SPEAKEASY ASSIGNMENT
You are invited to a Speakeasy on Friday, January 31st. You will not be permitted to enter the
speakeasy without knowing the secret password. Our password is ________________________.
You must dress your finest and arrive by 9:00 AM sharp.
You have been taken back to the 1920s! The Roaring Twenties was an exciting decade filled
with prosperity and change. It was also during the time of prohibition in Canada. As a result,
many private clubs, called speakeasies emerged.
For this assignment, you must select one significant person from the 1920’s or 1930’s and take
on their role. You will pretend to be that person and attend a speakeasy in character, where you
will meet many other important characters from your time period.
PART A: BIOGRAPHY RESEARCH
1. Select your character
From the list provided, you must select a character from the 1920’s or 1930’s that you want to
take on for this assignment. You will become this significant figure, thus you will need to be
prepared to arrive in character. This includes clothing, extra props, etc.
2. Create a Biography.
You will need to research the life of your character in order to become very familiar with them.
Create a written biography describing their life. You must include headings to help organize your
work. Your biography must include the following:
o Who is the person?
o What did s/he do (occupation)?
o Biographical details: birth, childhood, education, influences, experiences.
o What is s/he best known for?
o How was s/he innovative for the times?
o What is this person’s contribution to the culture of the 1920’s or 1930’s?
Your report must be 3-4 pages, typed and double spaced. You should also include a cover page
and a works cited page, in proper MLA format. Use a minimum of 3 different sources for your
research. Be sure to use historically accurate and reliable sources.
Your biography is due on:___________________________
PART B: SPEAKEASY EVENT
On the day of the speakeasy, you must arrive in character. You must arrive in costume so that
your character is easy to identify. You will receive an invite to attend this event. This must be
brought to the doorman in order to acquire access, along with the secret password. For this event,
you are to be in character at all times. This includes costume, props, voice accents etc.
Your tasks during the event:
1. Many other important figures have been invited to this event. Your responsibility is to
circulate, meet and mingle with other characters from the 1920’s and 1930’s. In addition to
mingling, you must meet and interview 4 characters at the event. Complete the interview sheets
attached, as these will be essential for future purposes. These will be due at the end of the
speakeasy activity.
2. Be sure to stop and smile on the red carpet. You will be required
to have your individual photo taken by the press during this event.
You must be in full costume, including any extra props, for the
photo.
3. The most prominent movie producer of the decade will also be on site to take
auditions for the next hit “talkie” – talking motion picture. Visit the media
station and provide a one minute overview of your character. Don’t forget to
state who you are and explain what your contributions to the time period were.
You may even want to demonstrate your talent i.e. musician, painter. These
must be prepared in advance and memorized.
4. If you are vying to get the best rating at this event and be noticed by the other influential
and distinguished guests, you are encouraged to volunteer to perform in front of a live
audience. Demonstrate your talent and make an impression on the other guests.
Characters - 1920's
Event/Events
1. Babe Ruth (Sultan of Swat)
Record setting season
2. Mary Pickford (Canadian
born movie star)
Marriage to Douglas Fairbanks
3. Suffragette
Rally promoting right to vote
4. Flapper
Conflict with Parents
5. A.Y. Jackson
Death of Tom Thomson and Painting
6. Sam McLaughlin
Creation of Buick/Chevrolet Plant in
Oshawa
7. Edward Samuel “Ted”
Rogers
Founder of CFRB Radio Station
8. Rudolph Valentino (movie
star)
Release of the Sheik
9. Canadian Rum Runner
/Rocco Perri
(smuggler/gangster)
Avoiding American Police
10. Agnes MacPhail
(politician)
Election to House of Commons in
1921
11. Stephen Leacock
Publication of Sunshine Sketches
12. Frederick Banting
Discovery of Insulin
13. Jack Dempsey (boxer)
Reflecting on boxing career and losing
the World Heavyweight Title in 1926
Two time Prime Minister of Canada in
the 1920s.
Influencing “The Harlem Renaissance”
14. Arthur Meighen (politician)
15. Langston Hughes
(African Am. Poet)
16. Fanny “Bobbie” Rosenfeld
17. Samuel Bronfman
(Entrepreneur)
18. Al Capone
(Italian Am. Gangster)
19. Elizabeth Arden
(Italian Am. Gangster)
Canadian winner at 1928 Olympics
Founder of Distillers Corporation
Limited
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Canadian/American Business Woman
Possible
Props
Name of
Student
20. Louis Armstrong (African
Am. jazz trumpeter)
Playing in Harlem in the mid 1920's
21. Henry Ford (auto
industrialist/inventor)
Introduction of Model A
22. Charles Lindbergh
Reflecting on his first solo non-stop
flight
23. Martha Graham
Performing the lead role in Stravinsky's
American premiere of Rite of Spring in
1930
24. Foster Hewitt
Radio broadcasting and hockey
coverage
25. Clara Bow
Being the ”It” Girl
Characters - 1930's
Event/Events
26. R. B. Bennett (Prime
Minister)
Passage of the Relief Act 1932
27. Relief Camp Worker
Working in a Northern Camp
28. Walt Disney
Winning an Academy Award for
cartoons
29. Unemployed Worker - On
To Ottawa Trek
Regina Riot
30. J.S. Woodsworth
(politician)
Adoption of Regina Manifesto
31. Clothing Designer
“New Look for the Thirties” Fashion
Show
32. Charlie Chaplin
(actor/director)
Silent Film era and emergence of
“talkies”
33. Percy Williams (Cdn.
sprinter)
Upon setting World Record in 100 yd.
dash
34. Conn Smyth
Construction of Maple Leaf Gardens
Gaining international recognition for
paintings.
35. Emily Carr
Possible
Props
Name of
Student
36. Fred O. Loft
Contemplating on his life’s work as a
Native Reformer.
37. Wife of a Prairie Farmer
Living in an area struck by severe
drought
38. Elzire or Oliva Dionne
(parents of Quints)
39. Frank Lloyd Wright
(architect)
Great Tourist Boom of the mid 1930's
40. Armand Bombardier
(inventor)
41. Edmonton Grads
On securing patent for Snowmobile
42. Joe Louis (African Am.
boxer)
Winning World Heavyweight Title
43. Benny Goodman
(King of Swing)
Development of mid 1930's Swing
Sound
Winnipeg music scene in 1930s.
44. Zena & Piercy Haynes
Entertainer-Jazz
45. Jesse Owens
(African Am. Athlete)
46. Lucy Maud Montgomery
(Author, Anne of Green
Gables)
47. American Government
Investigator
48. Deanna Durbin
(Entertainer/Actor)
Opening of Fallingwater
A decade of success for record
breaking women’s basketball team
Performance at 1936 Berlin Olympics
Receiving an Office of the Order of the
British Empire in 1936.
Hindenburg Disaster 1937
Winning the Academy Juvenile Award
1938.
52. Grey Owl
First female aircraft designer elected to
the Engineering Institute of Canada
1938.
On the eve of her
circumnavigational flight of the globe
in 1937
Reflecting on athletic accomplishments
and making transition to a politician in
1937
Posthumous accusations he was a fraud
53. Orson Wells
War of the Worlds Broadcast 1938
49. Elsie Macgill
(Engineer)
50. Amelia Earhart (pilot)
51. Lionel Conacher