Mystery, Spy Thrillers, and Suspense featuring espionage, secret agents, perilous adventures, ordinary andrelatable characters, disguises to camouflage identity, heroes on the run, daunting tasks, impossible situations,withholding important information from other characters or the audience, providence (being in the right place atright time), narrow escapes with trickery or luck, and chase scenes, were popular during World War I when JohnBuchan wrote his novel The Thirty-Nine Steps. Each of these qualities is present in the Hitchcock film and inBarlow’s stage adaptation as well.

Vaudeville was a style of wild and over-the-top comedic entertainment that was popular in North America in thelate 1800s and early 1900s and showcased a variety of performances including song, dance, dialogue, magic,pantomime, acrobatics, tricks, and other fascinating people or feats. The West End Mr. Memory show featuring Mr.Memory and the Compere in The 39 Steps is a type of variety performance that would have likely been on thevaudeville circuit. u

Hitchcock’s Storytelling Essentials

The following themes explored in The 39 Steps were reoccurring favorites of Alfred Hitchcock in his films:

* The wrong man – a man on the run to prove his innocence

* The ordinary person – an average, relatable (yet often unqualified) person who is thrust into the position of hero

* The MacGuffin – the intentionally vague thing, person, or secret information that everyone is after

* The smooth villain – a charming, handsome, articulate, likeable, upper crust scoundrel

* Train sequences – this closed-in location provokes suspense and only a slim chance of escape

* Blonde women with cool exteriors and warm hearts – beautiful and standoffish at first, but ultimately lovely

* Eruptions of chaos in a theatre – disguise, identity, role-playing and illusion are all common suspense themes

and common theatrical conventions; when pitted together in a theatre, they form the perfect storm

* The pursuit or disclosure of a hidden person – nothing is as it seems

* Music as a story element – used as a prominent storytelling contribution or to advance the plot in some way

Are any of these motifs suggestive of one or more of the styles discussed above or on the opposite page? u

“I don’t doubt you’ll be able to convince Scotland Yard ofyour innocence as easily as you’ve convinced me.”- Sheriff

7Espionage in the 1930s

The practice of espionage, or the obtaining of secret or confidential information without theknowledge of the holder of the information, has been utilized by militaries and governmentsfor centuries. In ancient Japan, for exaple, ninjas were used to gather intelligence. During theCold War era, both the United States and the Soviet Union employed the use of humansources to gather information. Both countries also utilized the option of researching “opensources” – essentially, studying common or public knowledge in an effort to uncoverunderlying information. The United States, in addition, exhibited a preference for the use oftechnological methods of intelligence gathering.

While it is rarely openly discussed and is in violation of many international laws, manynations still conduct espionage against other countries and their governments, whether alliesor enemies. Espionage is employed for many reasons, but most commonly to assessnational strategic capabilities, warn about military or security concerns and, increasingly, tomonitor the financial dealings of other nations.

ANNABELLA: I am being pursued by a very brilliant secret agent of a certainforeign power who is on the point of obtaining highly confidentialinformation VITAL to your air defense.

The espionage organization that Richard Hannay encounters in The 39 Steps is one of manythat existed during the early part of the twentieth-century, many of which are still inoperation today. Espionage played an increasingly prominent role for most governments andmilitaries following the end of World War I in 1917. The war effectively ended with thesigning of the Treaty of Versailles, which placed the vast majority of the blame for the war onGermany and imposed a number of humiliating punishments on the country including thesecession of large areas of land, significant cuts in the strength of their military, the demandto reimburse its enemies for costs incurred during the war and, finally, a public admission ofguilt for setting in motion the events which ultimately led to the war. Adolf Hitler and the NaziParty in Germany would use the frustration of the German people to build popular supportfor their rise to power and the eventual restoration of their political and military aims. It isHitler’s gathering strength which would, in part, lead to the start of World War II. Thisidentification of Germany as an active enemy of England is notable in Barlow’s adaptation,but much less so in Hitchcock’s, and is non-existent in Buchan’s novel.

The 39 Steps takes place in August of 1935, a few years prior to the beginning of World WarII but well into Hitler’s reign as Germany’s determined leader. In its quest to once again beconsidered a dominant world power, the German government used every available means todecipher the motives, movements and strengths of its enemies, including England. One suchmeans was to pay very close attention to the workings of England’s vaunted Royal Air Force,considered by many to be one of the best air defenses in the world. Such information couldaid the Germans in not only better understanding an enemy but in also potentially restoringthe German military to its former glory. It is into this world of secrecy, deceptionand military aspirations that Richard Hannay unwittingly stumbles and in which he mustrepeatedly attempt to survive. u

“Sharp. Intellegent. Utterly ruthless. When the war comesthese will be the exact qualities we need.” – Professor Jordan

Research theespionageefforts of

several countriesduring the

1930s. How didtheir methods and

goals compareto one another?

Considerespionage in

the 21st century.Which methodsof surveillancefrom the past

are still in use?How have theybeen updatedor modified?How has thatimpacted theireffectiveness?Portions of this page have been adapted with kind permission from

the City Theatre’s Educator Resource Guide for The 39 Steps.

Above: CostumeDesigner Jen Caprio’sconcept for Professor

Jordan, seen hereas portrayed byJoel Van Liew

8Where in the World is Richard Hannay?

Five modes of transportation are shown onstage in The39 Steps, including: train, plane, police car, a reindeer,and good old fashioned feet (with a little bit ofswimming thrown in there as well!).

Six primary outdoor locations are represented onstagein The 39 Steps, including: trains, the Forth Bridge,outside of the crofter’s cottage, the Scottish moors, thestreets, and the outside of Alt-na-Schallach.

Eight primary indoor locations are represented onstagein The 39 Steps, including: Hannay's flat, the music hall,the crofter's cottage, the professor's study in Alt-na-Schallach, the sheriff's office, the assembly hall, theMcGarrigle’s hotel lobby and hotel bedroom, and TheLondon Palladium.

How do we create all of these locations and modes of transportation on stage? Keep reading as several membersof the design and production team explain their process. u

Celebrating TheatricalityDirector Sean Daniels describes The 39 Steps as a “celebration of allthings theatrical and cinema.” Hitchcock pioneered the use of light-ing, shadows, and particular camera angles to inform the action andsuspense of his films. In turn, our production will also use“cinematic lighting in a theatrical setting” to create a similar effect.Typically, designers try to avoid the appearance of shadows onstagesince we want the audience to see everything that is happening.However, for this production, we actually want there to be someshadows, like you’d find in a Hitchcock film, and we’ll also be usingplenty of silhouette and puppetry to achieve that look as well.

Our production is all about celebrating theatricality. At theperformance, you will never forget that you are in a theatre,watching a play. Audience members will see the crew movingaround the stage and, on occasion, interacting with the actors. Costume changes and character doubling will occurbefore your eyes. At the first rehearsal, Daniels referred to this as a “torture play” where we see the mechanics asthey happen, and we watch the actors sweat and navigate a show that was “built to break.” Through the mightyefforts of the show’s designers, director, stage manager, and crew, everything is created to ensure that the actorsare safe, comfortable, and able to focus on their characters and the telling of this story (for example, the use ofknee pads beneath costumes, soft pads on the insides of handcuffs, and conveniently placed, easily changeablecostume pieces). While everything is intended to be meticulous and consistent, with so much chaos occurringonstage, each performance is also bound to be unique in its challenges and successes. One of the greatest, mostintricate, and most fun tasks of producing The 39 Steps is the collaborative invention and creative problem solvingrequired by the production team and the actors to make seemingly impossible feats not only work, but work in away that is smooth, funny, and true to the story. u

“Police are closing in with specialist squads in fugitiveapprehension by foot, road, and - by air!” - Radio Announcer

Above: The cast and crew of The 39 Steps rehearse thepuppet scene and adjust its mechanics in the rehearsal hall.

From the Costume DesignerA few words from costume designer Jen Caprio:

Geva: Where did you draw your inspiration increating the costumes for The 39 Steps?

Jen Caprio: Many different places - the 1930s ingeneral, film noir, and Hitchcock, of course. I've alwaysbeen a fan of his films and the design of them. I listenedto a lot of 1930s music while researching as well - thatwas helpful. Annie Leibovitz did a great series called"Killers Kill, Dead Men Die" which I looked at formodern "period" inspiration.

Geva: Do you have a favorite design from the show?

Jen Caprio: The sheep are my favorite costume.And I won’t say why – it’ll give it away.

(Check out more of Jen’s costume renderings andinspiration photos on her Pinterest page for The39 Steps: http://www.pinterest.com/jennifercaprio/39-steps/) u

From the Scenic Designer“Because the play is essentially a story-telling piece, it was easy to let the words do most of the work. Otherproductions of The 39 Steps have been done with as little as a few trunks to full blown location sets. We landedsomewhere in the middle. We wanted a fun environment that spoke to the spirit of the piece, but was not

a literal ‘location’ in the play. The spirit ofthis piece was drawn from graphics fromHitchcock films. How that translated to thespace was abstract research from anarchitectural publication. In our case, the set is asophistocated playground with the sense ofrichness of an old movie theatre that everythingelse moves within. We have gone through a greateffort to recreate the feel of the original days ofthe building Geva is in now. Then, as thebig red curtains draw back, you see a bit of atopsy-turvy world that feels like the graphicsfrom Hitchcock's Vertigo, decorated withcandles, because so much of Hitchcock'simagery comes from shadows, and you’ve gotto have light to have shadows! Thiswhole piece is a dance on and off stage. Youwill be surprised by the combination ofimaginative locations, and how the whole spacecomes together to help tell the story.”– Michael Raiford, Scenic Designer u

“Well - is it true that the ladies paint their toe-nails? And put rouge and lipsticks on their faces?” - Margaret

1

3

2

4

3 41. & 2. Scenic design inspirations; 3. Scenic model rendering;4. Actual scenic model with portable furniture pieces

9

1

4 5 6

7 8 9

2 3

1. Annabella inspiration; 2. Annabella costume rendering 3. Clowns inspiration; 4. Pamela inspiration

5. Pamela costume rendering; 6. Clowns base costume rendering; 7. Richard Hannay inspiration; 8. Richard Hannay costume rendering;

9. Clowns dressed costume rendering

[Stage direction: Glares into the wings.Hisses under his breath.] “PUT IT DOWN!” - Richard Hannay

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Staff

SkipGreer

Director ofEducation/Artist in

Residence

LaraRhynerAssociate

Director ofEducation

EricEvans

EducationAdministrator

JeanGordon

RyonDramaturg

MarkCuddyArtisticDirector

TomParrishExecutiveDirector

From the Stage ManagerIn a production with frequent, rapid costume changes, numerous scenic elements enteringand exiting the stage throughout the show, multiple lighting, sound, and special effects cues,and four actors who play over 40 characters and are onstage practically the entire time,a clever and precise stage manager and crew is absolutely crucial. Frank Cavallo, StageManager for The 39 Steps explains some of what his job entails:

“Because this production is such a physical piece and so dependent on the tech elements(sets, costumes, lights, sound, special effects, etc.), the stage management team’s job is todo our best to improvise and help imagine (in the rehearsal hall) what the actual environ-ment will be like once we get onstage because we have so little time to rehearse in thatactual environment. Once we’re into performances the crew has to be meticulous and veryconsistent in maintaining that environment – that all scenery, props, and costume piecesare where they belong. The same applies to any lighting and sound cues or special effects.The actors have to be able to trust that everything that surrounds them will beconsistently there and consistently accurate, so they can focus on what they do so well.” u

ResourcesBooksHitchcock’s Notebooks by Dan Auiler

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

Hitchcock Piece by Piece by Laurent Bouzereau

Find the Director and Other Hitchcock Games by Thomas M. Leitch

The Encyclopedia of Alfred Hitchcock by Thomas Leitch

A Year of Hitchcock: 52 Weeks with the Master of Suspense by Jim McDevitt andEric San Juan

Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light by Patrick McGilligan

The Art of Alfred Hitchcock: Fifty Years of His Motion Pictures by Donald Spoto

Tortured Artists by Christopher Zara

Websiteshttp://thefw.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-alfred-hitchcock/

http://moviesdrop.com/alfred-hitchcock-interesting-facts/

http://voices.yahoo.com/presenting-ten-things-didnt-know-alfred-5173555.html?cat=2

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2012/20-facts-you-dont-know-about-alfred-hitchcock/2/

MiscelllaneousThe 39 Steps film by Alfred Hitchcock

http://www.dictionary.reference.com (for defintions of British slang used in The 39 Steps)

Book titles and DVD available through the Monroe County Public Library System

Tickets on sale now for ...

To reserve seats please call (585) 420-2035

75 Woodbury BoulevardRochester, New York 14607

Box Office: (585) 232-Geva (4382)Education Department: (585) 420-2035

www.gevatheatre.org

Ames-Amzalak Memorial Trust in Memory of Henry Ames, Semon Amzalak and Dan Amzalak

Canandaigua National BankCornell/Weinstein Family FoundationDonald F. & Maxine B. Davison FoundationLouise W. EpsteinExcellus BlueCross BlueShieldFeinbloom Supporting Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. John F. LausinM&T BankDavid & Sharon MathiasonGuido & Ellen Palma FoundationTarget StoresMr. & Mrs. Michael & Ellen TuoheyElaine P. & Richard U. Wilson FoundationLouis S. & Molly B. Wolk FoundationWollner Charitable Trust

P.L.A.Y. Student Matinee Series SponsorCanandaigua National Bank

Passport Program SponsorExcellus BlueCross BlueShield

Leadership support for the PassportProgram provided by The Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation

Executive ProducerNocon & Associates,

A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

Associate ProducerDawn & Jacques Lipson, MDTime Warner CableElaine P. and Richard U.

Wilson Foundation

Assistant ProducerThe Cannan GroupCOMIDAKenron Industrial Air

Conditioning, Inc

DirectorDixon-SchwablESL Federal Credit UnionSuzanne GouvernetJoanna & Michael GrosodoniaHome PropertiesJack & Barbara Kraushaar

LaBella Associates, PCLawley AssociatesLLD EnterprisesMengel, Metzger,

Barr & Co. LLPREDCOM Laboratories, Inc.Rochester Red Wings

With additional support fromConolly PrintingFioravanti FloristFull Belly DeliHarold & Christine Kurland, MD

LeChase ConstructionLeo's Bakery & DeliMoonlight CreameryJulie Emily PetitThe Simon School of BusinessJoshua Stubbe &

Katherine BaynesTasteful Connections CateringUSA Payroll

Summer Curtain Call Supporters

Thank you to the supporters of the 2013 Summer Curtain Call Event, our annual gala in support of our education programs.

Education PartnersThank you to our corporate and foundation donors who support our education programs.

(Donors are listed for the time period 8/1/2012 through 10/7/2013)

Interested in sponsoring Geva’s Educational

programming? Contact Bonnie Butkas at

(585) 420-2041

By Charles Dickens | Adapted by Mark Cuddy | Music & Lyrics by Gregg Coffin

Dec. 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 17th & 18th | All performances at 10:30 a.m.

Recommended for all audiences (age 5 and up)

By Bruce Norris

February 25th, 27th and March 6th at 10:30 a.m.

Recommended for mature high school audiences

By Neil SimonMay 1st at 10:30 a.m.

Recommended for middle school and up