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STUDY GUIDEHartford Stage Education Programs are supported by:

The Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as recommended by Linda & David Glickstein

The Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as recommended by Harry Solomon

The Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as recommended by Beatrice Koopman

Eugene G. & Margaret M. Blackford Memorial Fund

City of HartfordEnsworth Charitable FoundationStanley D. and Hinda N. Fisher FundThe Foulds Family FoundationLincoln Financial GroupThe George A. and Grace L. Long

Foundation The Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial

Charitable TrustGreater Hartford Arts CouncilHartford Foundation for Public GivingHartford Foundation for Public

Giving as recommended by the Anonymous No. 38 Fund

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as recommended by the Anonymous No. 46 Fund

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving as recommended by the Morningstar Fund

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving as recommended by The Right Track Fund

Andrew J. & Joyce D. MandellMcDonald Family TrustMcPhee FoundationThe Charles Nelson Robinson FundNewAlliance Foundation, Inc.Esther A. PryorRBC Wealth ManagementSBM Charitable Foundation, Inc.Simsbury BankTravelersThe HartfordUnited HealthcareWatkinson SchoolWells FargoMichael S. Wilder

For more information about Hartford Stage’s innovative education programs, visit hartfordstage.org/education or call 860.520.7244

ALL PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BYPRODUCTION SPONSOR

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Study Guide Objectives• Toprovidecontextandbackgroundontheoriginsoftheplay,textandproduction.• Toofferspringboardsforresearchofthedeeperhistoricalcontextandthemesoftheplay.• Tosparkclassroomandcommunitydiscussionaboutthecontent,themes,andproduction.• Toofferfacultywritingpromptsandsuggestedactivitiesforuseinawidevarietyofclasses.

One Play and the Hartford Heritage Project“The Hartford Heritage Project makes Hartford's rich and diverse cultural institutions, landmarks, and neighborhoods an extension of our classroom. Hartford Heritage courses make connections between course content and the city of Hartford in order to enhance learning and to increase our understanding of Connecticut's capital city.” —HartfordHeritageProjectwebsite

HartfordStageparticipatesintheHartfordHeritageProjectthroughOnePlay,wherebyeachsemes-ter,thewholeCapitalcampusisencouragedtoseeaplayatthetheaterandincorporateitintocurric-ulaandconversation.Thefall2015OnePlayprogramfeaturesRear Window.

TheOnePlayprogramissubsidizedbytheBeatriceFoxAuerbachFoundationFundattheHartfordFoundationforPublicGiving,asrecommendedbyBeatriceKoopman.

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Cornell Woolrich: The Recluse Behind “Rear Window”

by Aurelia Clunie

CornellGeorgeHopley-WoolrichwasbornonDecember4,1903,inNewYorkCity.Hisfather,GenavoHopgood-Woolrich,wasacivilengineerandhismother,ClaireTarler,wasfromawealthyJewishfamily.HisparentsdivorcedwhenhewasyoungandhestayedwithhisfatherinMexico,wherehewasraisedfromayoungage. Whenhewaseightyearsold,hismother’sfathertookhimtoseeaproductionofMadame ButterflyinMexicoCity,andtheperformanceleftaprofoundmarkontheboy.Woolrichwouldlaterdescribetheexperienceofthestory,saying,“Ihadthattrappedfeeling,likesomesortofapoorinsectthatyou’veputinsideadownturnedglass,andittriestoclimbupthesidesanditcan’t,anditcan’t,anditcan’t”(Nevins,xiii).ThisgloomyoutlookwouldstickwithWoolrichfortherestofhislifeandultimatelypervadehiswriting. Whenhewasateenager,WoolrichmovedtoNewYorkCitytolivewithhismother,aunt,andgrandfather.In1921,heattendedColumbiaUniversity,onlyblocksawayfromhismother’shome.Woolrichwasajournalismmajor,buttookclassesincreativeandnovelwriting.Heleftschoolinhisjunioryearandhisfirstnovel,Cover Change,soldin1926.HeavilyinfluencedbyF.ScottFitzgerald,Cover ChangeexploredtheJazzAge.Hissecondbook,Children of the Ritz,wona$10,000firstplaceprizeinacontestoffered

byCollege Humormagazine.ThebookwasserializedinthemagazineandFirstNationalPicturesmadeafilmversionofitin1929.WoolrichmovedtoHollywoodtoworkonthefilmadaptationandstayedthereasastaffwriter.There,heencounteredthenameWilliamIrish,anotherwriterforFirstNationalFilms.Woolrichwouldlaterusethenameasapseudonym.Hecontinuedwriting,churningoutthreemorebookswhilelivinginHollywood.AlthoughWoolrichwasgay,hemarriedGloriaBlackton,thedaughterofamovieproducer,in1930.Themarriagequicklybrokeupwhenshediscoveredhisdiarywhichchronicledsecretencounterswithotherpartners.WoolrichtraveledinEuropewithhismotherandthenlivedinNewYorkinaseriesofhotelapartmentswithherfortheremainderofhislife. Inthemid-1930s,Woolrichdevelopedhisvoiceasacrimewriter.Hepublishedstoriesinfictionmagazines,includingDetective Fiction WeeklyandDime Detective.Hesoldover100storiesandtwobook-lengthserialstomagazinesbetween1936and1939.Hisworkalwayscarriedwithitadark

yearningthatprovedquitepublishable,andlater,highlyadaptable.Woolrich’sbiographer,FrancisM.Nevins,Jr.,wouldcallWoolrich“thePoeofthetwentiethcentury”(Nevins,x). In1940,Woolrich’sfirsthardcoversuspensebook,The Bride Wore Black,waspublished.ThisspurredhisBlackSerieswhichincludedThe Black Curtain(1941),Black Alibi(1942),The Black Angel(1943),The Black Path of Fear(1944),andRendezvous in Black(1948).AlthoughSimon&

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SchusterpublishedtheBlackSeriesexclusivelyandheldtherightstopublishingunderWoolrich’sname,thewriterusedthepseudonymsWilliamIrishandGeorgeHopley(hismiddlenames)inordertoworkwithdifferentpublishinghouses.HepublishedPhantom LadyandI Married a Dead Man,amongothers,underthenameWilliamIrish,andNight Has a Thousand EyesunderthenameGeorgeHopley. ThefortiesalsosawanexplosionofWoolrich’swritingadaptedforfilm,television,andradioplays.Between1942and1950,hisworkservedasthebasisforover20radioplaysand15movies.AlthoughWoolrichdidnotpublishmuchafter1948,storiesfrommagazineswereadaptedasepisodesforsuchtelevisionshowsasAlfred Hitchcock Presents, Mirror Theater,andSchlitz Playhouse for Stars.In1954,HitchcockadaptedWoolrich’sshortstory“RearWindow”(alsotitled“ItHadtoBeMurder”)forthescreen.ItbecameanenormoussuccessstarringJamesStewartandGraceKelly. Inthe1950s,thenovelistwrotelessandlessoriginalmaterial,repurposingandrepublishingoldstoriesasnewones.Hecaredforhisailingmother;butonceshediedin1957,hissolitarylifecontinuedtowanedespairingly.Hededicatedhismostrecentbook,Hotel Room,toher.Plaguedbyalcoholism,diabetes,andloneliness,Woolrichcontinuedthelifeofareclusehehadalwayslived.Hecontractedgangreneinhislegbutwaitedtoseektreatment,whichledtoamputation.HelivedtherestofhislifeinawheelchairanddiedofastrokeonSeptember25,1968. WoolrichbequeathedhisestatetoColumbiaUniversitytosetupascholarshipintrustforcreativewritingstudents.Henamedthefundinmemoryofhismother,Claire. Woolrich’slifewasmarkedbyaparticularlybleakoutlook.Hissuccesscamefromarticulatingapalpablesenseoftheraceagainsttime,desperation,andtheelusivenessoflovein“nightmareworld[s]”hecreated.Woolrichhonedinonagrittyrealitythatpermeatedhiswork.Heexperiencedmuchofitinhislife;andthroughhiswriting,sharedthatdark,inescapableatmospherewiththerestoftheworld.

AFormulaforFear AccordingtoFrancisNevins,Woolrich’sproseleftmuchtobedesired.Hewrites,“Asatechnicalplotcraftsmanheissloppybeyondendurance”(Nevins,Contemporary Authors).ManyscholarsagreethatitwasnothisskillfortechnicalwritingthatmadeWoolrichsosuccessfulasasuspensewriter;instead,hisabilitytofillhisworldswithasenseofclaustrophobia,paranoia,anddoomcarriedhiswork.Protagonistswereoftenvulnerablemembersofsociety–women,children,orthehaplesslydisadvantaged.Trappedinnightmarishcircumstances,anywrongturncouldresultinendlesspitfalls.Aprotagonistmight,throughamnesia,orsomesuchunfortunateevent,losehisabilitytonavigatehissurroundings.Or,theprotagonistmightfindhimselfinaCassandra-esquecircumstanceinwhichothersdonotbelievehimandevenhequestionstherealityofhisownexperience.Marlingobserves“thelongsentencesandplotcontrivancesactasaretardingforceagainsttheprotagonist’sobviousappointmentwithfate,creatingsuspense”(Marling).

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According to Francis Nevins, Woolrich’s works can fit into six basic plots:1theNoirCopstory aplainclothespolicemansolvesacrime,but

somesadisticpoliceprocedureistherealinterest2theClockRacestory theprotagonistorlovedonewilldieunlesss/he

makesadiscoveryaboutwhoorwhatiskillinghimorher

3theOscillationstory theprotagonist’stinyfootholdonloveortrustiseatenawaybysuspicion,thenrestored,ingreaterandgreaterswings,untils/heseesthattheotherisreallyevil

4theHeadlongThroughtheNightstory thelasthoursofahuntedmanashecareensthroughadarkcity

5theAnnihilationstory themaleprotagonistmeetshisonetruelove,butshedisappearswithoutatrace

6theFinalHoursstory sharingthefinalmomentsofsomeoneslatedtodieinaparticularlyterribleway

Excerptedfromdetnovel.com-WilliamMarling,CaseWesternReserveUniversity

Looking In: Adaptors of “Rear Window”by Aurelia Clunie

ALFRED HITCHCOCK“MasterofSuspense”AlfredHitchcockwasborninLondonin1899,theyoungestofthreechildren.HestudiedattheUniversityofLondonandworkedforatelegraphcompanyandinadvertisingaftergraduation.Hiscareerinfilmbeganwhenthefilmindustryitselfwasjustbeginningintheearly1920s,whenhewrotetitlecardsfortheBritishdivisionoftheFamousPlayers-LaskyCompany(theprecursorofParamountStudios)andwrotescenesfortheGainsboroughFilmStudios.Fascinatedbythesubjectofguilt,Hitchcockbegandirectinghisownfilms,includingThe Man Who Knew Too Much(1934)andThe 39 Steps(1935),bothofwhichtellastoryaboutordinarypeoplewhobecomeentangledinaplotinvolvingspiesandespionage.AftermovingtoHollywood,California,in1939,Hitchcockdirectedhismostfamousworksandbecameknownforpsychologicaldramasthatblendedstrugglesbetweengoodandevilwithviolence,wryhumor,andsex.Healsomadeatrademarkcameoappearanceinallofhisfilms,beginningwith1938’sThe Lady Vanishes,inwhichhisimageappearsinsilhouette.HereceivedtheAmericanFilmInstitute(AFI)LifetimeAchievementAwardin1979,thesameyearhewasknightedbyQueenElizabethII.HediedinCaliforniain1980.NotableWorks:The 39 Steps (1935)Strangers on a Train(1951)Rear Window(1954)Psycho(1960)The Birds(1963)

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KEITH REDDINKeithReddinisanAmericanactorandplaywright.BornonJuly7,1956,ReddingraduatedNorthwesternUniversityin1978andreceivedanM.A.fromtheYaleSchoolofDramain1981.

ReddinroseasanAmericanplaywrightwhosestorytellingisanythingbutconventional.Hisworkpresentsableakbutrealisticviewoftheworld,althoughhedoesnotalwaysusethetechniquesofrealism.Whetherusingsatiretoexploretheeffectcorporationshaveonone’ssoul,orjumpsintime,Reddinusesmultipleformsoftheatricalitytocommunicatewithanaudience.Hesaysofhiswork,“Ihavecharacterswhodieandthencomebackinthesecondactandtalktopeople.You’renotgoingtoseethatinotherplaces.AndIthinkthat’swhattheatrecanstillbe.”Inadditiontooriginalplays,ReddinhasadaptedmultipleworksincludingThe Imaginary InvalidbyMoliere,Heaven’s My Destination,byThorntonWilder,andRichboy byF.ScottFitzgerald.HisadaptationofMaybe byMikhailShatrovstarredVanessaRedgraveandwasperformedattheRoyalExchangeTheaterinManchester,England.HisplayLife During Wartime wasadaptedintoafilm,The Alarmist,starringStanleyTucci.Reddinisarecipientofthe1983CharlesMacArthur

Fellowship,a1984NEAPlaywritingFellowship,the1990JosephKesselringAward,the1989and1990SanDiegoCriticsCircleAwardforBestNewPlays,andthe2006HelenMerrillAward.

NotableWorks:Life and Limb(1983)Rum and Coke(1985)Life During Wartime(1990)All the Rage (1997)Human Error(2007)

Questions:

Adaptor,KeithReddinsaidthefollowing:

Ithinkalotoftheatresturnedintowhatyouwouldwatchontelevision.Wellmadestuff,butitdoesn’treallypushtheenvelopeorexplorealotofsubjects.Andit’snotlikeI’mknockingtelevision.Iliketelevision,andthere’sreallygoodqualitytelevisiontowatch—goodshowsthatraisealotofgoodissues.ButImeanI’dratherwatchthatontelevision.WhenIcometothetheatre,Idon’twanttowatchmoretelevision. (Hildebrand)

• Haveyoueverseenaplayinatheatrebefore?Ifso,whatmakestheexperiencedifferentfromwatchingtelevisionoramovie?Ifnot,basedonReddin’squote,whatdifferencesdoyouexpect?Howcantheatre“pushtheenvelope”indifferentwaysthantelevision?

• CornellWoolrich’sshortstoriesandnovelssawmanyadaptationsforfilm,television,andradioplays.Readhisshortstory“RearWindow.”Whatdoyouthinkatheatricaladaptationcouldbringtothisstorythatfilmorradiocouldnot?

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ReadthisinterviewwithReddinfromBOMBMagazine:http://bombmagazine.org/article/1432/keith-reddin.

• UponreadingWoolrich’sshortstoryandtheinterviewwithReddin,whatsimilaritiesoffocusortonedoyoufindbetweenthetwowriters’styles?InwhatwaysisReddinsuitedtoadaptthisstory?

Intheaboveinterview,Reddinsays“...whenyoulookatthewordsthatsettheAmericanwayoflife,theyare‘Life,Liberty,andthePursuitofHappiness.’It’snothappiness,it’sthepursuitofhappiness.Wehavethefreedomtopursuehappinessbutthatdoesn’tmeanthatwe’reguaranteedtogetit.”

• WhatisJeffriespursuinginRear Window?Doesheattainit,andishesatisfied?WhatarethecasualtiesofJeffries’pursuit?

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The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world

Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers,integrating major league baseball

New York Public Library held 3.5 million volumes

The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series 4-3

Perry Como’s ‘Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba’ topped the

music charts

A Streetcar Named Desire, All my Sons, and Brigadoon were on Broadway

News spread of Elizabeth Short, laternicknamed The Black Dahlia. Found

sliced in half in a park inLos Angeles, California, her murder

would go unsolved

“The Wonder City”

New York: 1947by Aurelia Clunie

At the height of post-war America, New York was the place to be. The economy was growing and business was booming.But not everything was bright for the city that never sleeps.

Following the Supreme Court’s Irene Morgan Decision, Bayard Rustin of Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)and George Hunter of Congress on Racial Equality (CORE)initiated the Journey of Reconciliation, to combatpost-war segregation of travel in the South,which paved the way for laterFreedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement

Evelyn McHale jumped from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building to her death

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Pulp and Noir Fictionby Fiona Kyle

Pulp Fiction Today,manyarefamiliarwithQuentinTarantino’sfilmPulp Fiction,inspiredbyapopularpulpcalledBlack Mask,butfewerarefamiliarwiththeoriginofthephrase.Pulpcompriseddifferentgenresincludingdetectivestories,sciencefiction,aswellashorror,mysteries,andthrillerssuchasCornellWoolrich’s“RearWindow.”Pulpfictionwriters,suchasWoolrich,RaymondChandler,andHPLovecraft,wereextremelyprolificandmanycontinuedlucrativecareersinfictionafterthedeclineofthegenre.DuringWorldWarII,whenthecostofpaperrose,themagazinescouldnolongerbesoldfortencentsandwerenolongeraffordabletomanyAmericans. Thefirstpulpmagazinepublishedwasachildren’smagazinetitledThe Golden Argosyin1882,butitwaspopularizedduringthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.Thenamecomesfromthepapertheywereprintedon,whichwasofrough,cheapquality,althoughthecoversofthemagazineswerebrightly-coloredandportrayedtheherosavingtheday.Withtelevisionnotwidelyavailable,andthepricesofothermagazinesbeyondwhatmostcouldafford,pulpfictionwaswidelyread.Thelastoftheoriginalpulps,Ranch Romances and Adventures,waspublishedin1971,butthetermlivesontodefineshortfictionthatinvestigatesseedycharacters,fantasticalienlandscapes,orhardeneddetectives,amongmanyothergenres.

Noir Fiction Noirfictionexploresmanyofthesamethemesasitsparent,pulpfiction;itsoriginsareinthehard-boiledprivateeyestoriespopularizedbyDashiellHammettinBlack Mask.Asitdeveloped,noirdriftedawayfromthedetectivesandbegantofeaturenihilisticcharactersthataredoomedbytheirjealousy,greed,orlust.Unlikefilmnoir—atermtodescribeastyleoffilmmakingthatutilizeschiaroscurolightingandblackandwhite,usedbyAlfredHitchcockduringthe1940sandearly1950s—noirfictionisitsownliterarygenre. ThetermcomesfromeighteenthcenturyFrancetodescribeBritishgothicwriting;theywerecalled“blacknovels,”and,inFrench,Romannoir.Duringthetwentiethcentury,Americannoirfictioncameintoitsownalongsidetheriseofpaperbacknovels.Asmanyofhisstorytitlesfeaturethewordblack(e.g.The Bride Wore Black,The Black Curtain,The Black Alibi, The Black Angel,etc.),CornellWoolrichwasoneoftheleadingfiguresofnoirfiction.Today,thereisa“neo-noir”genrethatconsistsofdark,edgyfictionbywriterssuchasDennisLehaneandBrianEvenson.

Questions:• WhattechniquesareusedinthestageadaptationofRear Windowtobringouttheparanoia,

senseofdoom,andsuspensesorepresentativeofnoir?

• Whataresomeexamplesofpulpornoirfictionstylesinliteratureandmediatoday?

The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world

Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers,integrating major league baseball

New York Public Library held 3.5 million volumes

The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series 4-3

Perry Como’s ‘Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba’ topped the

music charts

A Streetcar Named Desire, All my Sons, and Brigadoon were on Broadway

News spread of Elizabeth Short, laternicknamed The Black Dahlia. Found

sliced in half in a park inLos Angeles, California, her murder

would go unsolved

“The Wonder City”

New York: 1947by Aurelia Clunie

At the height of post-war America, New York was the place to be. The economy was growing and business was booming.But not everything was bright for the city that never sleeps.

Following the Supreme Court’s Irene Morgan Decision, Bayard Rustin of Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)and George Hunter of Congress on Racial Equality (CORE)initiated the Journey of Reconciliation, to combatpost-war segregation of travel in the South,which paved the way for laterFreedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement

Evelyn McHale jumped from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building to her death

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Point of View In “Rear Window”: The Unreliable Narrator

Inliterature,anunreliablenarratorisafirst-personnarratorwhosecredibilityisquestionable.Thismaybeduetothenarrator’spsychologicalstate,acharacterflaw,orevenmotive.Usuallyfirst-personnarrationbindsareadertothenarrator,andthenarrator,withaplatformtotellhisorherstory,willdosohonestlyandaccurately.Yet,beginningwithMarkTwainandEdgarAllenPoe,first-personnarratorsaresometimesblindtotheirownbiases,orevenwillinglymisleadtheiraudiences.OfWoolrich’sprose,Marlingwrites:“Thefirstpersonmode,withitsnecessarilylimitedperspective,increasetheauraofclaustrophobiaandentrapmentwhichhoversoverallofWoolrich’swork–Woolrich’scharactersseldomseethelight,andarerarelypreparedforwhathappenstothem”(Marling).IntheworldofJeffries’apartment,Jeffries’“necessarilylimitedperspective”influencesboththeactionofthestoryanditsaudience.DoesthismakeJeffriesanunreliablenarrator?

Examplesofworkswithunreliablenarrators:Literature• The Catcher in the RyebyJ.D.Salinger• LolitabyVladimirNabokov• Heart of DarknessbyJosephConrad

Film• Fight Club(1999)• Memento(2000)

Television• House of Cards(2013)

Questions:• WhenisitappropriateforJeffriestomakeassumptionsbasedonhisobservations?Whenisit

appropriatetoactbasedonthoseassumptions?Whenisitnot?

• WhendoothercharacterscallJeffries’suspicionsandactionsintoquestion?Howdoesthisquestioningaffectthereader’sexperienceoftheshortstory?

• Whenyoureadtheshortstory“RearWindow,”whendoyoustarttosuspectthatJeffriesmightbeanunreliablenarrator?Whatcluesdoyoufind?HowdoesWoolrichkeepyouguessing,ordoeshe?

• Intheplay,ReddininsertsdialoguebetweencharactersoutsideofJeffries’apartment.Howdothesemomentssuggestshiftsinperspectivethroughouttheplay?Howdotheyaffecttheaudiencemember’sperceptionoftheprotagonist?

• CompareJeffries’dialoguewithAnnaThorwaldinthebeginningoftheplaytohisdialoguewithhertowardtheendoftheplay.What,ifanything,haschanged?IsJeffriesastrustworthyinthesecondactasheisinthefirst?

• Jeffriessays,“Thisisnotaboutme.”Thorwaldreplies,“Ofcourseitis.”IsThorwald’sassessmentaccurate?FromwheredoesJeffries’desiretocatchThorwaldoriginate?Whomdoesitbenefit?Whomdoesitharm?

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Who is George Stinney?by Aurelia Clunie

In1944,fourteen-year-oldAfricanAmericanGeorgeStinney,Jr.,wasconvictedofthemurderoftwowhitegirlsinSouthCarolina.BettyJuneBinnicker,11,andMaryEmmaThames,7,werefoundbeatentodeathafterdisappearinginAlcolu,SouthCarolina.PolicetookStinneyfromhishomeandintocustodyonMarch24.Accordingtopolice,Stinneyconfessedtothecrime,butthereisnowrittenrecordofhisconfession.Thejuryselection,

trial,andsentencingtookplaceinoneday,onlyonemonthaftertheboywasapprehended.Hefacedajuryof12whitemen.Therewerenowitnessestothecrimeandlittleornoevidencewasbroughtbyhisdefense,yetittookthejury10minutestodeliberateandfindStinneyguilty.OnJune16,1944,Stinneywasexecutedbyelectrocutionwithineightweeksofhistrial.HewastheyoungestpersonexecutedinAmericainthe20thcentury.Thereareaccountsthathehadtositonabookintheelectricchair,andtheelectrodesweredifficulttostrapontohimbecausetheyweretoobigforthe95-poundteenager. OnDecember16,2014,JudgeCarmenT.MullenvacatedStinney’sconvictionbyissuingawritofcoram nobis.Coram nobisisarareremnantofoldEnglishlawthatremediesawrongfulconvictionwheneither“anerroroffact”wasmadeorconvictionwas“obtainedbyunfairorunlawfulmethodsandnoothercorrectivejudicialremedyisavailable”(South Carolina vs. George Stinney,Jr.,p.6).AccordingtoMullen,“littletonothingwasdonetodefend[the]client”(South Carolina vs. George Stinney, Jr.,p.25).JudgeMullenfoundthatGeorgeStinney’srightstodueprocessoflawwereviolatedandhewasexonerated70yearsafterhisdeath.

ReadmoreaboutGeorgeStinneyhere:• http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/12/17/371534533/s-c-judge-says-boy-14-

shouldn-t-have-been-executed

• http://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/advocates-push-retrial-clear-name-14-year-old-killer-executed-f2D11607555

ReadJudgeMullen’scourtorderhere:• http://nuweb9.neu.edu/civilrights/wp-content/uploads/Stinney-Order.pdf

Questions:

Intheplay,Boynesays,“Hewasapunk.Justlikethehundredsofpunksweseenbefore.”Jeffriesreplies,“Hehadaname.GeorgeStinney.AndIwantedpeopletorememberit.”Listentothesong“HellYouTalmbout”(https://soundcloud.com/wondalandarts/hell-you-talmbout)byWondalandRecords.Whatisbehindsayingorrememberingthenamesofvictimsofviolence?

Dojournalistsandartistshavearesponsibilitytocalloutinjusticeastheyseeit?Howdotheyshapetheconversationshadbyreaders,listeners,andviewers?Whatresponsesdotheyfacewhendoingso?AnswerthesequestionsforJeffriesintheplayandanothercontemporaryjournalistorartist.

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“First You Dream, Then You Die”: Is Doom Inevitable?by Aurelia Clunie

ThestrikingquoteabovewasanunusedbooktitlebyCornellWoolrich.FrancisM.NevinsJr.,Woolrich’sbiographer,choseitforthetitleofthewriter’sbiography.PlentyofhischaractersshareWoolrich’sdepressingexperienceofunrealizeddreams,furtivelove,andimpendingdoom. Samisaminorcharacterintheshortstory;however,inReddin’sadaptation,Samismuchmoreprominent.NewtoNewYorkfromNorthCarolina,SameagerlyseeksoutJeffries,ajournalistwhobuilthiscareeronnewsstoriesaboutmurderandinterviewswithkillers.SamhasdonehishomeworkonJeffries.HavingreadJeffries’articlesandfollowedtheupsanddownsofhiscareer,SamarrivesatJeffries’apartment,seekingtobecomehisassistant.Ittakesalotofconvincing;buteventually,Samlandsthejob.SamandJeffriesreachanunderstanding;however,whenBoyne,Sam’sdetectivefriend,visits,hequestionstheirrelationshipandevenSam’spresence.“He’squiteayoungthing,ain’the,”BoynesaystoJeffries.“Sam’shelpingme,that’sall,”Jeffriesreplies.“It’sneverthat’sallwithyou,Jeff,”saysBoyne.SamsticksarounddespiteBoynechallenginghimandsoonputshimselfindangerforJeffries’project.MoremobilethanJeffries,Samsubstituteshimself,goingtoThorwald’sapartmentnotoncebuttwicetocarryoutJeffries’plans.WillSamaccomplishhisdreams,orwillhesuccumbasacausalityofthedarkinevitabilitiessocharacteristicofWoolrich’sworlds?

Questions:• WhatdoesSamwantfromJeffries?Whatdreamsdoeshehopetorealize?

• CompareSam’spresenceinWoolrich’sshortstorytotheplay.WhydoyouthinkReddinexpandsSam’scharacterintheplay?

• InHitchcock’sfilmadaptationofRear Window,GraceKelly’scharactercomparesherselftoa“girlFriday;”andsheandJeffries’housekeeperhelphimuncoverthemysteryofAnnaThorwald’sdisappearance.HowdoesHitchcock’schoiceaffectthenarrative?WhydoyouthinkSam’scharacterismissing?

• Comparetheshortstorytotheplayandthefilm.Ineach,howdoothercharactersbecomeproxiesfortheimmobilizedJeffries?Whateffectsdoesthishaveoneachofthosecharacters?

• AttheendofAct1,BoynesaystoSam,“I’dlovetohaveareasontobringyouin.Justyouandme.We’dhaveourselvesarealparty.AndthenJeffcouldwriteaswellstoryaboutyou.”InthecontextoftheBlackLivesMattermovement,howisSam,asanAfrican-Americanandasoutherner,affectedbytheplotandcircumstancesoftheplay?HowdoesracefactorintohisandJeffries’relationship?HowdoesheresponddifferentlythanJeffriestocircumstancesastheyarise?

• WhydoyouthinkBoynecallsSam“Samson”?

• WhatareJeffries’vulnerabilities?WhatareSam’s?WhatisatstakeforeachcharacterastheytrytofindoutwhathappenedtoAnnaThorwald?

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(JEFFRIES’ phone rings shrilly, louder than normal.

He doesn’t answer.

After six rings it stops.

JEFFRIES rises, switches on the lamp near his chair.

Standing next to him is MRS. THORWALD, in GLO-RIA’s cocktail dress, covered in blood.)

MRS. THORWALD: Why haven’t you found me yet?

JEFFRIES: That’s a fair question.

MRS. THORWALD: You’re not careful, they’ll send you away.

JEFFRIES: Send me to the place with the neat trimmed lawns and the nurses in starched white uniforms. And quiet. They were big on quiet there. If I wasn’t crazy be-fore, that place will do the trick.

MRS. THORWALD: And you go there, they might not ever let you out. You’re running out of time--

(MRS. THORWALD crosses the room, as JEFFRIES watches. SHE exits the apartment. In the next instant, lights snap on in THORWALD’s apartment across the courtyard. Brighter than normal. Blinding light. THOR-WALD is standing there and MRS. THORWALD enters in the same dress, but now totally free of blood. SHE is glamorous and coiffed)

THORWALD: It’s been such a long time.

MRS. THORWALD: What are you talking about?

THORWALD: Since I saw you.

MRS. THORWALD: Now I know you’ve had one too many.

THORWALD: Years and years.

JEFFRIES: This can’t--

(HE takes a long drink from the bottle)

MRS. THORWALD: Well, it might feel like years to you. I just went into the bedroom to change. Light me would you?

(THORWALD lights her cigarette, MRS. THORWALD looks across to JEFFRIES)

MRS. THORWALD (CONT’D): He’s watching us.

THORWALD: I know.

MRS. THORWALD: Don’t worry, they’re sending him away.

THORWALD: Best thing for him.

(THEY laugh, as MRS. THORWALD leads THOR-WALD into their bedroom. JEFFRIES stumbles to the floor, starts to crawl.

Music is heard, faintly at first, then growing.

JEFFRIES looks up and we see every window across the courtyard lights up, bright. People swaying, jerking. The young couple, the naked woman, the man at the type writer, the body builder, the woman with a baby. All move as one.

The movement becomes more frantic, savage projections of WeeGee photos projected, brutal crime scenes, wit-nesses, flashing in the windows till JEFFRIES cries out.)

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Suggested Activities

Acting Exercise: DefenderThisisanactingawarenessgamefor8-50peopletoplayatatime.Ittakes5-15minutes.Playersshouldmoveconstantly,evenwhiledirectionsaregiven.Inanopenspace,haveyourclassstartwalkingaroundthespacewithouttalkingandwithouttouching.Tellthegrouptomoverandomly,notinacircleorrepeatedpath.Afterafewminutes,haveeachpersonsilentlychoosea“defender.”Studentsshouldcontinuemovingthroughoutthespaceawareofwheretheirdefenderis.Afterafewminutes,havethemalsochoosean“enemy.”Havethemcontinuemovingthroughoutthespace.Explainthattheirgoalistokeepthedefenderbetweenthemselvesandtheirenemyatalltimes.Tryplayingwithtempo.Heightenthegamebyhavingplayersmovefaster.

Insertdifferentlevelsofimportancetothedefenderandenemy:• Theenemyannoysyou.• Theenemyisanex-friendorpartner.• Theenemyisacriminalandgenerallydangeroustosociety.• Theenemyistryingtokillyou.

Reflect:• Whatwasitliketoengageyour“pretendmuscle”andconnectittofeelingandaction?• Whendidyoufeelsafe?• Whendidyoufeelthreatened?• Whatthoughtsdidyoustarthavingaboutyourenemyasthescenarioschanged?

Playwriting: Dream SequenceSurrealismwasaliteraryandartisticmovementthatemergedinthe1920sasawayto“resolvethepreviouslycontradictoryconditionsofdreamandreality”(The Art Book).Surrealismjuxtaposesdreamandrealitywithafocusonrevealingthesubconsciousmind.Itfeaturessurprisingandunexpectedimageryusuallysuppressedbylogicorsocietalexpectations.

InActTwoofRear Window,Jeffries’paranoiamanifestsitselfinthesurrealsceneonthenextpage:

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ReadthefollowingexcerptfromCornellWoolrich’sshortstory“Momentum.”Writeyourownadaptationofthisexcerptasasurrealsceneinaplay.Inthestory,theprotagonist,Paine,isdrivingataxicab,racingtomeethiswifeonan8:20traintoMontreal.Hehaspreviouslyshotandkilledfivemenwithin24hours,includingthecabdriver.Painehimselfhasalsobeenshotandiscriticallywounded.

It was ten to eight now. He’d better start for the station. He might be held up by lights on the way, and the train only stopped a few minutes at the uptown station. He had to rejoin the main stream of traffic to get out of the park. He hugged the outside of the driveway and trundled along. He went off the road several times. Not because he couldn’t drive, but because his senses fogged. He pulled himself and the cab out of it each time. “Train, eight-twenty,” he waved before his mind like a red lantern. But like a spend-thrift he was using up years of his life in minutes, and pretty soon he was going to run short. Once an alarm car passed him, shrieking by, taking a short cut through the park from one side of the city to the other. He wondered if they were after him. He didn’t wonder very hard. Nothing mattered much any more. Only eight-twenty—train— He kept folding up slowly over the wheel and each time it touched his chest, the machine would swerve crazily as through it felt the pain, too. Twice, three times, his fenders were grazed, and he heard faint voices swearing at him from another world, the world he was leaving behind. He wondered if they’d call him names like that if they knew he was dying.

Incorporatesurrealistelementsandothertechniquestocommunicatethehauntingfeelingofthemoment.

Sometechniquesyoumightinclude:• Charactersspeakinginunison

• Lightingeffects

• Soundeffects

• Movement

• Changesintempooftheactiononstage

Surrealist Scenic DesignSketchascenicdesignfortheshortstory“Momentum.”Besuretoincluderealisticelementsthatactorscouldusepractically,whilecreatingopportunityforSurrealistimageryonstage.

Boyne’s Police ReportAttheconclusionofRear Window,Boynereceivescreditforsolvingthecase.WritethenarrativeforBoyne’spolicereport.Whatdetailsdoesheinclude?Whatdetails,ifany,doesheomit?Whatshapedoesthestorytakeinthisnarrativeform?

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BlackDahlia.23August2015.4September2015.<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dahlia>.

Champlin,Charles.“PoetoftheCentury’sShadows:CORNELLWOOLRICH:FirstYouDream,ThenYouDie.”LosAngelesTimes27November1988.26August2015.<http://articles.latimes.com/print/1988-11-27/books/bk-749_1_cornell-woolrich>.

Chappell,Bill.“S.C.JudgeSays1944Executionof14YearOldBoyWasWrong.”TheTwo-Way-NPR17December2014.8September2015.<http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/12/17/371534533/s-c-judge-says-boy-14-shouldn-t-have-been-executed>.

Collier,Beau.SoWhatisPulp:ABriefMaterialHistoryofAmericanPulpMagazines.n.d.4September2015.<http://www.pulpmags.org/contexts_pages/what_is_pulp.html>.

Corliss,Richard.“ThatOldFeeling:Woolrich’sWorld.”8December2013.Time.26August2015.<http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,557218,00.html>.

Gholson,Craig.“KeithReddin.”BOMBMagazine1991.26August2015.<http://bombmagazine.org/article/1432/keith-reddin>.

HartfordHeritageProject.n.d.10September2015.<http://capitalcc.edu/hhp/>.

Hildebrand,Holly.“ScaryBusiness.”21February2001.backstage.com.4September2015.<https://eclipsetheatrecompany.wordpress.com/archive/2009-season/keith-reddin-playwright-scholar-series/keith-reddin-biography-and-works/>.

Hozy,S.P.“TheNightmareWorldofCornellWoolrich:FirstYouDream,ThenYouDie.”n.d.S.P.Hozy,Writer.4September2015.<http://sphozy.com/writings/nightmare-world-cornell-woolrich-first-you-dream-then-you-die>.

KeithReddin.2014.4September2015.<http://www.goodmantheatre.org/artists-archive/creative-partners/playwrights/keith-reddin/>.

KeithReddin-BiographyandWorks.n.d.4September2015.<https://eclipsetheatrecompany.wordpress.com/archive/2009-season/keith-reddin-playwright-scholar-series/keith-reddin-biography-and-works/>.

Marling,William.CornellWoolrich.2012.4September2015.<http://www.detnovel.com/woolrich.html>.

Nevins,Francis.“CornellWoolrich.”ContemporaryAuthors.Detroit:Gale,1981.402-403.

Nevins,FrancisM.Jr.“ThePoetoftheShadows:CornellWoolrich.”Woolrich,Cornell.TheFantasticStoriesofCornellWoolrich.Ed.CharlesG.WaughandMartinH.Greenberg.Carbondale:SouthernIllinoisUniversityPress,1981.vii-xxvi.

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Okrent,Daniel.“GreatestNewYorkEver-TheGreatestYear:1947.”NewYorkMagazine9January2011.292015.<http://nymag.com/news/features/greatest-new-york/70467/>.

Penzler,Otto.“NoirFictionIsAboutLosers,NotPrivateEyes.”25May2011.TheHuffingtonPost.4September2015.<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/otto-penzler/noir-fiction-is-about-los_b_676200.html>.

PulpStudies.n.d.4September2015.<http://pulpstudies.weebly.com/>.

Rappleye,Hannah,LisaRiordanSevilleandMarkPotter.“Advocatespushforretrialtoclearnameof14-year-old‘killer’executedin1944.”NBCNews16November2013.8September2015.<http://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/advocates-push-retrial-clear-name-14-year-old-killer-executed-f2D11607555>.

RearWindow.Dir.AlfredHitchcock.1954.DVD.

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Sutton,Henry.“HenrySutton’stop10unreliablenarrators.”TheGuardian17February2010.4September2015.<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism>.

Tuttle,George.WhatisNoir?n.d.4September2015.<http://noirfiction.info/what.html>.

VintageNewMedia.WhatisPulpFiction.2013.4September2015.<http://www.vintagelibrary.com/pulpfiction/introduction/What-Is-Pulp-Fiction.php>.

Woolrich,Cornell.RearWindowandOtherStories.NewYork:PenguinBooks,1994.

WorldWarIIandPostWarYearsTimeline-TheCivilRightsActof1964:ALongStruggleForFreedom.n.d.2September2015.<http://nymag.com/news/features/greatest-new-york/70467/>.

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For more information about education programs at

Hartford Stage, please call 860-520-7244 or email

education@hartfordstage.org

Contributing EditorAurelia Clunie

Education Associate for Student Audiences

With Contributions byFiona Kyle

Artistic Apprentice