Appendix: Further ExplorationThe exercises and information in this study guide are geared towards fulfilling the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy for Grades 11-12.

Writing• Write informative/explanatory texts to exam-ine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective tech-nique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or try-ing a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.• Conduct short as well as more sustained

research projects to answer a question (in-cluding a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Speaking and Listening• Prepare and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with di-verse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.• Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspec-tives; synthesize comments, claims, and evi-dence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or com-plete the task.• Work with peers to promote civil, democrat-ic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.

The King and IOlney Theatre Center

Context Guide

Topics for DiscussionPerformance Reflection

1. With which character did you identify the most and why?2. Which characters changed over the course of the play? What did they learn, and how did their relation-ships with other characters affect them?3. Make a list of the themes in this musical. How did the characters and their actions reveal these themes?4. Paolo Montalban, who plays the King in Olney’s production, said he did not want his portrayal of King Mongkut to be “tyrannical.” He described the character as “thoughtful” and “intellectual.” Do these descrip-tions coincide with your interpretation of the role? How effectively did his portrayal of the role come across to you?5. In the first scene of the play, Captain Orton warns Anna about the King of Siam: “That man has power, and he can use it for you or against you.” In what ways does the king do so? How does Anna assert her own power? How is the theme of authority examined in the musical?6. Anna and Louis are shocked by many elements of Siamese culture. What are they most surprised by? Identify a time in your life when you experienced a form of culture shock. How does your experience com-pare to Anna and Louis’?7. Why does the King want his children and wives to learn about Western culture? How did the political at-mosphere contribute to his goals? In what ways does he successfully modernize his kingdom? In what ways does Anna think he can improve?8. Anna and the King make many decisions over the course of this play. What are some of the most import-ant decisions that they make? Do you agree or disagree with these decisions? Why or why not?9. What is the significance of Lun Tha and Tuptim’s subplot? How does it contribute to the musical’s themes?10. In An English Governess in the Siamese Court, Anna Leonowens says: “That which we do not clearly un-derstand; and thus it is, and on no better ground, that we deny that there are influences in the religions of the East to render their followers wiser, nobler, purer” (207). What does Anna learn over the course of her stay in Siam? What can we learn from other cultures? Why is it important to learn about the world around us? Explain, using examples from the production. 11. Anna Leonowens was an Indo-European widow who spent her entire life in South Asia. King Mongkut spent many years as a Buddhist monk. Read their biographies on pages 10 and 11. How might their back-grounds have influenced their morals and behaviors? 12. Is this musical relevant today? Identify parallels in from the 21st century, from the media, news, or your own life, that explain how the story still resonates.

Characters and Theme

1. What emotions did this musical inspire in you? What scenes did you find the most moving? What songs?2. Describe the overall mood of the production. How did the costume, lighting, and set design contribute to the mood?3. How did the songs help tell the story and establish character? Find an example of one song in particular that propels the story or reveals something important, and explain how it does so.4. What other stories does this musical remind you of? Does it remind you of any movies, books, songs, or events from your own life? Compare and contrast.5. Describe the pace of this production. Did it move quickly or slowly? Did the pace change over the course of the musical? Why do you think the tempo changed at those moments?6. Describe the overall style and design of the production. Consider sets, costume, lighting, sound, and props: How did these elements influence the story, establish character and mood, and reflect theme? Did any elements particularly stand out to you? Why or why not?7. How did the production compare with your expectations? If you were familiar with the musical, how was it similar or different from your knowledge of the play? If you were not familiar with the story, what were you most surprised by?

Hammerstein’s lyrics are sometimes deceptively simple; although they seem to tell straightforward narra-tives, Hammerstein wrote his lyrics carefully, making sure that each word and phrase moved the story along and established character.

1. Read the following lyrics. Based on these words alone, describe the characters. What are they feeling and experiencing? What types of people do they seem to be?

“There are times I almost think I am not sure of what I absolutely know. Very often find confusion In conclusion I concluded long ago In my head are many facts That, as a student, I have studied to procure, In my head are many facts.Of which I wish I was more certain I was sure!”

2. Select a character from The King and I, aside from Anna or the King, and write the lyrics to a song from his or her perspective. Consider that character’s relationship to others, his or her personality, and what he or she does at certain moments in the play. If you like, set the lyrics to the tune of a popular song to guide you.

Activities

Dear DiaryRodgers and Hammerstein derived most of their material from a book based off Anna Leonowens’ mem-oirs. The musical, therefore, is told primarily from Anna’s perspective.

1. What other movies, plays or books can you think of that are based on true stories? Did the writers have to make any changes from the original source material? Why do you think a writer makes those changes?2. How does The King and I differ from its source material? How do those changes alter the story? Do you agree or disagree with those changes? Explain.3. How might the story be different if it were told from the King’s point of view? Tuptim’s? Lady Thiang’s?4. Imagine the story from another character’s perspective. Select a specific scene or song from the play (use the synopsis on pages 8 and 9 to guide you), and write a page out of Louis’ diary describing the event. Consider what the characters do in the scene, what the character might have been thinking, and where the scene takes place.

Music and Lyrics

“Shall I tell you what I think of you? You’re spoiled! You’re a conscientious worker But you’re spoiled. Giving credit where it’s due There is much I like in youBut it’s also very true That you’re spoiled!”

ActivitiesMaking a ChangeTuptim’s staging of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is based on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, but uses music, dance, and aesthetics to reimagine the story. In the same way, director Mark Waldrop made specific design and performance choices to shine his own light on The King and I.

1. When adapting a novel to the stage, what kinds of choices does a writer or director have to make? What choices does Tuptim make in her adaptation of Uncle Tom’s Cabin?2. Write a one-page summary of Small House of Uncle Thomas. Consider design choices, style and tone, and the story itself.3. Read about Uncle Tom’s Cabin on Page 16. If possible, read a summary of Uncle Tom’s Cabin online. Then read the following excerpt from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel:

“A thousand lives seemed to be concentrated in that one moment to Eliza. Her room opened by a side door to the river. She caught her child, and sprang down the steps towards it…. In that dizzy moment her feet to her scarce seemed to touch the ground, and a moment brought her to the water’s edge. Right on behind they came; and, nerved with strength such as God gives only to the desperate, with one wild cry and flying leap, she vaulted sheer over the turbid current by the shore, on to the raft of ice beyond. It was a desperate leap—impossible to anything but madness and despair…. The huge green fragment of ice on which she alighted pitched and creaked as her weight came on it, but she staid there not a moment. With wild cries and desperate energy she leaped to another and still another cake; stumbling, leaping, slipping, springing upwards again! Her shoes are gone—her stockings cut from her feet—while blood marked every step; but she saw nothing, felt nothing, till dimly, as in a dream, she saw the Ohio side, and a man helping her up the bank.”

4. How does this scene compare with the ballet sequence in The King and I? Describe the mood and tone of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s writing. Is this reflected in the ballet? How does the ballet change the story?5. Select a fairy tale or folk story with which you are familiar. Then, choose a storytelling genre or setting—Western, horror, detective, science fiction—and adapt the story using that genre. Consider how the world of the story looks and how the characters speak and act.6. How did the changes you made affect the tone and mood of the original story? What did your version add?

Everyone’s a CriticReviews are an integral part of the theatre world. They describe a production to potential audience mem-bers and provide an objective opinion of the play, analyzing everything from performance to lighting design.

1. Using the Internet, read three reviews of past productions of The King and I. What do you notice about these reviews? What writing techniques do they employ? What performance and design elements do they critique? For what readership do you think these reviews are targeted?2. Pretend you are a theatre critic for a local newspaper: you must write a 600-word review of Olney The-atre Center’s The King and I. Using similar techniques, write your own review of the Olney Theatre Center’s production of the musical. Review as many performance and design elements as possible (and remember to include a headline for your article).

Eye for DesignAlthough The King and I takes place in a specific time and place, the production team still had a variety of choices to make. This includes set, lighting, costume, props, and sound design, as well as blocking, chore-ography, and music direction. Every production of this musical is unique depending on the director’s and performer’s choices.

1. Imagine you are part of a revival of The King and I, either as a set designer or costume designer. Write a one-paragraph artistic statement, describing the aesthetic, mood, and message of your production.2. If you chose costumes, select a character from the play. Choose a scene from the play and design that character’s costume based on your artistic statement. Consider style, fit, pattern, and color.3. For set design, consider all the places in which this story takes place (the Chow Phya ship, the Grand Pal-ace, Anna’s bedroom). Choose one setting, and design the scene considering mood, time and place, and how characters need to interact within it. You can use the set rendering on page 21 of the Context Guide if you need a blueprint for the stage.4. Draw your design and share your work with the class. Once you have looked at each other’s designs, de-bate how different choices in color and style affect theme, character, and story.

ActivitiesThe Write StuffIn the book off of which The King and I is based, Anna does not reconcile with the King as he is on his death-bed. Oscar Hammerstein II crafted the final scene of the musical for added dramatic effect.

1. Why do you think Hammerstein made the choice that he did? What moods and feelings did the final scene invoke, and what effect did it have on the overall structure of the musical?2. How else might Hammerstein have ended the musical? Brainstorm some alternative endings and discuss how they might have changed the theme and tone of the production.3. Try your hand at playwriting. Choose one of the following two activities: a. Rewrite the final scene of the musical with a character behaving or reacting in a new way. For example: King Mongkut survives; Anna leaves; Chulalongkorn makes a different proclimation. b. Decide what happens after King Mongkut dies and write the subsequent scene. Consider: Does Anna stay with the children? Will Chulalongkorn be a good king? Make sure your characters are consistent with their personalities and behaviors from the rest of the play.4. How does your scene compare with Hammerstein’s ending? How did your version change the overall scope of the production? Would an audience member come out of the theatre feeling differently about a character or theme?

GlossaryThe following words are either used in the play or pertain to theatre and literature. Re-view these vocabulary words and try to utilize them in conversation about The King and I.Adaptation: A work that has been modified from a different medium. In the case of literature, books and plays are often adapted into other forms of media, like TV and film.Aesthetic: The overall artistic direction of a production.Antagonist: The force against which the protagonist is fighting, usually a character, but it may be more ab-stract.Ballad: A narrative song from one character’s perspective, usually slow in tempo, often about a romantic or tragic subject.Bangkok: The largest city in Siam, in which the monarch and his royal family live.Book Musical: A genre of musical theatre that integrates music, dance, and dialogue into a cohesive narra-tive, usually about a complex theme. The three main components are the music, lyrics, and book. The book, or script, consists of story and dramatic structure, including dialogue and stage directions. Music and lyrics compose the score of a musical.Buddha: The figure on whom the religion of Buddhism is based. His name means “the enlightened one.”Buddhism: The most common form of religion in Thailand.Burma: Today called Myanmar, it is a country that borders Thailand. It was under British colonial rule from the mid-1800s through 1947.Crown prince: The heir to a throne.Conflict: The source of a play’s dramatic tension, often between the antagonist and protagonist, but it may be from a less concrete source.Dialect: The language of a particular district, class, or group of persons. This consists of sounds, spelling, grammar, and diction, and is often used to establish character.Dialogue: Conversations or other verbal exchanges between two or more characters.Drama: From the Greek word “dran” (‘to do’ or ‘to perform’), the word “drama” refers either to a single play, a group of plays, or to all plays. Motivation: Why a character performs a certain act.Pace: The tempo of a play, how fast or slow the story and dialogue move.Plot: The arrangement of events and actions within a play. This can be chronological, told in flashback, or in media res (“in the middle of things”; when the story starts in the middle of the action, without exposition). Pound: The British form of currency.Protagonist: The main character of a story.Protectorate: A state or country that is controlled by another.Siam: The former name of Thailand.Singapore: A city-state in Southern Asia.Setting: Where the play takes place. The setting may change from scene to scene of the play.Subplot: A secondary plot within the main story.Theme: The central topic or idea of a text. Essentially, “what the work is about.”Tone: The mood of a play.