A CELEBRATION OF WENDELL BERRY
adapted for the stage by Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel
from the writing of Wendell Berry
Play GUIDE
sponsored by
A CELEBRATION OF WENDELL BERRY
adapted for the stage by Marc Masterson and Adrien-Alice Hansel
from the writing of Wendell Berry
About Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry
Play Guide
This play guide is a standards-based resource designed to enhance your
theatre experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning of
theatre arts and to encourage essential questions that lead to enduring
understandings of the play’s meaning and relevance. Inside you will find:
• Historical/contextual information.
• Vocabulary and worksheets that lay the groundwork of the story
and build anticipation for the performance.
• Oral discussion and writing prompts that encourage your
students to reflect upon their impressions and to analyze and relate
key ideas to their personal experiences and world around them.
These can easily be adapted to fit most writing objectives.
• Bridgework, which connects theatre elements with ideas for drama
activities in the classroom.
• Integrated curriculum for your lessons.
We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in any way to best fit the
needs of your community of learners. Please feel free to make copies of this
guide, or you may download it from our website: www.actorstheatre.org.
We hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will give you
the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience.
Table of Contents
Actors Theatre Education
Steven Rahe, Education Director
Jacob Stoebel, Education Coordinator
Lee Look, New Voices Coordinator
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3: Biography & Characters
4: About the Play
5 & 6: Life and Times of Wendell Berry
7: Poetry in Wild Blessings
8 & 9: W. Berry: From Page to Stage
10 & 11: The Mad Farmer: Slow Foods
12 & 13: Bridgework/Green Quiz
14: Writing for Portfolio
15: Other Reading/Work Cited
16: Upcoming Events
Julie Mercurio, Education Intern
Jeffrey Mosser, Education Intern
Kentucky Core Content:
Wild Blessings: A Celebraion of Wendell Berry matinee and study guide address specific
Study Guide compiled by Julie Mercurio,
Jeffrey Mosser, Brendan Pelsue,
Steven Rahe and Jacob Stoebel.
Layout by Yinka Oyekunle
The Hearst
Foundation, Inc.
— Core Content
• RD-1.0.1: Students will interpret literal or non-literal meanings of words in
a passage.
• RD-5.0.3: Students will analyze the author’s use of literary devices in a
passage (e.g., symbolism, irony, analogies, imagery, figurative language).
• AH-06-1.3.1: Students will identify or describe the use of elements of
drama in dramatic works.
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our play guides, please
feel free to contact Jacob Stoebel at (502) 584-1265.
Biography: Wendell Berry
A
uthor, farmer, and teacher Wendell Berry
was born on August 5, 1934, in rural New Castle, Ky., located
fifty miles northeast of Louisville. He attended the University of
Kentucky where he received a B.A. in English in 1956 and an
M.A. in 1957.
Wendell Berry
Berry is the author of more than thirty books of poetry, essays
and novels. His collections of poetry include: Given, A Timbered
Choir: The Sabbath Poems 1979-1997, Entries: Poems, Traveling
at Home, The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry, Collected
Poems 1957-1982, Clearing, There Is Singing Around Me and
The Broken Ground. The
New York Review of Books
praises Berry with these
words: “Wherever we live,
however we do so, we
desperately need a prophet
of responsibility and…
Berry may be the closest to
one we have.”
He has taught at New York University and at University of Kentucky. Among his
honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller
Foundations, a Lannan Foundation Award, and a grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts. Today, Wendell Berry lives on a farm in Henry County
near Port Royal, Ky.
Wendell Berr y's Farm
Characters
Our play includes four actors and one musician. The roles are simply described as an older man, a younger
man, an older woman, a younger woman. These ambiguous descriptions allow our cast to easily change
relationships from one scene to the next.
The musician plays a hammered dulcimer, a stringed percussion instrument that is played with mallets. We will use
this music throughout the show to aid transitions and moods. For more information on this uncommon instrument
check out pages 8 — 9 inside this Play Guide!
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About the Play
Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry is a language-based play. This means that out of the six main
elements used to tell stories on stage (plot, character, theme, language, song and spectacle), language is emphasized
and featured as the primary method of expressing the story. Wild Blessings lacks a specific linear structure; there is no
explicit plot or traditional through-line of action, but a sense of the characters, settings and events are suggested by the
arrangement of the poems, as well the words and language within them.
Co-adaptor of Wild Blessings and New Play Development Director Adrien-Alice Hansel says an important approach
to dramatizing this poetry and ensuring the messages are clear is to “help the audience listen.” This can be difficult
because Wendell Berry wrote his poems to be read, but not necessarily spoken aloud. Hansel and co-adaptor Marc
Masterson, who is also the Artistic Director at Actors Theatre, have chosen to present the play rhythmically—by
adding music, punctuating lines and moments, and choosing poems that are arranged to tell a story.
Some other plays center on a different main elements of the theatre, here are some examples:
Plot: Sophocles’ Oedipus
the King (429 BC) is a
play in which the specific
arrangement of incidents,
or plot, is essential to the
story. It also closely follows
the Aristotelian plot structure
of exposition, rising action,
Oedipus Rex at Stratford
climax and falling action
Shakespeare Festival
or resolution
Diction (Language): Like Wild Blessings, Under Milk
Wood (1954) by Dylan Thomas is a play that deals with
language and words in a manner that made it accessible
to early audiences who heard it on BBC radio when it was
first released.
Character: Chekhov’s The Seagull (1896) focuses on the
action that occurs within the fully developed characters,
rather than through external forces. Unlike melodrama,
each character goes through a complicated journey of
internal conflict.
Spectacle: The theatre
troupe Cirque du Soleil
relies on spectacular
visual and audible
elements like sets,
sound effects, lighting,
and costume design to
often complement a thin
narrative.
Thought (Theme): In
Death of a Salesman (1949)
by Arthur Miller, themes like
reality vs. illusion, growth
and loss of opportunity set
the stage for the atmosphere
and driving force of the play
and its main
Death of a Salesman
character Willy Loman.
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Melody (Song): Though actors in Wild Blessings play
instruments and sing songs, the use of music does not
forward a story as found in traditional musicals such as
Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Saltimbanco by Cirque du
Soleil
The Life and Times of Wendell Berry
THE 1930s
Beginning in 1929, the United States enters a period of economic
decline known as The Great Depression. The Depression
was especially hard on the Great Plains States, where years of
unsustainable agricultural practices lead to “The Dust Bowl” — a
series of severe dust storms that removed much of the fertile topsoil
from American farms. Beginning in 1933, newly elected president
Franklin Delano Roosevelt tried to revive the U.S. economy through
a series of government programs known as “The New Deal.”
Dust Bowl
1934: Wendell Berry is born. He spends his childhood on a farm
in New Castle, Ky.
THE1940s-50s
1940s-50s
THE
From 1941 to 1945, the United States fights in World War II. After the war, the United States and Russia (then the
Soviet Union) emerge as the two most powerful nations in the world. The two countries soon become rivals, competing
for economic and military dominance in a conflict known as The Cold War. During this time, Americans move from
rural communities to newly built suburbs in record numbers. They are now less connected than they used to be to the
day-to-day activities of farm life.
1957: Berry receives an M.A. in English from University of Kentucky. He marries Tanya Amyx.
1959-60: Berry studies creative writing as a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University in California. He publishes
his first novel, Nathan Coulter.
THE1960s
1960s
THE
In an effort to counter Russian influence in East Asia, the United States enters The Vietnam War. The war is
unpopular with American youth. Their protests spark a period of social and cultural upheaval (the “hippie” era) that
includes the beginning of the United States environmental movement. In 1970, Congress passes The Clean Air
Act, one of the first laws to restrict air pollution. While the act was a major step forward in protecting the American
environment, it has not always been fully enforced.
1960-61: The Berrys live in Italy on a Guggenheim Fellowship.
1962-4: Berry teaches creative writing at University College of
New York University in the Bronx, Ny.
1964: Berry moves back to Kentucky and buys Lanes Landing, the
farm where he still lives and works today.
1967: Berry’s publishes his second novel, A Place on Earth.
Suburban Development
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The Life and Times of Wendell Berry
THE 1970s
THE
1970s
The
Vietnam
War continues well into the 1970s. President Richard Nixon’s
Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz, helps create our modern industrial
food system by encouraging farmers to grow large amounts of crops like
corn and soy. These crops help fuel the expansion of easily available
commercially processed junk food. American obesity rates also begin to
rise at this time.
1973: Berry publishes A Continuous Harmony, a series of essays on the
importance of saving our country’s connection to small-scale farming and
to the earth. The book was inspired partially by the Southern Agrarian
movement of the 1930s.
1977: Berry publishes The Unsettling of America, a book about Americans’
growing disconnects from the land and their communities.
THE
1980s
- PRESENT
THE
1980s
- PRESENT
The Cold War ends with the decline of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.
In the 1990s and 2000s, America has the largest economy in the world.
The now decades-old industrial food system provides Americans with
access to more calories at a lower cost than any other people at any time
in history. Problems such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes are also
at a record high. During this same time period, more and more Americans
become concerned with global warming, leading some to begin rethinking
the way food in our country is grown and processed.
Earl Butz
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Berry continues writing poetry, stories, essays and novels. Many current
sustainable food activists cite him as one of the founders of their movement,
including writers Barbara Kingsolver and Michael Pollan. In recent years,
Berry has received many awards. In 2005, he was put on a Smithsonian
list of the 35 greatest innovators of our time. In 2006 he was named
Kentuckian of the Year by Kentucky Magazine. He still lives at Lane’s
Landing in Henry County, Ky, where he writes and farms.
Poetry in Wild Blessings
From the adaptation: The set is full of organic surfaces and includes something on which to
project images and poem titles. Various levels, a chair, a table, a large window flies above. The
play is performed by four actors and a musician.
The opening scene of Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry is text from the poem "Manifesto: The Mad
Farmer Liberation Front," as read by the entire cast of the play and underscored with music of the hammered
dulcimer. Visual images are also included in this opening moment and then used throughout this production. Hansel
and Masterson wanted to introduce the audience to the choral poem, a form used throughout the show, so that
early on in the play a sense of ensemble is developed. These choices immediately set up some expectations for
the audience: actors will work together to tell the stories of the poems, music will be used as a tool to enhance that
storytelling, and images will also play a role in defining the world and moving the play forward.
Below is the first page of the script side-by-side the poem from which it is derived. Notice how the script differs and
how the separation of lines flows between the characters, each line completing an idea.
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
Poem
Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation
with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be
afraid to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head. Not
even your future will be a mystery any more. Your
mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a
little drawer.
When they want you to buy something they will
call you. When they want you to die for profit
they will let you know. So, friends, every day do
something that won't compute. Love the Lord. Love
the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have
and be poor. Love someone who does not
deserve it.
Script
Actor 2: Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation
with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be
afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will
have a window in your head.
Actress 2: When they want you to buy something they
will call you. When they want you to die for profit they
will let you know.
Actor 1: So, friends, every day do something that
won’t compute.
Actress 1: Love the Lord.
Actor 1: Love the world.
Actor 2: Love someone who does not deserve it.
Discussion Questions



Based on the breakdown, why do you think Hansel
and Masterson have separated the lines this way?
How does the poem change when read aloud?
Now that you know this is the introduction to the play
Wild Blessings, what sorts of issues or topics do you
think Hansel, Masterson and Wendell Berry
will explore in the play?
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Wendell Berr y: From
You may have already noticed that Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry
sounds much different than a typical episodic or sequential theatrical story. In the
next few pages we will help to answer some of those surfacing questions with
in-depth information about the production from those most closely involved.
Marc Masterson, Artistic Director and Wild Blessings
co-creator at Actors Theatre of Louisville, recently
spoke with our literary department about the
reasoning behind the production. What does this
production offer? What kind of play is it? What
aspects of theatre are prominently featured?
Read on for the answers!
The Page
The world premiere of Wild Blessings is an amalgamation
of poetry, essays and fiction loosely constructed into a story.
See below for a list of written works. “The four actors and the
musician aren’t portraying Wendell Berry literally, but there is a
young man who wants to learn to be a poet. There is an older
man who is cantankerous,” says Masterson.
Marc Masterson
While the story may not contain sequential dialogue, it does
“provide a spine” for the structure of the piece. Instead of a
narrative, Wild Blessings builds from information derived from
itself. Some plays are written with focus on how much spectacle
they may provide. Others may be written for incredible
characters. This play places a great amount of focus on
language. (For more information on language-based plays see
page 4 of this Play Guide.)
When Masterson began considering the theatrical potential of Berry’s poetry over a year ago, he realized it would be
an opportunity to connect to the community that Actors Theatre of Louisville serves. “That’s what theatre is and should
be — an opportunity for a community to express itself…the local community, the regional community, then national and
international community that we’re in.” In the same vein, it allows Actors Theatre of Louisville to express what it is as an
institution — a creative force for the fostering and creation of new plays.
LIST
OFOF
BOOKS,
POETRY
AND AND PUBLICATIONS USED IN WILD BLESSINGS
LIST
BOOKS,
POETRY
PUBLICATIONS USED IN
WILD
BLESSINGS
Poems:
The Collected Poems of Wendell Berry, 1957-1982
The Timbered Choir: The Sabbath
Poems 1979-1997
Entries:
The Progressive Magazine
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Page to Stage
The Stage: Sound and Set
The technical aspects of theatre (set, lights, props, costumes/makeup, sound) help us to create the world of the play.
Sound and set, in particular, will play a significant role in the production of Wild Blessings.
Sound
The hammered dulcimer, an instrument prominently
featured in Wild Blessings, is a stringed trapezoidal
instrument played with small wooden mallets. Have you
ever seen the inside of a piano? Playing a hammered
dulcimer is similar to a piano, but there are no keys to
strike the strings. Instead the player manually uses the
wooden mallets to strike the strings directly. The origin of
this instrument is uncertain because numerous variations
are found across Asia, Europe and America. One
example is the Appalachian Dulcimer, which is more
similar to a zither (a plucked stringed instrument).
Masterson describes the sound and feel of the hammered
dulcimer as bringing “a kind of lyrical, ethereal quality
Hammered Dulcimer
to the work, also a roots-based approach to the music.”
Malcom Daglish, a composer from Bloomington, Indiana,
who has arranged music for a dozen of Wendell Berry’s poems, will be performing his pieces for our production.
Don’t be surprised if you see the actors picking up other instruments (guitars, fiddles, drums) to accompany Malcom
Daglish, or raising their voices to sing some of Wendell Berry’s more lyrical or metered passages.
Set
Close your eyes and imagine the endless rolling hills of farmland, a vast sky above you, the warmth of the sun on
your forearms and face. Welcome to the set for Wild Blessings. This seemingly endless and gorgeous set will leave
you feeling fully immersed in the land and work Wendell Berry writes about.
Much of the set will accommodate visual projections. An incredible 40-foot projection screen, as well as a smaller
window-like screen, will be used to manifest images for each poem. Donna L. Lawrence, the artist responsible for
collecting what appears on these screens, is an incredible multimedia designer. As a cinematographer, film director,
and producer she is an “expert in matching imagery with content,” says Masterson. Poetry often uses very vivid
imagery, thus our set will reflect these images to accompany the story. “We want to give a sense of the
environment or context without explaining too much,” says Masterson.
Lawrence has felt a great connection to Kentucky since moving to Louisville 34 years ago. Recently she was
responsible for filming the “KentuckyShow!,” a production meant to “instill pride and identity in people of Kentucky
who see it.” Lawrence’s documentaries have been seen in dozens of museums and companies around the world,
“When you envision a piece in your mind, it is perfection. You never reach that, but that siren call is what keeps you
going,” says Lawrence.
Final Words
Masterson concludes that, “Wendell Berry has many interests, socially, politically
and creatively, and this is an opportunity for us as an institution to connect with
other communities who reflect those interest. That’s something I’m excited about
and we’re excited to get to do as this play comes into its life.”
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The Mad Farmer
Give your approval to all you
cannot understand. Praise
ignorance, for what man has not
encountered he has
not destroyed.
— Wendell Berry,
“The Mad Farmer Liberation Front"
Wendell Berry is a farmer, and the joys and difficulties of life
on a small farm play a central role in his poems and essays. He
says that small farms help people understand where food comes
from, and that the more we know about the delicate balance of
natural forces that allows us to grow our dinners, the more likely
we will be to take good care of our planet. When we forget
about this balance, we end up with farms that pollute our air,
earth and water.
Farms that pollute?! It’s true. Today in America, industrial
food production accounts for at least 20% of the toxins we
release into our atmosphere. We all know that the cars we
drive and the power plants that pump electricity into our
homes burn fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas. But
we don’t often think about how the foods we eat can have
just as serious an impact on our environment. If you live in
Kentuckiana and enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables during the
winter, chances are they were shipped on carbon-burning
boats and planes to your supermarket from places like
California, South America or New Zealand. Even most food
grown closer to home, like corn from the fields of Indiana, is
processed into the high fructose syrup used in soda, candy
bars and other junk foods— all items that are difficult for our
bodies to digest and can lead to health problems like obesity
Industrialized Chicken Coop
and diabetes. Plus, growing too much of the same kind of
crop (like corn for corn syrup) makes farms susceptible to plant-killing viruses. In order to keep their crops safe,
farmers on big farms have to use chemical poisons that seep into
the earth and into the foods we eat. Since small farms tend to
grow a wider variety of crops, they are safer from these viruses.
And since the foods grown on small farms are usually sold to
consumers who live nearby, they use less fuel per vegetable (or
piece of cheese, or sausage link) than large-scale agricultural
operations that send their products all over the globe.
Corn syrup
In other words, Wendell Berry reminds us that small farms connect
us not only to our local community, but to a healthy global
community as well. They put us in touch with our neighbors, and
provide us with food that is good for our bodies and
our environment.
Yikes! The food we buy could be bad for the environment? What can I do about it?
When Wendell Berry first started talking about the importance
of small farms, he was one of the only people in America
doing so. Today, there is a whole movement devoted to
growing (and buying) good food grown close to home. What
can you do to get involved?
Buy local! Find a farm near you and eat what they grow.
Maybe even get to know a local farmer –– we guarantee he
or she will be more exciting than the Land O’Lakes lady or that
Kangaroo that sells Dunkaroos.

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Farmers' Market
Eat less junk food! It takes a lot of energy to process
grains like corn and soy into the fatty oils and additives that
go in junk food. It turns out that food that is better for you
tends to be better for the earth as well. Plus, too many Jolly
Ranchers can give you a headache.


Cook! Take a look at the ingredients list on the back of
a pre-packaged snack. When was the last time you put Soy
Lecithin Emulsifier in your cookie batter? The more control
you have over the ingredients that go into your cookies, the
less likely it is that those ingredients will be suspect. Plus,
processed foods are usually packaged in plastic and the
main ingredient in plastic is crude oil. That’s right. Those
Chips Ahoy! cookies you love are sitting in a tray of gasoline
(not really, but).
Community Garden
Eat less meat! Meat is inefficient. Think about it: cows
eat literally tons of plants before they’re big enough to produce a few pounds of hamburger. Why not cut the
cows out of the equation and eat those plants ourselves? Scientists estimate that eating one kilogram of beef is
the energy equivalent of driving three hours, and that the average vegetarian’s diet produces half the carbon
emissions of the average meat eater’s.

But if I buy local, what will I eat?
What grows in Kentucky? And when? The handy to the left
calendar shows you what you can find at your local farm stand
May through October. Some of these items will be familiar;
others might be more exotic. Make a game of trying new things
–– or of cooking old favorites in new ways. There’s nothing that
brings friends and family together quite like fresh food cooked
with a recipe that will knock your socks off!
A glossary of vegetables and what to do with them:
Beets: These dark red beauties will stain your apron and your
heart. Enjoy their earthy sweetness in a salad, or in a cold soup
called borscht.
Edamame Soy Beans: Crisp and protein packed. Put a little
salt on these beans and
you’ll have a late night
snack that gives popcorn
a run for its money.
Okra: This famously
gummy veggie is often
used to thicken soups
and stews. It’s the secret
ingredient in authentic
Cajun gumbo.
Pawpaw: Think buying
Paw Paw Fruit
local will mean missing
out on tropical flavors? This regional treasure has been compared
to bananas and mangos.
Fruit & Vegetable Calendar
Parsnips: Somewhere between a carrot, a turnip and HEAVEN!
Roast, mashed or glazed with brown sugar, Parsnips are the
perfect vegetable to curl up with on a winter night.
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Bridgework
Building Connections Between Stage and Classroom
A Teacher’s Tool to Building Connections between Stage and Classroom.
Core Content Connection – The following activities are designed using the Elements of Drama: Literary Elements,
Technical Elements and Performance Elements. (Core Content 4.1)
At Your Desk
Create your own story.
Wild Blessings comes from a
selection of poems and fiction
by Wendell Berry. Identify a
poet that you and your students
find interesting and relevant. Are
there any poems that could be
connected to create a story? Try
stringing the poetry in different
sequences – how does the story
change?
Turn a poem into a song!
Can you play an instrument? Can
you hum a tune? Turn a poem into
a song by finding what can be
repeated; what can be louder or
softer, faster or slower; what has a
rhythm to it? Any music lyrics can
be considered poetry. Find your
favorite poem and look at it for
imagery and other themes that will
make your song pop!
Journal Entry
Choose a character from the play
and write a journal entry in the
character’s voice. Think about
a point in the play that stirred
your emotions into a memorable
moment that you will take with you
into your next chapter of life.
On Your Feet
Group Poetry
Have each student write a poem
based on one idea or theme from
the play (see the back of the study
guide for help identifying more
themes). You may be surprised
how many different perspectives
on one topic you may find! Bring
those stories together in order to
create a performance.
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Interview
Wendell Berry’s poems spring
from his passionate beliefs – about
farming, local economics, the
interconnection between people
and the natural world. Because
of those passionate poems, Berry
has been interviewed by numerous
journalists and authors. Have your
students pair up and interview
each other about their passions.
If they don’t know where to start,
here are some suggested starter
questions: “Who in your family do
you most admire and why?” “If you
could have any career in the world
what would it be and why?” “If
you could contribute to a charity
what would it be?” Next, have the
interviewers deliver those answers
to the class taking care to report
honestly and genuinely about their
interviewee.
Highway Cleanup
Has your class/school/club
adopted a highway? Find a time
that you and your group could
volunteer your time to give back
to your community by eliminating
roadside litter. Most adopted
highways are only a mile. Bestow
an honor to the “Green Machine”
who collects the most trash.
Standing amongst passing traffic
not your idea of a good green
time? Try Operation Brightside,
the Louisville initiative to help
keep Louisville, safe, clean, and
comfortable. More information on
volunteering is available at:
www.louisvilleky.gov/brightside
Let's Dance
Does poetry have the power to
move you? Let it! Find a poem
that strikes you. How can you
embody the imagery as group? As
an individual? If this poem were
a person would it be sprinting?
Bouncing? Sleeping in the recliner?
Does it stand tall and strong like
a tree? If it has more than one
image or quality try to figure out
transitions between each one to
create a dance to the text!
CROSS CURRICULAR
Geography
Each state in America contributes
something to our agriculture
industry. Find out what your state/
county/city leads in exporting
and/or importing. Next, research
out where your produce, dairy,
and meat products come from.
Are there any area vendors that
offer locally grown foods? Here is
a link to some Louisville Farmers’
Markets: www.louisvillecsa.com/
csa/marketlist.aspx.
Science
Wendell Berry writes about the
land that he cultivates and cares
for. Farming is truly a science
which requires a great amount
of patience. Try growing some
produce with the rest of your
class – what nutrients does the soil
need? How long does it take? Try
growing one set of produce without
sunlight; without water. Compare
your growth at the end of the
semester.
History
Going “Green” is a new concept
today, or so it seems. When else
has America attempted to conserve
more? For what reasons? Where?
Which presidents felt as though it
was absolutely necessary for the
country to conserve?
Music
The hammered dulcimer is a
stringed, percussive instrument,
which is played throughout the
production. What other instruments
is it similar to? Create your own
musical instrument using household
materials. Will it be a string, wind,
or percussion instrument?
Green Quiz
The How Green Are You Quiz!
How many of these can you answer “YES!” to?
1. In my home I recycle…
a) household batteries.
b) aluminum cans.
c) food scraps.
2. To reduce pollution, I…
a) dispose of toxic substances on designated days
and in designated places. (louisville.edu/dehs/
waste/waste/Guide/chap3.html)
b) use phosphate-free soap and detergent.
c) clean windows with vinegar and water.
3. When I shop, I ...
a) take my own bags to the store.
b) buy goods made from recycled materials.
c) choose clothing made from natural fibers.
4. To be more energy efficient, I...
a) use electricity sparingly.
b) turn the thermostat down 3 degrees in winter;
up 3 degrees in summer.
c) use a clothesline rather than a dryer.
5. For transportation I...
a) walk or ride a bicycle on short trips.
b) carpool whenever possible.
c) keep the car tuned and the tires pumped.
6. At my school I…
a) recycle.
b) print or copy double-sided pages.
c) use reusable cups and dishes.
1-6 - Eco Novice – Don't be discouraged. This is just the beginning of your new green lifestyle.
7-12 Eco Ally – Nice work! You've proven you're ready to go the extra mile in order to reduce your
eco-footprint. See if your family can help you achieve the next level.
13-18 Eco Warrior – Congratulations! You're a true conservationist who interacts with the environment in a smart
and sustainable way.
Wind Turbine
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Writing for Portfolio
14
Personal Writing
One of Wendell Berry’s core values is fidelity. Many of his poems contain themes of
faithfulness to one’s self and community. What are you dedicated to? Write a journal
entry describing what fidelity means to you and how you practice it in your daily life. You
may want to include how you are interlaced with your family, school, sports team, church,
community, etc.
literary Writing
Explore a theme from Wild Blessings with poetry. You may want to write using lyric poetry,
as Berry does, or choose another style. Lyric poetry often deals with personal feelings and
is sometimes set to music. You can also write, as Berry does, a short story or essay. Reflect
upon how your chosen theme may be presented through different styles of writing.
transactive Writing
Write a review of Actors Theatre’s Wild Blessings. Describe what it was like to watch the
play, but be sure to write about more than just the story told by the play. Think about how
the play tells its story. Make the experience of watching the play come alive for your reader
by writing about several of the play’s many elements, including costumes, lights, props, and
music as well as how the actors performed in their roles and how the director moved them
around the stage. Were there some parts of Wild Blessings you enjoyed more than other
parts? If so, why?
Need more help?
Check out our Young Critics Workshops! Have an Actors Theatre teaching artist visit
your classroom to give your students the inside scoop on how to write a theatrical critique.
Students who have written a critique on an Actors Theatre production may
submit their work to be posted on our website!! To submit online, please send
all critiques as email attachments to [email protected] with the subject heading
“Young Critics Contest.” Please be sure to include your name, school, teacher, grade, and
contact information.
Other Reading/Work Cited
Wendell Berry
The Collected Poems of Wendell Berry: These poems range from celebrations of the beauty of Berry’s native
Henry County to laments about life in contemporary America.
Nathan Coulter: This book tells the story of a young man trying to navigate the blurry line between what it means
to be a child and what it means to be an adult.
Jayber Crow: This book examines one man’s life and thoughts, but also how small towns in American have changed
over time.
Internet
On the Internet:
Kentucky Proud (www.kyagr.com/kyproud/index.htm): Program sponsored by the Kentucky Department of
Agriculture to help consumers find locally grown meat and produce.
Savoring Kentucky (savoringkentucky.com/wordpress/): a food blog about eating locally in Kentucky.
Slow Food Bluegrass (www.slowfoodbluegrass.org/): the Kentucky branch of Slow Food USA, an
organization devoted to promoting locally grown food and traditional food culture.
NonBooks:
Fiction
Other
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver. A Kentucky original! In this book Kingsolver tells the story of
a full year when her family ate only food they grew on their Eastern Kentucky farm or could buy nearby.
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan. Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. That’s the
advice Michael Pollan gives in this eater’s guide to choosing a diet that is healthy for our bodies and our planet.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. Humans are one of the few animals that can eat almost anything
— fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, even the milk of other animals. In this book, Michael Pollan visits corn-growers and
chicken farms to tell us how the foods we eat on a daily basis make their way to our dinner table. Not everything he
uncovers is pretty.
Work Cited
Aristotle, The Poetics. New York: Hill and Wang, 1961.
Berry, Wendell. The Long-Legged House. Washington D.C.: Counterpoint, 1969.
Brockett, Oscar J., and Robert J. Ball. The Essential Theatre. 8th ed. USA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004.
"Filmmaker Puts Pizazz in Projects". KentuckyShow!. 1 Jan. 2009 <www.kentuckyshow.com/news/article.aspx?id=124>.
“Footprint Calculator” Footprintnetwork.org 18 Jan. 2009 <http://www.footprintnetwork.org>
Hansel, Adrien-Alice and Masterson, Marc. Personal interview. 10 November 2008.
“KentuckyShow!” Metromix.com. 21 Feb. 2009 <louisville.metromix.com/events/article/kentucky-show/593157/content>
"Wendell Berry" Poets.org. 9 Feb. 2009 <www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/6753>.
15
Upcoming Events
We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean
Shepherd
directed by Sean Daniels
Grades 5 – 12
November 11, 18 & 24
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.3.1, AH-1.3.2,
AH-1.3.3, AH-3.3.1
2009-2010
Student Matinees
Book now to reserve your spot
Tickets only $10 per student!
Sponsored by
Lookingglass Alice
adapted from the stories of Lewis Carroll
written and directed by David Catlin
Grades 4 – 12
September 8 & 17
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.2.1, AH-1.3.1,
AH-1.3.2, AH-1.3.3, AH-3.3.1, AH-3.2.1
Crime and Punishment
based on the novel
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
adapted by Marilyn Campbell
and Curt Columbus
directed by Sean Daniels
Grades 7 – 12
January 20 & 28 (potential)
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.3.1, AH-1.3.2,
AH-1.3.3, AH-2.3.1, AH-06-3.3.1,
RD-5.0.3, RD-1.0.1, RD-4.0.1
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Bingham Signature Shakespeare Series
by William Shakespeare
directed by Marc Masterson
Grades 5 – 12
October 14, 15, 20, 22 & 23
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.3.1, AH-1.3.2,
AH-1.3.3, AH-2.3.1, AH-3.3.1, RD-5.0.3,
RD-1.0.1, RD-4.0.1
A Christmas Carol
written by Charles Dickens
adapted by Barbara Field
directed by Sean Daniels
Sponsored by
Grades 5 - 12 December 10, 15 & 16
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.3.1, AH-1.3.2,
AH-1.3.3, AH-2.1.1, AH-2.3.1, AH-3.1.1,
AH-3.3.1, RD-09-5.0.3, SS-2.1.1
Ella
book by Jeffrey Hatcher
conceived by Rob Ruggiero
and Dyke Garrison
musical supervision and arrangements
by Danny Holgate
directed by Rob Ruggiero
Grades 7 – 12
February 3 & 4
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.3.1, AH-1.3.2,
AH-1.3.3, AH-06-2.1.1, AH-2.3.1,
AH-06-3.1.1, AH-06-3.3.1
A Christmas Story
by Philip Grecian
based on the motion picture A Christmas
Story © 1983 Turner Entertainment Co.,
distributed by Warner Bros., written
by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and
Bob Clark, and on the book In God
Dracula
originally dramatized by Hamilton
Deane and John L. Balderston
from Bram Stoker’s world-famous novel,
Dracula as adapted and directed by
William McNulty
Sponsored by
Grades 7 – 12
September 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25,
29 & 30
October 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16, 27, 28
& 30
Time: 10:30 am
Core Content: AH-1.2.1, AH-1.3.1,
AH-1.3.2, AH-1.3.3, AH-1.3.4, AH-2.3.1,
AH-3.3.1
Every school year Actors Education introduces hundreds of students throughout Kentuckiana
to the basics of playwriting. The results of these multiple classroom residency workshops
are... ten minute plays! These plays enter our annual competition and the best of the best
are selected, developed and produced on stage. The Acting Apprentice Company will
bring these plays to life in the Bingham Theatre for two performances only:
April 19 and 20.
NEW
VOICES
PLAY FESTIVAL
World Premieres!
April 19 at 5:00 p.m.
April 20 at 7:00 p.m.
10 Ten-Minute Plays
(All Original Student Work)
FREE
and open to the public! call the
Sunday & Monday, Bingham Theatre
sponsored by
Box Office 502.584.1205
THE NORTON FOUNDATION, INC.
Actors Theatre of Louisville
g
Box Office 502–584–1205
316 West Main Street
g
g
Louisville, Kentucky 40202–4218
Group Sales 502–585–1210
g
g
USA
Business Office 502–584–1265
ActorsTheatre.org
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