MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER IN

CURRICULUM GUIDE GUESS WHO’S

COMING TO

DINNER

BY

TODD KREIDLER

BA

SED O

N T

HE S

CREEN

PLAY BY

WILLIAM ROSE

DIR

ECTED B

Y

DAVID

ESBJORNSON

TABLE OF CONTENTSStandards 3

Guidelines for Attending the Theatre 4

Artists 5

Themes for Writing & Discussion 7

Mastery Assessment 9

For Further Exploration 10

Suggested Activities 13

© Huntington Theatre Company Boston, MA 02115

August 2014

No portion of this curriculum guide may be reproduced without written permission from the Huntington Theatre Company’s Department of Education & Community Programs

Inquiries should be directed to:

Donna Glick | Director of Educationdjglick@huntingtontheatre.bu.edu

This curriculum guide was prepared for the Huntington Theatre Company by:

Marisa Jones | Education Consultant

with contributions by:

Donna Glick | Director of Education

Alexandra Truppi | Manager for Curriculum & Instruction

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 3

COMMON CORE STANDARDSIN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Reading Literature: Key Ideas and Details 3

• Grades 8: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

• Grades 9-10: Analyze how complex characters (e.g. those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the themes.

• Grades 11-12: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop related elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

Reading Literature: Craft and Structure 5

• Grades 8: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.

• Grades 9-10: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks), create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

• Grades 11-12: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

STANDARDS: Student Matinee performances and pre-show workshops provide unique opportunities for experiential learning and support various combinations of the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts. They may also support standards in other subject areas such as Social Studies and History, depending on the individual play’s subject matter.

Activities are also included in this Curriculum Guide and in our pre-show workshops that support several of the Massachusetts state standards in theatre. Other arts areas may also be addressed depending on the individual play’s subject matter.

Reading Literature: Craft and Structure 6

• Grades 8: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

• Grades 9-10: Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

• Grades 11-12: Analyze a case in which grasping point of view required distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).

Reading Literature: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7

• Grades 8: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

• Grades 9-12: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g. recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist).

4 GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE

MASSACHUSETTS STANDARDS IN THEATREACTING

• 1.7 — Create and sustain a believable character throughout a scripted or improvised scene (By the end of Grade 8).

• 1.12 — Describe and analyze, in written and oral form, characters’ wants, needs, objectives, and personality characteristics (By the

end of Grade 8).

• 1.13 — In rehearsal and performance situations, perform as a productive and responsible member of an acting ensemble (i.e., demonstrate personal responsibility and commitment to a collaborative process) (By the end of Grade 8).

• 1.14 — Create complex and believable characters through the integration of physical, vocal, and emotional choices (Grades

9-12).

• 1.15 — Demonstrate an understanding of a dramatic work by developing a character analysis (Grades 9-12).

• 1.17 — Demonstrate increased ability to work effectively alone and collaboratively with a partner or in an ensemble (Grades

9-12).

READING AND WRITING SCRIPTS

• 2.7 — Read plays and stories from a variety of cultures and historical periods and identify the characters, setting, plot, theme, and conflict (By the end of Grade 8).

• 2.8 — Improvise characters, dialogue, and actions that focus on the development and resolution of dramatic conflicts (By the

end of Grade 8).

• 2.11 — Read plays from a variety of genres and styles; compare and contrast the structure of plays to the structures of other forms of literature (Grades 9-12).

TECHNICAL THEATRE

• 4.6 — Draw renderings, floor plans, and/or build models of sets for a dramatic work and explain choices in using visual elements (line, shape/form, texture, color, space) and visual principals (unity, variety, harmony, balance, rhythm) (By the end of Grade 8).

• 4.13 — Conduct research to inform the design of sets, costumes, sound, and lighting for a dramatic production (Grades 9-12).

CONNECTIONS

• Strand 6: Purposes and Meanings in the Arts — Students will describe the purposes for which works of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and architecture were and are created, and, when appropriate, interpret their meanings (Grades PreK-12).

• Strand 10: Interdisciplinary Connections — Students will apply their knowledge of the arts to the study of English language arts, foreign languages, health, history and social science, mathematics, and science and technology/engineering (Grades

PreK-12).

AUDIENCE ETIQUETTEAttending live theatre is a unique experience with many valuable educational and social benefits. To ensure that all audience members are able to enjoy the performance, please take a few minutes to discuss the following audience etiquette topics with your students before you come to the Huntington Theatre Company.

• How is attending the theatre similar to and different from going to the movies? What behaviors are and are not appropriate when seeing a play? Why?

• Remind students that because the performance is live, the audience’s behavior and reactions will affect the actors’ performances. No two audiences are exactly the same, and therefore no two performances are exactly the same — this is part of what makes theatre so special! Students’ behavior should reflect the level of performance they wish to see.

• Theatre should be an enjoyable experience for the audience. It is absolutely all right to applaud when appropriate and laugh at the funny moments. Talking and calling out during the performance, however, are not allowed. Why might this be? Be sure to mention that not only would the people seated around them be able to hear their conversation, but the actors on stage could hear them, too. Theatres are constructed to carry sound efficiently!

• Any noise or light can be a distraction, so please remind students to make sure their cell phones are turned off (or better yet, left at home or at school!). Texting, photography, and video recording are prohibited. Food, gum, and drinks should not be brought into the theatre.

• Students should sit with their group as seated by the Front of House staff and should not leave their seats once the performance has begun.

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 5

TODD KREIDLER—

PLAYWRIGHT

Todd Kreidler was a fan of the film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner long before he tackled the stage adaptation, recognizing it to be a “cultural touchstone that “literally brought the issue of race into the home.” He agreed to adapt the film with a present-day audience in mind. As Kreidler has explained:

“I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about and

engage in the attitudes of 1967, but in a way that was for the 21st century. These attitudes and ideas are still very much alive. People have tried to make linguistic adjustments so racism today has become more covert. The systemic racism and the endemic attitudes are cloaked, but they’re still very much alive. Just look at the disproportionate amount of blacks living in poverty or the criminalization of young black men. That’s not an opinion about society. Those are verifiable facts. You’re on one of two sides. You either say that young black men are somehow more criminally bent, that it’s built into them to be more violent or more criminal, or you believe — as I do — that this is our American legacy from slavery that we are still struggling to redress.”

Once he began work on the play, Kreidler chose not to watch the film again, instead focusing on the overarching themes of the story, rather than the cinematic details. His play premiered at True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012 starring Phylicia Rashad (famous for her role in the 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show,” where she worked alongside Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who will star in the Huntington’s production of the play).

Kreidler has enjoyed a long career in the theatre and is a self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades. From box office employee to electrician, he has participated in nearly every aspect of a full-scale theatre production. He had a longstanding relationship with the great American playwright August Wilson, working as his dramaturg on the final plays of Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” and co-conceived Wilson’s one-man show How I Learned What I Learned, which Kreidler continued to direct with different actors after Wilson died in 2005. Kriedler credits Wilson for motiving him to write, which was Kreidler’s true passion, as scary as it was to pursue. Kreidler considers himself “privileged” to have had such a long career grappling with some of the biggest cultural issues of our times.

Most recently, Kreidler (with co-writer Kenny Leon) took on the challenge of creating the musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, inspired by the popular music and lyrics of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The musical ran on Broadway in the summer of 2014. Kreidler has

chosen to pursue these projects in the theatre because it gives the audience more “access” to the characters than in film or television and allows him to carry out a conversation with his audiences.

QUESTIONS:

1. Do you think Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner makes a better play than a film? What are the advantages or disadvantages of each format?

2. How is this story relevant for a student audience in 2014? What other civil rights issues are important to young people today?

MALCOLM-JAMAL

WARNER AND

“THE COSBY SHOW”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner plays Dr. John Prentice in this season’s production of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He previously played the same role at Arena Stage in Washington, DC and received accolades for his performance, including the MD Theatre Guide Readers’ Choice Award for Best Performance by Lead Actor in a Play.

Warner is best known for portraying Theo Huxtable on the legendary NBC television sitcom “The Cosby Show.” The show, which was produced and broadcast from 1984 to 1992, focused on the lives of an upper-middle class black family living in Brooklyn, New York. Bill Cosby, a popular stand-up comedian, played the role of Cliff Huxtable, an obstetrician and father of five. His wife, Clair, worked as an attorney. Warner played their only son. The show’s producers believed that Cosby’s stand-up comedy routine would provide perfect material for a family sitcom, and they were right. Ranked #1 in the Nielsen Ratings for five consecutive seasons, “The Cosby Show” revitalized the entire sitcom genre and paved the way for other shows with primarily black casts (e.g., “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” “In Living Color”) and shows based on stand-up comedy routines (e.g., “Roseanne,” “Seinfeld”).

Cosby used the show to explore, in humorous and positive ways, the everyday issues that American families face. Although the show did not deal exclusively with African-American issues, Cosby did share many aspects of African-American culture with his audience including guest appearances by famous musicians or discussions about acclaimed black colleges. Critics of the show suggested that it was so positive that it risked leaving the misimpression that racial inequality and poverty within black communities had all but been resolved. But, to its defenders, the show was a success in breaking down racial barriers. The Cosby family was loved by all who watched, regardless of race or socioeconomic background.

ARTISTS

6 GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE

The fictional Cosby family sometimes served as a stand-in for Cosby’s real family, and the viewing audience’s love for the characters they saw on television transferred at times to the actual Cosbys. One of the more serious storylines depicted Warner’s character Theo’s battle with dyslexia, and was inspired by the real-life struggles of Cosby’s own son, Ennis. Ennis’s murder in Los

Angeles, CA in 1997 by a member of a racially hostile gang member came as a horrifying shock to many across the country who felt a connection to both the real-life and fictionalized Cosby families.

After “The Cosby Show” went off the air, Warner went on to guest-star in various television programs, including the Cosby spin-off “A Different World” as well as “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” He has won a variety of awards for acting and directing, is a spoken-word performer, and has participated in various roles at the National Black Theatre Festival over the last decade. He played Dr. Alex Reed on “Reed Between the Lines,” which aired in 2011 , and is currently on “Major Crimes” on TNT.

*An interesting side-note (pointed out by Christopher Henley in his DC Theatre Scene article in December of 2013): the ties between Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and the Cosby franchise date back to the original film. Mary Prentice was played by Beah Richards, who received an Academy Award nomination for her performance. She later played Cosby’s mother on “The Cosby Show.”

QUESTIONS:

1. Continue your research on Malcolm-Jamal Warner and “The Cosby Show.” In what ways was “The Cosby Show”revolutionary?

2. What career and personal events in Warner’s life might have helped prepare him for the role of Dr. John Prentice?

3. Are there benefits to casting a famous television or movie actor in a play?

RELATED WORKS & RESOURCESTo broaden your familiarity with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and the world of the play, please consider the following list of further reading. These texts were also used in research for this guide.

Bernstein, Judith. When The Bough Breaks: Forever After the Death of a Son or Daughter. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1998.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Self-Reliance. The Domino Project, special edition 2011.

Fuller, Linda. The Cosby Show: Audiences, Impact, and Implications. Praeger, 1992.

Harris-Perry, Melissa. Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. Yale University Press, 2013.

Margolick, David. Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink. Vintage: reprint edition, 1986.

Mason, Gilbert. Beaches, Blood, and Ballots: A Black Doctor’s Civil Rights Struggle. University Press of Mississippi, 2012.

Obama, Barack. Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. Broadway Books, 2004.

Soloman, Andrew. Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. Scribner, 2013.

Warner, Malcolm-Jamal. Theo and Me: Growing Up OK. Dutton Adult, 1998.

Wilson, August. Fences. Plume, 1986.

Bill Cosby and Malcolm-Jamal Warner on “The Cosby Show”

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 7

THEMES FOR WRITING AND DISCUSSION LOVE CONQUERS ALL

At its heart, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a love story. It is obvious to everyone around them that John and Joanna are simply in love. They want to build a life together and they don’t have a minute to lose. Like all relationships, theirs will face challenges. But unlike many other couples, they will have to navigate these challenges under public scrutiny, not just in the privacy of their own home. For this reason, Monsignor Ryan, an unexpected ally of John and Joanna in this family debate, suggests that he’s familiar with a “good many marriages between races” and that they “usually [work] out well,” likely as a result that “it requires a special quality of effort, more consideration and compassion than most marriages seem to generate these days.”

One of the most serious challenges that John and Joanna face comes from their own parents. John’s father speaks of practical concerns. His son has achieved a high level of success in the field of medicine, and he doesn’t want to see John “throw it all away” on a controversial marriage. Joanna’s father is even more fearful, saying “you cross the wrong country line…” The late 1960s were not free from racial discrimination and violence against African-Americans by those who opposed the Civil Rights Movement. Joanna’s father is worried that his daughter will be put in a dangerous position by marrying a black man. He laments to his wife, “You’re thinking in terms of Joey’s happiness and I’m thinking in terms of her welfare.”

Joanna insists on pushing the issue forward with both sets of parents. In a moment of passion, perhaps mistaking her father’s over-protective stance for racism, she cries, “I don’t know what’s worse… That you’re a phony or that you’re a bigot!” John, in contrast, is more reserved and reveals how deeply he understands the intensity of the challenges facing them by promising to honor Joanna’s parents’ approval or rejection of the relationship.

It is a speech by Joanna’s father that turns the conversation, in which he says that the claim (made by John’s mother) that he cannot remember what it’s like to be in love is “the first statement anybody’s made to me all day on which I’m prepared to take issue.” It is through his memory of his own young love for his wife that he comes to recognize that John and Joanna’s love will be strong enough to see them through the struggles ahead. In fact, it is “everything.”

QUESTIONS:

1. Should practical concerns, such as religion, money, and ethnicity ever play a part in deciding who to marry? Or are these antiquated ideas?

2. Do you think John was right to seek the approval of Joanna’s parents? Why or why not?

3. Is it important to you that your parents approve of a person with whom you are in a romantic relationship? Will it be important that they approve of the person you ultimately marry?

TIME: FRIEND OR FOE?

“ The whole world has changed in less than ten days.” - Christina

John and Joanna are up against a clock: their plane is set to depart in just a few hours and they need an answer now from their parents. While they have known each other for the better part of a year, it was only during the final ten days of Joanna’s internship that their relationship emerged — and now they want to be together forever. Joanna’s father, upon hearing of their desire to marry quickly, replies: “What the hell’s the rush?” Joanna answers: “We know we want to get married. We don’t need any more time to decide. And being apart even two weeks is too long. John and I aren’t going to change our minds.” Her father can only muster, “I need time.”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Bethany Anne Lind in Guess

Who’s Coming to Dinner at Arena Stage.

TERESA W

OO

D

8 GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE

Both families are keenly aware that life is short and that each moment is important. Joanna’s parents lost their only son (her brother), and John lost his first wife and son. So they can at least understand the intense desire on the part of John and Joanna not to miss one second of their lives together, even as they struggle to accept it. Nevertheless, in the face of such a momentous decision, their parents desire the exact opposite: more time to consider the situation and sort out their personal feelings. This same dynamic often occurs at a societal level. The group that pushes for social change wants it to arrive immediately, whereas those who oppose the change, or who are uncertain about it, seek delay. What is too slow for one group is too fast for the other.

It may be, however, that time is on everyone’s side. As society changes and becomes more tolerant of interracial marriage, the challenges that John and Joanna face, and that worry their parents, may subside. And as they spend more time together, their parents may get over any initial “shock” and become more comfortable with Joanna and John’s relationship. It is not hard to imagine that, looking back years later, they would each agree that time heals all wounds.

QUESTIONS:

1. Was it fair of Joanna to thrust her engagement on her parents? Do you think the time pressure was real?

2. What do you think Joanna’s father would have ultimately decided if he was given as much time as he wanted to think about the situation? Do you think his reaction would have been different if John had been a white man?

TOLERANCE VS. ACCEPTANCE

John and Joanna want a “blessing” on their marriage; in fact John refuses to move forward with the relationship without one. He believes that a fight between Joanna and her parents would be too much for Joanna or him to bear. And John doesn’t simply want a superficial or tacit understanding. Joanna’s father laments that John expects him not only to approve the marriage, but to be “happy” about it.

John doesn’t doubt that Joanna’s parents are enlightened people and will not tolerate bigotry and hatred. Indeed, Christina provides a stark example of this point during the play, firing her most senior employee, Hillary, for expressing intolerant views about interracial relationships. Nevertheless, John believes that their tolerance has limits. He says to Joanna, “I believe your father would happily support the idea of a mixed couple featured front page of his newspaper. But when the idea appears in the flesh in his home and that flesh wants to marry his daughter, your father pulls out his editing knife.” It is not enough to support the idea in the abstract, but such principles need to translate personally into one’s own life.

This demand for personal acceptance, not merely tolerance, is at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. For example, in recent years, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community has pushed for the right to same-sex marriage and full legal equality, as opposed to civil unions that offer some degree of legal tolerance without full equality. To date, 19 states allow same-sex

marriage, as do the District of Columbia and eight Native American tribal jurisdictions. President Barack Obama was the first sitting president to outwardly voice his support for the legalization of same-sex marriage, and popular opinion continues to swing in favor of marriage equality. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2004.

Recent research confirms the importance of acceptance in overcoming our differences. Andrew Solomon’s book Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity is a close examination of parents who have children with unusual characteristics. He concludes that these parents must shift their expectations in order to help their child become his or her best self. Ultimately, John and Joanna’s parents grasp this truth. Although not without trepidation or concern, they put their children’s hearts and desires before their fear of the world, and before their previous expectations. They choose to accept John and Joanna and the love they have for each other without prejudice.

QUESTIONS:

1. What role does art have in transforming societal attitudes from mere tolerance to personal acceptance?

2. Research audience reaction to the film of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. How did it play a role in transforming societal attitudes toward interracial marriage in the late 1960s? What impact do you think the play will have on today’s audiences?

3. Can you think of other examples of films, plays, or television shows that have helped to change society for the better?

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 9

MASTERY ASSESSMENTACT ONE

SCENE ONE

1. Describe the setting of the play.

2. What business are Christina and Hillary conducting? Who is their lunch guest and why is this person important?

3. What does Hillary want to show the lunch guest? What does Christina ultimately choose to display? Why is Hillary impressed by Mr. Cazalet?

4. What is Tillie’s relationship to the Draytons? How does Tillie respond to her excitement?

5. How do Matt and Mr. Cazalet differ with regard to their political views?

6. Describe the work arrangement to which Matt and Christina have agreed. According to Christina, why is this necessary?

7. Joanna’s arrival is unexpected. Who is with her? Why is this situation shocking?

8. Does John like Joanna’s home? Use an example to support your answer.

9. Joanna suffered a tremendous loss. Who did she lose and how did her mother respond?

10. Why is Tillie upset about Joanna’s guest?

11. When did Joanna know she had romantic feelings for John?

12. How did John tell his own parents about his new relationship with Joanna?

13. Why did Matt come home in a panic?

14. What is the important question that John puts to Matt upon meeting him?

15. Explain the rush facing the new couple and their desire to have parental approval?

16. What did Matt find next to his telephone and what does he make of it?

17. What secret does John share with Joanna’s parents about his plans?

SCENE TWO

18. John and Matt make a connection during the discussion of what event in sports history?

19. What are Matt’s reservations about John and Joey marrying?

20. How does Monsignor Ryan know John?

21. What surprise does Joanna throw at Tillie regarding the dinner?

22. What is Monsignor Ryan’s opinion of a marriage between John and Joey? Make an inference about Tillie’s opinion.

23. How does Monsignor Ryan react to Matt’s hesitation regarding his daughter’s engagement?

24. What is Hillary’s idea with regard to Joanna and John’s situation?

25. How does Hillary and Christina’s conversation end? In your opinion, who is out of line?

SCENE THREE

26. Why are Matt and Christina upset about the timing change in Joanna’s plans?

27. Does Matt seem like a champion of civil rights?

28. How does Christina feel about Matt’s disapproval of Joanna’s situation?

29. So…who is coming to dinner?!

30. Infer what John is feeling after hearing Joanna’s surprise.

ACT TWO

SCENE ONE

31. Upon meeting the Draytons and recognizing what is happening, how do John’s parents react to the news of their son’s relationship?

32. What does John believe is the major difference between the way he and his father see the world?

SCENE TWO

33. Why does the nickname Joey bother Joanna?

34. How does Tillie describe Matt to John?

35. Describe the circumstances under which John’s previous marriage ended.

36. Does Mary approve of John and Joanna’s relationship? Is she conflicted?

37. What decision does Matt ultimately make about Joanna and John’s marriage?

38. At the play’s conclusion, who is present at the dinner table?

EXTRA CREDIT:

Find the magic page on which the line “Guess who’s coming to dinner” can be found. Who is speaking? Who is coming? This phrase has become part of our vernacular and often heard in everyday conversation. How do you feel when you hear those words in your own life?

10 GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE

THE FILM

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner began its journey nearly 50 years ago as a groundbreaking film. It boasted an all-star cast, significant achievements in artistic and technical design, and was under the care and direction of some of Hollywood’s greatest talents. But what truly set it apart was its beautiful portrayal of a once highly controversial topic: interracial marriage. The iconic movie poster read “a love story of today” — and indeed it was. In many ways, though, it was also a love story for tomorrow, which challenged its audiences to advance further and faster toward the goal of racial equality. Now the film is being reborn on the stage, giving today’s audiences a new opportunity to engage with a classic story and to reflect both on how far we have advanced as a society, and how far we have yet to go.

The film’s cast featured one of Hollywood’s most accomplished acting pairs: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Over the course of their storied careers, they acted opposite each other in nine films. Sadly, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was their last, as Tracy, whose health deteriorated rapidly during its production, passed away only weeks after filming ended. Hepburn was so emotionally distraught by his death that she could not watch the film after it opened. She was honored the following year with the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Christina Drayton.

The film’s cast also included Sidney Poitier, a well-known actor and Academy Award winner in his own right. Poitier was in awe of Hepburn and Tracy, and somewhat intimidated to be acting alongside them, but he quickly earned their mutual respect and admiration. Poitier also enjoyed the strong support of the film’s director and producer, Stanley Kramer. Given the subject matter of the film, and the surrounding political climate, those close to Poitier believe that he may have felt tremendous pressure while working on the film. He delivered under pressure with a commanding and moving performance.

Those making Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner faced financial and personal risks. It was anticipated that only a limited audience would be interested in the film and those close to the production feared it might incite a firestorm of controversy. And yet it proved to be a great success, grossing $70 million worldwide (despite a modest $4 million production budget) and garnering critical acclaim. It continues to be a favorite film with fans across gender, racial, and generational lines.

QUESTIONS:

1. Research the critical response to the film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Were the reviews positive or negative? Did audiences agree or disagree with the critics?

2. Research the careers of actors Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracey, and Katharine Hepburn. What other roles are they known for playing?

3. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was the basis of the 2005 film Guess Who starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. Compare and contrast the two films.

THE POLITICS

Just six months before the film premiered in 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage, known as anti-miscegenation laws, were unconstitutional. At the time, more than one-third of the states had such laws. The name of the case was Loving v. Virginia, and the date of the Supreme Court’s ruling (June 12) is now celebrated each year as “Loving Day.”

Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, learned that they were expecting a baby when Mildred was 18 years old. Because interracial marriage was illegal at the time in the state of Virginia, Mildred and Richard went to Washington, DC to make their marriage official. But the local police in their hometown forced their way into the Lovings’ house in the middle of the night and arrested them for violating Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws. They were convicted and ultimately sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for 25 years on the condition that they moved out of state. They relocated to Washington, DC but eventually found that this situation was impractical as their friends, family, and careers were in Virginia. The Lovings took their case to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed a lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

QUESTIONS:

1. Research legislation that focused on keeping the races separate. What context did these laws apply to? How were they eventually overturned?

2. What laws exist regarding marriage today? Consider both state and national laws. What movements currently exist to change marriage laws?

RALPH WALDO EMERSON & TRANSCENDENTALIST THINKING

Joanna refers to her mother as a “matchmaker” bringing art and a prospective buyer together. When John asks if she’s ever tried to find Joanna a “match,” she replies, “Never. I was raised on Ralph Waldo Emerson. Self-reliance.” Joanna is indeed self-reliant, with a strong belief system and an uncommon ability to disregard societal expectations. Throughout the play, Joanna is disinterested in everyone else’s opinion regarding her engagement and thoroughly disappointed in anyone, such as Tillie and her father, who gives the slightest hint of backing away from their principles. As a character, she could be criticized as one-dimensional, naïve, or oblivious. But from the standpoint of a transcendentalist thinker like Emerson, she is nobly following the dictates of her own mind without care of conforming to the culture surrounding her.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston in 1803 and was destined to become one of the greatest philosophers and essayists of the 19th century. Emerson graduated from Boston Latin and went on to study at Harvard University. Following in the footsteps of his father and brother, who were both ministers, Emerson eventually decided to seek an advanced degree from the Harvard Divinity School. As a minister, Emerson was able to think, write, and philosophize for a

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 11

career. But his deep analysis sent him down a path that, to many, made him a radical thinker in religion and politics. His speech at the Harvard Divinity School commencement in 1838 called into question the many miracles of the Bible, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and other fundamental principles of the Christian religion. Emerson never responded to the outrage or his denouncement, as presumably he was now an atheist with sacrilegious views. Rather, he waited patiently until he was invited to speak again — 30 years later.

While Emerson never subscribed to a particular philosophical doctrine, he held steady to several viewpoints that remained the foundation of the Transcendentalist movement. He believed that God, and therefore the truth, could be found in nature and because “all things are connected …all things are divine.” Human beings must trust themselves and not conform to the standards of society because “society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” And he believed that “nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” The brave Transcendentalist movement of New England fought for the abolishment of slavery (Emerson wrote: “I think we must get rid of slavery or we must get rid of freedom”) and equal rights for women. Joanna would have almost certainly joined Emerson’s inner circle if given the chance.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is your personal philosophy? By what doctrine do you live?

2. Do you think it was inevitable that slavery would end or that women would be given the right to vote? What struggles in equality for all human beings do we currently face, in this country and around the world?

3. Continue your research of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Do you fully agree with his philosophy or can you identify any inconsistencies or pitfalls in his thinking?

JOE LOUIS VS. MAX SCHMELING: MEN GREATER THAN THE LEGEND

Matt wants to be perceived as a champion of civil rights and someone who has dedicated his life to journalism “to take up [the] fight through the newspaper. Fight the fascism that breeds here.” It is especially important to Matt that John does not confuse his hesitation about the marriage as covert racism. To illustrate his desire for a unified country, Matt recounts one of the most important moments in sports history: the boxing rematch for the world champion heavyweight title, between American Joe Louis

and Germany’s Max Schmeling in 1938. As a young reporter covering the fight, Matt observed, “You couldn’t find a single true American— no matter what color — who didn’t love Joe Louis.”

As political tensions mounted between the United States and Germany in 1938, Louis and Schmeling arranged a rematch of their original bout, which Schmeling had won. Louis spent much of his time leading up to their first fight playing golf and minimally training, but prepared for the rematch with victory on his mind. After such a difficult first fight that lasted twelve rounds, most avid boxing fans were uncertain of the outcome. Matt remarks, “Max Schmeling looked giant. Hitler’s great Aryan. That night the devil wore purple trunks… Everybody knew war was coming soon. Joe Louis fought for America that night.” The fight was over in two minutes and four seconds. Louis threw 41 punches. Schmeling threw two.

For Matt, the symbolism of the entire event, from the bell sounding to the cheering and pandemonium in the streets, carried the promise of a brighter future for America. Everyone could see that an enemy like Hitler, who represented the most deplorable type of hate and ignorance, must be beaten. Blacks and white came together for this fight. And the defeat of Max Schmeling proved that there was no “superior” Aryan race. A black man from the United States was in fact the strongest man in the world.

But, as with all historical events, there are two, or maybe many, sides to this story. John is skeptical that Joe Louis was truly regarded as a great American hero. He remarks, “America forgot all about Joe Louis. Left him in the desert. Now he’s a doorman in Vegas.” And when Matt asserts that Louis was “fighting for all Americans,” John retorts, “the Brown Bomber was fighting for us.” To the black community, Louis represented hope, the belief that it was possible to succeed in a white man’s world.

During his childhood, Louis did not seem a likely candidate for fame. He was born in rural Alabama, one of eight children, and the grandchild of former slaves. After a terrifying run in with the Ku Klux Klan, his family migrated to Detroit, Michigan. His mother scrimped and saved to pay for violin lessons costing 25 cents per week. Louis instead spent the money at the gym, training to box. His efforts paid off as he became the most successful boxer in history, defending the heavyweight championship title 13 times in less than three years.

The belief of many in the boxing community was that Louis was invincible, unbeatable. But because of the attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII, Louis’s boxing career got sidetracked. He donated his “purses” or winnings to the war effort and enlisted in military service

Sydney Poitier, Katharine Houghton, and Spencer Tracy in the film Guess

Who’s Coming to Dinner Mildred and Richard Loving Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling

12 GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE

(as an entertainer and moral support.) He came out of the war in debt, primarily with a huge tax burden that would dog him until his marriage to Martha Jefferson, a prominent attorney in California, who would settle the debt with the IRS. But the years he spent trying to pay his back taxes were humiliating. From competing on game shows to wrestling, Joe Louis took on whatever job he could find to ease his overwhelming tax burden. Perhaps once a great American hero, he became the target of an ongoing IRS investigation.

Close friends and family note that Louis was not equipped to handle his finances and that “money meant nothing to Joe.” He would dole out his entire purse from the stadium to the hotel, giving money to doormen and taxi drivers along the way. To add insult to injury, his later life was plagued by illicit drug use, mental health issues, and physical problems. He did, as John points out, become a greeter at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in his later years, a job that a friend gave him.

Because so many people loved and cared about the soft-spoken Joe Louis, they supported him financially and emotionally until the end of his life. He died of a heart attack near Las Vegas in 1981 after watching a heavyweight championship fight. Although Louis was not technically eligible, President Ronald Reagan arranged for him to be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Part of his funeral expenses were paid for by his most famous opponent, Max Schmeling.

After victory in the first fight against Louis, Schmeling garnered celebrity among Germans and even recognition from Adolf Hitler. He was used in the regime’s propaganda to further the notion of a “superior race.” The Nazi government publicist who traveled with Schmeling would release statements to the press suggesting that it was impossible for Schmeling to lose to a black man and whatever money he earned would be donated to the war effort.

But Schmeling, symbol to Americans as Hitler’s henchman, was not a Nazi. He never became a member of the Nazi party. Schmeling said clearly, “I am a fighter, not a politician. I am no superman in any way.” In fact, his coach Joe Jacobs was Jewish and Schmeling refused, even after intense pressure, to fire him. Hitler and other members of his fascist regime were so afraid that Schmeling would defect (give up his German citizenship and stay in America) that Schmeling’s wife and mother were not allowed to travel with him to the United States for his final fight with Louis. After Schmeling’s loss to Louis, he was no longer useful to the Nazi propaganda machine and was ordered to the front lines of the war as a paratrooper. He had fallen out of favor with Hitler and the Nazi party.

Schmeling remained friends with Louis throughout his life, and even entered into an agreement with Coca-Cola to bring the soft drink to Germany (although history shows that while Schmeling got rich off of this deal, Louis did not). Schmeling visited Louis yearly and helped him financially until his death. Their great rivalry ended in a true friendship. And perhaps this fact, two vastly different people allowed tolerance to turn to friendship, is what Matt is working for at home and around the world through his newspaper.

QUESTIONS:

1. Consider the play, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and decide who has it right on Joe Louis’ story: Matt or John. How does each man perceive Joe Louis? Might there be some truth to both of their accounts?

2. A great resource in writing this article was the HBO sports documentary Joe Louis: America’s Hero Betrayed. For extra credit, watch this film and reflect upon Joe Louis’ life. Did he pursue any other hobbies or passions that are of interest to you? What was his family life like? Do you think he was treated fairly by the US government? In what ways was he responsible for the difficulties in his life? What would you have done if you were in his position after the war?

THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY: PREDICTED

It seems almost prophetic now when John remarks “[Joanna] says, all of our children will be President of the United States — and they’ll have colorful administrations.” The film was released in 1967, only six years after the child who would become America’s first black president was born in Hawaii. The dream expressed in the film was already on its way to becoming a reality.

Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961 to Stanley Ann Dunham and Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. Dunham, mainly of English descent, met Obama, a Kenyan, in a Russian class taught at the University of Hawaii. They were married in Maui the February before President Obama was born. But the marriage did not last long, as Dunham separated from Obama and moved with her infant son to Seattle to study at the University of Washington while he finished out his undergraduate degree in Hawaii. They were divorced in 1964.

Like John and Joanna, President Obama’s parents were intelligent and well-educated people who traveled along non-traditional paths in life. Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, but chose to finish high school in Hawaii under the care of his maternal grandparents. Obama’s father died in a car accident when he was 21 years old. Obama graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science and then Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review. His memoir, Dreams From My Father, was published in 1995.

After years as a community organizer and civil rights attorney, Obama made his first political bid as state senator in Illinois. He went on to become a US Senator, and after three years in the Senate, was elected as the first black president, taking the oath of office in January 2009. William Rose, the man who wrote the original screenplay for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, must have believed that this day would inevitably come.

QUESTIONS:

1. In playwright Oscar Wilde’s 1889 essay “The Decay of Lying” he writes, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” Do you believe this statement to be true?

2. What parallels can you draw between President Obama’s upbringing and that which you imagine John and Joanna’s children would have?

3. How are President Obama’s parents like John and Joanna? How are they different?

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 13

EXPLORING CHARACTERIZATION

Directions to students: Choose a character from Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner to portray in a monologue of your choosing. In order to prepare for the role, consider (but do not feel limited by) the following areas of consideration:

1. Family life and childhood. What information from the play provides insight into what my character’s upbringing was like? Describe the cultural and environmental circumstances. Did I live with both parents? Did I have siblings? Was I rich or poor? Where did I live? Imagine an important event in your character’s life prior to the time depicted in the play and speculate as to how this event may have influenced your character’s current objectives.

2. Relationships. With whom do I want to be romantically involved? What draws me to this person (or people)? Have I been married or in a serious relationship before? Am I easy to get along with? What contradictions are inherent in my character? What pitfalls might prevent a new relationship from forming?

3. Current Status. Where do I live? In an apartment or a house? Do I have roommates or pets? What is a typical day like for me? Do I call my mother? Do I eat in or eat out? What are my hobbies? Who is my best friend? Do I feel financially comfortable or strapped?

4. The World of the Play. What do I want? What are the obstacles in my way? Does my objective change throughout the course of the play? How, if at all, do I change from the beginning to the end of the play? Am I satisfied by the play’s conclusion?

Select a monologue for your character from the play. Choose a moment from the play that you believe is important to your

character’s journey. While rehearsing, consider your character’s backstory. How does truly understanding your character change the way you think about his/her lines?

Rehearse with a classmate and share your backstories. If you have chosen the same character, how do the backstories you created independently differ? Can you both be right? If you have chosen different characters, do you think that it would be helpful for your characters in the world of the play to know this information about each other? Why or why not?

If possible, memorize your monologue before sharing it with the class.

CHARACTER JOURNEYS

This exercise should be done BEFORE seeing the play. Students will use tableaus and pantomime and lines of dialogue to analyze a particular character’s journey in the story and predict how the character changes in the course of the play.

1. Divide students into groups of 3-5 and assign each group a character from Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner OR choose one character for all the groups to work on. Ask students to begin by going through the script and selecting one or two lines from each scene in which the character appears that sum up that character’s point-of-view or mental/emotional state in the scene. Each group should end up with at least 6-7 lines.

2. Students should depict the character’s journey from the beginning of the play to the end by performing each line one at a time in the order in which they appear in the play. The performance of each line should include:

• The line being spoken aloud by someone in the group.

• A physical performance of each line through a tableau (frozen image that tells a story) and/or pantomime (performance with all movement).

3. To add layers to the character journey performances, students should feel free to integrate costume pieces, props, and music.

4. After each group shares their work, reflect on the following:

• If all of the groups worked on the same character, compare and contrast the choices each group made in how they portrayed this character. Based on these performances, what do we think this character is like?

• If the groups each worked on a different character, compare and contrast the various journeys depicted in the play. Which characters undergo a similar transformation? How are the characters beginning and ending views similar or conflicting?

• How do the characters change (or not change)? What predictions can we make about the play?

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES: THE BACK STORY

Malcolm-Jamal Warner in Guess Who’s Coming to

Dinner at Arena Stage.

TERESA W

OO

D

14 GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE

SOUND

The film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner received an Academy Award nomination for best original score (Frank DeVol) in 1967. In his adaptation for the stage, Todd Kreidler does not specify any particular musical selections. However, Monsignor Ryan remarks (in both the film and the play), “Nothing from the Psalms or from Shakespeare comes to mind now but in this case I believe the Beatles say it best: ‘We can work it out, we can work it out…’”

Consider the lyrics below or even better listen to the song (at youtube.com/watch?v=3jlXnQEgbuw). Answer the questions that follow the printed lyrics below.

Beatles – “We Can Work it Out” (1965)

Try to see it my wayDo I have to keep on talking till I can’t go on?While you see it your wayRun the risk of knowing that our love may soon be goneWe can work it outWe can work it out

Think of what you’re sayingYou can get it wrong and still you think that it’s alrightThink of what I’m sayingWe can work it out and get it straight, or say good nightWe can work it outWe can work it out

Life is very short, and there’s no timeFor fussing and fighting, my friendI have always thought that it’s a crimeSo I will ask you once again

Try to see it my wayOnly time will tell if I am right or I am wrongWhile you see it your wayThere’s a chance that we may fall apart before too longWe can work it outWe can work it out

This song’s composition required a group effort, according to the legendary Beatle, Paul McCartney. He claimed that in writing the lyrics there was a tension between his optimism and John Lennon’s practicality. Upon reflection, McCartney realized that this song was not simply a catchy or superficial piece, but (whether intended or not) carried a deeper message.

Analyze:

• Do you think this song choice is appropriate for this play?

• In what way, if at all, do the lyrics capture the conflict in the Drayton household?

• Who are the characters for which this song best applies?

Design a sound design for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Make music selections at least for the play’s opening, at the end of Act One, the beginning of Act Two, and the play’s conclusion. Share your sound plan with your class and be prepared to defend your choices!

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES: THEATRE DESIGN

The Beatles, clockwise from top left: Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER CURRICULUM GUIDE 15

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTSTHEATRICAL APPROACHES TO ADAPTATION

The script used in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was adapted by playwright Todd Kreidler from the 1967 film’s screenplay. Begin adapting a classroom text, such as a short story or chapter from a novel, for the stage by considering the following:

• What are the major events in this text? If we were to put on a performance of the text, which events are critical for telling the story?

• Which moments lend themselves best to theatrical performance?

Use this whole-class discussion to create an outline of the major events in the text.

Next, divide students into the same number of groups as major events, and assign an event to each group. Each group should refer back to the text for close reading and analysis of their major event to determine:

• What are the smaller moments that compose this major event? Which are the most important?

Each group should create an outline of the individual moments in their assigned event.

Members of the group should get on their feet to improvise a short scene that depicts their major event. Other members of the group will watch carefully and direct the performance to ensure that all of the individual moments the group identified are included, while others take notes to document the improvisation. The entire group should then work together to create a storyboard or script for the scene based on the improvisation.

Workshop these rough scenes by performing them or reading them aloud in front of the entire class. After each scene is shared, the class should comment on:

• What they thought was strong about the scene.

• Any weaknesses in the scene.

• Suggestions for revision.

Ask groups to reconvene to revise their scenes, paying close attention to integrating lines pulled directly out of the text. Repeat this process as many times as needed. Remind students, especially in the early stages, to review the text carefully and stay truthful to the tone of the text.

INTERVIEW

JOANNA: Well, imagine if this were a hundred years ago.

JOHN: Your father would’ve rounded up his friends and went looking for a rope.

From the legal system to local communities, cultural perspective continues to evolve. In this exercise, students will ask members of previous generations about how times have changed.

Directions to Students: Choose three people older than you to interview starting with a parent (or someone your parents’ age). The other two interviewees should be at least 15 years older than your parent and years apart in age from each other in order to document a variety of perspectives from throughout the past fifty years. You will be looking at societal differences with regard to equality in the United States. Create a list of interview questions before you meet with your interviewees. Be sure to include questions about how, if at all, their personal opinions have changed throughout their lives and what they believe is the cause for that change. Use the chart below to guide your questions and strategy for the interview. With regard to equality in the United States, what is the most remarkable change your interviewee has experienced first-hand?

Once the three interviews are complete, fill in the following chart using the information you have gathered. Share your findings with the class and pay particular attention to the interviews with people the same age as your subjects. Were their responses similar? Did the location where they were living influence their responses?

As a class, create a list of most interesting responses during the interview process. As the interviewer, did you learn anything new? Do you think the race, gender, religion or any other characteristic should have been noted? Why or why not?

Interview #1: Name/Age

Interview #2: Name/Age

Interview #3: Name/Age

Geographical location(s):

Cultural Norms Legal Rules Changes Over Time*

Minority

Rights

Women’s

Rights

Gay

Rights

*In discussing these changes, note which came first: cultural change or legal change?

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