Andrew Lloyd WebbeR David Ian and The Really Useful Group present
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Richard Rodgers Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Book by HOWARD LINDSAY and RUSSEL CROUSE Music by
Suggested by “THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Education Resource Pack
Contents Introduction [ Page 2 Synopsis [ Page 3 The Production Fulfilling a Dream: Andrew Lloyd Webber [ Page 4 Dreams Really Do Come True – Step by Step: How the Show Was Made [ Page 5 Diary of an Actress: Sophie Bould as Liesl [ Page 7 Who’s Who Behind the Scenes [ Page 9 Historical Background The True Story of the Von Trapp Family [ Page 10 What Happened next to the Von Trapp Family? [ Page 12 The Journey of Maria’s Story [ Page 13 Follow Up Activities My Favourite Things [ Page 14 Design Your Own Costumes [ Page 15 Writing About the Play 1 [ Page 16 Writing About the Play 2 [ Page 17 Glossary [ Page 18 Producers [ Page 19 Bibliography and Further Resources [ Page 20
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Introduction In this Education Resource Pack we have included a variety of background information and follow up activities to enhance your students’ experience of a visit to our wonderful stage production of The Sound of Music. We would highly recommend it to children and young people of all ages. Younger children will enjoy the music, the dancing and the beautiful sets, as well as the fabulous performances by children of their own age. Older children will be able to create their own response to the themes of the show and we have included a series of follow up ideas with particular reference to KS2. Each page also indicates curriculum links for primary or secondary teaching. The historical background to the play would make an excellent starting point for history and citizenship topics, and there is a wealth of information of particular interest to students of Drama, Dance or Expressive Arts at BTEC, GCSE or A Level. We hope you find this pack useful. Enjoy the show!
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Synopsis In 1930s Austria a young girl called Maria, with a religious devotion and a passion for singing, is struggling to fit into life in a convent. When a nearby household needs a governess, she is sent by the Mother Abbess to look after the children of a widowed naval Captain, Georg von Trapp. Her fun-loving nature and natural creativity soon infect the children and they learn to play and, of course, sing – in contrast to the stern upbringing their father would prefer. The oldest daughter, Liesl, is in love with the local telegram delivery boy, Rolf, while her father is courting a rich Viennese woman, Baroness Schraeder. However, it becomes clear, first to the children and finally to Maria herself, that the Captain is really in love with her. Meanwhile, Nazism and the eventual occupation of Austria by Germany is casting a shadow over all their lives. The Captain is fiercely patriotic and cannot agree with the Baroness, or his friend Max, about giving in to the inevitable German takeover. As the family’s predicament becomes more dangerous, Max finds a way out and persuades the Captain to sing with his family at the Salzburg music festival, during which they escape, pursued by soldiers.
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Curriculum Links: Music/BTEC Performing Arts/Drama/Expressive Arts
Fulfilling A Dream: Andrew Lloyd Webber 8.30am, 19 May 1961. I remember the date and time vividly. I was 13. School was Westminster. Elvis was king. Number one in the British charts was Floyd Cramer’s ‘On the Rebound’. It would be disingenuous to suggest that there was not a mocking tone directed at me by the occupants of my school common room. ‘Look at this Lloydy. Have you read this one? It says if you are a diabetic craving extra sweetness take a load of insulin to the Palace Theatre and you will not fail to thrill to The Sound of Music.’ The reason for this celebration of stinkeroo reviews was that I had been the night before to the opening of the London production of The Sound of Music. I had written a fan letter to Richard Rodgers and amazingly he had replied. So not only did I see a dress rehearsal of The Sound of Music but I got a ticket in the upper circle for the opening. All of this was a cause of much mirth among my school companions. For in those days probably the most unfashionable cause you could champion in Britain was the musical. My first encounter with Rodgers and Hammerstein was via my father. He was then director of composition at the Royal College of Music. On my tenth birthday he interrupted my endless replays of ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and insisted that he play me something. Onto the battered 78 record player was plonked Ezio Pinza singing ‘Some Enchanted Evening’. Then Dad played it on the piano. Before he let me back to my room, he told me a story I shall always remember. Dad used to compose what was then called ‘light’ music under a pen name. In 1948, he had been to see his publisher at Chappells, Teddy Holmes. Holmes was also Rodgers and Hammerstein’s publisher in Britain. ‘Bill,’ he had said to my Dad, ‘this will send the birth rate up.’ I can’t remember whether I then completely understood what Holmes was driving at, but on my tenth birthday Rodgers and Hammerstein joined Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers as heroes. I know why. Great melody has always deeply affected me and Rodgers is possibly the 20th century’s greatest tune writer. This is not to deny Hammerstein’s enormous contribution. The simplicity of his lyrics is truly deceptive. Take ‘People Will Say We’re in Love’. Thousands of songs, even well-known songs, make the few rhymes for ‘love’ sound contrived. ‘Don’t start collecting things/Give me my rose and my glove/Sweetheart, they’re suspecting things/ People will say we’re in love’ does no such thing. It seems hard today to believe that a musical such as Carousel was considered among the 1961 kitchen sink drama embued chattering classes to be sentimental rubbish. On the morning of 19 May 1961 The Sound of Music was considered by 1961 theatricals to be completely beyond the pale. I remember the
director of The Boy Friend, Vida Hope, lecturing me on the New York version, saying it was cringe-makingly ludicrous with a 50-year-old woman (Mary Martin) capering around the stage pretending she was 20 with a gang of nauseating children. In short The Sound of Music was not the flavour of the month with the opinion makers of 19 May 1961. However, I remember among what even Richard Rodgers described in his autobiography as devastating reviews one which was spot on. The cut of its jib was that somewhere in the 21st century a lonely astronaut will be singing the unbelievably catchy tunes of what may be the greatest popular score ever written. This scribe had hit the red button. I have for years wanted to produce The Sound of Music myself. The theatre show is wonderfully crafted and I have always wanted to see the show cast with a young Maria who you really do believe climbs a tree and scrapes her knees. But to find someone aged 20 who was a big enough name to fill the London Palladium seemed a tall order to both myself and my co-producer David Ian. A promising discussion or two with Scarlett Johansson, who obviously ticked every box and by the way can really sing, sadly led nowhere. After this, both David and I thought the project was undoable. That is why we wondered if the show could be cast on TV. A year after David and I initially approached the BBC we found ourselves spending the summer in a way we never thought we would ever do; having a great time with Graham Norton on live primetime TV. It is a serious and great pleasure to David and I that not only do we believe we discovered the perfect Maria in Connie Fisher, but that several of our girls are already on the path of successful careers. We are proud that over eight million people saw the final of a show devoted to musical theatre and even more proud that we know that Maria has rejuvenated the public appetite not just for The Sound of Music but for musicals across the board. Jeremy Sams and I did not want to stage a version of the movie, so this production follows the original theatre script with a few exceptions. We have added ‘I Have Confidence in Me’ from the film and substituted the song ‘An Ordinary Couple’ in Act II with the wonderful ‘Something Good’ that Richard Rodgers wrote for the movie, not just the music but also the words. I believe it is one of his greatest tunes and a fitting swansong from one of the finest melodists of all time. I hope in fulfilling a dream that I have had since the morning of 19 May 1961 that we are doing justice to a musical that arguably contains the best-loved songs of all time. November 2006
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Curriculum Links: BTEC/GCSE Performing Arts • Business/Technical Studies
Dreams Really Do Come True A step by step account of how the show was made
Planning Years of dreaming and planning finally made it possible for Andrew Lloyd Webber & David Ian to announce their new production of The Sound of Music at the beginning of 2006. Permission The rights to The Sound of Music are controlled by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, so no production can take place unless they agree to it. Fortunately, Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a long working relationship with them and after careful negotiations, they gave him and David the go-ahead. Investment Mounting a West End show is an expensive business. Lloyd Webber worked with David Ian, his co-producer and Ianís company, Live Nation, to raise the money for the show to go ahead. This means they had to ask companies and individuals to invest. If the show did well, investors would get a share of the profits, but there is always a risk in theatre that there will not be any profits. Ian and Lloyd Webber showed that they had faith in their project by matching the inward investment with money from their own companies. Venue It was important to get the right theatre. The London Palladium has been a favourite for spectacular family musicals since the 1970s. It seats 2,283 people but still has an intimate atmosphere. It would be ready for The Sound of Music at the end of 2006. A Director The producers’ first choice was Jeremy Sams and they were delighted when Sams accepted the job. Sams has worked
extensively as a theatre director in the West End, nationally and internationally, as well as composing, arranging and directing music for over 50 shows for film, theatre, television and radio. He also wrote the book for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was a huge success at the Palladium and on tour. Choices Many important artistic choices had to be made about staging this new production of the show. Most audience members would be familiar with the film version, but this show is based on the original book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, written for the first stage production. It was important to meet people’s expectations, while also introducing them to the exciting live experience of seeing the story unfold on stage. Working closely with designer Robert Jones and associate director Anna Lindstrum, Jeremy Sams planned the structure and blocking of the show. Casting The most important choice of all would be in the casting of Maria. It would be a challenge to find a performer with the right look, the right voice, enough experience and, yet, who would look young enough to play a 20-year-old tomboy who climbs trees. Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian took the unusual step of casting Maria’s part through a reality TV show on the BBC. Open auditions were held and a school for aspiring Marias was set up, to ensure that the girls had the best possible opportunity to develop their skills. When Connie Fisher won the final, over eight million people were watching at home. The production had created a new household name overnight and created professional opportunities for several of the runners up.
Continues on page 6
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Curriculum Links: BTEC/GCSE Performing Arts • Business/Technical Studies
From page 5
Design The design vision was formed after a week of discussion about shapes: curves would represent the freedom of nature in the mountains and landscapes; straight lines would represent the confines of the abbey and the house. Colours would also be used to emphasise the contrasting environments: the natural, lush green of the outdoors contrasting with the pale interiors. Maria’s curtains would bring the colours of nature into the Von Trapp house. Robert Jones, the designer, visited Salzburg to make sure the visual impression was absolutely accurate: he also researched exactly the styles, textures and shapes of clothes from Austria in the 1930s. He collected photographs, sketches and fabric samples to develop the authentic visual style of the piece, then worked closely with Jeremy Sams to create a storyboard, scene by scene, for each location. Every scene change was designed to be as smooth as possible, like a film, moving the audience on to each new location without stopping. Putting it all together In a room at the top of the Cambridge Theatre, Jones spent weeks building a set model. He created detailed drawings for Matt Towell, the production manager, whose job was to liaise with the production team, set builders, building staff and the
health and safety advisor. Certain parts of the set, including large trucks and a travelator, were built early on so that they could be installed in the rehearsal room. The rest of the set had to be constructed and fitted up in the Palladium, in time for the technical rehearsals to begin. Using Jones’s detailed drawings, the 400 costumes were sewn together, while lists of props and furniture were drawn up. Some of the props had to be made or found, in time for rehearsals, others could be introduced at the technical rehearsals. Rehearsals Rehearsals began with workshops run by Sams with chorographer Arlene Phillips and children’s director Frank Thompson. Six adult actors were employed to take the parts of the children. This enabled all the blocking and relationships to be worked out before the children themselves arrived, making it simpler and less tiring for them. The company spent four weeks working intensively in the rehearsal rooms before moving into the Palladium for two weeks of technical and dress rehearsals before the preview performances began. Adapted from ‘A Song Is No Song Till You Sing It’ by Mark Fox, featured in the souvenir brochure 2006
Activity Read closely and see if you can find the answer to the following questions: 1 Who are the producers of The Sound of Music? 2 Which theatre was chosen for The Sound of Music? Can give you a reason why it was chosen? 3 Is this version of The Sound of Music based on the film version or the stage version? 4 Where did the designer, Robert Jones, go to research the costumes? 5 What parts of the set had to be built and used in the rehearsal room? (Check the Glossary in this pack to find out more.) 6 Why were adults employed to play the children during the early part of the rehearsal process? 7 How many weeks do you think it took to rehearse the show? 8 Follow Up Activity: After you have seen the show, watch the 1965 film of The Sound of Music and see how many differences you can spot, for example: settings, songs, characterisation.
Did you know? Robert Jones created a unique design for the curtains, which Maria turns into the children’s clothes. By drawing his own pattern, instead of buying in fabric, he made sure that the curtain material would never go out of production, so it would always be possible to replace the costumes.
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Curriculum Links: BTEC Performing Arts/A Level Drama/GCSE Drama/Expressive Arts
Diary of an Actress Sophie Bould [ Liesl
Week One A whirlwind of a week – so many names and faces to remember. I met everyone on Monday morning, where we were all greeted by speeches from our producers David Ian and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Coffee and pastries were passed around while we listened to our director, Jeremy Sams give us the plans for the day. We had a chance to look at the set design, followed by a read-through and company sing-along. Singing all the songs together eased my nerves considerably. A smile was shared between Connie (Maria) and I, before our duet. The room fell silent to hear the beautiful Lesley Garrett sing the finale, for which she received rip-roaring applause from everyone. After a much-needed night’s sleep, Tuesday brought with it hard work. Neil (Rolf) and I started script work with Jeremy and Anna (associate director). It’s so important to get a back-story for Liesl and Rolf’s relationship. How long have they known each other? Have they kissed yet? How often do they meet? Dancing and singing followed in the afternoon; it’s dawned on me how much work I’ve got to do. By midweek I was working with all the young actors playing my brothers and sisters; I’m still learning their names and I’ve known them a week! There are three teams, Mittens, Geese and Kettles. By Thursday we’d managed to learn the music and movements for ‘Do-Re-Mi’. A little complicated, but thankfully I’m surrounded by 18 kids who know what they’re doing and don’t hesitate in helping me out.
Friday and Saturday were taken up with drilling in the music for ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ followed by putting it on its feet. David Ian popped in to watch us on the Saturday afternoon, and I’m sure seeing us all shuffling round the room being goats made him wonder what on earth was going on. But one thing’s for sure – I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much. I love being a Von Trapp kid – it’s given me the licence to have pure, unadulterated fun! Week Two The days seem to be blending into one, there is so much going on – learning music, blocking scenes, setting numbers. The beginning of the week was dedicated to more music learning, with the three teams of Von Trapp children. We concentrated on the title piece, a song which I must confess is my favourite. All the children sing in close harmony, unaccompanied. Not an easy feat for anyone, let alone youngsters. My pitch pipe gives us the note off-stage before we enter, a scary thought, let’s hope I get it right every night! Later that day the children and I began rehearsing some of our scenes together with Connie (Maria), who managed to master the art of leap-froging after the first few failed attempts: Connie now leaps for England! A full company rehearsal was called the next day. It was great to be with everyone for the first time since the readthrough on the first day. Waltzing followed (executed beautifully by all) and the children and I then performed ‘So Long, Farewell’. Continues on page 8
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Curriculum Links: BTEC Performing Arts/A level Drama/GCSE Drama/Expressive Arts
From page 7
By midweek ‘My Favorite Things’ had been set and then Connie and I started looking at our scene, together with Jeremy and Anna (director and associate director). There are so many complex layers to Maria and Liesl’s relationship and I’m only just beginning to discover them. Thursday was an emotional day in the rehearsal room. One particular scene, involving my father, the Captain, struck a few chords and I had difficulty holding back the tears. On Friday morning Neil and I made our way to the recording studios in South West London to record our duet for the album. Andrew (LW) came along to lend a helping hand. Neil and I recorded our vocals over the pre-recorded orchestral accompaniment. We were then invited to hear what it sounded like. It’s a bizarre thing for me, to hear my voice, singing along with a stunning orchestra – what an opportunity, and I’m very grateful for it.
sections next week, so lots of sleep and vitamins for me in preparation. It’s going to be non-stop from here on in. Week Four Absolute exhaustion. Sometimes I don’t know how everyone keeps going with such energy and enthusiasm, and I don’t just mean the actors: the production team and stage management are working just as hard, if not more so. Any spare moments this week seemed to have been filled with costume and wig fittings. Now we get to see what it’s going to feel like, more importantly, what we’re going to look like! Our designer Rob has done an amazing job, as have all the costume department and dressmakers. I can’t wait to put these clothes on! The way clothes were cut during this period (1939) is just beautiful, and to be wearing some authentic fabrics from Salzburg is just amazing.
Act Two this week. The ‘book’ of the musical becomes much darker in Act Two and the politics begin to dominate proceedings for the Von Trapp family.
At the beginning of the week, we ran the whole of Act One. Now we could start to really see the piece growing. I found it so beneficial to run the scenes together; it enables me to find a character journey, and relationship journeys between other characters and mine. I also enjoyed sitting with other members of the company and watching parts of the show which I hadn’t seen yet.
Tuesday brought with it the first of many press calls. All the children, Connie and I attended. We arrived at the Palladium at 9.30am and posed for a sea of photographers from the national press. Interviews followed, including live coverage on Sky News. I’ve never known anything like this. The publicity this show has accomplished, even before we’ve opened, is out of this world. Having said that, it’s only one small part of this job: a part which I’d much rather get done quickly and efficiently before getting back to the real work in the rehearsal room.
Act Two followed later in the week. The whole company sat around the edges of the rehearsal room, watching on as scenes took place. The atmosphere was wonderfully supportive, helping to create a ‘nerve-free’ rehearsal room. However, it wasn’t just the company who watched the runs – we had guests visiting: David Ian and Andrew Lloyd Webber watched on along with numerous other VIPs, including Mary Rodgers (Richard Rodgers’s daughter). What an honour it was to meet her and hear her talk so highly of the parts of rehearsals she came to see.
Rehearsals this week have been with most of the company, which I’ve so enjoyed. We began working on the concert scene this week, a tricky part of the show, with lots of singing, choreography and perhaps a quick change or two. Now the scenes themselves are getting there, we have been linking them together so that they become seamless.
We managed to squeeze in a couple of runs of the whole show before the week was out. In between we were taken off by members of the production team (musical directors, directors, choreographers) to concentrate on and re-work sections where necessary. Changes were made, scenes and numbers re-rehearsed and gradually everything began to slot back into place.
Week Three
The full company worked on the final scene of the show on Thursday. Again, the tears nearly made an appearance this week, this time by the ever-professional stage management team sitting in front of us all – I’m sure I saw a few watery eyes during ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’! Now we are at the point where everything is pretty much blocked and choreographed but, I assure you, we are nowhere near a finished product. Everything will be changed, rearranged and changed again. We start running
Speeches were made after the final run on Friday afternoon by Andrew (LW) and Jeremy (director) congratulating everyone involved for creating this piece of theatre which we should all be so proud of. But it doesn’t all end here. Now it’s time to start the technical rehearsals on stage at the Palladium, a place that is going to be my second home for the next 12 months. So I’m afraid that’s it from me. I need to get my head down and prepare for a whirlwind of a year. I hope you have enjoyed this sneak-peek behind the scenes of our rehearsals.
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Curriculum Links: BTEC Performing Arts/Vocational GCSE Drama/Expressive Arts
Who’s Who Behind The Scenes Meet Michael Havard-Bilton Director of Marketing I leave my flat at 7.30am and take the tube to work, which normally takes about 15 minutes, depending on the service. If I’m feeling energetic I’ll take the bus to the Aldwych and then walk through Covent Garden. After saying hello to my tropical fish, and making my first coffee of the day, I’m normally sitting at my desk by 8am and checking my Inbox; this gives me a good hour of quiet thinking-time before the phone starts ringing. I get more than the average number of overnight e-mails, as I receive all the sales reports from the previous night’s performances, and the advanced sales reports for forthcoming performances. A careful scan of these reports helps me focus the marketing effort accordingly. I make a point of using spreadsheets for campaign plans, budgets, targets and sales figures. The effort of updating a cumulative sales spreadsheet, for example, is amply rewarded by the strategic benefits it provides in forward planning.
company’s website and the office IT; so every day brings new challenges of one kind or another and the diversity of these tasks keeps me extremely busy. By 5.30pm the phones have quietened down, allowing me some time to reflect on what has been achieved during the day, and to think ahead to the next. This is a great time for tackling paperwork and generally working through some of the more routine elements of the job, such as clearing invoices, updating the budgets and responding to non-urgent requests. The last thing I do each day is to tidy my desk and jot down a list of things for the following day. I’ll then shut down my PC & Mac, feed the fish, and either head for home or an evening out at the theatre.
Next, I’ll review our web statistics, looking mainly at numbers of unique visitors, pages viewed and activity times. Using these statistics, I can measure the response to promotions; identify the popularity of particular pages; see which search terms people are using to find our sites; and find out where in the world our visitors are based. Finally, I’ll review the reports from our press agents, who update us on the press coverage our shows have received; read any reviews; and check the schedule for that day’s press events. From 10am the day becomes a whirl of activity. The major part of my job is creating the Sales, Marketing and PR campaigns for our productions. As well as our Marketing Officer, Tom Schoon, we have a great team of people to assist us: designers, printers, advertising agencies and PR agencies, all working together to devise the most effective and cost- efficient campaigns for the various productions we produce, co-produce and/or manage. A typical day will include dealing with phone calls and other immediate demands; responding to urgent e-mails; working on one of our productions’ websites; dealing with individual campaign needs, such as Advertising, Online, Outdoor and Direct Mail; attending a campaign planning meeting with one of our agencies; brainstorming ideas for new ways to sell our shows; discussing some element of a campaign with the producers; participating in a conference call with the marketing team at one of the touring theatres; instructing the graphic designers; or copywriting and proof-reading a new flyer or advert. As well as running the marketing department, and looking after The Sound of Music, Flashdance the Musical, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, and Chicago, I am responsible for DIP’s archives, the
Meet Heather Swinburn Production Assistant I came to work at the Really Useful Group just as The Woman in White was opening on Broadway and things were gearing up on Evita and The Sound of Music. My colleague Nicola and I act as a liaison between the creatives, the cast and the Really Useful team. We book rehearsal rooms, send out contracts and organise travel arrangements. It’s a bit like a PA’s job without the secretarial part and is unpredictable since I’m never sure what I’ll be required to do next. Things are constantly changing so every day brings new challenges. The nicest aspect of the job is getting to attend all the runthroughs and seeing the magic develop on stage after all the weeks of administrative stress. In the early stages of The Sound of Music, we were sorting out the script and organising casting. Castings are fun because you get to spot talent right at the outset. You have to be quite a strong character to deal with so many people during the very stressful process of opening a production – but I’ve always known this is the job I wanted to do and haven’t regretted my choice for a moment.
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Curriculum Links: History/Music/Drama (historical and social context)
Historical Background The True Story of the von Trapp Family: a Timeline 1880 • Georg von Trapp is born in Zara, Dalmatia, (now Zadar, Croatia). 1905 • Maria Augusta Kutschera is born on a train en route to Vienna. Her mother died when she was two years old, and her father, an engineer, needed to travel for work, so Maria was raised by cousins, one in particular, who brought her up to be an atheist and a socialist. 1911 • Georg marries Agathe Whitehead, granddaughter of the Englishman Robert Whitehead, inventor of the torpedo. Rupert von Trapp is born. 1913 • Agathe von Trapp is born. 1914-18 • World War I: Georg serves as a submarine commander in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, and is decorated for valour with the title of ‘Ritter’. Georg moves his family from Pola (now Pula, Croatia) to Austria during the war. 1914 • Maria von Trapp is born. 1915 • Werner von Trapp is born. 1917 • Hedwig von Trapp is born. 1918 • Austria-Hungary is defeated in World War I. The empire is broken up, based loosely on national grounds. Austria is created out of German-speaking areas. Austria becomes a republic called ‘German Austria’. As Austria has lost its seaports and its navy, Captain Georg von Trapp retires. 1919 • Johanna von Trapp is born. The Versailles Treaty forbids Germany to unite with Austria to form a super state, which would be too powerful economically. September • The Treaty of St Germain sets out the terms of Austria’s future situation. Austria’s name is changed to the ‘Republic of Austria’.
1921 • Martina von Trapp is born. approximately • Maria Kutschera goes to train at the State Teachers’ College of Progressive Education in Vienna. During the time she is there, she is drawn into the church by the music and happens to hear a Jesuit priest, Father Kronseder, preaching. She talks to him about his beliefs and this has a profound effect on her. This religious awakening will shape the rest of her life.
May • Salzburg Plebiscite: Salzburg votes for a union with Germany, which would be a violation of the Treaties of Versailles and St Germain. The Allied governments threaten to intervene, which ends the Austrian separation movement. 1922 • Agathe von Trapp, Georg’s wife, dies of scarlet fever. The grieving family sell the estate in Pola, and move to an estate in Salzburg. 1924 • Maria Kutschera enters Nonnberg Abbey, Salzburg, as a postulant. 1926 • Maria is sent by the nuns to the von Trapp’s home to act as a tutor to one of the daughters who is sick, and unable to attend school. 1927 – November • Maria marries Georg von Trapp, motivated mainly by the love she feels for the children, and the advice of the nuns to try to do God’s will. Her love for Georg will develop later. 1928 • Rosmarie von Trapp is born. 1931 • Eleonore von Trapp is born. May • Austria’s most important bank fails.
Left: Maria Augusta Kutschera Right: One of the first posters for the family choir All family photographs courtesy of Johannes von Trapp
1932 • The family, having lost most of their wealth during the failure of the bank, decide to turn their hobby of singing into a career, and begin to tour. Engelbert Dollfuss of the Christian Social Party becomes Austrian Chancellor. 1933 – January • Adolf Hitler is appointed German Chancellor. July • Germany becomes a one-party state, with Hitler as its unchallenged dictator. Continues on page 11
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Curriculum Links: History/Music/Drama (historical and social context)
The von Trapp family in America after their first tour there in 1939
From page 10
1934 • In Austria, the Socialist Party and related organisations are banned. The Dollfuss cabinet approves a new constitution which ends press freedom and establishes a one-party system, which is nevertheless anti-Nazi, known as the ‘Patriotic Front’. July • Dolfuss is assassinated by Nazi sympathisers who wish for unification with Germany. 1936 • The von Trapp Family Singers win first place at the Salzburg Music Festival. 1938 • Dollfuss’s successor, Schuschnigg, maintains a ban on pro-Hitlerite activities, but is forced to resign on 11 March 1938. German troops then occupy Austria with no resistance. Austria is renamed ‘Ostmark’, and placed under the leadership of Seyss-Inquart. The family realise that they might be in danger because of their refusal to support the Nazis, who have taken
over control of Austria. They leave, travelling first to Italy, under the ruse of going on a walking hoilday and then to tour in America. 1939 • Johannes von Trapp is born. September • Germany invades Poland, and Britain and France declare war on Germany. 1942 • The family settle in Stowe, Vermont. 1944 • Maria and her stepdaughters, Agathe, Maria, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina apply for U.S. citizenship by filing declarations of intention at the U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont. They will achieve citizenship in 1948. 1945 • The Second World War ends. 1947 • Georg von Trapp dies. 1949 • Maria’s book, The Story of the von Trapp Family Singers, is published.
After you have seen the play, discuss: 1 How has the true story of the von Trapps been adapted to fit into one evening of stage time? 2 What are the similarities and differences? 3 Why do you think these choices were made? 4 The real von Trapp children are represented in the play under different names and their ages were changed. Use the cast list in the programme and the information in the Timeline to guess who is based on whom. (See below for the answers!)
Answers to question 4: Liesl is based on Agathe von Trapp, Frederick is based on Rupert von Trapp, Louisa is based on Maria von Trapp, Kurt is based on Werner von Trapp. Brigitta is based on Hedwig von Trapp, Martha is based on Johanna von Trapp, Gretl is based on Martina von Trapp.
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Curriculum Links: History/Music/Drama (historical and social context)
Historical Background What Happened Next to the von Trapp Family? In 1947, Maria founded the Trapp Family Music Camp in Stowe, Vermont, with the aim of introducing music to American families. As the camp became more and more popular, it was necessary to provide overnight lodging and, in the next few years, the accommodation was expanded, with the Trapp Family Lodge, a ski and holiday village, opening to guests in 1950. In 1956, when Maria and some of her children were touring Australia, they visited the home of Archbishop Carboni, who was in charge of overseeing missionary work in the South Pacific. He informed the family that, should they ever give up their singing careers, they would be welcome to return to become missionaries in the South Pacific. In 1957, the von Trapp family gave up the Trapp Family Music Camp and their music tours. Many of the children were pursuing their own interests by then, and the singing group had included non-family members for some time. With touring at an end, Maria von Trapp travelled with three of the children, Maria, Johannes and Rosmarie, and with Father Wasner, who had acted as the group’s musical director, to Papua New Guinea to become missionary workers. Johannes
helped to build two schoolhouses and a church, Rosmarie and Maria taught, while Maria von Trapp (the elder) and Father Wasner did some work for the Archbishop, travelling for a year through the different islands, observing and reporting the needs of the people, as was later described in Maria: My Own story (published 1972). After her year of missionary work, Maria returned to Stowe, and concentrated on running and expanding the Trapp Family Lodge. She continued to be involved in the running of the Lodge until her death in 1987. In 1980, the lodge burnt to the ground in a fire that resulted in one death and a number of injuries. The family rebuilt the lodge within three years, making it three times the size of the original, and it is still operating today, under the management of Johannes von Trapp, Maria’s youngest child, who is its president. Meanwhile, a younger generation of von Trapps – Maria’s great grandchildren – are now giving musical tours. Justin (11), Amanda (15), Melanie (16) and Sofia (18) are following in the footsteps of their grandfather, Werner von Trapp, and perform classical music, folk songs and, naturally, songs from The Sound of Music.
Did you know? The Trapp family motto is Nec Aspera Terrent, which is Latin for ‘be not terrified by adversity’. Maria said that she always knew everything would turn out all right: ‘You just have to find out the will of God and do it.’
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Curriculum Links: Music/BTEC Performing Arts/Drama/Expressive Arts
Historical Background The Journey of Maria’s Story
Maria von Trapp’s book The Story of the von Trapp Family Singers published in 1949
Wolfgang Reinhardt makes a film in German, Die Trapp-Familie, and a sequel Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika (1958), Maria unwittingly signs away all film rights, and only receives $9,000
Initially intending to feature songs from the von Trapp’s repertoire, the playwriting team of Russell Crouse and Howard Lindsay begin working on the script Mary Martin wants a new song for the show and asks her friends Richard Rodgers Not content with (composer) and writing one song Oscar Hammerstein attached to someone (lyricist) to come up with else’s project, the something pair suggest writing a completely new musical!
The musical was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s biggest success, it ran for 1,443 performances on Broadway, winning six Tony Awards including Best Musical. Over three million albums were also sold
In June 1960, Twentieth Century Fox bought the rights to The Sound of Music, on condition that they would not release the film version until 1964, or until after the Broadway musical had closed
Paramount Pictures approaches film director Vincent J Donehue, with a view to re-making the German films in America, starring Audrey Hepburn
Donehue approaches his friend Mary Martin who, together with her husband, the Broadway producer Richard Halliday, sees the potential of making a stage musical from the story, with Mary herself playing Maria
On 16 November 1959, The Sound of Music opens on Broadway, starring Mary Martin as Maria with Rodgers’s music, Hammerstein’s song lyrics and the book (spoken script) by Crouse and Lindsay As Halliday had purchased the rights from the German filmmakers, Maria von Trapp was eventually paid three-eighths of one per cent of the royalties, although there was no legal obligation to pay her anything. She also assisted in the direction of the play
The movie, which was partly filmed in Salzburg, Austria, and starred Julie Andrews as Maria, had its world premiere at the Rivoli Theatre in New York on 2 March 1965, and broke all previous box office records. It won five Oscars in 1966, including Best Picture
The legend of Maria’s story lives on in countless versions of the play, translated into many languages, and shared with audiences across the world. The film has been enjoyed by millions and has a cult following in its ‘Sing-a Long’ version. Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian are delighted to be able bring the magic of a live production to a new audience
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Curriculum Links: Music/Dance/Literacy/Art/PSHE Designed for KS2 – can be easily adapted to suit other age groups
Follow up Activity My Favourite Things Resources
• Cast recording of The Sound of Music, available from www.thesoundofmusictour.com • • •
(using an interactive whiteboard you can play an extract from the song directly from the website) Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein: The Sound Of Music – Vocal Selections plasticine, old magazines, small cardboard boxes or shoe boxes optional: video camera and editing software
Literacy
Make two lists using the five senses, of things that make you happy and sad Use the two lists as a starting point for a poem about how Favourite Things can cheer us up
Music
Learn the song ‘My Favorite Things’
Listen to ‘My Favorite Things’
Dance
Listen carefully to the song, add actions and plan your own choreography
Art
Using plasticine, make a figure of an imaginary person and create a ‘home’ for them
More able students could try to adopt the rhyme scheme from Oscar Hammerstein’s original lyric
Fill or decorate the box with your favourite things, cut out from magazines. You could then film a short animation
PSHE/emotional literacy: these activities will generate discussion about what makes us happy and how we cope when things are bad. It is important that the plasticine figure in the art activity does not represent the child directly, it is a third person who can take on their emotions if necessary. Children may begin to share personal stories which will need to be handled with sensitivity; it may be a good idea to follow the activity with circle time.
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Curriculum Links: Textiles, Art and Design Can be easily adapted to suit different age groups
Follow up Activity Design Your Own Costume Maria thought it a waste to throw away the curtains when she needed a new dress and the children needed brighter play clothes. Can you design a traditional Austrian dress or shorts (called Lederhosen) based on a curtain fabric?
Figures based on costume designs by Robert Jones
1 Design your fabric. You could copy some curtains from home or, like our designer Robert Jones, you might like to create a new pattern. 2 Draw your basic pattern on graph paper or on the computer. 3 Decide how your image repeats; if you do this on the computer you can cut and paste to repeat your pattern. It may repeat diagonally or in straight lines; you decide which looks better. 4 Draw or cut and stick your fabric pattern on to the outline of the boy or girl figures (don’t forget to scale it down) to give an impression of how your curtain material will look as a dress fabric.
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Curriculum links: Drama, music, dance, developing literacy
Follow up Activity Writing About the Play 1 Fill in the gaps:
On
we went to see a production of The Sound of Music at
When I was waiting for the play to begin I noticed
My favourite character was
, played by
What I liked about this character was
My favourite scene was The colours used in this scene were The colours made me think of
The song that stayed in my head after the show was The reason I remember that song is This is a drawing of my favourite moment in the play, showing the characters in their costumes and the set they are performing on:
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Curriculum Links: A/AS/GCSE level • Drama/Performing Arts
Follow up Activity Writing About the Play 2 Why does a director make certain choices? Watch carefully and write notes at the interval, or after the play. What do you see and hear on the stage and in the audience, when you are waiting for the play to begin? Watch carefully during the play, and write notes at the interval, or after the play. We would ask that you do not write notes during the performance. To work out what effects are being created in the production, ask yourself these practical questions and think about why these choices have been made: The Set • what is your first impression of what you see? • what shapes, levels and colours are being used? • how does the set hide or reveal actors? • how are the different locations and scenes in the play demonstrated? Costume • what colours and styles are being used? • what impression do they give about the historical period and the social class of the characters? • compare different costumes, for example Maria’s home-made dresses with the Baroness’s high fashion. What story do the costumes tell? Lighting • are we inside or outside? • what colours and shades of colour are being used to create time of day, location or weather? • what levels of brightness are being used and why? • think about angles of light, who is well lit and who is in shadow? • when do the lights change? • what is atmosphere and what emotions are suggested by the lighting? The Performers • how does each actor create their character through the way they move? • how effective is the transition from speech to song – can you give an example of a point in the play where this happens? • how do the performers use the set? • how do the performers relate to the audience – and when does this change? • which performances do you find the most convincing? Why? Which performances do you find less convincing? Why? And lastly but most importantly: what does The Sound of Music make you think, feel and want to talk about?
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Glossary
Actor Person who acts/portrays a character in a play or film – in musicals, actors must also be able to sing and dance to a high standard. Blocking A working out, in the early stage of rehearsal, of where the actors will move on stage. The blocking will be fixed before the technical rehearsals begin. The Book 1 The spoken text of a musical. 2 The stage manager’s copy of the script – used to mark the blocking and technical cues, as in ‘the deputy stage manager: on the book’. Choreographer Person who creates dance compositions by planning and arranging dance movements and patterns.
Libretto The printed text of a musical, both spoken text and lyrics as per performance. Lyrics The words of a song. Producer The person who oversees the financial and administrative aspects of a play or film, responsible for raising money, hiring a creative team and having overall supervision for all aspects of production, marketing and planning. Storyboard A series of pictures, like a comic strip, drawn to depict individual scenes or, in film, individual shots – a useful tool in planning a production.
Composer Person who writes and arranges tunes and songs.
Swing Understudies (in musical theatre) – must be able, at short notice, to take over another performer’s role, often covering several roles or members of the ensemble.
Designer Person who creates the ‘look’ of a play, makes decisions about the shape of the set, colour schemes and costumes.
TRuck A platform on wheels – pieces of scenery are built onto trucks to make them easier to slide on, off or around the stage.
Director Person who has overall responsibility for translating a writer’s words from the page to the stage or into film – has overall responsibility for integrating all the creative elements of a production – acting, design, choreography, lighting, sound.
Travelator Like a moving pavement in an airport, a travelator is a motorised horizontally-moving belt at stage level used for moving scenery or actors on/off stage. It can be used to make actors look as if they are walking or running over a distance.
Ensemble Group of supporting performers (actors, dancers, singers) – often understudies are drawn from this group.
Understudy An actor who is able to take over from another actor at short notice.
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The Producers Andrew Lloyd Webber
David IAN / DAVID IAN PRODUCTIONS
Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me on a Sunday later combined as Song and Dance, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White. He composed the film scores of Gumshoe and The Odessa File, and a setting of the Latin requiem mass Requiem. In 2004 he produced a film version of The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher and in 2010 he will premiere Love Never Dies, his sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which will be directed by the award-winning director Jack O’Brien. In 2006 he oversaw a new production of Evita in London, a unique version of The Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas and pioneered television casting for musical theatre with the hit BBC series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, which searched for a Maria in The Sound of Music. The series won an International Emmy. He repeated his success with Any Dream Will Do, which cast the title role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and in 2008 he cast the musical Oliver! for the BBC. In January this year he launched a new BBC TV series Your Country Needs You to create the UK entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and the Kennedy Center Honor. He currently owns seven London theatres including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium. He was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997.
David Ian began his theatrical career as a performer in musicals such as The Rocky Horror Show, Time, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Pirates of Penzance. He recently appeared on the TV casting programmes How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Grease Is the Word in the UK and You’re the One That I Want for NBC in the United States. He is a regular panellist on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff. David formed his first production company with fellow actor Paul Nicholas in 1991. Paul Nicholas and David Ian Associates co-produced tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, The Pirates of Penzance, Singin’ in the Rain and Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Lyric Theatre, London. Together with legendary impresario Robert Stigwood, they produced Saturday Night Fever and Grease in the West End. Grease is still currently at the Piccadilly Theatre, London and on tour in the United States following a successful Broadway run. Other shows that David has produced include: West End: The King and I (London Palladium); Defending the Caveman (Apollo); Daisy Pulls It Off (Lyric); Anything Goes (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly). UK tours: Dr Dolittle, The King and I, West Side Story, Cats, Chicago, Starlight Express, My Fair Lady, The New Statesman, The Producers. US: My Fair Lady (tour); The Phantom of the Opera (Las Vegas). Australia: Happy Days, Spamalot, Grease. David produced the Laurence Olivier Awards for the Society of London Theatres from 1996-1999. He was Chairman of Global Theatre for Live Nation until 2007. David Ian Productions was formed in 2006 and is based in London’s Covent Garden. Productions include: The Sound of Music (London Palladium, Toronto and UK tour); La Cage aux Folles (Playhouse, London); Gypsy (St James Theatre, Broadway); Flashdance (UK tour); Chicago (UK tour); Cats (Germany); Britain’s Got Talent (arena tour, UK). In 2008 DIP, together with Arlene Phillips, Universal and ITV Productions, produced a new musical drama series for ITV 1 called Britannia High, with music by Gary Barlow
The Really Useful Theatre Company The Really Useful Theatre Company has produced Starlight Express, Daisy Pulls It Off (Olivier Award - Comedy of the Year), The Hired Man, Lend Me a Tenor, Aspects of Love, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sunset Boulevard, By Jeeves, Jesus Christ Superstar, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game, Bombay Dreams and Evita. The company co-produced Jeeves Takes Charge, Cats (Olivier Award - Musical of the Year), Song and Dance, On Your Toes, Café Puccini, The Phantom of the Opera (Olivier Award - Musical of the Year), La Bête (Olivier Award - Comedy of the Year), The Woman in White, Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical and the recent West End revivals of Daisy Pulls It Off, Tell Me on a Sunday, The Sound of Music and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. On Broadway its American counterpart has produced and/or co-produced the Tony Award-winning productions of The Woman in White, Cats (and US tours), Starlight Express, Song and Dance,
The Phantom of the Opera (and US tours), Shirley Valentine, Lend Me a Tenor and Aspects of Love. Other productions include: La Bête (Broadway); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Los Angeles, Broadway and US tour); The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (US tour); Sunset Boulevard (Los Angeles, New York and US tour); Whistle Down the Wind (Washington); Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway); By Jeeves (Broadway); Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular (Venetian) and The Sound of Music (Toronto). The Really Useful Theatre Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Really Useful Group, which is actively involved throughout the world in theatre and concert production, recording, merchandising, music publishing, television, film and video. The group co-owns the Adelphi Theatre and owns six theatres in the West End including the world famous Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium.
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BibliograpHY/Further Resources and Information Websites
DVDs
www.thesoundofmusictour.com • everything you need to know about the current production of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (1965) director Robert Wise, starring Julie Andrews (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
www.reallyuseful.com • official website of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company, with links to current shows, company history, news and merchandising
Education Pack Credits
www.davidianproductions.com • official website of David Ian’s company, with links to current shows, company history and news www.rnh.com/org • The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization www.trappfamily.com • for information about the real von Trapp family
Created by Helen Cadbury Additional Research by Helen Kedge The Sound of Music 2006-07 Production Photography by Tristram Kenton and Ralf Brinkhoff/Mögenburg Designed by Dewynters The Sound of Music Logo Designed by Dewynters © DIP/RUG 2006 This education pack has been designed so that individual pages may be printed off by teachers/group leaders for individual use within the class room. Any further distribution or reproduction of the text and images contained within it is prohibited.
Books The Companion to The Sound of Music by Laurence Maslon, Pavilion (2006)
All photographs are of the 2006 London Palladium production The Sound of Music Education Pack © DIP/RUG 2009
The Sound of Music Vocal Selections by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Music Sales Ltd (2004) The Movie by The Trapp Family Lodge The Story of Maria Kutschera von Trapp by The Trapp Family Lodge The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp To the Last Salute: Memories of an Austrian U-Boat Commander by Georg von Trapp (Author), Elizabeth M. Campbell (Translator), University of Nebraska Press (2007) The Cambridge Companion to the Musical (Cambridge Companions to Music), by William A Everett (Editor), Paul Laird (Editor), Cambridge University Press (2002)
www.thesoundofmusictour.com For more information contact: The Marketing Department David Ian Productions Ltd 3rd Floor, 33 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8NA +44(0) 20 7257 6380 Stock and amateur rights for THE SOUND OF MUSIC are represented in the United Kingdom, Eire and throughout Europe by Josef Weinberger Ltd. www.josef-weinberger.com We are always looking for boys and girls to play the Von Trapp children. If you are interested please contact Joanne Hawes at
[email protected]
CDs The Sound of Music (full cast recording, London 2006) available from www.soundofmusiclondon.com The History of the Musical by Richard Fawkes (Author), Kim Criswell (Narrator), Naxos AudioBooks (2001)
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