The America Play
By Suzan­Lori Parks
Presented by Plays & Players
Education Guide
Written and Edited by Becca Kaplan
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Table of Contents
Suzan­Lori Parks’ Life and Times...............................................................................3
Famous and Final Moments of Abraham Lincoln......................................................4
From the Show...............................................................................................................6
Beyond the War..............................................................................................................7
Interview with Actor Steven Wright............................................................................8
Play the Part...................................................................................................................9
Questions for After the Show.....................................................................................12
Ten Theater Terms at Random That You May or May Not Know...........................13
Things Worth Thinking About Before You Do Them..............................................14
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Suzan­Lori Parks’ Life and Times1
●
Personal History
Parks grew up in a military home, sometimes living with her father wherever he was stationed.
Once, Parks lived with her father while he was stationed in Germany, becoming fluent in German.
●
Education
Suzan­Lori Parks points to her writing teacher and mentor, James Baldwin, as introducing her to the
world of playwriting.
●
●
Career
George C. Wolfe, head of the New York Public Theater, wanted to put a new play by Suzan­Lori
Parks. Her first work there was a production of The America Play, directed by Liz Diamond.
○ The Public Theater is one of our country’s first non­profit theater organizations. It
remains equally dedicated to putting on Shakespeare productions and to developing new
work for America’s theatrical repertoire. They are currently turning to Parks again to put on
her performance piece, Watch Me Work.
In 2007 her 365 Plays/365 Days was produced in over 700 theaters worldwide, creating one of the
largest grassroots collaborations in theater history.
○ Suzan­Lori Parks decided to write a play a day for a year. Then she and a partner decided
to premiere a show a day in several locations at once. There was a main theater in each
major city (Public Theater for NYC) and that theater was responsible for helping 52 local
performing arts groups put on a week’s worth of shows. The idea exploded and even today
14 regional networks across the US and international networks from Great Britain to China
are eagerly working to put on this massive project.
Awards and Recognition
She has been named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave”
In 2002, Suzan­Lori Parks won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her Broadway hit, Topdog/Underdog,
making her the first African American woman to win this award.
● She is a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient
○ The MacArthur Grant, nicknamed the “genius grant”, provides $500,000 to inspiring
individuals across a range of fields: they award scientists, researchers, human rights
advocates, and individual creativity.
● In November 2008 Suzan­Lori Parks was the first recipient of the Master Writer Chair at the Public
Theater
○ The position of Master Writer Chair was developed in order to “[afford] writers the flexibility
and freedom to pursue their artistic goals and endeavors”. Along with the salaried position
at the Public Theater, the residency also includes an appointment as a visiting arts
professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Discussion:
1. How do you think learning other languages and traveling as a child might have affected Parks’ use of
words in her plays?
2. Why is it important to connect theater across the country and the world, such as in her 365 Plays/365
Days project? What is the effect of smaller groups being helped by larger theaters and the same shows
premiering at the same time in different cities? How might they be able to help each other and collaborate?
●
●
1
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par1bio­1 and http://www.suzanloriparks.com/info/
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3. Research James Baldwin, George C. Wolfe, The Public Theater, Topdog/Underdog, Watch Me Work, The
MacArthur Grant, Pulitzer Prize, or NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts and report back to the class what you
find and what you think it says about Suzan­Lori Parks.
Famous and Last Moments of Abraham Lincoln
Spielberg’s not the only one to explore another side of Lincoln. And we’re not talking about vampire hunting.
How well do you know our 16th President?
Inside the Theater Box: A Look at Mary Todd Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth
Mary Todd Lincoln, a sharply intelligent, excitable daughter of a Southern aristocrat, married the then
unknown Abraham Lincoln after a stormy relationship and broken engagement. She was unused to the more
modest lifestyle that came before Lincoln was elected President and was sharply criticized for her excessive
spending while in the White House. She stopped throwing extravagant parties after the death of her young
son, and once again she was criticized by the public, this time for abandoning her social duties. The
assassination of her husband broke Mary Todd Lincoln and she led a life of misery and delusion in the years
to follow.2
John Wilkes Booth had earned a measure of fame before the infamous assassination: he was the child of a
famous stage actor and had been gaining his own notoriety on the stage. His New York debut as Richard III,
a famous Shakespearean character and King of England, gained him critical praise; the New York Herald
called him a "veritable sensation." Booth also had a political side, supporting slavery and the Confederacy.
In fact, the plot to assassinate President Lincoln actually began as a conspiracy amongst several
Confederates to kidnap Lincoln and hold him hostage. When that failed, Booth began a new, more extreme
plot. On April 14, 1865, Booth shot and killed President Lincoln while he was watching Our American
Cousin at the Ford Theater.3
Lincoln’s Words:
●
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.
­­ca. August 1, 1858 Fragment on Democracy
●
On the question of liberty, as a principle, we are not what we have been. When we were the political
slaves of King George, and wanted to be free, we called the maxim that "all men are created equal"
a self evident truth; but now when we have grown fat, and have lost all dread of being slaves
ourselves, we have become so greedy to be masters that we call the same maxim "a self evident
lie."
­­August 15, 1855 Letter to George Robertson
Discussion: What do you find meaningful about these quotes on freedom and democracy? Does
having masters and slaves go against democracy? Why? In the second quote, Lincoln accuses
Americans of being hypocritical ­ why do you think it was so hard for a people who fought for their
2
3
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first­ladies/marylincoln
http://www.biography.com/people/john­wilkes­booth­9219681?page=1
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own freedom to give others the same? Are there still issues of hypocrisy and denial of rights in
today’s world?
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Fellow­citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be
remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or
another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the
latest generation.
­­December 1, 1862 Message to Congress
Discussion: What does it mean to be remembered by history ­ does historical memory differ from
what actually happened? Who decides what is considered historical truth? In your own life, what do
you do when you remember something differently than a friend does?
●
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can
not fool all of the people all of the time.
Remark attributed to Lincoln 4
Discussion: Do you think this quote is true? How would it apply to a leader of a country? How
would it apply to you?
4
http://www.bartleby.com/100/448.html
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From The Show
The America Play is about an African American man, calling himself The Foundling Father, who looks
exactly like Abraham Lincoln. He earns a measure of fame when he allows people to pretend to be John
Wilkes Booth and shoot him. In the second act, we are introduced to the wife and child he left behind, Lucy
and Brazil, who are searching for any sign of him.
Foundling Father Quotes
These quotes are found in the opening monologue of the show. The Foundling Father, as Abraham Lincoln,
is telling the audience about Abraham Lincoln, the Great Man, his death, and how himself, the Lesser
Known, came to be. Throughout this sprawling monologue he includes quotes from Lincoln’s time. The last
quote is used to describe what many of the Booths say after they ‘shoot’ him.
“Emergency oh, Emergency, please put the Great Man in the ground” ­ Possibly the words of Mary Todd
Lincoln after the death of her husband.
“Play Dixie I always liked that song” ­ Lincoln had his troops play Dixie, the song of the South, after the
war, in tribute to the Confederacy.
“You sockdologizing old man trap!” ­ a humorous line in Our American Cousin. As the audience laughed,
Booth entered Lincoln’s box and shot him.
“Useless, Useless” Booth’s last words.
“The South is avenged!” ­ allegedly spoken by John Wilkes Booth
“Booths” Quotes
These quotes were spoken by the “Booths” at various times after they’ve shot the Foundling Father
“Thus to the tyrants!” ­ Sic semper tyrannis ­ reportedly Booth’s words after he killed Lincoln.
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“Strike the tent” ­ the last words of General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army
“They’ve killed the President!” ­ Spoken by Mary Todd Lincoln after he was shot
Discussion: Why did Suzan­Lori Parks choose to incorporate real historical quotes into her dialogue? What
has she achieved by doing this? What do the words spoken by Mary Todd and John Wilkes Booth reveal as
to who they were as people, what they believed in, and what was important to them?
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Beyond the War
­ Diaspora (beginning in 15th century) refers to the communities located throughout the world that are
descended from the historic movement of peoples from Africa. This is most often associated with people
transported by way of the Atlantic slave trade, with the largest population being in the US. It can also refer
to voluntary migration.
­ The Emancipation Proclamation (September 22, 1862) freed African American slaves in rebel states
­ The 13th Amendment (December 6, 1865) formally abolished all slavery everywhere in the United States
­ The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (April 9, 1866) guaranteed citizenship and the same rights given to white
citizens to all male persons in the United States "without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of
slavery or involuntary servitude."5
­ Black Codes (beginning in 1865) were a set of laws made by the southern legislatures as a counter to the
rights of blacks. These codes allowed for the arrest of African Americans who were unemployed. These
laws now made a license a requirement for skilled work and set a minimum number of hours that a person
had to work to be considered employed. When African Americans were arrested for violating these codes,
they were hired out so they could pay the fine. Essentially, another form of slavery.6
­ The 14th Amendment (July 9, 1868) granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United
States. It forbids states to deny anyone "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or equal
protection of the laws.
­The 15th Amendment (February 3, 1870) gave African American men the right to vote. It should be noted,
through poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, Southern states continued to bar African Americans from
voting for nearly a century.7
­ Reconstruction (1866­1877) was a period of time which the North tried to find ways to integrate the South
back into the Union and to allow African Americans to live alongside white men and women as
freemen.Now, African Americans faced the same situation as their Northern counterparts had: they were
free men, surrounded by hostile whites. Houston Hartsfield Holloway,an emancipated slave, wrote, "For we
colored people did not know how to be free and the white people did not know how to have a free colored
person about them."
­ The Great Migration (1915 ­1970) saw the migration of more than 6 million African­Americans out of the
South to cities across the Northeast, Midwest and West. Many northern cities, such as New York and
Chicago, saw their African American populations increase by 40% and the number of African Americans
employed in industrial work almost doubled. "[The Great Migration] had such an effect on almost every
aspect of our lives — from the music that we listen to to the politics of our country to the ways the cities
even look and feel, even today. The suburbanization and the ghettos that were created as a result of the
limits of where [African­Americans] could live in the North [still exist today.] And ... the South was forced to
5
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/activism/ps_1866.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/post­civil­war­history­african­americans­after­reconstruction­1721233.html?cat=37
7
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
6
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change, in part because they were losing such a large part of their workforce through the Great Migration."8
Discussion: These events and actions took place after the Civil War, some immediately, some decades
later. The show does not name a specific time that it occurred, merely that it was a while after Lincoln’s
death. Why do you think she would choose to do that?
Interview With Steven Wright
Steven Wright plays the Foundling Father and offers his own insights on experimental plays,
kitchen­sink dramas, and Daniel Day Lewis.
1. What research have you done for this role?
I read the play which in and of itself can be very dense at parts. Its really fun to watch it performed.
It’s a challenge to read though and an even greater challenge to make heads or tails of it to perform.
But that’s the joy ­ it’s not easy. It’s something you have to read into the nooks and crannies. I
would also say the dramaturgical guide provided was helpful, though I focused primarily on the
script.
2. What is it like to be an actor in a Suzan­Lori Parks piece?
Fun. I say fun because she doesn’t create a standard world; instead, it is someplace that is other
than this world and that provides a great challenge. You are taking all the elements that are real in
this world (emotion, story all that good stuff) but you are not in a regular kitchen sink drama. Its
about a guy who feels he is destined for something greater than he actually is and he goes out and
looks for it. And he leaves his wife and child. I’m not condoning that, but is somethings that has
been done for centuries, so the story is very real, very modern. However, the presentation of it is
something extra. Its not just being in a marriage and saying you have to leave, its about a guy who
is told he looks like Lincoln and creates an act around it.
3. What challenges and advantages does this surrealist and experimental type of theater present?
I was reared on experimental theater. Honestly, I always find that its easier to tell the story
because you are not really bound by normal conventions. Its not like you are just playing a guy and
you have to get from point A to point B. Instead, its almost like a spoonful of sugar to help the
medicine go down. You are taking real life situations ­ the story is real, you can connect to the
story ­ but its not in a realistic situation. You always have to create the world in theater, so now you
are just taking it one step further. Shuffling the deck between a kitchen sink drama and a cartoon
and you get a lot more freedom from that.
4. What is it like to play a character who is acting like a historical figure? Did you try to be authentic to the
historical Lincoln?
It was more about being authentic to the idea of Lincoln. I already told myself I’m not watching
Lincoln until after the show; I don’t want to be intimidated by Daniel Day Lewis. But it really is
about the concept of it, this guy is portraying Lincoln and all the great things that he found in the
history of Lincoln and all what he has done. Its about embodying the idea of Lincoln and not an
impression. For the Lesser Known its more about making him feel better, like he is doing
something greater with his life.
8
Isabel Wilkerson: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129827444
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5. What were your expectations of the show coming in from auditions? How have they changed?
I may be crazy but I never have expectations. My only expectations are that we are going to work
on the script. I try to go in as open as possible because if you get too much in your head about
what you think its going to be you get stuck. You don’t want to marry yourself to anything, you
want to be free to flow, to tweak it and change ideas and find the true meaning of the piece.
Play the Part
Steven Wright plays the part of The Foundling Father, the lead of The America Play, who leaves his wife and
young son behind to pursue a life imitating Abraham Lincoln. He came from a family of grave diggers and
continued down that line until he went out west, gaining a small amount of fame by running an attraction
where people can pretend to be John Wilkes Booth and shoot Abraham Lincoln. The America Play is written
as an avant garde piece, meaning that it pushes the boundaries of what is considered the norm.
This is the first scene that we see this ritual performed. The Foundling Father has just finished explaining
the history of the Lesser Man, himself, as he became fascinated with the Great Man, President Lincoln, and
his subsequent career as a look­alike. He found that while there was some interest in his acting like Lincoln,
his real popularity took off after he allowed the people to start shooting him. In this scene, as some of the
Booths come to shoot him, he is discussing with the audience his choice of fake beards for the part.
Prepare to Read
1. Given what you know of the post­Civil War era, why do you think that the Foundling Father left his family?
2. Why make him a grave digger? What does it signify?
3. Why was he the most successful when he allowed people to “shoot” him? What does that say about
human nature?
4. Suzan­Lori Parks has a very distinct manner of writing and dialogue. Pay attention to the language during
the scene and think on why he is called the Foundling Father. The definition of foundling is “a deserted or
abandoned child of unknown parentage.” Does that change your perspective on the character? Why do you
think we never learn his true name?
(A Man, as John Wilkes Booth, enters. He takes a gun and “stands in position,” at the left side of the
Foundling Father, pointing the gun at the Foundling Father’s head.)
A MAN, AS BOOTH: Ready.
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: Haw Haw Haw Haw
(Rest.)
HAW HAW HAW HAW
(Booth shoots. Lincoln “slumps in his chair.” Booth jumps.)
A MAN, AS BOOTH. (Theatrically.) “Thus to the tyrants!”
(Rest.)
Hhhh. (Exits.)
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: Most of them do that, thuh “Thus to they tyrants!” The killer was also heard to
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say “The South is avenged!” Sometimes they yell that. (A Man, the same man as before, enters again,
again as John Wilkes Booth. He takes a gun and “stands in position,” at the left side of the Foundling
Father, pointing the gun at the Foundling Fathers head.)
A MAN, AS BOOTH: Ready.
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: Haw Haw Haw Haw
(Rest)
HAW HAW HAW HAW
(Booth shoots. Lincoln “slumps in his chair.” Booth jumps.)
A MAN, AS BOOTH: (Theatrically) “The South is avenged!”
(Rest.)
Hhhh.
(Rest.)
Thank you.
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: Pleasures mine.
A MAN: Till next week.
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: Till next week.
(A Man exits).
Comes once a week that one. Always chooses the Derringer although we’ve got several styles he always
chooses the Derringer. Always “The tyrants” and then “The South is avenged.” The ones who choose the
Derringer are the ones for History. He’s one for History. As it Used to Be. Never wavers. No frills. By the
book. Nothing excessive.
(Rest.)
A nod to Mr. Lincolns bust.
(He nods to Lincolns bust. Rest)
I’ll wear this one. He sported this style in the early war years. Years of uncertainty. When he didn’t know if
the war was right when it could be said he didn’t always know which side he was on not because he was a
stupid man but because it was sometimes not two different sides at all but one great side surging toward
something beyond either Northern or Southern. A beard of uncertainty. The Lesser Known meanwhile living
his life long after all this had happened and not knowing much about it until he was much older, knew only
that he was a dead ringer in a family of diggers and that he wanted to grow and have others think of him and
remove their hats and touch their hearts and look up into the heavens and say something about the freeing
of the slaves. That is, he wanted to make a great impression as he understood Mr. Lincoln to have made.
(Rest.)
And so in his youth the Lesser Known familiarized himself with all aspects of the Great Mans existence.
What interested the Lesser Known most was the murder and what was most captivating about the murder
was the 20 feet ­­ (A Woman, as Booth enters.)
A WOMAN: Excuse me.
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: Not at all.
(A Woman, as Booth, “stands in position.”)
Haw Haw Haw Haw
(Rest.)
HAW HAW HAW HAW
(Booth shoots. Lincoln “slumps in his chair.” Booth jumps.)
A WOMAN: “Strike the tent.” (Exits.)
THE FOUNDLING FATHER: What interested the Lesser Known most about the Great Mans murder was the
20 feet which separated the presidents box from the stage. In the presidents box sat the President his wife
and their two friends. On the stage that night was Our American Cousin starring Miss Laura Keene. The
plot of this play is of little consequence to our story. Suffice it to say that it was thinly comedic and
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somewhere in the Third Act a man holds a gun to his head ­ something about despair ­
(Rest.)
Ladies and Gentlemen: Our American Cousin­­
(B Woman, as Booth, enters. She “stands in position.”)
B WOMAN: (Rest.) LIES!
(Rest.)
LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIES!
(Rest.)
LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRS!
(Rest.)
Lies.
Follow Up Questions
1. What do you gain from being John Wilkes Booth? What does the Foundling Father gain from being Lincoln? Is it
the historical mythic and heroic status Lincoln has acquired? The respect? The recognition?
2. What did you notice about the language used? Did it feel naturalistic or stylized? Why do you think Parks chose
to write like that? What does it mean when she includes the stage direction “(rest)”?
3. What are your best impressions? What does mimicking do to both the mimic and the person being mimicked?
The America Play at New Traditions Theater:
Photo by Rachel Klem
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/the­america­play/Content?oid=1202234
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Questions for After the Show
­ How did the historical nature of the show, and what you know about the history of
Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, affect how you viewed the performance?
­ How did the surrealist design and content of the show affect the meaning behind the
words and actors’ performances? Did it affect your enjoyment? If so, positively or
negatively?
­ How is this show a commentary on theater and what it means to perform? The Foundling
Father has taken on a character to an extreme, devoting his life to it and abandoning his
family ­ what does that say about performers?
­ How did the second act, with Lucy and Brazil, change your perception of the Foundling
Father and what occurred in the first act?
­ Lucy tells Brazil that, “fakin was your Daddys callin but diggin was his livelihood”. What do
you think is the difference between a calling and a livelihood and can the two coincide?
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Ten Theater Terms at Random That You May or May
Not Know
Black Box Theater: A type of theater that consists of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space,
usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.
Blank: A type of cartridge for a firearm that is not filled with bullets or a shot. It is often used to simulate
gunfire in theaters.
Blocking: Movement staged by the director.
Cues: A line or technical aspect that signals the next event in the play. It can also refer to a change in lights
or sound based on a line or event.
Director: The head of the creative team behind a production. The director decides creative
aspects of the production.
Gel: A thin piece of colored plastic, usually gelatin, which is inserted in front of a light to add color to the
beam of light. Gels can be an important element in setting the emotional mood of a scene.
Meta­theatre: A term coined by Lionel Abel and described as reflecting both “comedy” and “tragedy”
simultaneously, where the audience laughs at the protagonist while at the same time empathizing with him.
The characters are aware that they are in a play. They often perform other plays and parts within the show
itself. This is done to reject the roles that society tell them to play and to create their own destiny.
Producer: That person or body responsible for the financial and contractual side of a production. This can
include the raising of money to stage the production, hiring the facilities, employing the technical crew, front
of house and publicity staff, director and cast. The producer usually works closely with the director before
embarking on a production.
Props: Items handled by the actors on stage.
Surrealism: A cultural and artistic movement that began in the 1920s that often contains an element of
surprise, unusual juxtapositions, and non sequiturs. A juxtaposition is when two opposites are placed next
to each other (a depressed person working in a cheery children’s school). A non sequitur is when a
conclusion or an idea does not logically follow the one before it.
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Things Worth Thinking About Before You Do Them
Theater is a very exciting and vibrant art form. Part of what makes live theater so exciting is the
unexpected nature of performing in front of a live audience. But there are some things an
audience member can do that can take the joy out of it. So remember:
● Turn off your cellphone (this is actually mandatory in most theaters, including Plays &
Players.) The actors onstage are real ­ they can see the light of your phone from the
stage, even if you are just texting. By coming to a play you are agreeing to respect the
integrity of the world they are trying to showcase for you, and respect the real people on
stage interacting with you. If you see your friend doing this, politely whisper for them to
please turn it off.
● Talking to the friend next to you is just as bad as talking on the phone! That said, actors
enjoy audience reactions to their words, but please react courteously and refrain from
loud or distracting comments. They are who we are there to see, not you!
● Photography and recording devices are strictly prohibited by law.
● You are going to sit for about 2 hours (with one intermission) without access to a
bathroom. So go before the show and during intermission! Getting up and walking down
the aisle during the show is yet another distraction for the poor actors onstage!
● Curtain call is your opportunity to acknowledge the actor's performances. Please
applaud for all the efforts put into this production.
● After the performance, check around to make sure you haven't left anything behind. If
you choose, please recycle your program in the lobby.
GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM NOW!
● WARNING! They are going to use slang and dialects that feel outdated and sound
ridiculous today. Think a bit about slang that people used only five or ten years ago, that
would sound stupid today. Now imagine 100 years ago. So get the laughs out of your
system now, and accept this dialect as part of trying to make you fully believe in the world
the actors are trying to present.
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