To the Educators:... 2 NY State Core Curriculum Standards About Kitchen Theatre Company... 3 Our Mission... 3

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1 The Guide A Theatregoer s Resource Written and edited by Emily Jackson and Zach Weg for the Audience Development and Community Services Department at Kitchen Theatre Company The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez Directed by Jesse Bush Table of Contents To the Educators:... 2 NY State Core Curriculum Standards... 2 About Kitchen Theatre Company... 3 Our Mission... 3 Meet the Playwright... 3 The Creative Team... 4 The Actors... 4 The Production Staff... 4 Introduction to the Play... 5 Synopsis... 5 Lopez and His Play... 5 The World of the Play... 6 Glossary... 6 Timeline... 7 The Civil War... 8 Jewish Confederates... 8 The Passover Seder... 9 Antebellum Slavery Faith and Family Discussion Questions Works Cited Up Next Notes:

2 To the Educators: "Important conversations happen in the Kitchen." All of us here at the Kitchen know that youth who are exposed to arts perform better on tests, obtain better grades and are more likely to attend college than those who are not. The National Endowment for the Arts recently reported on how the arts affect graduation rates (The Arts and Achievement in At- Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies). The findings revealed that young adults of low socioeconomic status who had a history of in- depth arts involvement were 15% more likely to enroll in a selective four- year college over their counterparts who had low arts involvement. As educators, you have the incredibly important and difficult job of educating our children and often do not have the resources that they need. We applaud you in your decision to bring the arts to your students! Your students will not only find our shows entertaining, but it is our hope they also find the work educational and enlightening. Please use this study guide as a springboard to engage in conversations around The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez. We hope our motto and these lively topics will fill your classroom well before and long after the curtain has come down. Thank you for supporting the Kitchen Theatre and performing arts in Ithaca! Sincerely, The Staff of the Kitchen Theatre Company NY State Core Curriculum Standards CCSS.ELA- Literacy.CCRA.R.2, CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RI , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RI Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. CCSS.ELA- Literacy.CCRA.R.3, CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.CCRA.R.5, CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RI Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. CCSS.ELA- Literacy.CCRA.R.7, CCSS.ELA- Literacy.CCRA.SL.2, CCSS.ELA- Literacy.SL Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. CCSS.ELA- Literacy.CCRA.SL.1, CCSS.ELA- Literacy.SL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.SL Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL , CCSS.ELA- Lite racy.ri , CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RI Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 2

3 About Kitchen Theatre Company The Kitchen Theatre Company burst on the scene in It was the dream of a group of talented and determined theatre artists to create a place where they could work together and hone their craft. From a skeleton staff of three, the Kitchen Theatre Company now, in its 22 nd season, has a six person artistic staff, five professional interns, three trainees and two college interns. Our Mission In its intimate performance space, the Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC) creates professional theatre that challenges the intellect, excites the imagination, informs and entertains. KTC nurtures a community of diverse artists and brings excellent art to the community and beyond by: Developing and producing new plays, exploring established repertory and contributing to the field of American theatre; Encouraging collaboration and offering a safe haven for experimentation; Providing programming that inspires young people, opens the door to newcomers, and speaks to a broad cross- section of our community; and Advancing a culture of theatre- going. Meet the Playwright Matthew Lopez's play The Whipping Man premiered off- Broadway in 2011 at Manhattan Theatre Club in a production directed by Doug Hughes and starring Andre Braugher. For this production, Matthew was awarded the John Gassner Playwriting Award from the Outer Critics Circle. Prior to New York, the play was presented at Luna Stage, Penumbra Theatre Company, Barrington Stage Company and the Old Globe in San Diego, where he is currently Artist- in- Residence. It has become one of the more regularly produced new American plays with productions scheduled at over a dozen theatres across the country this year. His play Somewhere received its world premiere production last autumn at the Old Globe, directed by Giovanna Sardelli and will be presented at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA next year with Ms. Sardelli directing again. Other plays include Reverberation, Zoey's Perfect Wedding and The Legend of Georgia McBride. His short play The Sentinels was included in Headlong Theatre Company's Decade project, a collection of plays about 9/11, which ran in London in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the attacks. In addition to his residency at the Globe, he is commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company, is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect and is a recent member of the Ars Nova Play Group. 3

4 The Creative Team Theatre is a collaborative art form everyone works together to put on a show. In the theatre, we call the people who work on a show the creative team. Audience members, too, are an important part of the collaboration there would be no show without an audience! Here is an inside look at the creative team that has worked on The Whipping Man. The Actors Dan Berlingeri is playing Caleb, Darian Dauchan is playing John, and Alexander Thomas is playing Simon The Production Staff Darian and Alexander appear courtesy of Actors Equity Association, the labor union representing American actors and stage managers in the theatre. Director: Jesse Bush Scenic Designer: David L. Arsenault Costume Designer: Lisa Boquist Lighting Designer: Tyler M. Perry Sound Designer: Lesley Greene Properties Designer: Megan Gerber Production Stage Manager: Jennifer Schilansky, Member of Actors Equity 4

5 Introduction to the Play Synopsis It is Passover, The Civil War has just ended and the annual celebration of freedom from bondage is being observed in Jewish homes across the country. One of these homes, belonging to the DeLeons of Virginia, sits in ruins. Confederate officer Caleb DeLeon has returned from the war to find his family missing and only two former slaves remaining. Caleb is badly wounded and the two men, Simon and John, are forced to care for him. As the three men wait for the family's return, they wrestle with their shared past as master and slave, digging up long- buried family secrets along the way as well as new ones. Slavery and war, they discover, warp even good men's souls. Lopez and His Play Matthew Lopez, up- and- coming, twenty- something playwright, says of his experience writing The Whipping Man, I don t know if you need to belong to a certain group to tell a story. If you did, I would only write about gay Puerto Rican guys who live in Park Slope and have an obsession with stinky cheese. Lopez continues by describing our responsibility, as Americans and as human beings, to understand where we come from the good, the bad, even the very ugly. Lopez s purpose in writing The Whipping Man is more focused, though. What I originally sought to do was to write about how life returns to normal after a calamity, says the playwright, referring to things bigger than natural disasters or political scandals. I ve always been fascinated WE AS AMERICANS HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR PAST, EVEN IF MOST OF US IN THE COUNTRY TODAY ARE NOT DESCENDANTS OF SLAVEHOLDERS. - MATTHEW LOPEZ, PLAYWRIGHT by those moments that the history books skip over: the valleys between the peaks of historical events. I was drawn to the Civil War because it provided two calamities in one event: war and slavery. How do you go from being a slave all your life to being free? What are the psychological mechanics of that? As Mr. Lopez was researching the ideas in his head, the parallels between Jews and African- Americans became much more apparent. Lopez discovered that in 1865 the Passover observance began the day after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. It was this eureka moment, Mr. Lopez says, that set him off. As these slaves were being freed in the American South, there was this ancient observance of the Exodus story. Matthew Lopez has crafted a beautiful, haunting story that asks hard questions: What do I do now? and What do I really believe? and Who, exactly, is my family? These are questions we all struggle with, whether in the face of difficult times or not. The Whipping Man may not have all the answers, but as art often does, this play gives us the opportunity to reflect on our history, our present, and our future. 5

6 The World of the Play Glossary SETTING THE RUINS OF A ONCE GRAND HOME IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR. APRIL 13, 1865 APRIL 15, 1865 AMPUTATION Procedure of removing a body part due to a threatening injury or infection. CHAROSET Apples, symbolizes the sweetness of the exodus from Egypt. CHIMBORAZO Known as the hospital on the hill; was among several hospitals that were built in Richmond, VA. CONFEDERATE CAPTAIN Person in charge of a company of infantry (about 100 men); led men into battle and gave commands. DESERTER A soldier who abandons his duties during a war without permission. EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION President Abraham Lincoln s long- awaited statement indicating that, within the rebellious states, All persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free. FREDERICK DOUGLASS A former slave who became a passionate advocate for the abolition of slavery. GANGRENE Disease that starts in open wounds with dead tissue; without treatment, it can lead to fever, rapid pulse, rapid respirations, and ultimately, death. HAGGADAH Book of songs and explanations that the Jewish people read during Passover. CHARACTERS SIMON: FIFTIES. JEWISH. A FORMER SLAVE IN THE DELEON HOUSEHOLD. HE IS THE ELDER OF THE FAMILY AND HAS A WIFE AND DAUGHTER WHO ALSO WORKED IN THE DELEON HOUSEHOLD SERVING THE WHITE FAMILY. CALEB: TWENTIES. JEWISH. THE ONLY SON OF THE DELEON FAMILY. A DEFECTED CONFEDERATE CAPTAIN. JOHN: TWENTIES. JEWISH. A FORMER SLAVE IN THE DELEON HOUSEHOLD. CAN READ AND WRITE. MATZAH The unleavened bread that Jewish people eat it during Passover to represent the food they took with them when they left Egypt; they did not have time to let their bread rise before the Exodus. NAT TURNER A slave who had visions, but was hanged for leading a slave rebellion that resulted in the killing of 55 white people. RABBI A religious authority on Jewish law and a spiritual leader. RICHMOND, VIRGINIA The capital of the Confederate States during the Civil War. The home of the DeLeons. SEDER Meaning order. It is a meal during Passover when Jews commemorate the years of slavery that their ancestors endured. SHABBAT SHALOM Meaning peaceful Sabbath; refers to the day of rest in Judaism. TORAH The first five books of the Jewish Bible. YANKS Nickname for Union soldiers during the Civil War. 6

7 Timeline 1787 The United States Constitution is ratified; slaves enjoy no rights of citizenship SIMON IS BORN William Lloyd Garrison begins publication of radical abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator whites killed in Virginia slave revolt led by Nat Turner CALEB AND JOHN ARE BORN Harriet Beecher Stowe s Uncle Tom s Cabin exposes the evils of slavery The Supreme Court decides that a slave, Dred Scott, has no rights a white man is bound to respect Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the United States February The Confederate States of America is formed, with Jefferson Davis sworn in as president. March 4 Abraham Lincoln inaugurated as President of the United States. April 12 Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. April 14 Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers to put down the insurrection. July 21 Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run) in Virginia; 4,878 casualties June 25 The Seven Days Campaign for Richmond, Virginia; 36,000 casualties. August The Battle of Second Manassas in Virginia (also known as Second Bull Run); 25,251 casualties. Sept. 17 Battle of Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland; 23,000 casualties in bloodiest day of combat in American history. Dec. 13 The Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia; 17,900 casualties Jan. 1 Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. July 1-3 The Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania; 51,000 casualties. July 4 The End of the Battle of Vicksburg in Mississippi; 50,000 casualties; 29,000 rebels surrender. Aug. 1 Jefferson Davis offers amnesty to all Confederate deserters. Nov. 19 Lincoln s Gettysburg Address dedicates a battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania March 2 Ulysses.S. Grant named General- in- Chief of Union armies. Nov. 8 Lincoln is re- elected to a second term Feb. 3 Lincoln meets with Confederate Peace Commission at Hampton Roads, Virginia. March 3 Union Congress creates the Freedmen s Bureau. March 13 The Confederacy authorizes the arming of slaves as soldiers. March 25 April 2 The Battle of Petersburg in Virginia; 17,000 casualties. April 9 Lee surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. APRIL 10 PASSOVER BEGINS APRIL 13 CALEB COMES HOME April 14 Abraham Lincoln is assassinated. THE MEN GATHER THINGS FOR THEIR SEDER APRIL 15 SIMON, CALEB AND JOHN HAVE THEIR PASSOVER SEDER 7

8 The Civil War The American Civil War, also called the Second American Revolution, the War Between the States, and the Lost Cause, is undeniably one of the most important events in American history. Between 1861 and 1865, more than 3 million men fought, and over 600,000 died, defending their beliefs and their homeland. What began as a bitter dispute over Union and States' Rights, ended as a struggle over the meaning of freedom in America. At Gettysburg in 1863, Abraham Lincoln said perhaps more than he knew; the war was about a "new birth of freedom." When the 13 th Amendment was passed, as Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, effectively 50,000 slaves in the South became free men. However, it would be another year and a half of battle before the Confederate army surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse outside of Richmond, Virginia. At the end of the war, the country was left in disrepair. Life as they knew it would never be the same for any American, but progress had been made. Confederate Soldiers In Matthew Lopez s play, Caleb describes the horrors of war: I am siting in a trench just outside Petersburg, up to my waist in putrid mixture of water, excrement and blood. I am frozen. I am hungry. I am achingly weary. These characters have lived through one of the hardest times for Americans, and have survived. Now they must face the inevitable changes coming toward them. Jewish Confederates WAR IS NOT PROOF OF GOD S ABSENCE. IT S PROOF OF HIS ABSENCE FROM MEN S HEARTS. SIMON IN THE WHIPPING MAN From Abraham Lincoln s election as president of the United States in November 1860, through the secession winter of 1860, to the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Jewish Southerners from Virginia to Texas weighed their devotion to the Union and to their states. "A storm, vast and terrible, is impending," Rabbi James K. Gutheim of New Orleans told his congregation. Some were the sons and daughters indeed, the grandsons and the granddaughters of Southerners born and bred in Dixie. Some were slaveholders. - From Robert N. Rosen s The Jewish Confederates 8

9 Leading up to and during the Civil War, Jewish Southerners, who had immigrated from Spain and Germany, struggled with this conflict alongside their Christian brothers. Approximately twelve hundred Jews served in the Confederacy, including twenty- four army officers and eleven navy officers. They formed such a significant portion of General Lee s force that he could not afford to allow high holy day furloughs, or days off from service, to soldiers of the Jewish persuasion in the Confederate States army. Southern Jews were well integrated into their communities. It was natural that they would be loyal to the Confederacy. Matthew Lopez writes of his primary thematic element Southern Jews owning slaves: It illustrated for me how pernicious and unavoidable slavery was: that Jews, with their own history of enslavement could own slaves themselves. It seemed to me the most regrettable of hypocrisies and one that might resonate with a modern audience, both Jewish and non- Jewish. We are all the result of the mistakes and the hypocrisies of our American forbearers. The fact that Southern Jews owned slaves and fought for the Confederacy is unavoidable. However, The Whipping Man gives us a chance to reconcile our present views with our historical past. The Passover Seder KAHAL KADOSH BETH ELOHIM SYNAGOGUE A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK AND THE COUNTRY'S SECOND OLDEST SYNAGOGUE, THE OLDEST IN CONTINUOUS USE. THE CONGREGATION OF KAHAL KADOSH BETH ELOHIM, MEANING HOLY CONGREGATION HOUSE OF GOD, WAS ESTABLISHED IN COLONIAL CHARLESTON IN 1749, AND IS NOW THE NATION'S FOURTH OLDEST JEWISH COMMUNITY. THE BUILDING REFLECTS THE HISTORY OF JEWISH WORSHIP IN CHARLESTON, AS WELL AS THE HIGH DEGREE OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE WITHIN THE CAROLINA COLONY. President Obama hosts a Passover Seder at the White House In Judaism, the holiday commemorating the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt is called Passover. Before sending a plague to destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians, God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to place a special mark above their doors as a signal for the angel of death to pass over, or spare the residents. The festival of Passover begins on the 15th and ends on the 22nd day of the month of Nisan, March or April. There are many rituals during Passover to symbolize the Hebrews' suffering in 9

10 bondage and the haste with which they left Egypt. Matthew Lopez uses a seder, or a ritualized meal, to draw connections between the Hebrew people being set free, and the slaves being set free at the end of the Civil War. Matthew Lopez first imagined that the seder in his play, like a showstopper in a musical, would be so extraordinarily uplifting, ecstatic and jubilant that it would lift off the stage. But, in the end, the seder scene in The Whipping Man is a much more solemn event. The characters in his play, like the country that will take many generations to be healed from its fractured past, still have a long and painful journey ahead. When you re taking on such big themes, there s no tidy end, but instead a lot of frayed edges and unfinished business. Antebellum Slavery By 1830 slavery was primarily located in the South, where it existed in many different forms. In the lower South the majority of slaves lived and worked on cotton plantations. However, some slaves were owned by families living in large cities, like John and Simon in The Whipping Man who live in Richmond, Virginia with the DeLeons. These people worked as domestics, providing services for the master's families. They were designated as "house servants," and though their work appeared to be easier than that of the "field slaves," in some ways it was not. Though slavery had such a wide variety of faces, the underlying concepts were always the same. Slaves were Scars on a slave s back from whippings considered property, and they were property because they were black. Their status as property was enforced by violence actual or threatened. THE WHIPPING MAN WHIPPING WAS DONE AT THESE MARKETS, OR TRADER'S YARDS, ALL THE TIME. PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND WOULD SEND THEIR SLAVES HERE FOR PUNISHMENT. WHEN ANY ONE WANTED A SLAVE WHIPPED HE WOULD SEND A NOTE TO THAT EFFECT WITH THE SERVANT TO THE TRADER. ANY PETTY OFFENSE ON THE PART OF A SLAVE WAS SUFFICIENT TO SUBJECT THE OFFENDER TO THIS BRUTAL TREATMENT. OWNERS WHO AFFECTED CULTURE AND REFINEMENT PREFERRED TO SEND A SERVANT TO THE YARD FOR PUNISHMENT TO INFLICTING IT THEMSELVES. IT SAVED THEM TROUBLE, THEY SAID, AND POSSIBLY A SLIGHT WEAR AND TEAR OF FEELING. FOR THIS SERVICE THE OWNER WAS CHARGED A CERTAIN SUM FOR EACH SLAVE, AND THE EARNINGS OF THE TRADERS FROM THIS SOURCE FORMED A VERY LARGE PART OF THE PROFITS OF HIS BUSINESS. THE YARD I WAS IN HAD A REGULAR WHIPPING POST TO WHICH THEY TIED THE SLAVE, AND GAVE HIM "NINE- AND- THIRTY," AS IT WAS CALLED, MEANING THIRTY- NINE LASHES AS HARD AS THEY COULD LAY IT ON. MEN WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR SHIRTS IN PREPARATION FOR THE WHIPPING, AND WOMEN HAD TO TAKE OFF THEIR DRESSES FROM THE SHOULDERS TO THE WAIST. THESE WHIPPINGS WERE NOT SO SEVERE AS WHEN THE SLAVES WERE STRIPPED ENTIRELY OF THEIR CLOTHES, AS WAS GENERALLY THE CASE ON THE PLANTATIONS WHERE SLAVES WERE OWNED BY THE DOZEN. I SAW MANY CASES OF WHIPPING WHILE I WAS IN THE YARD. SOMETIMES I WAS SO FRIGHTENED THAT I TREMBLED VIOLENTLY, FOR I HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. - FROM LOUIS HUGHS THIRTY YEARS SLAVE 10

11 Faith and Family Because they lived and worked in such close proximity, house servants and their owners tended to form more complex relationships. Black and white children were especially in a position to form bonds with each other. Matthew Lopez illustrates this beautifully in his play. Caleb and John are raised as brothers, until the inevitable happens: Caleb is expected to take on the role of master. Lopez takes this thematic issue further by incorporating the question of religion within a family unit. It is well ALREADY BEFORE SHE STARTED TO TEACH ME, I WAS ASKING QUESTIONS. LIKE WHEN WAS GOD GOING TO SET US FREE LIKE HE DID THE SLAVES IN EGYPT. OR WHETHER NAT TURNER WAS OUR NEW MOSES. THAT S WHEN OUR LESSONS ENDED. BUT I KEPT READING. I POURED OVER THE BOOKS OF THE TORAH. AND I KEPT ASKING QUESTIONS, IF ONLY TO MYSELF. JOHN FROM THE WHIPPING MAN documented that slaves owned by Christian families were Christian as characters who struggle with them, just as we do in real life. Discussion Questions Master and slave well. Matthew Lopez uses this knowledge to infer that slaves owned by Jewish families might have taken up Judaism as well. This creative fiction in The Whipping Man forces audiences to question, along with the characters in the play, What does my faith mean? and Could these people really be my family? and What are my responsibilities to them if we are family? It is interesting, also, to consider that a central element of Judaism is to question existence and God and the meaning of life. The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez draws together these big questions of faith and family and creates Passover is a holiday of remembrance filled with symbolism and storytelling. What symbols are used and what stories are told over and over again on holidays that you celebrate? What is the importance of these traditions? What are some similarities and differences between the enslavement of Jews and the enslavement of African- Americans? What are some secrets the characters in The Whipping Man conceal? Why do you think they keep these things to themselves? Why might a play like The Whipping Man be important and relevant for contemporary society? 11

12 Works Cited About the Theatre About the Play and Playwright Lopez, Matthew. The Whipping Man. New York: Samuel French, Print matthew- lopez- explains- his- new- play- the- whipping- man/ The Civil War Jewish Tradition Brownfeld, Peter E. "American Jews and the Civil War: Leadership and Military Service." The American Council for Judaism Winter (2001). Print. Rosen, Robert N. The Jewish Confederates. Columbia: University of South Carolina, Print webster.com/concise/passover Slavery During the Civil War Boulton, Alexander O. "Beyond the Big House: The Architecture of Slavery." American Quarterly (2006). Print. Hughes, Louis. Thirty Years a Slave: From Bondage to Freedom: The Autobiography of Louis Hughes. Montgomery, AL: NewSouth, Print. NY State Core Curriculum Standards standards 12

13 Up Next 14- year- old Laney and her recently divorced mom have moved back to Oxford, Mississippi. Laney doesn t easily fit into her new school, but another teen misfit befriends her, and together they start to figure things out. An insightfully written coming- of- age story with an intense mother- daughter relationship at the core. Directed by Rachel Lampert Contact Emily Jackson, Artistic Intern, for more information about interactive lectures and group sales at: emily@kitchentheatre.org (607)

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