ALL MY SONS By Arthur Miller A Study Guide For the Oct. 10, 2007 Radford University Performance
By Jennifer Juul Radford University Department of Theatre and Cinema Fall 2007
Introductory Note to Teachers The purpose of this study guide is to enhance the experience of high school students who attend Radford University’s production of All My Sons. In these pages, you’ll find background information as well as activities for the students. Feel free to Xerox directly from this guide. Activities include a listing of some of the applicable citations from the Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools. If you would like an electronic copy of this guide, please visit the theatre department’s website at http://theatre.asp.radford.edu/on_stage/on_stage.htm.
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ABOUT ARTHUR MILLER Arthur Miller (1915-2005) is one of America’s most celebrated and accomplished playwrights. In addition to All My Sons, Miller’s famous plays include Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, and After the Fall. After growing up in New York, Miller attended the University of Michigan. He began writing plays and novels, but it wasn’t until All My Sons opened in 1947 that he became well-known. In the 1950s, he was investigated and blacklisted as a Communist by the House Committee on un-American Activities. He was married three times (once to the actress Marilyn Monroe). Arthur Miller lived a long and productive life in theatre and film. He was a prolific voice for his country, speaking out through his plays and essays on the foremost political and social issues of the 20th century.
In a conversation about Death of a Salesman, Miller once said, "A time will come when they will look back at us astonished that we saw something holy in the competition for the means of existence. But already we are beginning to ask of the great man, not what he has got, but what he has done for the world. Every man has an image of himself which fails in one way or another to correspond with reality. It's the size of the discrepancy between illusion and reality that matters. The closer a man gets to knowing himself, the less likely he is to trip up on his own illusions." (Arthur Miller, in Arthur Miller Grew in Brooklyn by Murray Schumach, February 6, 1949) This quote seems equally appropriate for the play All My Sons.
PLOT SYNOPSIS On a beautiful Sunday morning in August 1947, Joe Keller reads the paper and enjoys the company of his neighbors (Frank and Jim), his wife (Kate), and his son (Chris). Ann Deever, who used to be the ‘girl next door,’ has come to visit. Chris especially has been looking forward to Ann’s visit, because he intends to ask her to marry him. If his parents don’t give Chris and Ann their blessing, Chris is prepared to leave the family business go his own way. When Chris’s mother, Kate, learns of the love between Ann and Chris, she is
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unable to accept it because it would be an admission of her younger son’s death. Ann used to be engaged to Chris’s younger brother, Larry, who has been missing in action since his plane went down during World War Two three and a half years earlier. Joe is reluctant to give his blessing to the marriage as well, but for other reasons. Ann’s father, Steve, ran a factory with Joe during the war. However, Steve is now in prison, convicted of knowingly shipping out faulty engine cylinder heads to the Army Air Force. Although Joe and Steve had both been convicted, Joe’s conviction was overturned and he was exonerated. Joe has always maintained his innocence, but he did not escape public scandal. Many of his neighbors still suspect his involvement and his wife, Kate, warns him to “be smart” about the whole situation. Just after Ann and Chris reveal their love to one another, the Kellers receive a phone call from Ann’s brother, George. George calls from Columbus, where he has been visiting his father in prison, and insists on coming to the Keller home. George’s impending visit makes everyone uneasy, but the Kellers welcome him nonetheless. George arrives and maintains that Joe is still guilty. George tries to convince Ann to leave with him and not marry Chris, but Ann refuses. Kate lets slip that Joe may not have been sick during the war—the fact on which Joe’s alibi rests. Chris, heartbroken over his father’s guilt, runs off. By two o’clock in the morning, Chris has not returned. His neighbor, Jim, goes out to look for him. Kate and Joe fear that Chris will never come back. Kate suggests that Joe might redeem himself in Chris’s eyes if he turns himself in. Ann has locked herself in her room, but comes out to reveal that she will keep Joe’s secret if Kate and Joe will admit that Larry is dead. Desperate to be with Chris, she shows Kate a suicide letter written by Larry on the day he died. In the letter, Larry says he is so angry upon hearing about his father’s guilt in the newspapers that he is going out on a mission never to return. Chris finally returns and, although he is prepared to live with his father’s secret, discovers the letter. In spite of Kate’s warnings, Chris forces Joe to listen to the letter. Upon hearing that his son, Larry, was angry enough to kill him, Joe goes inside to get his coat. However, the others hear a gunshot from inside the house and discover that Joe has ended his own life.
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CHARACTERS AND SETTING Joe Keller – a 61-year old factory owner, husband, and father. He lives in northern Ohio with his wife, Kate, and son, Chris. Joe did not grow up with many advantages, but he is a self-made man. He has worked his whole life to support his family. In the past, he was accused of knowingly shipping out defective airplane parts from his factory. However, his conviction was overturned and he has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Arthur Miller refers to Joe Keller as “a man among men.” Kate Keller (Mother) – Joe’s wife. She is very passionate and intelligent, and therefore very good at bringing people around to her way of thinking. She has not given up hope that her missing son, Larry, will come home one day. Chris Keller – the oldest son of Joe and Kate Keller. Chris works alongside his father, helping him manage the factory. Chris fought bravely in World War Two, but was changed by his experience. Chris is a loyal, hardworking son. Ann Deever - the ‘girl next door’ when Chris was growing up. Ann used to be engaged to Chris’s brother, Larry. However, she and Chris have grown very fond of one another during the last year. When the action of the play begins, Ann has come back to visit the Kellers. George Deever – Ann’s older brother. George and Chris are the same age. George also served in the war. After being wounded in the line of duty, George came home and became a lawyer. He lives with Ann and their mother in New York. Jim Bayliss – Joe’s next door neighbor. Jim and his wife, Sue, now live in the house where the Deevers used to live. Jim and Chris are very close friends, having served in World War Two together. Jim is a doctor. Kate is one of his patients. Sue Bayliss – Jim’s wife. Sue is an experienced nurse. She is a bit cynical about life. She loves her husband, but she sometimes feels unappreciated. Frank Lubey – Joe’s other next door neighbor. Frank is a successful businessman who is into astrology. Frank grew up in the neighborhood with Chris and George. However, Frank didn’t have to serve in the war. Lydia Lubey – Frank’s wife and the mother of his three children. Lydia used to date George when they were growing up. She is sweet and generous. Bert – a curious eight-year-old boy who lives down the street.
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These characters are not seen onstage, but are important to the play: Larry Keller – Chris’s younger brother, and Joe and Kate’s younger son. Larry was an Army Air Force pilot in the South Pacific who disappeared while flying off the coast of China on November 25th, 1944. After Larry was reported missing, the Kellers planted a tree in his honor. Steve Deever – Ann and George’s father, and Joe’s former business partner. When Joe and Steve were accused of knowingly manufacturing faulty airplane parts, Joe was exonerated while Steve was convicted and sent to prison. He is incarcerated at the state penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. Setting: The private back yard of the Keller home in Northern Ohio. August, 1947.
GLOSSARY Here are some names and terms found in the play that may be unfamiliar: Andy Gump – an average middle-class character from a popular comic strip Broadcloth – a woven fabric with a smooth finish Casanova – (1725-1798) a famous seducer of women; a womanizer. Dast – another way of saying “dares.” Don Ameche – (1908-1993) a popular film star of the 1930s and 1940s. George Bernard Shaw – (1856-1950) a brilliant English writer known for his wit and wordplay. Haberdashering – selling men’s hats and suits. (President Harry Truman started out as a haberdasher.) Hair shirt – a scratchy undershirt worn by martyrs. Mahatma Gandhi – (1869-1948) acclaimed non-violent leader of India during the 20th century. P-40 – one of the most common fighter planes used in World War Two. Post Toasties – a popular cereal during the 1940s. Roué – a lecherous man. Zeppelin – a type of balloon that was fueled by gas and carried passengers or cargo.
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DIRECTING AND DESIGN CONCEPTS Radford University has been working for several months in order to prepare this production. Last year, the members of the Theatre & Cinema department worked together to choose which plays we would produce. After this show was chosen, the director and designers began reading, researching, drawing, and imagining. During the summer, the director and designers began meeting to figure out how to tell the story onstage. It was the director’s job to help the designers come up with ideas and figure out the best way to bring out the action and themes in the play. The scenic designer, costume designer, sound designer, and lighting designer have created the world that you see onstage.
Students and faculty have been working closely together on the design
team for All My Sons.
REHEARSALS Rehearsing and performing this wonderful play has been hard work, but also a lot of fun. At the beginning of the school year, the director cast the actors. The actors auditioned with a dramatic monologue and read from the play. Casting was competitive, with many talented actors auditioning. The actors rehearsed for weeks to bring their characters to life. In addition, the technicians began working backstage in order to make sure everything flowed smoothly and safely. It took a lot of help from everyone, from the Props Master to the Guest Artist to the Ushers. Most of the people involved in putting the production together are Radford University students.
GUEST ARTIST: CONRAD JOHN SCHUCK This fall, the Radford University Department of Theatre and Cinema welcomes Conrad John Schuck to the Pridemore stage to take on the tour-de-force role of Joe Keller. Known as John Schuck onscreen, he has achieved great success as a character actor in films, television, and theatre. He is still recognized on the street for his television performances in "McMillan and Wife," "The Munsters Today," and "Law & Order: SVU" among others. Trekkies may or may not recognize him behind the Klingon makeup from his roles in Star Trek IV and VI and on "Star Trek: Voyager." A favorite of groundbreaking director Robert Altman, Mr. Schuck gave memorable performances in such films as M*A*S*H, Thieves Like
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Us, and McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Mr. Schuck is no stranger to the stage, having started out in the theatre. He is especially well-known for his performance of Daddy Warbucks in the long-running Broadway musical Annie, but has over eighty plays to his credit on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on London's West End, and in America's regional theatres. This will be the first time Mr. Schuck has taken on the challenging role of Joe Keller, a selfmade factory owner accused of manufacturing defective airplane parts which killed twenty-one World War Two pilots.
ENJOYING THE PLAY We want to create a theatre production that everyone finds meaningful. Going to a play can be an exciting event, especially if you’ve never been to the theatre before. You can help the actors and technicians do their best, help your classmates enjoy it, and have a great experience yourself by following these guidelines: •
Please only eat and drink outside the theatre. If you are chewing gum, please throw it in a trash can before you go in.
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Please do not sit on the chair backs and keep clear of aisles or doorways.
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Please turn off your cell phones and do not use cameras or any other electronic gadgets. Taking pictures can be dangerous to the actors. Text messaging during the performance is also extremely distracting to the actors and to fellow audience members.
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Please follow the instructions of your teachers, the house managers, and the ushers.
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Please pay quiet attention to the show so you don’t miss a thing. Although it is tempting to talk to your neighbors during the show, remember that you can always talk to them after it is over.
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SOLs for Class Activities (others may also apply): English: 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.5, 9.6, 10.1, 10.3, 10.6, 10.7, 10.9, 10.10, 11.1, 11.3, 11.4, 11.6, 11.7, 12.1, 12.3, 12.6 Theatre: TI.10, TI.11, TI.15, TI.16, TII.9, TII.13, TII.15, TII.18, TIII.15, TIV.10, TIV.13, TIV.16, TIV.17
CLASS ACTIVITY: DISCUSSION, PAPER, OR PROJECT QUESTIONS Why do you imagine that Arthur Miller wanted to write this play? Which of the acting performances did you find to be the strongest? Did the actors seem to fit the roles in which they were cast? Which costume seemed to reveal the most about a character’s personality? How did the lighting help to tell the story in the play? How did the production flow? Was the pacing smooth and the timing well-coordinated? How did the staging help to communicate the dramatic action of the play? What were the most important messages in this play? How would you describe the Keller back yard, which is the setting of this play? What was going on in the world in 1947, when the play takes place? How do parents relate to their children in the play? Which characters, in your opinion, need to take responsibility for their actions? Why was Joe home sick when the faulty parts were sent out? How do the Kellers’ neighbors feel about them? In your opinion, what makes a serious play a “tragedy?” What are the parallels between the home front during World War Two and the home front during the War on Terror? What similarities exist between All My Sons and the world today? What evidence of war profiteering can be found in the news headlines today?
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ACTIVITY: CHARACTER ANALYSIS Choose one of the characters in the play and create a character analysis using what you know about the play and its historical and cultural context. Answer the questions in the first person, as if you were that character. Here are some questions to get you started: 1) What is your full name? 2) What makes you an interesting person? 3) Where do you live? 4) What is your physical age? Mental age? Emotional age? 5) What is your Status/Position in society? 6) What are your Personality traits when you’re at the top of your game? 7) How much education have you had? 8) What are your spiritual beliefs? 9) How much respect do you have for authority/government? 10) How much respect do you have for other human beings? 11) Choose one word that fits you to a "T." 12) What do you want out of life? 13) What do you do to achieve these lifelong goals? 14) What obstacles do you face? 15) What do you sound like when you speak? 16) How do you move? 17) If you were an animal, what sort of animal would you be? Why? 18) How do others treat you?
ACTIVITY: BACKSTORY After reading or watching the play, students can work together to create a timeline of the given circumstances, or important events that occurred prior to the actual beginning of the play. Because so much of All My Sons revolves around uncovering secrets from the past, it was important for the actors, director, and designers to try to figure out exactly what happened to bring about the situation in the play.
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FOR FURTHER STUDY: http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/ (The Arthur Miller Society Official Website) http://www.guthrietheater.org/sites/default/files/sons.pdf (An excellent study guide from the 2002 Minneapolis production of All My Sons) Bigsby, Christoper ed. The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Griffin, Alice. Understanding Arthur Miller. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Miller, Arthur. All My Sons. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1974.
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Teacher Evaluation Because providing quality theatre for our community is so important to us, we’d like to know what you and your students thought of your theatre experience. Please take a few minutes to fill out this evaluation and mail or fax it back to us at: Radford University Department of Theatre & Cinema PO Box 6969 RUS Radford, VA 24142 Fax: (540) 831-6313 Overall, how much would you say your students enjoyed the show? 1
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Was attending the play an educational experience? 1
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Which elements of the study guide did you find most useful?
What aspect of the play did students identify with the most?
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Excellent
Which stories would you like to see onstage in future productions?
Whom should we contact regarding next year’s season?
Thank you! We also appreciate it when students send us feedback or creative projects completed after seeing the show. If you’d like to email a member of the cast, please let us know at
[email protected].
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Contact Information For questions regarding the production of All My Sons, please contact: Jennifer Juul, Director Assistant Professor
[email protected] (540) 831-5207 For future bookings, please contact: Monica Weinzapfel, Professor
[email protected] (540) 831-5705 General Information: Radford University Department of Theatre & Cinema PO Box 6969 RUS Radford, VA 24142 Tel: (540) 831-5141 Fax: (540) 831-6313 Visit us on the web at http://www.runet.edu/~theatre/ The Radford University Department of Theatre & Cinema is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre. The department’s comprehensive B.A. and B.S. programs provide a solid liberal arts education along with more advanced training in acting, directing, technical theatre, history and literature, and cinema. The department produces an annual mainstage and studio season featuring a variety of theatre offerings for the University and the local community. Upcoming Productions: Trust: One Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith by Jack Neary Children’s playwright Jack Neary joins forces with the Radford University Department of Theatre and Cinema to create a very special new play for young audiences celebrating Virginia’s 400th anniversary! December 1, 2007, 10 am and 2 pm Pippin by Roger Hirson and Stephen Schwartz An audience favorite, Pippin is a clever and entertaining musical sensation presented by the Departments of Theatre and Cinema, Music, and Dance! April 9-13, 2008
