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From Issue #16, Spring 2007
HISTORICAL
EVENTS AS READERS THEATRE
by Walter R. Stump
Historical events and individuals
have long been subjects for Readers Theatre writers and directors. Biographies
of influential people adapted for classroom presentation have been a staple
of teachers trained in Readers Theatre methodology. But biographies and
historical events can be also scripted for public performance by aspiring
Readers Theatre companies. Not long ago, I was handed a copy of Paul B.
Janeczko's WORLDS AFIRE by a member of Maine's Open Book Players. WORLDS
AFIRE is a long narrative poem based on the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and
Bailey circus fire of July 6, 1944 in Hartford, Connecticut. The fire is
considered to be one of the major disasters in United States history killing
168 individuals, mostly women and children, and injuring hundreds more.
Janeczko's book is not a historical document per se, but a remarkable attempt
to give a voice to those who experienced the disaster. I was deeply moved
by the work. Lucille Rioux, the director for The Open Book Players assigned
to producing the Janeczko poem, informed me that her schedule would not
permit her to continue with the project. When she asked if I might be interested
in scripting and directing the production, I accepted immediately. I was
overjoyed at the chance to work on this challenging and wonderful poem.
Historical material for Readers Theatre can be processed in several different
ways. Events can be constructed as a factual documentary with careful research
and evidence. A group of students and I once did a documentary of the changes
in American Culture called THE GREAT AMERICAN MAIL ORDER CATALOGUE. We used
some of the first Sears and Roebuck mail order catalogues as a structural
scenario. The clothing section was utilized, for example, to illustrate
changing tastes in costume while the farming equipment section showed changes
in agriculture, etc.
Historical material if
biographical in nature can be molded using a chronological structure showing
the life and works of a significant person. I once wrote a Readers Theatre
piece called THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WILDE. Oscar Wilde's biography was
researched as the primary structural machine. Specific examples of his prose,
poetry and dramatic works were then added to illustrate the evolution of
his literary talent. This method can be very rewarding as it allows a cast
to interpret an author's work while understanding what events in life contributed
to the creative process. Another rewarding technique is to script a Readers
Theatre version of someone else's work . The WORLDS AFIRE project, then,
was a scripted version of the Janeczko's narrative poem.
When choosing this particular option, the first order of business is to
get permission from the author to script his/her work. Janeczko was contacted
and graciously offered his book to be arranged for Readers Theatre and to
be presented by the Open Book Players at Johnson Hall in Gardiner, Maine.
Since WORLDS AFIRE is written as poetry, the author chose to capture the
emotional nuances of the tragedy through the creation of composite characters
whose real life counterparts actually experienced the disaster and its consequences.
The book is organized in three parts: before the fire, during the fire,
and after the fire. Part one utilizes seven male and two female narrators,
part two uses seven male and three female readers and part three offers
seven male and three female interpreters each performing one narrative.
I decided to do an ensemble approach by casting five men and three women
with an added young girl to briefly play one of the children whose body
was never claimed after the fire.
The work was then scripted using more than one player in each narrative
sequence. One of the narrators in the third part, for example, was a character
by the name of Simon Goldman. Goldman was constructed by Janeczko to represent
a whole neighborhood of people who lived adjacent to the fire's location
and, therefore, was the first to deal with the survivors. Goldman's narration
was two and a half pages long and consisted of vivid descriptions of the
heroic actions by many residents living on Barbour Street, a neighborhood
located nearest the fire. All of these individuals were brought to life
by a single narrator. When scripting, I decided to divide the monologue
between Simon and six other characters including three women referred to
in the narration but not actually personified, thus giving variety and a
multi-faceted approach to the whole sequence without changing a word of
Janeczko's poem. Fidelity to the author's text is a cardinal rule in the
scripting process. This device worked exceptionally well for the Goldman
section, but was not always used. Sometimes the piece was not altered and
the actor delivered the entire narration as written. More often, however,
the narration was broken down to allow others in the cast to enhance the
quality of the presentation by interpreting much of the descriptive poetry
or doing some of the interior dialogue. The result was a collaborative effort
in support of the central character. This technique, of course, follows
one of the prime tenants of Readers Theatre methodology by creating as much
equality in roles as possible. Remember, the original manuscript allowed
only one interpreter per monologue and only one monologue per actor. When
an entire cast is given nearly equal roles by dividing the narrative, the
presentation is interjected with excitement created by diversity not to
mention helping create a sense of ensemble. Each member of the production
is expected to not only create life in each of their own characters, but
to support each other in constructing an artistic whole.
The production was mounted using the techniques of staged readers theatre.
The late William J. Adams in his book INSTITUTE BOOK OF READERS THEATRE:
A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR SCHOOL, THEATRE AND COMMUNITY defined staged readers
theatre in the following manner: "This performance style emphasizes
the literature while providing certain theatrical elements that help to
bring the text alive for readers and audience." I must admit I tend
to the take phrase "providing certain theatrical elements" more
literally than some. Therefore, while adhering to the "readers"
aspect of readers theatre by holding and reading scripts, using chairs or
stools and music stands, I frequently added some theatrical embellishments.
There was, for example, some choreographed movement of various kinds by
the interpreters and yet, most of what was done was done while seated behind
a music stand. Reading from the script was encouraged although some actors
preferred to memorize certain sections to facilitate the use of gestures
and body language. Generally, the cast used off-stage focus (another tenant
of staged readers theatre style) but on occasions on-stage focus was used
for effect. While some may argue about violating the rules of style, Readers
Theatre afficionados generally agree that absolute adherence to any rule
may restrict the production's freedom which is so basic to the RT genre.
Generally speaking WORLDS AFIRE was an example of staged readers theatre.
We were fortunate in that
one of our cast members was a musician and composer. We were able to use
an original score played and sung by the cast for added theatrical effect.
While I like to create all sound effects from the cast, we did use some
canned circus music for interior sound cues. By and large, however, music
and sound effects were produced by cast members. There were some visual
projections utilized in the production gleaned from material found in an
exhaustive search of the internet and library collections. We found enormous
stores of usable photographs although one must be aware that any material
found in this manner must be either in public domain or used with permission.
We were able to download or copy photographs of the fire and other locales
relevant to the conflagration. The use of circus posters added a nice touch
to the production. All of the visuals were used as an introduction or transition
into the various sections of the production. The use of this material as
transition between the parts of the work without the actors speaking allowed
the audience to focus totally on the pictures . When the acting performance
resumed, the audience focused entirely on the actors and the text.
One of the saddest parts of Janeczko's book is the narrative of a Hartford
police detective describing the saga of a little girl whose body was hardly
scarred but was never claimed by anyone. She was buried as Little Miss 1565.
We used a beautiful little girl to play the child and to deliver the last
line in the production: "Nobody, nobody ever came for me." A closing,
I might add, which left hardly a dry eye in the theatre. While this specific
line was in the Janeczko text, we varied it slightly for effect. This change
was done with full knowledge and permission of the author.
WORLDS AFIRE opened to
a full house on February 9, 2007 with Paul B. Janeczko in attendance. We
were also honored to have two survivors of the fire, Nola Denslow and Jerry
LeVasseur, with us that evening. Nola was saved from possible death by her
father who held her in his arms and jumped to safety from the grandstand.
Jerry was less fortunate. He was knocked down near the exit with others
piled on top of him. He was severely burned but saved from death by being
at the bottom of the pile. The audience was treated to a memorable moment
with these honored guests and many questions were asked and answered.
The production proved that historical events can and should be scripted
into dynamic and emotionally satisfying Readers Theatre experiences. WORLDS
AFIRE will always remain a special moment for me as well, I suspect, for
the cast and the audience.
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