S tu dy Guide
Pericles,
Prince of Tyre
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott
September 7 – November 24
photo by craig schwartz
California’s Home for the Classics
Pericles,
Prince of Tyre
3
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: A Note on Subject
4
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Characters
5
About the Play: Synopsis
6
William Shakespeare: Biography
7
William Shakespeare: Timeline
8
Pericles’ Travels
9
Hero’s Quest
10 Verse & Prose
12 About the Production: Music
13
About the Production: Costume Design
14 About the Production: Lighting
15 About the Production: Scenic Design
16 Voyage of Pericles
18 Shakespeare’s Pericles
20 Classroom Activities
21 Resource Guide
22 About Theatre Arts & Key Terms
24 About A Noise Within
A NOISE WITHIN’S EDUCATION PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY:
The Ahmanson Foundation, Alliance for the Advancement of Arts & Education, Lourdes Baird, The Sheri & Les Biller Family Foundation,
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, Kathleen & James Drummy, Sharon & Rick Ellingsen, Employees Community Fund of
Boeing California, The Green Foundation, Heather & Paul Haaga, Drs. Jennifer & Robert Israel, The Jewish Community Foundation Michael and Irene
Ross Endowment Fund, Anonymous, Terry & Jeanie Kay, Alan M. & Sheila R. Lamson, John K. & Barbara Lawrence, Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Terri Murray, National Endowment for the Arts: Shakespeare for a New Generation,
The Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division,
Leonard Pronko, The Charles & Elizabeth Redmond Scholarship Fund, In Loving Memory of Charles R. Redmond — Father, Robert & Ann Ronus,
The Rose Hills Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Lyn Spector, The Steinmetz Foundation, James & Trevessa Terrile, Wells Fargo Foundation,
Roy H. Wishard & William O. Boden, WWW Foundation
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photo by craig schwartz
Study Guide Table of Contents
Pericles: A note about subject matter
Shakespeare’s Pericles brings up two
sensitive issues for student audiences. At
the beginning of the play, Pericles solves
the answer to a riddle and discovers that
King Antiochus is committing incest with
his daughter. Later on, pirates sell Pericles’s
daughter Marina to a brothel, presumably
into prostitution. These scenes are brief, but
are critical to the plot, which focuses on the
triumph of virtue.
The incestuous relationship between Antiochus
and his daughter is mentioned at the beginning
of Act I, but is not emphasized visually. The
riddle scene serves as a catalyst for Pericles to
begin his adventure. The scenes with Marina in
the brothel are another opportunity for good to
triumph over evil. Marina convinces every wouldbe customer to renounce wickedness, and even
persuades the brothel owner’s servant to help
her escape.
Shakespeare places his characters in
challenging circumstances for dramatic effect.
Pericles is a story of a journey that includes
the themes of honor, love, family and integrity.
photo by craig schwartz
We understand that teachers, administrators,
and parents must individually assess what is
appropriate for their students. Please contact
A Noise Within’s Education department at
626.356.3104 or email
education@anoisewithin.org
for more information. ❖
3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Character Map
Character Map
Gower: Narrator
Return to Tarsus
Marina: Left to grow up on Tarsus under Dionzya’s care
Antioch
Antiochus: King of Antioch who is having an incestuous
relationship with his daughter. He gives all of
her suitors a riddle they must solve or die
Antiochus’ Daughter
Thailard: Hired by Antiochus to kill Pericles
Pericles: Vies for Antiochus’ Daughter’s hand
before solving the riddle and fleeing
Tyre
Pericles: The Titular Prince of Tyre who is searcing
for a wife. After solving the riddle he
flees Antioch and returns home
Helicanus: A
Lord of Tyre who remains loyal to
Pericles and tells him to flee
Tarsus
Dionzya: Governor of Tarsus dealing with famine across her land
Pericles: A
rrives with food to supply the people of Tarsus,
turning Dionyza into his ally
Pentapolis
Simonides: K
ing of Pentapolis who holds a jousting tournament
for his daughter’s hand
Thaisa: S
imonides’ daughter who marries Pericles
Pericles: Wins the jousting tournament for Thaisa’s hand and
marries her
At Sea
Thaisa: A
fter giving birth to her daughter, she is presumed dead
and thrown overboard
Lychordia: Nurse who stays with Marina on Tarsus
Dionzya: Grows jealous that Marina is prettier and smarter than
her own daughter and hires an assassin
Philoten: Dionzya’s daughter, seen as inferior to Marina
Leonine: Servant hired by Dionzya to kill Marina, but leaves her
with pirates and lies about her death
Pericles: Devastated when he returns to Tarsus and is informed
about his daughter’s death
Ephesus
Cerimon: A
Lord of Ephesus who revives Thaisa after discovering
her body ashore
Philemon: Servant to Cerimon
Thaisa: T
ravels to the Temple of Diana when she believes that
her family died in a shipwreck
Mytilene
Pander: Brothel owner who buys Marina from the pirates
Bawd: Pander’s wife
Bolt: S
ervant to Pander and Bawd who is sympathetic towards
Marina and helps her
Marina: Despite being sold into prostitution, she remains virtuous and pure. She winds up engaged to Lysimachus
after reuniting with her family
Lysimachus: Governor of Mytilene who falls for Marina and
reunites her with her father. At the end of the play,
he is engaged to Marina
Diana: Goddess who appears to Pericles and tells him to go
to her temple
Pericles: Reunited with his daughter
Return to Ephesus
Pericles: Finds his wife at the Temple of Diana and his family
is reunited
Marina: Daughter of Thaisa and Pericles, born at sea
Lychordia: Thaisa’s nurse who cares for Marina
Pericles: Forced to bury Thaisa at sea
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The character of Cleon does not appear in this production
About the Play: Synopsis
water-tight coffin and thrown overboard where it drifts
to the shore of Ephesus. A renowned healer, Cerimon,
discovers the casket and miraculously revives Thaisa.
Believing that both her beloved husband and newborn
daughter have perished in the storm, Thaisa vows to
live the rest of her days as a votaress of the Temple
of Diana. Pericles, fearful for the infant’s safety on the
open seas, returns to Tarsus and entrusts the child to
Governor Dionyza.
A tremendous storm at sea destroys his ship and
crew and he washes ashore at Pentapolis. Through
two local fishermen, Pericles learns that the good
King Simonides is hosting a jousting tournament in
honor of his daughter Thaisa. The coveted prize of the
contest is Thaisa’s hand in marriage. The young Prince
wins the tournament, Thaisa’s hand, and her true love
as well. After the marriage and a prolonged stay in
Pentapolis, Pericles and his now pregnant young wife
set sail for Tyre. In the midst of another brutal tempest
Thaisa apparently dies while giving birth to Marina (so
named by Pericles because she was born at sea). Due
to superstitious sailors, Thaisa’s body is placed in a
Spying a ship anchored off the coast of Mytilene,
Lysimachus comes aboard to find Pericles in deep
mourning. Lysimachus summons Marina hoping her
powers of healing may prove helpful to the ailing
Prince. Pericles and Marina are overjoyed to discover
each other’s true identity. Pericles’ fatigue sends him
into a deep sleep in which he dreams that the Goddess
Diana instructs him to travel to her temple on Ephesus.
Upon arriving there, Pericles and Marina recognize and
unite with Thaisa, bringing together the family so long
split asunder. ❖
photo by craig schwartz
Pericles’ adventure begins in the faraway
land of Antioch, where he is determined to solve a
riddle composed by King Antiochus. If he decodes
the riddle he wins the hand of the King’s beautiful
daughter. If Pericles fails, he will be put to death like
numerous princes before him. To his dismay, and the
King’s fury, Pericles discovers the true meaning of the
riddle-that King Antiochus is committing incest with
his daughter. Fleeing for his life, he heads back home
to Tyre. Fearing an attack upon his country by the
enraged Antiochus, Pericles takes the advice of his
trusted friend Helicanus and sets sail. Pericles lands on
the shores of the famine-stricken land of Tarsus, and
befriends its Governor, Dionyza, by an offer of food
from his ship. After a short stay, and still fearing for his
life, he once again sets sail.
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Fourteen years pass. Marina has become a beautiful
and pure-spirited young woman, much to the
consternation of Dionyza who is poisoned with jealousy.
Dionyza is convinced that her own daughter, Philoten,
has been overshadowed by Marina’s unparalleled
beauty. Dionyza hires an assassin to kill Marina. But,
just as the fatal blow is about
to be administered, Marina is
kidnapped by pirates headed
toward the land of Mytilene.
Arriving at Mytilene, she is
sold to the proprietors of a
brothel. Marina’s strength and
purity of spirit convince every
would-be customer of the
house of ill-repute to renounce
evil intentions forever more.
With the help of the Governor
of Mytilene, Lysimachus, she
is freed from the brothel
and becomes renowned
for her healing powers. In
the meantime, Pericles sails
to Tarsus and is told by
Dionyza that Marina has died.
Distraught, Pericles sets sail,
vowing to neither cut his hair
nor speak again.
William Shakespeare: Biography
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet, playwright and
actor, was likely born on April 23, 1564 to Mary Arden and John
Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. Next year, 2014,
will mark Shakespeare’s 450th birthday and celebrations will be
held around the world to commemorate his contributions to
literature and theatre.
Although much is written about him, very little documentation
of his life survives beyond the public records of his christening,
death, marriage and financial transactions. Shakespeare probably
attended the Edward VI Grammar School, where his studies
would have been almost exclusively in Latin.
At age 18, he married Anne Hathaway (age 26), who gave birth
to daughter Susanna, just six months after the wedding. In 1585,
Anne gave birth to twins Hamnet (who died at the age 11) and
Judith. From 1585-1591, not much is known about Shakespeare’s
life and this period is often referred to as the “lost years.”
However, it is clear that he moved to London to pursue theatre
during this time (probably around 1587).
In 1592, Shakespeare was listed as an actor with the Lord
Strange’s Players, for whom he wrote his first play, the highly
successful Henry VI, Part 1, followed immediately by the sequels
Henry VI, Parts 2 & 3 in the same year. He later joined, and
became part owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men continuing
his career as a playwright. Over the course of twenty years,
he wrote 148 sonnets, 3 long poems, and the 37 plays that
continued to be performed around the world today. This season,
alongside Pericles, Prince of Tyre, A Noise Within is producing
Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Spring 2014.
In 1599, Shakespeare bought a share in the newly built outdoor
Globe Theatre where his plays were constantly performed. The
Globe Theatre was accidentally burned down in 1613 before
being quickly rebuilt in 1614. However, the Globe closed in
1642 after all theatres were abolished by England’s Puritan
administration and was demolished in 1644. Today, visitors flock
to London to visit Shakespeare’s Globe, a reconstruction of the
original theatre that was opened in 1997.
Between 1610 and 1612, Shakespeare retired to Stratford-uponAvon, where he died in 1616 at the age of 52. He supposedly
died on the same day he was born, April 23rd. He is buried in the
Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon. ❖
6 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
William Shakespeare Timeline
1564
1564
William Shakespeare is born to John and
Mary Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
1587
The Rose Theatre is founded in London.
Shakespeare arrives in London to pursue
theatre
1594
Shakespeare is an actor, playwright, and
partial owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
1598
Shakespeare’s name begins to appear
on the title page of his plays.
1599
Shakespeare buys a share in the newly
built Globe Theatre.
1603
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men become the The
King’s Men in honor of James I’s coronation.
The company is held in the king’s high favor.
1606
Macbeth written
1608
Shakespeare writes Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
1609
First publication of Pericles
1611
Macbeth performed
1611
The Tempest, another play by Shakespeare
that features a shipwreck, is performed for
the first time.
1613
During a Performance of Henry VIII, a cannon
ignites and sets fire the thatched roof of the
Globe Theatre, burning the theatre down.
1614
The Globe Theatre is quickly rebuilt. It closes
in 1642 after England’s Puritan administration
abolishes all theatres and was subsequently
demolished in 1644.
1616
William Shakespeare dies at the age of 52
and is buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity
Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1623
The First Folio is published by John Hemminges and Henry Condell. Pericles, Prince of
Tyre is curiously left out of the publication.
1623
7 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Pericles’ Travels
Where exactly did
Mytilene
is the largest town
on the Greek island
of Lésbos. The most
famous citizens from
the town are Pittacus,
a statesmen, and the
poets Sappho and
Alcaeus. Aristotle
also lived in the town
between 337-335 BC.
Pentapolis literally
means “five cities”
and refers to any
close-knit group of
five cities. In this play,
it refers to a group of
cities in North Africa.
In the United States,
some consider the
Five Boroughs of New
York City (Manhattan,
The Bronx, Brooklyn,
Queens and Staten
Island) to be a
pentapolis.
Pericles Go?
Shakespeare was able to create
a fictional play based on real places.
bl a c k s e a
Turkey
• Mytilene
At h e n s
•
• tarsus
Antioch •
cyprus
• pentapolis
egypt
EPHESUS was an ancient Greek City famous for the
Temple of Artemis (Roman equivalent Diana)
completed circa 550 BC. It also was known for a
large theatre that could hold up to 25,000 audience
members. The theatre was originally built to perform
plays and was later used for gladiator battles in
Roman times. Today, it is a modern tourist attraction
as people travel to see the ruins of the great ancient
city and of the Temple of Artemiss, one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. Artemis is the Greek
equivalent of Diana, and her temple is where Pericles
and Thaisa are reunited in the play.
8 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
• ephesus
• tyre
• Alexandria
• cairo
Tarsus
is a Mediterranean
city located in
modern-day southern
Turkey. It was a
popular destination
for trade as a point of
intersection between
land and sea routes.
It is famous for being
the meeting place
of Anthony and
Cleopatra and the
birthplace of Paul the
Apostle. Tyre is an
ancient Phoenician
city on the southern
coast of Lebanon.
Tyrians were famous
for their navigational
skills in developing
maritime trade routes
and prosperous
colonies, such as
Carthage.
Tyre is also well known
for its purple dye.
Antioch was a popular city in ancient Syria due
to trade routes from Asia and Persia that allowed
goods to be delivered into the Mediterranean. It is
now a major town in south-central Turkey.
Activities Now pretend you are the writer.
If you were making a fictional environment based
on real life.
Where would you write about?
What characteristics would you include?
What would you change?
How would you describe the place and the people?
Heros’ Quest
PERICLES and the Monomyth:
Examining the Hero’s Journey
The plot of Pericles has a lot in common
with the structure of a typical hero’s journey
Shakespeare’s Pericles is a fictional character,
most likely based on the character of Apollonius
in the poem Apollonius of Tyre by a medieval poet
named John Gower. Pericles is also the name of a
5th century Athenian statesman
Activities
What are the elements of a
hero’s journey?
1. Compare and Contrast Pericles’ journey
to other hero’s quests: Odysseus, Aeneas,
Gilgamesh, Jason and the Argonauts,
Frodo, Harry Potter, others?
2. Marina’s character has her own heroic
journey in Pericles. Do female protagonists
have different journeys? How and Why?
Consider Viola from Twelfth Night, Katniss
Everdeen, others?
3. In literature, many works emphasize
a hero’s journey home. Homer’s The
Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid are
two epics that deal with the concept
of homecoming (Greek: Nostos). After
reading Pericles, Prince of Tyre, analyze
the play and compare it to these epics.
What is similar and what is different? Cite
examples and analysis from the text. Is
there a large difference between how the
journey is portrayed in an epic versus in
a play? In your research, think about how
epics and plays were originally presented
and imagine how audiences would receive
the works.
For a challenge, think of Joyce’s Ulysses
where part of Leonard’s journey is called
the Nostos.
(Writing 2:
write an essay with a thesis statement)
(Writing 9:
draw evidence from text to support
argument)
Bust of Pericles in marble, Roman copy after a Greek original from ca. 430 BC
9 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Shakespeare’s
Verse & Prose
VERSE
is language with a set rhythm
PROSE
is language without a set rhythm or structure.
The majority of Shakespeare’s plays are written in verse,
for two primary reasons: tradition and memorization. Since
the beginning of theatre, plays had been written in verse
and verse is easier to memorize than prose. Shakespeare
was one of the first playwrights to use both prose and
verse when it suited him. Shakespeare uses verse to
denote members of the nobility and the upper class.
Prose is the form used by the common citizens in
Shakespearean drama. There is no rhythm or meter
in the line. It is everyday language that Shakespeare’s
audience would recognize as their own language. In
Shakespeare’s plays, prose is rarely used by nobility
or members of the royal family.
Shakespeare uses a verse form called blank verse.
While blank verse does not contain rhyme, each line has
an internal rhythm and a regular rhyme pattern, like a
heartbeat.
Shakespeare is known for utilizes iambic pentameter. An
iamb is a poetic foot with one unstressed syllable followed
by one stressed syllable. A pentameter means that there
are ten syllables in a line. An iambic pentameter is then
five iambs, forming a ten syllable line with a total of five
stressed and five unstressed syllables per line.
Example:
Which welcome we’ll accept, feast here a while,
Until our stars that frown, lend us a smile.
—Pericles, Act I, Scene 4
Which welcome we’ll accept, feast here a while,
Until our stars that frown, lend us a smile.
dah-DUM, dah-DUM, dah-DUM, dah-DUM, dah-DUM
1 0 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Example:
“Fie, fie upon her…We must either get her
ravished or be rid of her. When she should
do for clients her fitment, and do me the
kindness of our profession, she has me her
quirks, her reasons, her master reasons, her
prayers, her knees, that she would make a
puritan of the devil if he should cheapen a
kiss of her.”
—Bawd, Act IV, Scene 5
Shakespeare’s
Verse & Prose Activities
Choose a lengthy speech by any character in
Pericles, Prince of Tyre and have students read
it aloud while walking around. Students should
physically change direction every time they reach
a comma, colon or full stop. This frequent change
in direction will illustrate how each clause in a
sentence suggests a new thought or idea for a
character.
Repeat this exercise, but instead of changing
direction, have students say the words “comma”
and “full stop” out loud when they encounter
punctuation. This exercise helps heighten
awareness of where there is punctuation in our
speech and what its purpose is.
Using the same text, have students underline what
they think are the natural stress words. If they spot
an often repeated word, they should underline that
as well. Then students can practice speaking the
text with an emphasis on these key stress words.
Using the same speech, have students speak
it aloud forcing themselves to make a physical
gesture on every single word. This gesture can be
clearly connected to the word (for example a finger
point on “him”) or can be more abstract. This
exercise helps students to value every word in the
text. Students will prioritize the correct stresses
because they will naturally gesture more when
saying key words.
1 1 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Can you identify three characters who speak in
verse and three who speak in prose? Do any of
the characters use both?
In Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Marina speaks in both
verse and prose.
Look at the following two passages, are they
written in prose or verse? Reexamine these
passages and the scenes in which they occur. Why
does Shakespeare have Marina speak this way?
How do characters that interact with her speak?
What does the verse or prose reveal about the
character?
“For me
That am a maid, though most ungentle fortune
Have placed me in this sty, where, since I came.
Disease have been sold dearer than physic.
That the gods
Would set me free form this unhallowed place,
Though they did change me to the meanest birth
That flies I’th’ purer air!”
— Marina, Act IV, Scene 5
“My lord, that maybe hath endured a grief
Might equal yours, if both were justly weighed.
Though wayward Fortune did malign my state,
My derivation was from ancestors
Who stood equivalent with mighty kings…”
— Marina, Act I, Scene 1
About the Production: Music
Robert Oriol
Robert Oriol is a classical guitarist and composer in
Los Angeles. This is his third production at A Noise
Within. Theater credits include The Grapes of Wrath
(A Noise Within), God Save Gertrude, Oedipus El
Rey, and A Picture of Dorian Gray (Theatre @ Boston
Court) and As You Like It (A Noise Within), Spider
Bites (Theater of Note).
Artists’ Statement
For Pericles, the soundscape will be approached more
along the lines of a film score than a theatrical score. Three of the main charaters — Pericles, Thaisa, and
Marina — will each have a short theme, or “leitmotif”
composed for them which we will hear throughout
the play.
In terms of instrumentation, classical guitar will be
the primary melodic instrument because of the wide
range of colors it offers, and the background and
underscoring will strings, brass and percussion. There
may be modern elements to this score as well, since
this play is not strictly a “period” piece.
In these early stages of development, we are
planning on taking advantage of our actor’s rhythmic
abilities by having them perform live percussion in
some scenes to accentuate the recorded score.
Additionally there may be room in this world we
are creating for some live vocals, but many of the
compositional and design choices will depend on how
the production unfolds. Often, the music we hear in
our heads at the beginning of a production change
dramatically as we move closer to opening night.
1 2 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Questions
After reading the play and seeing A Noise
Within’s production, analyze what the
music added to the story. Think of other
art forms, such as television and film, that
utilize music in your answer.
What elements need to be taken into
consideration when scoring a production?
Who does the composer have to interact
and collaborate with in order to succeed?
Are there certain instruments or sounds
that you associate with specific events?
For example, what sounds would you
expect to hear during a shipwreck?
A wedding? A reunion?
How would approaching a film score be
different than a theatrical score? How
does the decision to approach the music
as a film score affect A Noise Within’s
production of Pericles?
Robert Oriol describes the range of
“colors” a guitar offers. How does color
apply to a musical score? How do you
think of color?
About the Production: Costume Design
Angela Balogh Calin
For A Noise Within, Angela Balogh Calin
has designed costumes for many productions including The Beaux’ Stratagem,
Eurydice, A Christmas Carol, Cymbeline,
Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, Or
What You Will, The Comedy of Errors, The
Chairs, Great Expectations, Waiting for
Godot, Loot, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
The Misanthrope, The Imaginary Invalid,
Another Part of the Forest, The Little Foxes,
The Threepenny Opera, and As You Like It.
She designed sets for Ghosts, The School
for Wives, Julius Caesar, The Seagull, The
Winter’s Tale, As You Like It, Twelfth Night,
Cyrano de Bergerac (1995), and The Country Wife. Ms. Balogh Calin earned an MFA
in Set and Costume design at The Academy
of Fine Arts in Bucharest, Romania, and is a
member of the Costume Designers Guild in
the USA and Romania. She has shown her
graphic artwork in over 20 art exhibitions.
After a few meetings with Julia we
decided the best direction for the
costumes would be to move them from one
period to the next mixing contemporary
with 17, 18, 19th century in order
to underscore the long journey through
life. Each location in the play will be set in
a different period and will have a specific
color code. My hope is to make the
costumes and the characters seam timeless
and also give them a touch of playfulness
1 3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
photo by craig schwartz
Artists’ Statement
About the Production: Lighting
Ken Booth
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Elec2
19°
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Elec3
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1 4 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
19°
When defining a different location, a time
of day, or a sense of time having passed,
light levels can create that feeling. To evoke
the sense that several years had passed, I
HRdownstage
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Artists’ Statement
Like in many of Shakespeare plays, it is
always important to isolate characters as
much as possible. I included multiple singlelight specials for the many opportunities
there were to highlight speeches. I also dim
the background as much as possible so the
focus is entirely on the character(s).
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90°
90°
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Pericles is very a much a play that
uses the theme of journey literally and
metaphorically. I had the opportunity to
create environmental lighting to enhance
our set and action which extended into
and behind the audience. It was especially
exciting to light actors who were placed
on the ramps set designer Jeanine Ringer
designed for the audience aisles. I focused
those lights steeply so as to not intrude
upon the audiences.
19°
Ken Booth has designed more than thirty
productions for A Noise Within since 1998.
Some of his favorites include The Bungler,
The Chairs, Noises Off, Great Expectations,
Richard III, Taming of the Shrew, Ubu Roi,
Oliver Twist, Life is a Dream, Dear Brutus,
A Wilde Holiday, Skin of our Teeth, Buried
Child, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at
the Hollywood Bowl.
Sample lighting plot
brought down the front light levels low but made the back lights
a little ‘crispy.’ I also gave a scene a feeling of ‘soft’ lighting when
a mood of tenderness was important. To do that I made front and
back lighting levels low and even.
I like to use saturated colors with non-realistic sets, especially
when a play like Pericles takes place in several locations. The colors
also helped to evoke the productions’ fairy-tale like feeling. I also
covered the stage with break-up patterns to suggest exterior
scenes.
Pericles allowed me to design a richly layered lighting tapestry for
this epic production.
About the Production: Scenic Design
Jeanine A. Ringer
Ms. Ringer has spent the last decade working in
television, film, theater and other live events. She
received her MFA from the University of California,
Irvine. There, she took a particular interest in
immersive theater, where the scenic environment
completely surrounds the audience, and provides the
spectator with an opportunity to interact with the
production. From there, she went on to work in film
and television both as a Production Designer and
as a Stylist/Dresser. She has since had opportunities
to work on multiple theatrical productions, films,
commercials, music videos, and live events. A
Christmas Carol marks her first production with A
Noise Within. Ms. Ringer is very excited to have the
opportunity to design this holiday classic with a few
new twists. www.jnicholasdesigns.com
Artists’ Statement
Pericles is a show that takes you around the world in
90 minutes. We are taken on a sort of whirlwind cruise
through time and space as our characters go from
port to port and encounter many different peoples
and lands. The tricky thing for a theatrical designer in
a show like this is to figure out a way to transport us
seamlessly to each of these worlds.
Along with the rest of our amazingly creative design
team we’ve come up with a sort of human curiosity
cabinet for this production. We wanted the set to
help invoke a sense of curiosity and excitement while
still providing a neutral space that can quickly become
any of the lands that we are journeying to. The set
is meant to be a sort of blank canvas or blank page
that the characters can very quickly sketch out a new
1 5 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Questions
A lot of hard work and dedication is put into a
production. After watching A Noise Within’s production of Pericles, list all of the jobs required
in order for the play to succeed. Do not forget
that this includes all of the actors, costuming, set
design, lighting, and even music. Analyze how
these jobs interact with one another and give
examples of where two or more departments
must work together.
o What are important traits that each member
of the production must have? Pretend that
you are the stage manager in charge of a
production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
What would you do to ensure that everyone
was collaborating?
o If you could have any job in a production,
what would it be and why?
Justify your reasoning.
place on. Our set is predominantly composed of a
wall of doors and cabinets that allow us to wonder
what lies behind each one.
With minor tweaks we’re hoping to transport our
audience to each port that we go to. Using very
specific props and color combinations as triggers
that we’ve moved on. I think this show holds a lot of
surprises and we’re inviting the audience to take a
giant leap with us as we sail away to distant shores.
The Voyage of Pericles
Mark Rabinowitz
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be all that much
in common between the two Shakespeare plays selected for
A Noise Within’s upcoming season. Pericles is a tragicomedy,
a storm-tossed odyssey of love lost and regained. Macbeth
is tragedy in its purest sense: an anti-hero and partner
motivated by ambition and haunted by guilt get what’s
coming to them. But, like many Shakespeare plays, these two
— written perhaps a year or two apart, four centuries ago —
touch, just for a moment, on a common idea.
In Pericles, Dionyza walks on stage in scene 4.3 in medias res
– that is, the scene begins in the midst of her conversation
with her husband Cleon, governor of Tarsus, after he has
heard offstage of what they both believe at the time to be
her murder of Pericles’ daughter Marina, who had been
entrusted to their care. Dionyza enters saying to Cleon, “Can
it be undone?” What she is saying to her husband is, basically,
you can stop freaking out about this: what’s done is done;
there’s nothing we can do about it now. She is pleading
with him that since the circumstance cannot be changed, he
should overlook the horrific nature of her action.
Regret and horror over murder is of course a driving force in
Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth (in a much more significant role)
reacts much as Dionyza does. Shortly after the murder of
King Duncan, Lady Macbeth tells her husband, “What’s done
is done.” Later, in the sleepwalking scene as she tries to rid
herself of the “damned spot,” Lady Macbeth says to herself
nearly the same thing Dionyza will tell Cleon: “What’s done
cannot be undone.” In both plays, Shakespeare asks us to
reflect on finality, on how our unalterable actions can send us
down an alternative future path, for better or for worse.
Dionyza’s rhetorical question — “Can it be undone?” — also
helps frame the fascinating history that has made this play
available for performance for us today. Is a play text simply a
dead body? Do we accept the text as it was published, in this
case in 1609, as final, finished, unchangeable (and perhaps,
like Dionyza, plead with the audience that what’s done is
done — even if the publisher “murdered” it, there is nothing
we can do about it now)? Conversely, if we make alterations
to the text, is that the horrific act? Surely modernizing
spelling, or correcting typographical errors, is simple enough.
But what about giving a character an extra speech, to make
clear a point that otherwise the script does not seem to
explain? If that’s okay, why not add a whole scene? Or more?
1 6 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
If we do that, is it still “Shakespeare”? Are there limits before
we have “undone” the play? Pericles forces us to consider
these questions.
Pericles was immediately popular on stage. It was popular
in print too: six quarto editions, attributed solely to
Shakespeare, were published between 1609 and 1635. But
the quartos were riddled with errors. Each of the subsequent
editions tried to fix things a bit, sometimes helping,
sometimes introducing new problems. Most scholars believe
that the first quarto text (called “Q1”) was recreated by
memory, probably by one or two of the actors in the play.
Their memories, while remarkable, were
not perfect. There is a wonderful play in
Q1, and a fair number of problems.
Soon after the first successful
performances of Pericles, George
Wilkins published a novella called The
Painful Adventures of Pericles Prince
of Tyre, combining his memory of the
play with text he lifted (verbatim) from
another novel, by Lawrence Twine,
called The Pattern of Painful Adventures.
Wilkins was clearly trying to cash in
on the play’s success; he subtitled his
novel “the true history of the play of
Pericles, as it was lately presented,”
and he omitted any mention of
Shakespeare, or Twine, attempting to
take all the credit for himself. He had
a valid claim to some credit: scholars
believe that Wilkins was co-author of
Pericles, Wilkins being responsible for
most of Acts 1 and 2, Shakespeare for
most of Acts 3 through 5. If this is so,
Wilkins’s novel may shed valuable light
on how Pericles was originally staged.
Substantial parts of Wilkins’s novel read
just like the play, even though the play
itself had not yet been published; at
Act 3, both the language and the story
begin to diverge significantly from the
play. It seems logical that Wilkins’s
memory of the play was better for the
part he had written.
Certain passages in Q1 clearly need
modification for performance. In scene
5.1, the recognition scene in which
Marina and Pericles discover they are
long lost daughter and father, Marina
sings a song for Pericles. In Q1, there
are no lyrics — the script simply says,
“The Song.” Similarly, in the jousting
scene (2.1), Q1 states the nationality
and the translation of the foreign
language mottoes for only some of
the six knights who pass before King
Simonides and his daughter Thaisa
in procession. Painful Adventures is
helpful: it provides lyrics for the song
in 5.1 and provides the nationalities
and translations for all six knights in
2.1. It seems far more likely that Painful
1 7 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Adventures accurately reflects what
transpired on the original stage here;
stubbornly holding fast to Q1 would
deprive the audience for little apparent
reason.
Marina’s rescue from the attempted
murder by Dionyza and Leonine comes
at the hand of pirates, who kidnap
her, bring her to Mytilene, and sell
her into a brothel. Marina refuses to
take part, using her wit to convince
the customers of the errors of their
ways. In scene 4.6, we witness her
interview with Lysimachus, governor of
Mytilene, who has come to the brothel
seemingly as a client. Marina converts
him to the side of honor and good —
but in Q1, she really does not say very
much before Lysimachus sees the light
and becomes convinced she is pure,
virtuous, a special person he should not
harm. Critics, editors, and especially
theater directors have found this scene
unsatisfying, even unperformable.
Something is missing: shouldn’t we see
some evidence of Marina’s intelligence
and charm, to motivate the change in
Lysimachus?
Despite the play’s significant initial
popularity on stage, it was rarely
performed after the 17th century
until well into the 20th. It is now
enjoying a resurgence, and beginning
in 1969 for a Royal Shakespeare
Company production, directors began
using Wilkins’s Painful Adventures
to fill in the gaps of motivation for
Lysimachus. A 1983 BBC television
production (available on DVD, highly
recommended) did the same. In parallel
with this growing theatrical tradition,
editors embarked on a similar voyage,
and this is where things began to get
controversial. In 1986, two editors of
the Oxford Complete Works developed
what they called a “Reconstructed Text”
of Pericles, using Painful Adventures
to make wholesale changes to a great
number of scenes — even those where
the Q1 text is largely adequate as
is. These editors (or should one say
Question
Mark Rabinowitz describes
Dionyza talking to Cleon about
her terrible deed, but in A
Noise Within’s production, the
role of Cleon has been cut.
How does this change affect
how you interpret the scene?”
“authors”?) went far further than simply
supplying missing lyrics or translation
– further even than responding to the
scholarly and theatrical tradition of a
problem with Lysimachus’s motivation
in 4.6. Although the case for Wilkins
as co-author of the play is compelling
and no longer much disputed, the
Reconstructed Text is another matter.
A reader of this text must ask: what
is this “reconstructed” text? Is it
“Shakespeare”? Is it an adaptation? Has
the Quarto been “undone”?
Much has been written about the ways
in which Pericles has been edited for
print and presented on the stage, and
studying it is both entertaining and
rewarding. Editors and directors have
been both creative and rigorous in their
attempts to present the best possible
text to audiences — and thinking about
what “best” may mean: a text close to
Q1 as it was published, or one with the
gaps suitably filled, or one close to a
hypothetical “original” staged version
(as the Oxford hybrid of Q1 and Painful
Adventures claims to be). In the play,
Pericles, Thaisa and Marina each lose
and find love, either romantic or filial,
traveling storm-tossed seas to a grand
reunion. The text of Pericles, too, has
been tossed by a storm, and we have
scholars and directors to thank for
reuniting us with it. ❖
About the author:
Mark Rabinowitz is a supporter of A Noise
Within’s Classics Live! education program.
He is a former business executive who now
studies Shakespeare at UCLA.
Shakespeare’s Pericles
and the World of the Play
Miranda Johnson-Haddad
The historical John Gower (1340-1408) was an English
poet who is best remembered for his lengthy poem
Confessio Amantis (c. 1383-1393), which includes the
tale of Apollonius of Tyre, considered a source for
Pericles. In Shakespeare’s hands, Gower becomes a
highly complex figure. Like the Chorus of Henry V,
Gower’s is the first voice we hear in the play, and the
last; unlike the Chorus, Gower distinguishes himself
by speaking largely (though not entirely) in iambic
tetrameter, a four-beat line rather than the familiar
five-beat iambic pentameter that the rest of the
characters speak. He is deferential to his audience,
admitting that he “sing[s] a song that old was sung”
and acknowledging that his tale is a familiar one.
Nevertheless, despite his deference and his hope that
his tale “May to your wishes pleasure bring,” he is very
1 8 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
photo by craig schwartz
“O for a Muse of fire,” famously proclaims the
Chorus at the opening of Shakespeare’s Henry V. “A
kingdom for a stage, princes to act, / And monarchs
to behold the swelling scene!” The Chorus goes on to
urge the audience to “Eke out our imperfections with
your thoughts” while allowing the actors to “work”
“on your imaginary forces.” The Chorus encourages
us, in other words, to be active participants in the
world of the theatre and of the play, and to be
proactively engaged in the performance, rather than
be merely passive spectators. But who exactly is this
Chorus? Part interpreter, part cheerleader, the Chorus
figure in Henry V is seemingly everywhere at once,
simultaneously commenting on the action and almost,
at times, appearing to drive it. Historically the figure
of the Chorus has its roots in ancient Greek drama, in
which a group of actors (varying in size from twelve to
as many as fifty) is thought to have stood to the side
of the stage observing and commenting on the action.
When Shakespeare employs a choric device, however,
he typically reduces the number of the Chorus to a
single voice. And in no other play does Shakespeare
describe and delineate the Chorus so specifically as he
does in the character of Gower, who guides us through
the hectic and often chaotic world of Pericles.
deaths and resurrections, separations and reunions,
and of course, the trials and tribulations of love, all
the Romances occupy a dramatic and literary space
that is, paradoxically, both deeply theatrical yet also
challenging to stage. Pericles especially presents many
wonderfully theatrical moments, from the colorful joust
in Pentapolis in Act 2, to the ferocious storm of Act 3,
to Marina’s abduction by pirates in Act 4, to the happy
reunions of Act 5. These and many other moments may
strain credulity, yet they also remind us of what we love
about theatre — its spectacle, its fantasy, and its ability
to take us out of ourselves. Shakespeare’s Choruses,
especially Gower, call attention to and comment on
the improbable and fantastical nature of the play, and
of every play, even as they urge us to accept this very
theatricality.
Mid-way through Act 4, Gower says to us, his
audience, “I do beseech you / To learn of me, who
stand i’ the gaps to teach you, / The stages of our
story.” In his dual role as storyteller and judge, Gower
also emphasizes what we may call the self-conscious
theatricality of Shakespeare’s play. The four late
Romances, a genre that includes Cymbeline, The
Winter’s Tale and The Tempest, all owe much to the
literary realms of fantasy and fairy-tales, none more
so than Pericles. With their storms and shipwrecks,
Shakespeare’s Choruses are further linked
to the Epilogues that he provides for many
of his plays, including but not limited to
those spoken by Puck, by Rosalind and by
Prospero, all of which serve to remind us
that what we have been viewing is fiction
— but what a rich and entertaining fiction
it has been. These Choruses and Epilogues
serve another purpose as well. They remind
us that ultimately, the fate of the play rests
in the hands of us, the audience. The Chorus
in Henry V observes that he will “Prologuelike your humble patience pray, / Gently
to hear, kindly to judge our play.” At the
end of Pericles, Gower neatly summarizes
the complex spectacle that we have just
witnessed, concluding cheerfully that “So,
on your patience evermore attending, / New
joy wait on you! Here our play has ending.”
But if the play’s reception is, finally, up to
us, we also have a responsibility to work
with the playwright, and with his and our
guide, the Chorus. We are obligated to enter fully into
the world of the play, fantastical and unrealistic as it
may be, and to trust the guide who takes us through
it. More than merely suspending disbelief, we must
wholly embrace the play in all its grand theatricality
and believe in the sometimes nonsensical world that it
presents. Only then will we be able to participate fully
in the play’s transformative power, and only then may
we truly appreciate the beauty and the wisdom that it
offers us. ❖
photo by craig schwartz
much in control of our experience of the play. From the
opening scene he tells us where the events of the play
are going, and he gives us information that the hero
has yet to discover. Gower goes even further when
he next appears at the beginning of Act 2; not only
does he provide a helpful summary of the action thus
far, including events that are staged in “Dumb show”
rather than acted out, but he also begins to assume
the role of omniscient and even controlling narrator,
saying that he will give his “benison” to Pericles and
other deserving characters in the play. With his useful
summaries and his judgments he stands throughout the
play as both the narrator of the action and its moral
compass, a “benign deity,” in scholar David Bevington’s
phrase, who both steers and interprets the play’s
events for us.
1 9 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
Classroom Activities
Critical Thinking
Collaboration
Pericles’s adventure begins after he solves King
Antiochus’s riddle. Review the riddle and attempt to
decode it yourself. Which lines stood out to you?
Was there a rhyme scheme?
In groups of four, identify the major themes of Pericles
making sure to cite examples from the text. Then,
pretend you an advertising team in charge of marketing
a production of Pericles. How would you present
Pericles to a brand new audience? Prepare a marketing
strategy utilizing diagrams and/or a press release and
present it to the class.
o (Reading 3: determine meaning of word and
phrases used in text)
o (Language 4: Determine of clarify meaning of
unknown and multiple meaning words)
A Noise Within’s production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre
is revised, eliminating a few scenes. After reading the
original, what are the differences? Do these differences
add or subtract anything from your understanding
of the play. If you were directing Pericles would you
eliminate the same scenes, other scenes, or none at all?
o Many plays and novels are currently being adapted
to film and television. Name an example of an
adaptation that you witnessed. Did the adaptation
do the original justice? Besides time constraints, can
you think of any reason the changes took place?
o (Reading 9: analyze live production and how it
stays faithful to original)
Communication
A lot of Pericles, Prince of Tyre takes place at sea.
If you were staging this play, how would you convey
the ocean and the shipwreck? After writing down
your ideas and citing evidence from the text, gather
in a small group of three. Discuss your different
approaches and produce a production plan to
share with the class. Make sure to defend your own
perspective as well as offer constructive criticism to
your group members.
One group member is the designer and should draw
a brief sketch of the final stage design. The second
member is the secretary and should write out a brief
one paragraph summary of what your group has
decided. The third member is the orator and will
present the plan to the class.
o After all groups have presented, evaluate which
advertisement appealed to you the most. Does it
accurately advertise the play? Decide which group
created the best strategy and support your vote
with evidence from both the play and the group’s
presentation.
o (Reading 1: Cite textual evidence to support
analysis)
o (Reading 2: Determine central idea from text and
analyze its development)
o (Speaking 1: engage effectively in collaborative
discussions)
o (Speaking 2: delineate a speaker’s argument and
evaluate it)
o (Speaking 4: present claims and findings with
details, evidence)
o (Speaking 5: Integrate multimedia and visual
displays to presentation)
Creativity & Innovation
When Pericles enters the jousting tournament in
Pentapolis, each knight is represented by their shield.
Recall and restate the shields that are presented to King
Simonides. Then, create your own shield. What would
you put on your shield to describe yourself? Provide a
brief paragraph to complement your illustration before
presenting it to the class.
o (Speaking and Listening 5: Integrate multimedia
and visual displays to presentation)
o After seeing the play, what do you think of how
the A Noise Within production was staged? Judge
if the production successfully captures the setting?
Do your group members agree?
o (Speaking 1: engage effectively in collaborative
discussions)
o (Speaking 2: delineate a speaker’s argument and
evaluate it)
o (Writing 9: draw evidence from text to support
argument)
2 0 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
A Noise Within has developed these activities according to The Common
Core State Standards for Language, Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing
at the 9th grade level and the 21st Century Learning and Thinking Skills.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Resource Guide
BOOKS ON SHAKESPEARE
•A
simov, Isaac. Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare.
Doubleday, 1978.
•C
ahn, Victor L. The Plays of Shakespeare:
A Thematic Guide. Greenwood Press, 2001.
•E
pstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare. Penguin
Books, 1993.
MEDIA LINKS
•F
allon, Robert Thomas. A Theatregoer’s Guide to
Shakespeare. Ivan M. Dee, 2001.
•S
hakespeare’s Movies, Effective ways to use video in
the classroom– www.folger.edu/Content/Teach-andLearn/Teaching-Resources/Audio-Video/Teacher-toTeacher-Series/Shakespeare-Movies.cfm
•G
ibson, Janet and Rex Gibson. Discovering
Shakespeare’s Language. Cambridge University
Press, 1999.
•T
eaching Shakespeare, Audio and video resources–
www.folger.edu/Content/Teach-and-Learn/TeachingResources/Audio-Video/Teaching-Shakespeare-series/
•G
reenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World. W.W.
Norton, 2004.
•H
olmes, Martin. Shakespeare and His Players.
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1972.
•K
ermode, Frank. Shakespeare’s Language.
Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, 2000.
•L
inklater, Kristin. Freeing Shakespeare’s Voice.
Theatre Communications Group, 1992.
PERICLES ON FILM
•P
ericles, Prince of Tyre (TV Movie) Dir. David Hugh
Jones. With Edward Petherbridge and Mike Gwilym.
BBC Television Shakespeare, 1984.
Available on YouTube
PERICLES TIMELINE
•P
ritchard, R. E. Shakespeare’s England. Sutton
Publishing Limited, 1999.
•S
hakespeare in American Life:
www.shakespeareinamericanlife.org
•P
app, Joseph and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare
Alive. Bantam Books, 1988.
• Encyclopedia Britannica: www.Britannica.com
BOOKS ON TEACHING SHAKESPEARE
•G
ibson, Rex. Teaching Shakespeare. Cambridge
University Press, 1998.
•R
eynolds, P. Teaching Shakespeare. Oxford University
Press, 1992.
• Mary Rose: www.maryrose.org/
• Shakespeare’s Globe: www.shakespearesglobe.com/
PERICLES TRAVELS
• Encyclopedia Britannica: www.Britannica.com
• UNE
SCO World Heritage Center:
whc.unesco.org/en/list/299
•R
osenblum, Joseph. A Reader’s Guide to Shakespeare.
Salem Press, Inc., 1998.
• Triposo: www.triposo.com
•T
oropov, Brandon. Shakespeare for Beginners. Writers
and Readers Publishing Inc., 1997.
OTHER SCHOLARLY AFFILIATIONS
WEBSITES
• The Folger Library: www.folger.edu
•P
lay Shakespeare: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare
Resource -- www.playshakespeare.com
•A
merican Shakespeare Center: www.
americanshakespearecenter.com
2 1 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
•G
ower, John “Appolonius of Tyre” from Confessio
Amantis, Book 8 (1390)
• Eliot, T.S. “Marina”
About Theatre Arts
Key Theatrical Terms
Today, movies and television
take audiences away from what
was once the number one form
of amusement: going to the
theatre. But attending a live
theatrical performance is still
one of the most thrilling and
active forms of entertainment.
blocking: The instructions a
director gives his actors that tell
them how and where to move in
relation to each other or to the set
in a particular scene.
In a theatre, observers are
catapulted into the action,
especially at an intimate venue
like A Noise Within, whose
thrust stage reaches out into
the audience and whose actors
can see, hear, and feel the
response of the crowd.
conflict: The opposition of people
or forces which causes the play’s
rising action.
Although playhouses in the
past could sometimes be
rowdy, participating in the
performance by giving respect
and attention to the actors is
the most appropriate behavior
at a theatrical performance
today. Shouting out (or even
whispering) can be heard
throughout the auditorium, as
can rustling paper or ringing
phones.
genre: Literally, “kind” or “type.”
In literary terms, genre refers to
the main types of literary form,
principally comedy and tragedy.
It can also refer to forms that are
more specific to a given historical
era, such as the revenge tragedy,
or to more specific sub-genres of
tragedy and comedy such as the
comedy of manners, farce or social
drama.
After A Noise Within’s
performance of Pericles,
Prince of Tyre, you will have
the opportunity to discuss
the play’s content and style
with the performing artists
and directors. You may wish
to remind students to observe
the performance carefully or
to compile questions ahead of
time so they are prepared to
participate in the discussion.
2 2 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
character: The personality or part
portrayed by an actor on stage.
dramatic irony: A dramatic
technique used by a writer in
which a character is unaware of
something the audience knows.
motivation: The situation or mood
which initiates an action. Actors
often look for their “motivation”
when they try to dissect how a
character thinks or acts.
props: Items carried on stage
by an actor to represent objects
mentioned in or implied by the
script. Sometimes the props
are actual, sometimes they are
manufactured in the theatre shop.
proscenium stage: There is usually
a front curtain on a proscenium
stage. The audience views the play
from the front through a “frame”
called the proscenium arch. In this
scenario, all audience members
have the same view of the actors.
set: The physical world created on
stage in which the action of the
play takes place.
setting: The environment in which
a play takes place. It may include
the historical period as well as the
physical space.
stage areas: The stage is divided
into areas to help the director to
note where action will take place.
Upstage is the area furthest from
the audience. Downstage is the
area closest to the audience.
Center stage defines the middle
of the playing space. Stage left
is the actor’s left as he faces the
audience. Stage right is the actor’s
right as he faces the audience.
theme: The overarching message
or main idea of a literary or
dramatic work. A recurring idea in
a play or story.
thrust stage: A stage that juts out
into the audience seating area so
that patrons are seated on three
sides. In this scenario, audience
members see the play from varying
viewpoints. A Noise Within features
a thrust stage.
About A Noise Within
A NOISE WITHIN’S MISSION is to produce great works of world
drama and to foster appreciation of history’s greatest plays and
playwrights through comprehensive educational programs. ANW
is the only theatre in Southern California and one of only a handful
in North America to exclusively produce year-round classical
dramatic literature — from master works by Euripides, Moliere
and Shakespeare, to modern classics by Arthur Miller, Henrik Ibsen
and Samuel Beckett — in rotating repertory with a company of
classically trained resident artists.
The company was formed in 1991. All of A Noise Within’s Resident
Artists have been classically trained, and many hold Master of Fine
Arts degrees from some of the nation’s most respected institutions.
In its 21 year history, A Noise Within has garnered over 500 awards
and commendations, including the Los Angeles Drama Critics’
Circle’s revered Polly Warfield Award for Excellence and the
coveted Margaret Hartford Award for Sustained Excellence.
More than 27,000 individuals attend productions at A Noise
Within annually. In addition, the theatre draws over 10,000 student
participants to its arts education program, Classics Live! Students
benefit from in-classroom workshops, conservatory training,
subsidized tickets to matinee and evening performances, postperformance discussions with artists, and free standards-based
Study Guides.
Study Guides
A Noise Within creates study guides in
alignment with core reading, listening,
speaking, and performing arts standards
to help educators prepare their students
for their visit to our theatre. Study guides
are available at no extra cost to download
through our website: www.anoisewithin.
org. The information and activities outlined
in these guides are designed to work
in compliance with the California VAPA
standards, The Common Core, and 21st
Century Learning Skills.
Study guides include background
information on the plays and playwrights,
historical context, textual analysis, in-depth
discussion of A Noise Within’s artistic
interpretation of the work, statements
from directors and designers, as well as
discussion points and suggested classroom
activities. Guides from past seasons are also
available to download from the website.
A Noise Within’s vision is to become a national leader in the
production of classical theatre, creating an environment that
continues to attract the finest classical theatre artists, educates,
and inspires audiences of all ages, and trains the leading classical
theatre artists of tomorrow. ❖
California’s Home for the Classics
Study Guide Credits
Claire Marie Mannle Editor
Craig Schwartz Production Photography
Teresa English Graphic Design
Melissa Lin and Allison Post Education Interns
California’s Home for the Classics
Geoff Elliott & Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, Producing Artistic Directors
3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
Tel 626.356.3100 / Fax 626.356.3120
anoisewithin.org
2 3 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season
California’s Home for the Classics