Live theatre demands your participation. This does not mean that you have to learn lines or move scenery. What we mean is that your attendance is not passive, as it would be if you were watching television at home. At the theatre you must actively allow yourself to suspend your disbelief by forgetting that you are watching a play and allow yourself to become part of the story. Let yourself cry, laugh or gasp in response to what you see. Applaud at the end of scenes, songs and dances to show your appreciation of the talent and entertainment you experienced. As an audience member you must supply your creativity and treat yourself to the luxury of imagination.

We hope you use this Student Enrichment guide to further your understanding and appreciation of our show. Please make as many copies as necessary to allow everyone the opportunity to further understand the show. We encourage you to discuss the main themes and motifs in GREASE prior to your attendance at the performance and tackle the discussion questions afterward.

We look forward to having you experience GREASE. If you have any further questions regarding this, or any future Actors’ Playhouse productions, please do not hesitate to call.

Enjoy the Show!!!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SYNOPSIS & SONGLIST ………………………3
AUTHOR/COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES………..4-5
PRODUCTION HISTORY - STAGE……………6
PRODUCTION HISTORY - FILM……………...7
WEBSITES OF INTEREST……………………...7
DISCUSSION TOPICS………………………….8-9
ACTIVITIES……………………………………..10
SUNSHINE STANDARD RELATED ACTIVITIES……..11-15

Synopsis

The show is set in the 1950s, in and around Rydell High School as the students return after the summer vacation.The boys are members of the "T Birds" (Danny, Kenickie, Roger, Sonny Latieri, Doody) and the girls form the "Pink Ladies" gang (Betty Rizzo, Jan, Marty, Frenchy).
One of the gang, Danny, returns telling of a girl that he met over the summer, only to find that the girl in question, Sandy, has been transferred to Rydell High from the more innocent surroundings of Immaculata High. Danny, not wanting to look like a wuss in front of his friends, plays their relationship off as a fling when she approaches him one day at school. Sandy, heartbroken, tries to get him back.

Musical Numbers

ACT 1
Alma Mater ...............................................................Miss Lynch, Patty and Eugene
Grease...........................................................Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys
Summer Nights...................Sandy Dumbrowski, Danny Zuko, Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys
Those Magic Changes..........................Doody, Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies
Freddy, My Love.........................................................Marty, Jan, Frenchy and Rizzo
Greased Lightnin’...................................................Kenickie and Burger Palace Boys Mooning.....................................................Roger and Jan
Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee.................................Rizzo
Hopelessly Devoted to You..............................Sandy
We Go Together..............................................Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys

ACT 2
Shakin’at the High School Hop............................Vince Fontaine and Company
It’s Raining on Prom Night..........................................Sandy and Radio Singer
Born to Hand-Jive..................................Vince Fontaine, Miss Lynch and Company
Beauty School Dropout.............................................Teen Angel, Frenchy and Girls Sandy.....................................................................Danny Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Queen........................................................Doody and Roger
There Are Worse Things I Could Do.............................Rizzo Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee (Reprise) Sandy You’re The One That I Want.................................Sandy, Danny and Company
We Go Together (Reprise)......................................................Company

Lyrics and music by Barry Gibb
Lyrics and music by John Farrar
Lyrics and music by Scott Simon & Louis St. Louis

AUTHOR/COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES

JIM JACOBS
(Book, Music and Lyrics)

Little did Jim Jacobs know that when GREASE opened at the Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago in 1971, this modest, inexpensive look at youth in the 1950s would, eight years later, become the longest-running show in Broadway history, the biggest box office movie-musical of all time, and would create a world-wide resurgence of interest in a decade that somehow seemed both placid and plastic, and would spawn the careers of many of today's megastars.

Today, twenty years later, GREASE continues to be the most popularly produced show in regional, summer stock and high school theatres in America. This phenomena continues to amaze its sole living creator who, together with Warren Casey (who died in 1988), wrote the book, music and lyrics for this affectionate look at the world of their high school days.

Jim was born and raised in Chicago during the golden era of Rock'n'Roll. He was a 'greaser' at Taft High where he played guitar and sang with such illustrious groups as DDT & the Dynamiters and Lefty & the El-Rays. His curiosity about music soon had him sneaking into the 'hot spots' of Chicago's South Side.

In 1963 Jim became involved with a local theatre group where he met Warren Casey. During the next five years he worked with such people as Second City founder Paul Sills, and appeared in over 50 theatrical productions around Chicago whist earning a living as an advertising copywriter during the day.

Professionally Jim has worked both as an actor and writer for theatre, films, recordings and commercials. His title role in the Midwest premiËre of JIMMY SHINE earned him a nomination as Chicago's Best Actor of the Year. He appeared in the Broadway and National Touring Company production of the 1970 Pulitzer Prize-winning NO PLACE TO BE SOMEBODY.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
WARREN CASEY
(Book, Music and Lyrics)

Warren Casey was born in Yonkers, New York, and became an Art major at Syracuse University. After teaching in upstate New York he moved to Chicago in 1962 where he held a variety of jobs, but soon gravitated towards acting and writing songs. He acted with the Chicago Stage Guild, the Old Town Players and the Kingston Mines Theatre, which comprised a loft above a Mexican restaurant, a Unitarian church basement and a trolley barn! The Kingston Mines, the first company to suspect anyone might listen to his songs without a can of beer in their hand, staged the original production of GREASE. With Jim Jacobs, he also wrote ISLAND OF LOST CO-EDS, a musical satire of the B-movies of the 1950s. He died in 1988.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Stage productions

The musical Grease opened off-Broadway at the Eden Theatre on February 14, 1972, starring Barry Bostwick as Danny Zuko, and Carole Demas as Sandy Dumbrowski. Also in the cast was Adrienne Barbeau as Rizzo. Instantly popular with the public, the critics remained unimpressed, and the Tony Awards committee ruled that Grease was ineligible for nomination because the theatre was several blocks away from Broadway itself. The producers threatened to sue the committee, which soon backed down and it was nominated for 9 Tonys, including Best Musical. It ran for 3388 performances in four different theatres, most notably the Royale Theatre on Broadway where it remained from November 1972 until January 1980, only three months before it closed for good. Its eight year run was a musicals record until overtaken by A Chorus Line.
When it opened in London, the role of Danny was taken by the then-unknown actor Richard Gere, with Stacey Gregg as Sandy. They were later replaced by Paul Nicholas and Elaine Paige.
Its revival began in London in 1993, when a new version opened starring Craig McLachlan and Deborah Gibson in the main roles. The UK production is now a perennial favourite with audiences of all ages and has gone on many nationwide tours. The role of Danny was also played during this time by Shane Richie, Ian Kelsey and Luke Goss.

The revival production in New York began in 1994 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran for four years, starring Ricky Paull Goldin as Danny, Susan Wood as Sandy, Rosie O'Donnell as Rizzo, and a pre Will and Grace Megan Mullally as Marty (one of the "Pink Ladies") . During this time it picked up three Tony Award nominations, again all unsuccessful. In 1995 Brooke Shields won the Theatre World Special Award for her role as Rizzo, after following such stars as Jody Watley, Lucy Lawless, Linda Blair, Debby Boone, Sheena Easton, Joely Fisher, Deborah Gibson, Jasmine Guy, and Mackenzie Phillips in the role.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

ON FILM

Grease is a popular musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. A film version was made in 1978 starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

The musical is based around some of the subcultures of 1950s high school America, including the "tough guy" working-class greasers from which the musical takes its name. In the film, Travolta played Danny Zuko, who is trying to win the affections of Australian exchange student Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) who was originally going back to Australia, but they had a last minute change.

The movie version sugar-coates the class aspects of the original, while darkening various plot lines, including exploring further the issue of teen pregnancy. Subsequent stage productions have played down class aspects of the story even further and emphasised the nostalgia aspects, while retaining the alternate songs and plotlines created for the movie. A sequel, Grease 2 (1982), moved the timeline forward to the early 1960s, and reversed the gender plotline (a male newcomer from England (Maxwell Caulfield) trying to woo the leader of the Pink Ladies (a pre-stardom Michelle Pfeiffer)), using motorcycles instead of cars.
In 2003, Grease was voted Best Musical of All-Time in a Channel 4 poll.

A more dramatic, harder-edged portrayal of some of the same subcultures (though slightly later) can be found in S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

WEBSITES

General Information
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077631/trivia - Some fun Grease Trivia with lots of links.
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp316-04.shtml - Learn about Broadway musicals and decode the titles of popular shows.
http://www.stetson.edu/csata/thr_guid.html#Intro - Theatre website guide.
http://www.sasktelwebsite.net/erachi/ - Drama Teachers resource room.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/resources.html - Broadway web resource site.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/theater/index.html - NY Times reviews and articles.
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/bway101/ - History of the Great White Way.
http://www.musicals101.com/ - The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/teachers.html - Broadway based lesson plans. VERY GOOD!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(musical) – Free encyclopedia.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1. Why do you think the author and composer decided to call this show Grease? What, if any, social connotations did the term “Greaser” carry in the 1950’s?

2. Can you name any famous Rock ‘N Roll singers from the 1950’s that adapted the “greaser” look in order to appeal to the young music listening crowd? Can you name any pop or rock singers today that have adapted a “popular” look in order to appeal to their listeners?

3. Music and dance are used to heighten the emotions and energy in GREASE. What other movie musicals involving gangs can you name? Does the dance off in GREASE have any more serious parallels in the other musicals?

4.Compare and contrast the difference between seeing a “live” play and a movie. How are they different and how are they the same. In your opinion does one medium do a better job of making the story realistic? Which one is more personal and gets you involved?

5. Adaptations, Better or Worse? All forms of artistic expression have works adapted from other works. This includes film, television, plays, dance, books, etc. Discuss the following ideas using specific examples to support your claims.

The original is always superior to the adaptation.
When a work of art crosses into a different area of artistic expression something is lost in the translation. For example: when a book becomes a film.
What is the best example of an adaptation that you can think of?
Is adapting ‘stealing’ or merely recreating a work with new views and ideas that extend its reach.

6. Musicals: Music, dance and other inquiries.

a. Who was your favorite character in the show and why? Which character in the musical is most like you and why? Which actor do you think could have done better and why? Did you notice any mistakes when you saw the show? How do you think actors handle mistakes when they occur?

b. Dance plays a big role in telling the story in GREASE. How do you think the choreographer used different types of dance to accentuate the conflicts and happiness in the musical? Did you feel that the performers had the dance skills necessary to effectively perform the choreography? How do you think the choreographer creates the movement that you see in the performance? This musical contains a variety of musical styles both modern and period did the choreography seem appropriate to the styles of music that they were set to and why?

c. The musical styles in GREASE are fairly similar in style. All of the actors in the show are professional musical-theatre performers do their voices handle the style of music well and do you think any of them could be a professional popular music performer? How do you feel about the fact that they sing so much in the show? Is musical theatre an effective form of theatre? Why or why not.

d. Costumes, scenery and lights serve an important role in theatrical shows. How do they help tell the story? How have the designers used color in the costumes and scenery to accentuate different conflicts and characters? Do you feel that the costumes, scenery or lighting are too garish and detract from the story line or do you find them visually exciting and help keep you interested? Which scenic effect do you feel was the most effective and really helped give that part of the show a special atmosphere?

It was the director’s job to interpret what he thought the lyricist and the composer thought the story should communicate. Were you able to clearly understand the story line? How did the director use the staging of the show to help tell the story? What things might he have done to clarify the story and character relationships?

What makes this show entertaining? Can you think of anything that would have made the production more enjoyable? The production is intended to entertain the audience but what social statements, if any, do you think this show contains? What messages do you think young audience members will come away from the production with?

ACTIVITIES

1. GREASE uses music to help tell the story. It allows the characters to express their inner emotions in a fun entertaining way. Break into groups and write your own song about a story or idea that you think is important. Try writing the words or lyrics first then say them in a certain rhythm. Finally try choosing a melody that will help communicate whether this is a sad, happy, confused or thoughtful song. You can also start with a tune and then write words that fit that rhythm. Perform your masterpiece for your classmates. Remember there is no wrong or bad answer to this project. What your group creates is yours and you should be proud of it!

2. This show is not based on a true, historic event. However many musicals are. Divide up into groups of four or five people, chose a true, historic event and create your own adaptation. Try to remember the main themes and lessons of the event and make sure they are still clear. Once you are ready your group can perform it for the rest of class.

3. An exercise to celebrate diversity. Have the students bring in music from their family’s cultural background. Prepare by asking the students to write their name, a description of their family background and how it is their cultural heritage is celebrated by their family. Place 6-8 chairs in a semi-circle facing the "audience." Play their music, softly, as each student reads or ad-libs what they have written. Costumes may also be worn to enhance the experience. They might also dance to the different styles of music presented.

4. Using the above idea have each student select another country or culture and also create a character when they read. This will encourage research and imagination. If costumes and props are not available, make them from paper or materials on hand. Repeat presentation to "audience."

5. In a movie the designers can use real houses, boats and trees but in a play we use scenery to represent theses things. Using a shoebox and items from around your house create a scenic design for one of your favorite stories. What colors, textures and line help to communicate the emotions and location of the story?

SUNSHINE STANDARD RELATED ACTIVITIES

Grades 6-12

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES

MONOLOGUES
Subjects: Language Arts, foreign Language, Theatre

Have the students choose someone in their family to interview about their memories of their families past especially anyone that has memories from the 1950’s. Questions should include: “ What type of music were you allowed to listen too? What types of clothing did you wear on a regular basis. Were you considered one of the “bad” or “good” girls or guys? Were you part of the “in” crowd or more of a loaner. How did it feel to be that type of person? How did that affect the person you are today? How much does what you experienced as a teenager affect how you treat your teenage daughter or son?”, among others.

With the answers from the interview in mind, have the students create a monologue for the person or persons they interviewed. The setting for the monologue should be a life changing event or person that the interviewee identified.

(Fl. State Standards: LA.C,1,[3,4], LAA.C.2.[3,4], LA.C.3.[3,4], FL.A.1.[3,4], FL.A.2.[3,4], FL.A.3.[3,4], FL.D.1.[3,4], TH.A.3.[3,4], TH.D.1.[3,4])

IMAGINE THAT
Subjects: Language Arts

Have the students imagine that they are a new student at a new school and then have them create a monologue describing an experience or part of your day from that perspective. Pay special attention to how things would feel, look, smell and what sounds you might hear for that new student. Examine fears, feelings of excitement, and interactions with students and teachers. Then present the monologues to the class.

(Fl. Standards – LA.B1.[3,4], LA.B.2.[3,4])

TELLING HIS/HER STORY
Subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies, Theatre

Have the students choose a historical figure from the 1950’s that interests them and explore his/her history. These choices can include famous musical stars from the era as well. Then have the students write a monologue about a particular part of his/her historical figure’s story and then perform the monologue for the class.

(Fl. State Standards – TH.B.A.[3,4], LA.B.2.[3,4], LA.C.3.[3,4], SS.A.3.[3,4], SS.A.5.[3,4])

POST SHOW ACTIVITIES

Grades 6-8

THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM
Subject: Theatre

After watching GREASE, gather together five everyday objects, create a short play or scene that includes all five things. Make sure that each scene has a clear beginning, problem and resolution. After students have performed their stories, give each student a found object (something very accessible like a comb or shoe). Tell them they are a sales person and they must sell this item to the class. It does not have to be what it appears. For example a shoe could be a neat
“spaghetti bowl”.

(Fl. Standards – TH.B.1.3.1)

READ AND RELATE
Subjects: Language Arts, Theatre

After seeing the musical GREASE, students will write a scene for two characters that parallel an unresolved conflict from the performance. Have the students read the scenes aloud in class, and discuss how additional characters and actions can be introduced to mediate the conflict and resolve the issue. Look to other unresolved conflicts in literature (e.g. Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet) and write original dialogue that introduces new or existing characters that help resolve the problem.

(Fl. Standards – LA.B.1.3, LA.B.2.3, TH.B.1.3, TH.A.1.3)

FLOORPLAN
Subjects: Math, Visual Art, Theatre

After seeing the musical, discuss structures that were used to develop the set. Provide students with a plan of a stage and have them add the structures that were used in the play. Explain the concept of scale. Using graph paper, have students demonstrate an understanding of scale by making a scaled drawing of their room. Then have the students create a floor plan for an exterior setting like a garden or poolside patio.

(Fl. Standards – TH.A.3.3, VA.A.1.3, MA.B.3.3)

BRIGHT IDEA
Subjects: Science, Theatre

Research and discuss refraction and reflection of light. Discuss the variety of colors used in the production. Conduct an experiment on the difference between mixing colors with substances (paint) and mixing color with light. For example when mixing paint: blue + yellow = green, when mixing light: red + green = yellow. Experiment with different colors. Why does this happen? What happens if you mix all of the colors of paint? From light? How does color affect the mood of a play?

(Fl. Standards – TH.A.3.3, SC.H.1.3)

Grades 6-12

SPIRIT DRAWING
Subjects: Visual Arts

Guide class in a discussion about the difficulties Rizzo faced and how she was able to deal with them. Discuss her character and the quality of her spirit. Then direct the students to make a drawing that represents Rizzo’s spirit.

(Fl. State Standards – VA.B.1.[3,4], LA.C.2.[3,4])

MOOD MUSIC
Subjects: Music, Visual Art

Select a piece of music from the musical GREASE to play for the students. Ask the students to close their eyes, listen, and try to feel the music. Use probing questions to provoke students’ thinking: e.g., What colors do you see or think of when you hear this? Do you see smooth, flowing lines or erratic, choppy lines? Ask students to create a line drawing while listening to the music. (Remind them to move their drawing arm while feeling the music.) Have students create a final drawing which represents what they see while listening to the chosen musical piece.

(Fl. Sate Standards – MU.D.1.[3,4], VA.A.1.[3,4])

WHAT WOULD THEY SAY?
Subjects: Language Arts, Foreign Language, Theatre

Have the students choose a character form the show, preferably one with obvious gestures or facial expressions. Then have the students write a monologue for that person in various situations: e.g., on the edge of a cliff, on the moon or in jail. Then read or perform the monologue for the class.

(Fl. State Standards – LA.C.1.[3,4], LA.C.2.[3,4], LA.C.3.[3,4], FL.A.1.[3,4], FL.A.2.[3,4], FL.A.3.[3,4], FL.D.1.[3,4], TH.A.3.[3,4], TH.D.1.[3,4])

AND THEN
Subjects: Language Arts, Theatre

After watching GREASE, create a sequel to the show by having each student choose a character to develop further, write lines in a monologue or dialogue format, and then integrate their dialogues together in order to create either short skits or a longer sequel. Each student’s input would somehow be included. Then compare and contrast your sequel to the movie sequel GREASE 2.

(Fl. State Standards – TH.B.[3,4], LA.B.1.[3,4], LA.B.2.[3,4])

Grades 9-12

THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS
Subjects: Math, Theatre

After seeing the show, use the show playbill to create with the students a list of materials and business staff needed to produce a musical. Then have the students work in groups to establish a budget by having students act like parts of the production crew. Estimate production costs, set a ticket price, and estimate possible profit. Construct a pie chart budget of a production. Brainstorm fundraising ideas that could help finance a production. Research career paths in theatre. Discuss jobs available in theatre management, such as producer, theatre manager, ticket agent, grant-writer, advertisement manager, publicity manager, box office personnel, house manager, and usher. Calculate payroll of an entire production. Activity Vocabulary: Advertise, Budget, Calculate, Copyright, Cost, Estimate, Manager, Overhead, Payroll, Percentage, Pie Chart, Producer, Production, Publicity, Royalties, Salary.

(Fl. State Standards – MA.B 3.4, MA.E 3.4, MA.A 4.4)