Teacher’s
Resource
Guide
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
2
M USIC AND PERFORM ING ARTS PROFESSIONS
Program in Educational Theatre
Joseph and Violet Pless Hall Annex – 82 Washington Square East, 2 nd Floor
New York, New York 10003 - 212 998 5868 – [email protected]
www.steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/edtheatre
Dear Teacher:
Welcome to Educational Theatre at NYU. Now in our 50th year, our award-winning program is
dedicated to developing the next generation of theatre artists and educators for careers in schools,
cultural institutions, and various community settings. We have a long and established track record of
producing the most innovative theatre educators in New York State and beyond.
Our undergraduate, masters and doctoral students develop their artistic praxis in traditional and nontraditional performance spaces, and they learn how to apply their craft in educational and outreach
sites. Students study with notable theatre educators from New York and the world. They learn about
the transformative power of theatre, and how to implement and evaluate dynamic theatre arts
programs.
At NYU Steinhardt's Educational Theatre program, you have access to:
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Greenwich Village and New York City, the cultural capital of the world
Carefully supervised teaching placements and internships in New York's finest schools and
cultural institutions
study abroad programs with the world's greatest innovators
numerous opportunities to develop your skills in such core areas as drama education, theatre for
young audiences, play production, and applied theatre
an internationally renowned and dedicated faculty
a comprehensive and balanced curriculum in theatre art and pedagogy
a richly diverse and multicultural community committed to social justice
All of these opportunities take full advantage of a warm and collegial Department of Music and
Performing Arts Professions that promotes the development of a grounded aesthetic and permits
program electives in numerous disciplines across the University, including drama therapy, musical
theatre, and performance studies.
To speak to us personally, or to arrange a visit, please contact our office at [email protected] or 212
998 5868.
David Montgomery, PhD
Director
Program in Educational Theatre
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
Dear Teacher:
We have been working for many weeks to prepare this resource guide for you and we hope
that you find it useful when helping your students learn from our production of Tales of
the Lost Formicans, either before or after seeing the show.
Formicans is unapologetically theatrical, encompassing humor, empathy, heartbreak, and
hope. Congdon, through rapidly paced scenes, and dreamlike sequences, embraces irony,
tension and the clash of opposites. Set in the late 1980's and dealing with aliens,
Alzheimer’s, teenage angst, the disintegration of the family, middle-class apathy, and the
salvation of the species, the play allows us, as readers and audience members, to evaluate
ourselves and our lives in a compellingly different light.
The main concept behind this guide are a series of pre- and post-show activities. We hope
that you will review these activities and consider using the pre-show activities in your
classroom before you attend the performance. It is not necessary to complete these
activities in order to understand the work, but the more information the students have
before they see the show, the richer their experience will be at the performance.
Each individual activity concludes with a series of reflective discussion questions which
will help the students to process their experiences as well as allow them to demonstrate
achievement towards the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts.
Please pay particular attention to the Theatre Etiquette piece on page 7 and review this
information with your students before attending the performance.
Thank you for bringing your students to our production and we hope that you will
consider coming again in the future.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Jones, PhD
Program Administrator
NYU Steinhardt
Program in Educational Theatre
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Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
Table of Contents
Director’s Notes
5
New York State Learning Standards for the Arts
6
The Playwright: Constance Congdon
7
Theatre Etiquette
7
Tales of the Lost Formicans: Characters
Pre-Show Activity:
Alien Talk Show
8
Tales of the Lost Formicans: Themes
Pre-Show Activity:
Thematic Scenes
10
Tales of the Lost Formicans: Creating Strangeness
Pre-Show Activity:
Creating Strangeness with the Nacirema
11
Design: Costume
Pre-Show Activity:
Costume Design
14
Design: Lighting
Pre-Show Activity:
Lighting Design
15
Design: Sets
Pre-Show Activity:
Set Design
17
Design: Sound
Pre-Show Activity:
Sound Design
19
9
10
11
14
16
18
19
Post-Show Activities
Response Letters
Alternate Ending
Discussion Questions
20
20
21
References
22
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Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Director’s Note
I was immediately drawn to Tales of the Lost Formicans as a director because of the wild
contrast of humor and tragedy in the play. The characters experience a rich interplay of
emotional challenges, from struggling with divorce, confronting aging, dealing with adolescent
rebellion, to trying to find love -- all the while hoping for better connection and communication.
Two and a half decades after the play was written, these notions are still universal human
themes of our times.
In this production we have tried to embrace trends of the late 80’s when economic conditions
became more hopeful, right before the technological age of the 90’s. Our characters are
increasingly dependent on answering machines, pay phones and television to reach out and
communicate with each other. One might ask, are the characters of the Formicans “lost,”
either in their own generational struggles or in their suburban world? Indeed, is the decade of
the 80’s underestimated historically?
Congdon’s play also embraces memory, the passage of time, and change -- as several
generations try to maintain sanity and stability in a disconnected and chaotic world -- amidst
speculation about otherworldly effects on everyday life. Their human dramas are observed and
studied by a cadre of aliens, who are bemused by the emotional excess, strange furniture, and
linguistic exclamations. These voyeurs from outer space create a metaphorical atmosphere
where every action, emotion and choice is analyzed, creating a strange world of magical
realism. Ironically, the quickly changing scenography has allowed our ensemble, through
stylization, physical theatre and a complex sound design, to view ourselves and our actions in
a compellingly different light.
Constance Congdon, an award winning playwright, is a peer of Paula Vogel and Tony Kushner,
and has taught playwriting for 25 years and written over 30 plays. Kushner has called her “one
of the best playwrights this language has produced.” He also states that Congdon inspired him
to arrive at a new, postmodern theatrical space, which is exemplified in Formicans, wherein the
playwright, through rapidly paced scenes, and dreamlike sequences, embraces irony, tension
and the clash of opposites.
Nan Smithner, PhD
*
*
*
Synopsis teaser: Aliens visit the Earth to study a human community. One of the aliens,
Cathy, has been there before and proceeds to show the rest how she lived in the year 1988. On
earth, Cathy represents “Everywoman.” When she catches her NYC husband having an affair,
she moves back home to Colorado, answering the pleas of her mother Evelyn, to help with her
father, Jim, who is exhibiting strange behavior. Cathy’s high school age son, Eric, rebels
against the move, threatening to go back to his father’s Manhattan home. Cathy hangs out
with her high school friend, Judy, and meets a neighbor, Jerry, who is well versed in all kinds
of secrets and conspiracy theories. What will happen to these various personalities as they
encounter challenges and contemplate their passage through space and time? You will indeed
have your own interpretation as you watch the story unfold.
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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New York State Learning Standards for the Arts
Excerpted from:
Learning Standards for the Arts
New York State Education Department, April 1996
Available online: www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/arts.html
STANDARD 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music,
theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.
STANDARD 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the
arts in various roles.
STANDARD 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and
to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.
STANDARD 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts
Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and
how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.
Theatre
Key Ideas
1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
Students will create and perform theatre pieces as well as improvisational drama. They will understand and use the
basic elements of theatre in their characterizations, improvisations, and play writing. Students will engage in
individual and group theatrical and theatre-related tasks, and will describe the various roles and means of creating,
performing, and producing theatre.
2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Students will know the basic tools, media, and techniques involved in theatrical production. Students will locate
and use school, community, and professional resources for theatre experiences. Students will understand the job
opportunities available in all aspects of theatre.
3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate plays and theatrical performances, both live and recorded, using the
language of dramatic criticism. Students will analyze the meaning and role of theatre in society. Students will
identify ways in which drama/theatre connects to film.
4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts
Students will gain knowledge about past and present cultures as expressed through theatre. They will interpret
how theatre reflects the beliefs, issues, and events of societies past and present.
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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The Playwright: Constance Congdon
What was your inspiration when you wrote TALES OF THE LOST
FORMICANS?
I don’t believe in inspiration, altho’ it has been known to strike WHILE I’m
writing and sometimes it’s good. I had just come off of a huge adaptation
project and decided that my next play would be for me. I also had started
thinking about what culture was I from? Well, I’m from Formica.
What are you hoping teenage audiences, or any audience, will take away
from seeing this play?
I hope any audience member would enjoy and be moved by it. It’s about
transience.
As you celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publication of the play, has its meaning changed over time?
You know, it has remained a true picture of this time in which we are living.
What advice would you give to young people interested in a future career as a playwright?
First of all, “career” is the wrong word. Would you talk about someone’s career as a poet? Playwriting is a
calling. What to do? Just write plays and don’t judge them. Enjoy your own work. Genius is just doing your
work on a particularly lucky day. Persistance. And fun.
Do you have other plays that may be appropriate for young audiences?
They are published by Smith and Kraus and are in the many volumes that Craig Slaight of the Young
Conservatory of American Conservatory Theater has published over the years. He’s gotten many major
playwrights to write for young audiences. Mine are: MOONTEL SIX; THE AUTOMATA PIETA;
NIGHTENGALES.
Theatre Etiquette
It is essential that students understand that the experience of going to the theatre requires a certain kind
of interaction between audience members and the cast of a show. In order to present a successful show,
we ask that all audience members:
1) Be respectful to the performers by not talking to others during the show.
2) Stay seated during the performance.
3) Turn off all cell phones.
4) Refrain from eating and drinking in the theatre.
5) Remember that photography and video are not allowed in the theatre.
6) Feel free to laugh, cry, and applaud when appropriate.
7) Enjoy the show!
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
Tales of the Lost Formicans: Characters
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Cathy – early 30s, single mother of Eric, moved from NYC to
Colorado to live with parents
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Eric – angsty, rebellious 15-year-old son of Cathy, has trouble
adjusting from city life to suburban life
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Jim McKissick – early 50s, father of Cathy, grandfather of Eric,
engineer, sweet and loving but experiencing early stages of
Alzheimer's
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Evelyn McKissick – early 50s, supportive and caring wife to Jim,
mother of Cathy, grandmother of Eric, worried about Jim,
complicated relationship with Cathy
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Jerry – early 30s, McKissicks’ neighbor, has many radical opinions
on the government and media, intrigues the aliens more than
anyone else
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Judy – early 30s, Cathy’s best friend, single mother of two, quick to
open up to people and falls in love easily, has a reputation as being
rather promiscuous
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Jack – Jim’s boss, sleeps with Jim’s wife
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Aliens – four very different characters who work as one unit to
observe and experiment with the humans
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Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Pre-Show Activity: Alien Talk Show
Procedures:
1. The teacher asks for four volunteers: one talk show host, two aliens, and one
interpreter. The rest of the students will be the audience for the talk show.
2. The talk show host will ask questions about the aliens’ lives, home planet, personal
tastes, etc., and the interpreter must translate the questions (in gibberish) to the
aliens.
3. The aliens will respond together nonverbally, trying to communicate as clearly as
possible using only physical movement and gesture.
4. The student acting as interpreter will try his/her best to understand the physical
response of the aliens and translate it into English for the talk show host.
5. After the talk show host has asked three questions, the teacher should choose four
new volunteers, rotating the performers until everyone has had a chance to go.
Discussion Questions:
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As an audience member, how did it feel to listen and try to comprehend the
different languages/methods of communication?
As the aliens, how did it feel to communicate with only your body?
How did it feel if the interpreter or host misunderstood your response?
What strategies did the aliens use to make the interpreter’s job easier?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Tales of the Lost Formicans: Themes
Tales of the Lost Formicans is a play about groups of people and their connections to other people:
people of different generations, technology, and extraterrestrial connections. The play also deals
with how we think of memory. How memories change us and what they mean in reference to the
connections with other people. Also how time causes change and what time really represents.
Pre-Show Activity: Thematic Scenes
Warm Up: Making Connections
1. Students will stand or sit in a circle.
2. Someone will start with a ball of yarn*, saying something that applies to them, such as: “I
like dancing.”
3. While holding the yarn, the person will throw the ball of yarn to someone else who identifies
with the statement, so that there is a visible connection between the two people.
4. This process will continue until it looks like a web in the middle of the circle, or until the
yarn runs out.
*Modification: If there is no yarn, have students link arms.
Main Activity: Short Scenes
1. Brainstorming: Write the word connection on the board. Ask the students think about the
connections in their lives. Some guiding questions include: How do you connect to your
environment; how do you connect to people; places; things. After providing think time, ask
the students to share some ideas and list them on the board.
2. Next have the students pick a topic from the board to use as a springboard for a short scene.
The scenes must show:
a. A “connection” and a “disconnection”
b. Must have a means of communication (i.e . social media, phone, letters, etc.)
c. Must incorporate another connection as directed by the teacher. These connections
can be from the themes of the play, or from themes or other material you have worked
on in class.
3. Students will be broken up into groups of 3-4
4. Students will create a scene using the criteria from above
5. Students will perform their scenes in front of the class
Discussion Questions:
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What connections did you see?
Why did you choose these connections?
How were the connections similar or different amongst all the groups?
Do you have an emotional response to this activity? Has it evoked anything within you that
might spark change?
How does technology impact the way humans interact? Do you think it has a positive or
negative role in society? List the pros and cons.
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Tales of the Lost Formicans: Strangeness
In the widely produced Tales of the Lost Formicans, Constance Congdon splits some characters into
humans/aliens. This bifurcation allows the audience to discover the absurdity of human objects as seen
through the aliens’ fresh eyes. Through this double-indemnity bifurcation, Congdon focuses our
attention on the “strangeness” we take for granted in our everyday lives:
CATHY/ALIEN:…The cushions of the chair are covered in a substance made to mimic the
epidermis of the sitter, but treated to hold a sheen which is kept polished by friction of the
buttocks against the surface. The significance of the hole in the backrest is unknown to us at this
time. It was perhaps, symbolic: a breathing hole for the spirit of the sitter, or even the everpresent eye of God.
The alien “other” allows us to “see” the chair beyond its limited function. This foregrounding is an
example of theater’s capacity to transform a mundane object into an object f fascination and wonder. By
splitting the characters, Congdon has established this essentially monologic speech in a kind of dialogue
with the human half of the character, who is continually present.
The alien’s awestruck way of seeing is part of the delight of Tales of the Lost Formicans, and trademark of
Congdon’s distinctive theatrical voice (162).
Castagno, Paul C. New Playwriting Strategies: A Language-Based Approach to Playwriting. New York, NY:
Routledge, 2001.
Pre-Show Activity: Creating Strangeness
Procedures:
1. Students are split into four small groups.
2. Each group receives and reads one of the short excerpts about the rituals of the “Nacirema”
(American spelled backward) found on pages 12 and 13 of this guide.
3. The groups read the excerpt and discuss cultural awareness and assumptions.
4. Each group creates three tableaux of key moments described in their excerpt.
5. The tableaux are presented to the class while the corresponding paragraph is read aloud.
6. Following the sharing, the teacher reveals that the Nacirema are actually Americans. The
teacher facilitates a class discussion to unpack the activity using the discussion questions
that follow.
Discussion Questions:
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Were you surprised when you figured out who the Nacirema were? Why or why not?
How do the excerpts help us understand how other people may view our culture?
What assumptions might we make about other people’s cultures?
What techniques can we use to notice when we are making assumptions about others, and
how might we avoid this?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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The Nacirema
Adapted from Horace Mitchell Miner’s satirical paper, "Body Ritual among the Nacirema,"
published June 1956 edition of American Anthropologist
Excerpt 1:
The Nacirema tribe utilizes strange objects in order to barter for goods. While negotiating an
exchange, the tribe members will reach inside a sack and pull out a smaller pouch. This pouch
holds many small talismans, made out of hard, polyvinyl chloride, embossed with characters in
varying patterns. To complete the exchange, the tribe member will hand the talisman over a
counter for a moment, and then it is returned to them, after a rigorous swipe inside a crevice.
Then the tribe member can leave with both the objects they intended to barter for, and their
talisman.
Excerpt 2:
The people of the Nacirema tribe also have a strange habit of ingesting fellow carbon-based life
forms as fuel for their bodies. The Nacirema has gotten quite bored however of ingesting those
life forms most easily accessible to them, and will go through great lengths to import exotic new
life forms from the far reaches of their planet. If this proves too exhausting on their economy,
they will instead find creative ways to morph their local energy-beings into new, exciting forms.
Many of the Nacirema will do this in the solitude of their own homes, but almost all of the
Nacirema will find this too tiring of a daily ritual and will instead turn to designated alimentary
temples to accomplish this task for them in return for more talismans. The priests at these
temples regard the energy-beings as pure life-sustainers and take every pain to keep the
energy-beings pure although they are dead. Hands may not touch the energy-beings, only
special metal tools which aid in their heating, cooling or shaping. Cows are turned into flat hot
slabs for instance. Or grains from the ground into soft pillows used for encasing the cows. This
is only one example of the way the energy-beings can take form. Those visiting the temple
however seem to have a strange power over the priests. If they find that their energy supply has
been delivered in an unsatisfying way, they may lose their temper and refuse to hand over their
talismans. Many times, though they will only send the energy back to the altar to be fixed
rather than going to a shop down the street that will sell them all they need to complete the
ritual themselves.
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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The Nacirema – continued
Excerpt 3:
Nacirema who are surrounded by smaller humans also seem to have a strange ritual each
evening when the sun goes down. Having watched these small beings all day, the adults use
long coded tones of voice to hypnotize the children into stillness. Under this hypnotism the
child is forced to close their eyes and lie down for around 8 or 9 hours. To ensure they do not
escape, the adult secures them from the neck down with fabric. In cases of extreme resistance
adults sometimes use the milk of an animal, which is most likely drugged, since the child
immediately becomes stiller after consuming. The adults then perform a similar ritual on
themselves, though this one does not require the voice. They simply lie down and willingly
entrap themselves in similar fabric that they call “blanket.” Perhaps this blanket is some form
of protection, for they remain underneath it for the duration of the ritual.
Excerpt 4:
The Nacirema people, in honor of the days getting shorter, begin a ritual known as Neewollah.
This is when every small community slowly stops cleaning their living spaces so that cobwebs
begin to accumulate in corners and around their tracks of land. Additionally, several elders
within the smaller communities start collecting offerings to the Neewollah gods, such as
colored sugar pieces or idols in the gods’ images. There are several such gods including but
not limited to: the grandmother, with her green skin, symbolic of the spring to come, the
gaseous one, symbolic of the ever-changing future, and the pale man, who hibernates during
the day as a means of reminding the people of the dangers of sunburn. The rituals come to a
head on the final day of Neewollah where smaller troops of younger members of the tribes are
sent of on a spiritual, coming-of-age journey. They reenact the lore of the tradition, where the
assorted gods go from home to home and visit each family. The communities all lend each
child a small token for a safe return. After several years of taking part in this tradition,
children eventually cease to perform this ritual and instead attend a rather large ceremony,
honoring the gods with traditional garb and celebratory drink.
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Design: Costume
All stage costumes must meet certain requirements. First, they must readily reveal to the audience
a character’s personality, taste, age, wealth, and social position. In addition, a costume must
enable the audience to differentiate between the characters.
Costumes should reflect the mood and style of the production. In comedies, actors usually dress in
bright colors and light weight fabrics. In tragedies, colors are subdued to denote gloom, and fabrics
are often heavy. Costumes for fantasies are generally stylized with the setting. In period plays, they
must conform to the fashion, line, and material used in that particular time.
Accessories for period costumes need careful selection to be appropriate for the time and to be in
harmony with the outfit. There must be an acceptable reason for using each costume piece and
only necessary accessories should be utilized. Since costumes are important in adding period
atmosphere, the costume designer should provide something that looks authentic.
(Introduction adapted from Basic Drama Projects by F. A. Tanner, 1982)
Pre-Show Activity: Costume Design
Warm Up:
1. The teacher divides the class up into small groups.
2. Each group must design a costume for each of the following iconic characters, spending
about one minute on each:
 Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz) in the 80s
 Peter Pan in the 80s
 Cinderella in the 80s
 Frankenstein Monster in the 80s
Main Activity:
1. The teacher divides the class up into small groups.
2. Have the students refer to the character descriptions on page 8 of this resource guide.
3. Have the students cut out clothing from magazines and create outfits for each character
based on the description.
4. Glue the images to a piece of paper and have the students present them.
Discussion Questions:
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How can a costume change the audience's first impression of a character?
What can a costume change tell you in the middle of the show?
When making your collage, what aspects did you consider?
What can the costumes tell you about an environment or time period?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Design: Lighting
Audience enjoyment of a production depends a great deal on the show’s lighting. It is important,
therefore, that stage lighting meet four basic requirements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Provide Visibility
Establish Emphasis
Create Mood
Suggest Light Source
Visibility and Emphasis: Comfortable visibility in the theatre is the prime requisite for stage
lighting as too much light glares and too much darkness strains. Light intensity must be carefully
balanced to allow the audience to see what they are supposed to see without their being unduly
aware of the lights. Emphasis is created by utilizing bright light for dominant stage areas and dim
lights for subordinate areas. The light intensity draws the viewer’s eyes toward what is important.
Mood: To achieve mood, the lighting designer must blend together a variety of light sources using
color. If the play is a comedy, the designer might choose a mix of bright lights in predominantly
warm colors. If the play is a tragedy or serious drama, blending should create a medium to low
tone, throwing shadows and casting cool colors.
Light Source: The lighting designer in a realistic play will work to suggest to the audience obvious
sources of light such as the sun, moon, table lamps, candles, fireplaces, etc. By suggesting the
source, they can convey the time of day and the weather conditions. A cool daylight blue of low
intensity apparently coming through a window may suggest early morning. A bright warm amber
light streaming through French doors may indicate late afternoon on a warm, sunny day.
(Introduction adapted from Basic Drama Projects by F. A. Tanner, 1982)
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Pre-Show Activity: Lighting Design
Warm Up:
1. The students lie on the floor and are told to think about different colors and light
intensity. The teacher cycles through a variety of colors and levels of light intensity
while the students listen and visualize.
2. What do those colors and light intensity make them think? How do they make them
feel?
3. How do the colors and light intensity influence the student and his or her perspective?
4. Following the activity, the teacher asks the students to share some of their thoughts.
Main Activity
1. The teacher breaks the students into small groups of 3-4
2. The teacher distributes two consecutive pages from the script to each group (ie. group 1
gets pages 1-2; group 2 gets 19-20; group 3 gets 44-45; etc.)
3. The groups must create a list of themes, focal points, and a numbered list of lighting
cues for their excerpt from the play.
4. Following the group work, each group will share their work and discuss their choices
Discussion Questions
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How can preshow lighting help influence the show?
How does different lighting make you feel?
Are there specific lighting designs that you are expecting?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Design: Sets
The types of scenery used for a play depend upon the stage facilities, the available technicians and
crews, the play’s budget, and the time available for making scenery. Regardless of the setting a set
designer chooses, it must meet the following requirements.
First, the setting should provide a suitable background for the play’s action. There must be
adequate space for movement, including several areas or levels to provide variety and interest and
to motivate the actors into using the whole stage in the course of the play. There must be adequate
doors, windows, and stars. Furthermore, the color of the setting should contrast with the actors
faces so that the actors will be readily seen.
Second, the setting must communicate adequate information about the play. The locale, the time
and the period, the cultural, social, and economical status of the characters must all be revealed in
the set.
Third, the play’s style and mood must be suggested. From observing the scenery with its particular
color and line design, the audience should immediately be able to tell at the rise of the curtain
whether the play is comic, tragic, fantastic, realistic, etc.
Fourth, the setting must be technically practical or useable. Doors and windows must open if they
are to be used. Stairs, platforms, and ramps must be built firmly if they are to bear the actor’s
weight. If there are set changes, scenery must be planned for quick shifts.
Fifth, the setting should be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Thus, all elements must be unified. In
tragedy, the setting may be heavy and massive with dark and somber colors. In comedy, the
scenery may be frivolous with curved lines and light colors. The setting must also be balanced. If
there is a big fireplace on one side of the stage, there should be something on the other side to
convey equal weight.
(Introduction adapted from Basic Drama Projects by F. A. Tanner, 1982)
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Pre-Show Activity: Set Design
Warm Up:
1. Students read the document about set design from the previous page
2. In pairs, students discuss different set design concepts from plays they may have seen
before. The discussion is framed by the following: how does the set affect how audiences
see the world of the play?
3. The pairs share aspects of their discussion with the whole class
Main Activity:
1. Based on what students may know about Tales of the Lost Formicans, students will
create a set design
2. Students will be assigned a specific theme, so that they can incorporate that theme into
their design sketch:
- 80’s
- Medieval Times
- Under the sea
- Space
- Wild West
- Jungle
3. Have students share their design concepts and explain how they incorporated the theme
into their sketch.
Discussion Questions:
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The Tales of the Lost Formicans will be performed in a black box theatre. How might that
impact the set?
Where do you think the set designers might draw inspiration from when creating the
set?
As there are aliens in the show, how would you use the set to enhance alien qualities?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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Design: Sound
Not so many years ago, sound in the theatre was fairly simple. If the director wanted some
preshow music, you got some records and approximated the mood and spirit of the play and
played them over the auditorium public-address system for about ten minutes before the
curtain went up. You might get daring and play them again during the intermission.
If the script called for special sound effects such as doorbell or a telephone ringing, you either
made the sounds live or consulted your sound-effects library, composed of low-fidelity 78-RPM
records. If you used library effects, you either recorded them on you wire or tape recorder, or
you cued the records up and played them just the way a disc jockey would.
Sound in the theatre has changed substantially since the bad old days. Instead of being an
afterthought, sound is now frequently an integral part of the production concept. Increasing
numbers of productions are giving credit to sound design as well as to the more traditional
scenic, costume, and lighting design.
Theatre sound can be subdivided into three categories: music, effects, and reinforcement.
Music is often used to reinforce the mood or atmosphere for a play. Effects create an aural
backdrop of appropriate sounds for the environment of a play. Reinforcement is used
whenever there is a need to boost the loudness level of actors’ voices, as when the acoustics of
an auditorium are not good or during musicals when the singers can’t be heard over the
orchestra.
(Introduction adapted from Theatrical Design and Production by J. Michael Gillette, 2000)
Pre-Show Activity: Sound Design
Warm Up: Spectrum of Time
1. The teacher plays short clips of a few songs from different time periods
2. The students listen to the song clip and try to identify the time period the song may
come from and/or a time in their life that the song reminds them of
3. Students share and defend their responses
Main Activity: Music Inspired Tableaux
1. Working in small groups, the students select a song or lyric from the warm up and
create a tableau based on it
2. The teacher may need to provide lyrics from the songs or replay them
3. The students share their tableau
4. Spectators reflect on the tableau using a “See/Think/Wonder” protocol
Discussion Questions
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What elements of songs/music remind you of certain time periods? Why?
Discuss differences in tableaux → may lead to discussion on differences in time periods
Do the lyrics affect the song’s impact on the listener more than the beat or rhythm?
Why or why not?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
Post-Show Activity:
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Response Letters
When watching this or any play, there is certain to be some disagreement among audience
members about the events of the play and the reasons certain characters behaved the way they
did. The purpose of this activity is to try to illuminate the spectrum of understanding that exists
within the class.
At the end of Tales of the Lost Formicans, Jim has died and there is said to be a fire at the mall.
The characters respond to these events in a variety of ways. Following the end of the play, what
would any of the characters say about the events we have witnessed? To whom would he or she
say it?
Once the students have written their letters, ask them to get into small groups and read their
letters to each other. Once they have all shared, use the discussion questions to debrief the
activity.
Discussion Questions:
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What do we think the characters want to express? Why didn’t they express these thoughts
before the end of the play?
What do these letters reveal about the character?
What can the class as a whole learn from this experience?
Post-Show Activity:
Alternate Ending
The students should reflect on their understanding of Takes of the Lost Formicans and
contemplate alternative outcomes.
Option A: Narrative or Dramatic Writing
Each student is asked to think about a possible alternative ending or extension to the play,
and is given some time to write a narrative or short scene of their new ending.
Option B: Improvisational Acting
The class is broken into groups and each group is responsible for improvising (that is, making
up a scene without a script) that resolves the play in a new and interesting way.
The students should share their work. For the narrative activity, small group sharing is best.
For the improvisational options, they can show their scenes to the class. Use the discussion
questions that follow to reflect on the activity.
Discussion Questions:
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Do the alternative endings seem reasonable? Why or why not?
Are there other possible endings that we have not heard? What might they be?
Why do you think the playwright ended the play in this way?
What might the playwright want the audience to do after seeing the play?
Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
Post-Show Activity: Discussion Questions
Various elements of the plot of Tales of the Lost Formicans pose powerful questions for the audience to
consider. As such, the students may have a number of questions about the production (beyond those they
addressed to the cast after seeing the show) and it may be worthwhile to allow them a space to talk about
these lingering questions.
Some questions you might consider exploring are:
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What do you think the aliens are like after observing the Formicans? Why?
How do you think the characters would feel about being studied or watched? Why?
How do you think Cathy feels about Jim’s actions? Why?
What do you think happened to Eric after the play? Why?
If other characters looked back, what or whom might they blame for their own behavior?
If you took the place of one of the characters in the play, would you behave the same way that he
or she did or might you act differently? Why?
What other plays, stories, movies, or television shows did this play remind you of? Why?
What do you think we can learn from a play like Tales of the Lost Formicans?
Find a good definition of the word drama and make an argument: Tales of the Lost Formicans is or is
not a drama.
What do you think Tales of the Lost Formicans says about gender roles? Why?
What do you think Tales of the Lost Formicans says about stereotypes? Why?
What do you think Tales of the Lost Formicans says about personal connections? Why?
Production Related Questions:
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If you were directing the show, how would you choose to enhance alien qualities?
How did the black box theatre limit what could be done with the set?
How do you think the costume/lights/set/sound designers allocated the budget for
the show?
Where do you think the costume/lights/set/sound designers drew inspiration from?
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Tales of the Lost Formicans TEACHER’S RESOURCE GUIDE
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References
Castagno, Paul C. New Playwriting Strategies: A Language-Based Approach to
Playwriting. New York, NY: Routledge, 2001. Print.
Congdon, Constance. Tales of the Lost Formicans and Other Plays. New York, NY:
Theatre Communication Group, 1994. Print.
Gillette, J. Michael. Theatrical Design and Production. Fourth Edition. New York, NY:
McGraw Hill, 2000. Print.
Miner, Horace Mitchell. "Body Ritual among the Nacirema." American Anthropologist.
Arlington, VA: American Anthropologist Association, 1956. Print.
Tanner, Fran Avert. Basic Drama Projects. Pocatello, ID: Clark Publishing Company,
1982. Print.
Special thanks to the students in the Educational Theatre Undergraduate Collegium who
contributed the pre-show activities in this guide. Students include: Shayna Blecherman, Jason Boxer,
Amanda Briskin-Wallace, Will Carlson, Madison Coe, Leah Cohen, Liana Costable, Jessie Delgado,
Kordell Draper, Amanda Fahey, Chelsea, Flores, Cassie Holzum, Jacqui Horn, Callie Llewellyn, Alexis
Lounsbury, Liz Lozado, Oriana Miles, Alex Richardson, Melanie Ridgway, Trina Roen, Sam Rosenblatt,
Sarah Smith, Kathleen Turner, Emma Vissicchio, and Charlie Wright.