The Dresser

by Ronald Harwood

A Study Guide
presented by San Jose Repertory Theatre

For more information, contact Karen Altree Piemme, Director of Outreach karenp@sjrep.com or 408.367.7291

The Dresser
By Ronald Harwood
Table of Contents
Synopsis.......1 About the Playwright...2 World War II in Britain

SYNOPSIS

History........3 The London Blitz.4-5 The Baedeker Raids...6

A Love Letter to Theatre

Its 1942 in Britain and the smell of death is in the air. The sirens howl, signaling another air raid, but inside the crumbling Women in the War walls of a regional theatre in the provinces the aging actor, Sir, Effort..7-9 prepares to give his 227th performance as King Lear. Norman, War Rationing10-11 Sirs devoted, fuss-budget dresser, is barely able to take care of Sir Donald Wolfit...12 himself but faithfully assists Sir in near feudal servitude, massaging his ego, pampering his intellect and even creating Actor-Manager System.....13 sound effects for the Shakespearean production by Sirs struggling troupe. This touching and poignant tribute to theatre, Shakespeares Canon...13 friendship and the human spirit in the face of great strife - be it Theatre Terminology...14-19 war or ones own debilitating mortality - proves that the show must go on.
Further Research... 20

About the Playwright

Ronald Harwood
Harwood was born Ronald Horwitz in Cape Town, South Africa, on November 9, 1934, the son of Isobel (nLe Pepper) and Isaac Horwitz. He moved from Cape Town to London in 1951 to pursue a career in the theatre. He changed his name from Horwitz after an English master told him it was too foreign and too Jewish for a stage actor. After training for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he joined the Shakespeare Company of Sir Donald Wolfit. From 1953 to 1958, Harwood was Sir Donald's personal dresser. He would later draw on this experience when he wrote the stage play, The Dresser, and the biography Sir Donald Wolfit CBE: His Life and Work in the Unfashionable Theatre. In 1959, after leaving the Wolfit company, he married Natasha Riehle and joined the 59 Theatre Company for a season at the Lyric Hammersmith. In 1960, Harwood began a career as a writer and published his first novel, All the Same Shadows, in 1961, the screenplay, Private Potter, in 1962, and the produced stage play, March Hares, in 1964. Harwood continued at a prolific pace penning more than 21 stage plays, and 10 books. He also created more than 16 screen plays, but seldom wrote original material directly for the screen, usually acting as an adapter, sometimes of his own work (notably The Dresser). One of the recurring themes in Harwood's work is his fascination for the stage, its performing artists and artisans as displayed in The Dresser, his plays, After the Lions (about Sarah Bernhardt), Another Time (a semi-autobiographical piece about a gifted South African pianist), Quartet (about ageing opera singers) and his non-fiction book All the World's a Stage, a general history of theatre. Harwood also has a strong interest in World War II, as shown by the films Operation Daybreak, The Statement, The Pianist, and his play turned to film Taking Sides, as well as the setting and atmosphere revealed in The Dresser. Harwood also wrote the screenplay for the films, The Browning Version (1994) with Albert Finney, Being Julia (2004) with Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons, and Roman Polanski's version of Oliver Twist (2005) with Ben Kingsley. He won an Academy Award for the scri pt of The Pianist, having already been nominated for The Dresser in 1983. Harwood received his third Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2007 for his adaptation of the memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he also won a BAFTA and the Prix Jacques Prevert Du Scenario, 2008, for Best Adaptation. In 2008, Harwood was awarded the Humanitas Award in recognition of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He has been the Chairman of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford since 2008. On June 12, 2010, at the annual Queens Birthday Honours, he received a knighthood for his services to the theatre.
2

World War II in Britain

History
In late 1938, Britain attempted to appease Germany and avoid another world war by signing the Munich Pact. This gave Germany "permission" to invade the contested Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. When Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia a few months later, it was clear that this attempt at appeasement did not work. In March 1939, Britain announced that it would support Poland if Germany invaded it. Germany invaded anyway. (In secret, Hitler and Stalin had signed an agreement dividing up Poland between the two powers.) On September 3, 1939, Britain declared war on Germany. This marked the beginning of World War II in Europe. In May 1940, Britain got a more aggressive war-time leader -- Winston Churchill -- who replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister. That same month, on May 26, 1940, in the face of a large-scale German offensive, British troops on the continent were forced into one of the largest evacuations in history -- the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast. From July to October 1940, the English people suffered under the Battle of Britain: intense German bombing. The objective of the campaign was to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially Fighter Command. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and was also the largest

News headli ne, Se ptemb er 3, 1939

il hurch on C Winst

and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. From July 1940 coastal shipping convoys and shipping centres, such as Portsmouth, were the main targets; one month later the Luftwaffe shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. As the battle progressed the Luftwaffe also targeted aircraft factories and ground infrastructure. Eventually the Luftwaffe resorted to attacking areas of political significance and using terror bombing tactics. September 7, 1940 heralded a tactical shift in Hitler's attempt to subdue Great Britain. Hitler turned his attention to destroying London in an attempt to demoralize the population and force the British to come to terms. (see page on The London Blitz) But the Royal Air Force valiantly defended its homeland from the German Luftwaffe, and the Nazis were unable to crush British morale. In March 1941, the U.S. began giving direct support to the British in the form of arms and ammunition through the Lend-Lease Act. After Pearl Harbor, in December, America would become directly involved in aiding the British in Europe. In January 1942, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to establish a Combined Chiefs of Staff and to the make defeating Germany their first priority. (Winning the war in Europe would come before winning the war in the Pacific.) After three more long years, the Allies did win the war in Europe. Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945. All told, Great Britain lost over 300,000 fighting men and over 60,000 civilians in World War II.

World War II in Britain

The London Blitz
An Eyewitness Account
"They came just after dark... " Ernie Pyle was one of World War Two's most popular correspondents. His journalism was characterized by a focus on the common soldier interspersed with sympathy, sensitivity and humor. He witnessed the war in Europe from the Battle of Britain through the invasion of France. In 1945 he accepted assignment to the Pacific Theater and was killed during the battle for Okinawa. Here, he describes a night raid on London in 1940:

The appearance of German bombers in the skies over London during the afternoon of September 7, 1940 heralded a tactical shift in Hitler's attempt to subdue Great Britain. During the previous two months, the Luftwaffe had targeted RAF airfields and radar stations for destruction in preparation for the German invasion of the island. With invasion plans put on hold and eventually scrapped, Hitler turned his attention to destroying London in an attempt to demoralize the population and force the British to come to terms. At around 4:00 PM on that September day, 348 German bombers, escorted by 617 fighters blasted London until 6:00 PM. Two hours later, guided by the fires set by the first assault, a second group of raiders commenced another attack that lasted until 4:30 the following morning. This was the beginning of the Blitz - a period of intense bombing of London and other cities that continued until the following May. For the next consecutive 57 days, London was bombed either during the day or night. Fires consumed many portions of the city. Residents sought shelter wherever they could find it - many fleeing to the Underground stations that sheltered as many as 177,000 people during the night. In the worst single incident, 450 were killed when a bomb destroyed a school being used as an air raid shelter. Londoners and the world were introduced to a new weapon of terror and destruction in the arsenal of twentieth century warfare. The Blitz ended on May 11, 1941 when Hitler called off the raids in order to move his bombers east in preparation for Germany's invasion of Russia.

"It was a night when London was ringed and stabbed with fire. They came just after dark, and somehow you could sense from the quick, bitter firing of the guns that there was to be no monkey business this night. Shortly after the sirens wailed you could hear the Germans grinding overhead. In my room, with its black curtains drawn across the windows, you could feel the shake from the guns. You could hear the boom, crump, crump, crump, of heavy bombs at their work of tearing buildings apart. They were not too far away. Half an hour after the firing started I gathered a couple of friends and went to a high, darkened balcony that gave us a view of a third of the entire circle of London. As we stepped out onto the balcony a usvast inner excitement came over all of us-an excitement that had neither fear nor horror in it, because it was too full of awe. You have all seen big fires, but I doubt if you have ever seen the whole horizon of a city lined with great fires - scores of them, perhaps hundreds. There was something inspiring just in the awful savagery of it. The closest fires were near enough for us to hear the crackling flames and the yells of firemen. Little fires grew into big ones even as we watched. Big ones died down under the firemen's valor, only to break out again later. About every two minutes a new wave of planes would be over. The motors seemed to grind rather than roar, and to have an angry pulsation, like a bee buzzing in blind fury. (continued...)

World War II in Britain

The London Blitz
The guns did not make a constant overwhelming din as in those terrible days of September. They were intermittent - sometimes a few seconds apart, sometimes a minute or more. Their sound was sharp, near by; and soft and muffled, far away. They were everywhere over London. Into the dark shadowed spaces below us, while we watched, whole batches of incendiary bombs fell. We saw two dozen go off in two seconds. They flashed terrifically, then quickly simmered down to pin points of dazzling white, burning ferociously. These white pin points would go out one by one, as the unseen heroes of the moment smothered them with sand. But also, while we watched, other pin points would burn on, and soon a yellow flame would leap up from the white center. They had done their work - another building was on fire. The greatest of all the fires was directly in front of us. Flames Pinkishseemed to whip hundreds of feet into the air. Pinkish-white smoke ballooned upward in a great cloud, and out of this cloud there gradually took shape - so faintly at first that we weren't sure we saw correctly - the gigantic dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's was surrounded by fire, but it came through. It stood there in its enormous proportions - growing slowly clearer and clearer, the way objects take shape at dawn. It was like a picture of some miracupeacelous figure that appears before peace-hungry soldiers on a battlefield.

St. Pauls Cathedral December 29, 1940

semiThe streets below us were semi-illuminated from the glow. Immediately above the fires the sky was red and angry, and overhead, making a ceiling in the vast heavens, there was a cloud of smoke all in pink. Up lightin that pink shrouding there were tiny, brilliant specks of flashing lightantiaircraft shells bursting. After the flash you could hear the sound. Up there, too, the barrage balloons were standing out as clearly as if it were daytime, but now they were pink instead of silver. And now and then through a hole in that pink shroud there twinkled incongruously a permanent, genuine star - the old - fashioned kind that has always been there. Below us the Thames grew lighter, and all around below were the shadows - the dark shadows of buildings and bridges that formed the base of this dreadful masterpiece. Later on I borrowed a tin hat and went out among the fires. That was exciting too; but the thing I shall always remember above all the other things in my life is the monstrous loveliness of that one single view of London on a holiday night - London stabbed with great fires, shaken by explosions, its dark regions along the Thames sparkling with the pin points of white-hot bombs, all of it roofed over with a ceiling of whitepink that held bursting shells, balloons, flares and the grind of vicious engines. And in yourself the excitement and anticipation and wonder in your soul that this could be happening at all. These things all went together to make the most hateful, most beautiful single scene I have ever known." "The London Blitz, 1940," EyeWitness to History,

Children sit among the rubble of their home. September 1940

www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2001).

World War II in Britain

the Baedeker Raids
aircraft guns in the UK throughout 1942, at a time when they were urgently needed elsewhere. Exactly when and why the Luftwaffe High Command decided to switch from these nuisance raids to conventional bombing raids on cultural centres of no military value is difficult to determine, but on 23 April, twenty-five German bombers attacked Exeter, using radar beams as a guide. About 70 locals died in the raid and the Germans returned home without loss. Boasting of the raid at Lubeck in Flames a press conference the following day, Nazi propagandist Baron Gustav Braun began a large-scale bombing raid von Sturm said: "We shall go (as the previous German bomber out and bomb every building in raids against the UK had been inBritain marked with three stars frequent since the middle of May in the Baedeker Guide." 1941, being largely restricted to mine laying). No records exist to say whether the Baedeker books actually Adolf Hitler, raging against the featured in the Luftwaffe plan, "inhumane" British (and quite failor if the mention was inventive ing to mention the terror and havspin on Baron von Sturm's part oc that the Luftwaffe had created - but on 25 April it was the turn during the Blitzkrieg and the Battle of historic Bath to be blitzed for of Britain), vowed to avenge A British soldier scans the skies from a rooftop two nights in a row. Lubeck and Rostock. He ordered his pilots to bomb previously unIn the five towns hit in the Baetouched British cities which were known primarily as dekers tourist destinations. These were the "Baedeker proper Raids," named after a popular tourist guidebook, Exeter, which began on April 24th, 1942 with an attack on Bath, NorExeter. Among the targets that were destroyed wich, York were the famous Roman baths in the city of Bath. and CanThe intensity of the raids, conducted by at most 200 terbury 1,637 civilbombers but typically 80, sometimes flying more than one sortie per night, rose during May but be- ians had been killed came less accurate and effective. In June the Luftwaffe switched its night-attack targets to ports and and 1,760 The Yorkshire Evening Press in 1942, industrial towns. By early September 1942 its night injured. Following the Baedeker Raid on York offensive was over, except for an attack on Canterbury on 31st October. Its daytime attacks by a few aircraft at low-level had resumed in the spring of We shall go out and bomb every building in Britain 1942 and proved relatively more effective, but were suspended when the small force was diverted in marked with three stars in the Baedeker Guide. November 1942 to take part in the occupation of - Baron Gustav Braun von Sturm Vichy France. However, these raids held down no less than 1,400 British fighters and 6,000 anti6

On the night of March 28th and 29th, 1942, the Royal Air Force bombed the German city of Lubeck. In retaliation, the Germans

World War II in Britain

Women in the War Eort
Largely excluded from previous war efforts, British women found several new positions as leaders and volunteers in support of the Allied Resistance. The demands of the war effort dramatically shifted static gender roles within the home, bringing more women out into the workplace than ever before and leading to other social transformations that impacted developments in technology, science, politics and even fashion. With these changing roles, came new questions about the ability of women to carry out so-called mens workB and do much more than Make Do and Mend,B as one popular wartime slogan alludes. In December 1941, the National Service Act made the conscription of women legal. B y 1943, nearly 90% of single women and 80% of married women were employed in work for the B ritish war effort. Here are some of the most crucial organizations that employed women during the effort: 1. Womens Land Army Othe civil defense was reformed in 1938 to train women in agricultural work- which then allowed more male workers to enter combat. Most of these WLA workers were young women from towns and cities. 2. Air Raid Precautions (ARP)Othe organization helped in the distribution of gas masks, Anderson shelters (airraid shelters), the upkeep of local public shelters and the maintenance and rescue of people after an air raid. 3. Womens Royal Naval Service (WRNS)OOmaintained ships of the Royal (WRNS) Navy and involved in most of the secret planning for D-Day! 4. Womens Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) 5. Womens Voluntary Service (WVS) O the largest single womens organization during war time. The WVS was created to support civil defense and provide services like organizing: evacuations, clothing exchanges, salvage collections O (a full-blown recycling campaign: paper, rubber, aluminum pots, kettles, jelly molds even old bones were also gathered and processed for use as glue and garden fertilizers), canteens and shelterO (the volunteers provided hot drinks and food to both Civil Defense workers and people injured during or rendered homeless by air raids), and discussions (reminded people to Make do and MendB and always conserve scarce resources during war-time). The Women's Land Army was first begun during the First World War as a way for the country to continue to produce at a sufficient level even though the majority of its workers - men were at war. The government cleverly realized that the women of the country were an untapped resource which could be taken advantage of while the nation was at war. Sure enough, women quickly came to fill these positions, which were often agricultural, though some had factory and cannery jobs instead. Unfortunately, this change in women's status did not go over with many of the farmers, which led to the B oard of Trade sending some of its agricultural officers around the country, persuading the farmers to allow the women to work. However, once the First World War was over and the men shipped back home, life quickly returned to the way it had been before the war. However, with the Second World War, there was again a shortage of male workers as thousands of B ritish men were shipped off to war. B ecause of this, women were soon recruited to pick up the slack. (continued)
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World War II in Britain

Women in the War Eort
Again, the majority of the work the For example, the best instance of this women did took place on farms, is actually in America, where there though other women helped fell was an organization called the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), trees or were rat catchers. Still othwhich started after women pilots er women were busy recruiting for came to fulfill the ranks left by a the Women's Land Army, which in shortage of male pilots. A group of 1944 had 80,000 women working women was assembled under the the land. leadership of Jacqueline Cochran The hours the women worked were who brought together a group of long; a twelve hour or longer work women to be trained to fly aircraft day was not at all unusual. Moreoin accordance with military training ver, the women were also underand regulations. The women she paid because not only was the agribrought together then formed the cultural industry already known for r with Eleano organization WASP and became the ist talking ill tour of underpaying its workers (which led machin first women to have military authoriA woman during her goodw many of the men who were not at war Roosevelt in in 1942 zation and training to fly. to quit their jobs), but their earning pow- Great B rita er was also seen as not being equal to In B ritain there was the Womens that of a man's. Royal Air Force, which was a precursor to the Women's Auxiliary Air While the majority of the women came Force. The former organization from the local countryside, many of formed during the First World War the women who were part of the Land and was plagued with leadership Army were from towns and cities and difficulties. Finally, Helen Gwynnewere typically bused or trucked to Vaughan took over the leadership whichever farm they worked at. of the organization and successfully Lady Denman, a suffragist and leader ran it until it was disbanded after of many women's committees, became World War I. Unlike WASP, the poDirector of the Women's Land Army sitions women held in WRAF were shortly after the Second World War more secretarial, requiring that the broke out. The Minister of Agriculture women act as clerks, fitters, waithimself asked her to fulfill the position. resses, telephone operators, drivThe Women's Land Army helped forers, cooks and storekeepers. In this ward the women's movement because manner, they were able to free up it showed that not only were women men to be used as pilots since the able to do the work that was commonsecretarial jobs were now being ly assigned to men, but they could also filled by the women. work just as hard. While their labor During the Second World War, the was exploited during the war effort, Women's Auxiliary Air Force was these women did contribute significantformed (which, incidentally, ly to the goods B ritain was able to Gwynne-Vaughan was asked to produce even in the light of a reduced lead, but she turned down the ofnumber of workers. During the war, fer). As with the Women's Royal these women proved their mettle and Air Force, women were not given established a precedent that would the job of pilots (since they were later aid in ability to get employment basically filling positions to free up after the war. men to fly), but were asked to contribute in other ways, During the Second World War, several women's organi- from telephone operators to women who worked on zations that dealt with aviation in some way were intelligence. Interestingly, the WRAF was reinstituted and formed as part of the women's war effort. synthesized later with the WAAF.
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World War II in Britain

Women in the War Eort
However, there were apparently some women pilots, as evidence by the B ritish woman pilot Amy Johnson. She gained quite a bit of commercial flying experience before war broke out and used this experience to join the Air Transport Auxiliary since she was not able to join the Royal Air Force (the men's branch, in which they can actually fly).
Timeline of British Womens Military Participation
Pre-war: Five million women in the United Kingdom had paid employment, but most would have expected to leave as soon as they married, or when they had their first child. Women were one -third the total workforce in the metal and chemical industries, as well as in ship-building and vehicle manufacture. They worked on the railways, canals and on buses. Women built Waterloo Bridge in London. 1938: The Women's Land Army/Scottish Land Army was reformed in 1938 so that women could be trained in agricultural work, leaving male workers free to go to war. Most WLA members were young women from the towns and cities. Land Army Girls 1938: Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) was formed. Its initial plan was to recruit 25,000 female volunteers for driving, clerical, and general duties. In 1939, however, it was in action in France with the British Expeditionary Force. The vast majority of women in the ATS served in anti-aircraft command, on searchlights the 93rd Searchlight Regiment were all female. They also worked in mixed batteries on anti-aircraft guns, but not officially allowed to fire them.
ATS anti-aircraft crew, 1941

July 1939: The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was created. Among other duties, they boosted the numbers in the Royal Observer Corps, maintained and flew barrage balloons. Some, mainly from the voluntary First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, worked with the Special Operations Executive, dropping into enemy territory and working as saboteurs, couriers and radio operators. Elsewhere overseas, female nurses in military field hospitals worked near the front line of battle, and many served with allied forces such as SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces). Women also came to Britain as members of other Allied forces - such as the Women's Australian Air Force, and its Canadian and American equivalents. Others came from across the then British Empire to serve in the ATS. At its peak the British auxiliary forces consisted of nearly half a million members. Spring 1941: Every woman in Britain aged 18-60 had to be registered. December 1941: National Service Act (no 2) made the conscription of women legal for single women aged 20-30 Mid-1943: Almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were employed in essential work for the war effort. May 1945: VE Day, London, May 1945 1949: Creation of permanent women's forces 1950: Women's Land Army ended service to aid in postwar food shortages 1966: Womens Voluntary Services proved itself too useful ever to disband and continues today, becoming 'Royal'.

Spring 1939: Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was reformed. Women aged 18-50 who lived close to near naval ports could apply. The WRNS was in charge of ship maintenance for the Royal Navy. The WRNS also helped with secret planning for D-Day.

World War II in Britain

War Ra oning
A er the war was de lared in e tember the Bri sh go ern ment had to ut down on the amount of food it brought from abroad as German submarines star ng bombing Bri sh su ly shi s. There was a worry that this would lead to a shortage of food su lies in the sho s so the Bri sh go ernment de ided to introdu e a system of ra oning. Ra oning made sure that eo le got an equal amount of food e ery week. The go ernment was worried that as food be ame s ar er ri es would rise and oorer eo le might not be able to aord to eat. There was a danger that some eo le might hoard food lea ing none for others. Ra oning of food lasted for years and ended on July th 5 . E ery erson in Britain was gi en a ra on book. They had to register and buy their food from their hosen sho s. There were no su ermarkets so eo le had to isit se eral dierent sho s to buy meat egetables bread and other goods. When eo le wanted to buy some food the items they bought were rossed o in their ra on book by the sho kee er. On 8th January 0 ba on bu er and sugar were the rst food items to be ra oned. any other foods were added to the ra on list dur ing the war. These in luded: eat ( ar h 0) jam ( ar h ) bis uits (August 2) Fish Tea (July 0) breakfast ereals nned toma toes (February 2) eas (February 2) dried fruit (January 2) ri e (January 2) anned fruit ooking fat (July 0). ome food su h as ota toes fruit and sh were not ra oned. The weekly ra ons aried from month to month as food be ame more or less len ful. A ty i al ra on for one adult er week was: bu er 2oz (50g) ba on oz ( 00g) marga rine oz ( 00g) sugar 8oz (225g) meat: to the alue of s 2d (one shilling and six en e) milk ints o asionally dro ing to 2 ints heese 2oz (50g) eggs fresh egg a week tea 2oz (50g) jam lb ( 50g) e ery 2 months dried eggs a ket e ery weeks sweets 2oz ( 50g) e ery weeks. Peo le were en ouraged to ro ide their own food at home. The dig for i tory am aign started in O tober and alled for e e ry man and woman to kee an allotment. Lawns and ower beds were turned into egetable gardens and hi kens rabbits goats and igs were reared in town arks and gardens. ome of the oen es ommon during the war were the forging or stealing and/or selling of ra on books etrol ou ons or lothing ou ons. The transfer en e of ou ons between friends was an oen e e en without ayment for them as was ob taining ra oned goods without surrendering ou ons. Trading on the bla k market that is the ex hange barter or selling of goods or foodstus that were held to be obtained illegally was a ommon oen e. For instan e
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World War II in Britain

War Ra oning
there was a bla k market in toys whi h were made from materials ilfered from fa tories dedi ated to war rodu on. There was also a bla k market in meat from illegally slaughtered beasts i.e.: those that were old or diseased (there was a health risk there too). Cases of ro teering usually ame about when goods in short su ly were stolen then oered for sale or a sho kee er realized he had some old sto k on his hands that had in the eriod between buying and selling be ome s ar e. The go ernment did try to sto this by regula ng the ri e of goods but as usual there were loo holes. One trader was ned for making a ro t of 50% on a ontrolled ri e of a a ket of hairgri s. The list was endless.

Due to the threat of war in women hildren and old eo le were mo ed out of high risk areas of Britain su h as indus trial areas and areas with a high o ula on. In a roximately 25 000 eo le were e a uated. This was a re au on and was not ne essary. o dire t a on was taken against Britain by Germany. ost of the e a uees were trans orted ba k to their homes. Howe er in August 0 the war took a turn for the worse. The number of e a uees rose to about 00 000. Life for e a uees was di ult. ost li ed with eo le who didnt understand them. ome got to li e with ri h eo le and had a ni e few years but most didnt. They were se arated from their arents not knowing if they were dead or ali e. any hildren had diseas es. The e a uees were hosen by families like at an au on. Ea h e a uee had a label saying where they were from and what medi al ondi ons they had. This was horrible for most and Ill take that one be ame et hed on the memory of e a uees.

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ir Donald Wol t
Wolfit, that Paul Scofield would Sir Donald Wolfit KB E (20 April 1902 # 17 February be playing Lear there 1968) was an English actor- at the same time, saymanager, knighted in 1957 ing "Lear is still the for his services to the thea- brightest jewel in my tre. crown!" Wolfit, who was "Woolfitt" Wolfit was primarily a at birth was born in Newstage actor, although ark, Nottinghamshire, and he appeared in over attended the Magnus Gram- thirty films (most notamar School (now Magnus bly B lood of the Vampire, B ecket, and LawChurch of England School) and made his stage dLbut in rence of Arabia). He Wolfit as Captain Hook 1920. He first appeared in was nominated for the West End in 1924, playing in The Wandering B AFTA Awards for his performances in Svengali Jew but had limited success afterwards, though he (1954) and Room at the Top (1959). played some major supporting roles at the O ld Vic He worked a good deal for the B B C, playing King John and Volpone on television, and Lear, Theatre in 1930 (including Claudius to the first Hamlet of John Gielgud, whom Wolfit Falstaff and Richard III for radio - as well [1] Wolfit apenvied and strove to rival. as less predictable parts like Archie Rice in peared in the hit film Richard of B ordeaux, The Entertainer. again in support of Gielgud. Wolfit finally At one time, Ronald Harwood was his made a name for himself at the Shakedresser and he based his play The Dresser speare Memorial Theatre in 1936 as Ham(later turned into a film) on his relationship let, and he tried to persuade the managewith Wolfit. Harwood also wrote his biogment to finance him on a tour of the provraphy. Peter O 'Toole, who worked with inces. They declined the invitation, so he Wolfit on several films and plays over the withdrew his savings and started his own Wolfit as King Lear course of his career, considered Wolfit his touring company in 1937,[2] which he most important mentor. Wolfit was also an would lead for many years, prompting important influence on the early acting caHermione Gingold's bon mot, 'O livier is a tour-dereer of Harold Pinter, force, and Wolfit is forced to tour.' who worked for the DonWolfit's speciality was Shakespeare. He was known ald Wolfit Company, especially for his performances as King Lear and King's Theatre, HammerRichard III as well as O edipus, B en Jonson's Volpone smith, in 1953#54, perand Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine. His touring forming eight roles with company performed in London during the B attle of him.[ B ritain in 1940 and Wolfit staged a very successful Wolfit's last appearance series of abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays on stage was in a musiin London during World War II in the early aftercal, as the domineering noon for lunchtime audiences, but he was unpopular Mr B arrett in Robert and with American critics when he took the company to Elizabeth in 1966#7. He B roadway in 1947. He appeared at Stratford during died from cardiovascular the 1950s in his signature role of King Lear, and disease in London at the was invited to play Falstaff at the RSC in 1962 but age of The Theatre WorldB magazine article about Wolfits angrily turned the offer down when he discovered 65. BLunchtime ShakespeareB during WWII
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The A tor anager ystem hakes eares Canon

ActorThe Actor-Manager System The actor-manager system is a method of theatrical production that was dominant in England and the U.S. in the 19th century, consisting of a permanent company formed by a leading actor who chose his or her own plays, took a leading role in them, and handled business and financial arrangements.
The company of actors in The Dresser perform, primarily, plays by William Shakespeare. Here is a list of all the plays of William Shakespeare.

Tragedies
Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Hamlet Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth O thello Romeo and Juliet Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus

The advantages of this system became apparent in the 18th century when successful actor-managers such as Colley Cibber and David Garrick achieved performance standards superior to those achieved by theatre owners who hired occasional casts for indi- Comedies vidual plays. In the 19th century great actor- All's Well That Ends Well As managers such as William Charles Macready, TheYou Like Itof Errors Comedy Sir Henry Irving, Madame Vestris, Sir Herbert Cymbeline B eerbohm Tree, and Laura Keene maintained Love's Labours Lost Measure for Measure high standards. The repertoire usually inThe Merry Wives of Windsor volved a combination of Shakespeare, popu- The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night's Dream lar melodramas, and new dramas or come- Much Ado About Nothing dies. The era of the actor-manager was Pericles, Prince of Tyre geared to star performances, and often the Taming of the Shrew The Tempest actors most famous performance was in an Troilus and Cressida inferior literary work, such as Irvings role in Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona the horror play The B ells. Several factors Winter's Tale contributed to the decline of the actormanager system: more corporate ownershi p of theatres, a trend toward ensemble-style acting, obsolescence of the stock system of play rotation in favor of long runs, and the cost of investing in new plays, which led to new combinations of artistic personnel for each new venture.

Histories
Henry IV, part 1 Henry IV, part 2 Henry V Henry VI, part 1 Henry VI, part 2 Henry VI, part 3 Henry VIII King John Richard II Richard III

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Theatre Terminology
B eing a show about the theatre, The Dresser uses a great many terms that are specific to the theatre. Here is a list of theatre terminology (not all of which is used in The Dresser, but may be of interest to those whod like to understand more about the inner workings of the theatre). PEO PLE Assistant Stage Manager - person who is hired to help the Stage Manager B ox O ffice Manager - the person who is in charge of ticket reservations and ticketing Cast - the people who perform in a show Casting Director # the person responsible for finding the right actors for the roles in a show and hiring/contracting those actors for a production Choreographer - the person who creates dances and arranges movements for a musical Chorus 1) in a musical, the company of dancers and singers 2) the dancing, singing or songs performed by that company

Company - the cast and crew of a show and any other staff who work on the show Costumer - the person in charge of the costumes for a show Crew - all the people who work together on a show, except the cast Director - the person who provides the vision of how a show should be presented, works with designers to execute that vision, works with the actors on their roles, develops the blocking, and is in charge of the rehearsals Dramatist - a person who writes plays Dressers - people who help the actors get into and out of their costumes & make-up Ensemble - a group of actors, singers or dancers who perform together on stage Equity - trade union formed to protect professional actors and stage managers who work in the theater by helping to regulate pay and working conditions Front of House - a term used to describe all of the people in a theater who deal with the audience including the people who sell tickets and the ushers, and any other people who deal with the public (also see listing under PLACES) House Manager - the person in charge of the theater auditorium and anything to do with the audience Lighting Designer - the person who designs the lighting for a show and works with the director to get desired effects Musical Director - the person who works with the director, actors and orchestra to get the desired musical effects for a show
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Theatre Terminology
Prop Mistress/Master - the person in charge of all the props and who usually works with them during a show Set Designer - the person who designs the sets for a show Sound Designer - the person who designs the sound direction for the show Stage Manager - the person who runs the show from opening curtain to closing curtain and is in charge of everything on the stage and in the back of the stage Technical Director - the person who supervises the construction of a set and any rigging that needs to be done, such as hanging scenery Troupe - a group of actors that form a company Wrangler - a person hired to take care of the younger members of a cast PLACES Aisle - a walkway which goes through two areas of seats B ackstage - the part of a theater which is not seen by the audience, including the dressing rooms, wings and the green room B lack B ox - a type of theater usually surrounded by black curtains where the audience and actors are in the same room B ox O ffice - the place that sells tickets to a performance B roadway - the largest and most famous theatrical district in New York City Callboard - the place backstage where the Stage Manager puts up important information for the cast and crew Catwalk - a narrow walkway suspended from the ceiling of a theater from which sometimes lights and scenery are hung Control B ooth - the place in a theater from which all the sound and lights are controlled Downstage - the part of the stage which is closest to the audience Dressing Rooms - rooms in a theater provided for the actors in which they change costumes and apply make-up Front of House - the part of the theater to which patrons have access, including the auditorium where the audience is seated, the lobby and the box office...(also see listing under PEO PLE) Green Room - a place for the performers to relax while waiting to go on stage House - used to describe the audience or as a short way of saying "Front of House" O ffstage - the area of the stage which the audience cannot see
15

Theatre Terminology
O ff B roadway - theaters in New York City which are not located on or near B roadway O rchestra Pit - an area at the front of house, usually sunken, from which the musicians and conductor play during a show Proscenium - the arch that frames the front of a stage Rear of House - the areas in the back of the stage and those places used for storage Repertory Theatre - a theatre group that prepares several plays that they can perform over time... not just one Riser - a platform placed on the stage to create different levels Set - the setting of the stage for each act and all the physical things that are used to change the stage for the performance Stage Left # everything to the left of the center line (from the ACTO RS point of view on the stage) Stage Right - everything to the right of the center line (from the ACTO RS point of view on the stage) Summer Stock - a type of Repertory Theatre which produces its shows during the summer season Trap - an opening in the floor of a stage where a performer or prop candisappear (trap doors in the floor) Upstage 1) the area of the stage that is the farthest away from the audience 2) when one actor moves to the back of the stage and causes another actor to turn away from the audience...This is called "Upstaging" 3) when an actor draws attention to himself and away from the main action of a play

Wings - the areas of the stage that are to the sides of the acting area and are out of view. These areas are usually masked by curtains. THINGS Act 1) the main sections of a musical or play 2) the thing which actors can do

Ad Lib - to make up as you go without preparation Aside - a quick remark made by a character in a play which is said to the audience and not heard by the other characters in the play Audition - a time when an actor goes before a group of people who are casting a play to show those people what he can in an effort to land a role in the show B elt - in Musical Theater, a style of singing which uses a loud, full tone
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Theatre Terminology
B lack O ut - the quick shutting off of all the stage lights B locking - the instructions that actors use to know exactly where they are supposed to be on stage at all times B ook - the script of a play...libretto of a musical B reak A Leg - something people tell actors to wish them "Good Luck" before a performance or audition Call - the time that an actor must report to the theater for either a performance or rehearsal. Callback - when an actor who has auditioned for a show is asked to come back for a second tryout Casting - when the director chooses actors to be characters in a play or musical Cold Reading - when an actor is asked to read from a script he hasn't rehearsed Cue - signals that are given to the actors, the crew, the musicians and any others working on a show to let them know when its time for them to perform some action Curtain - the screen usually of cloth which separates the stage from the audience Curtain call - the bows at the end of a performance Dialogue - the words which are spoken in a play Dress Rehearsal - a rehearsal, usually just before a show opens, to practice the show just how it will be on opening night, including costumes and make-up. A rehearsal for both cast and crew Drop - a piece of fabric which is hung on stage and usually used in the scenery of a show Exit - a stage direction telling an actor to leave the stage Hand Props - those objects used to tell the story which are handled by actors in a production House Lights - the lights that are used to light up the auditorium where the audience sits Libretto - the term that describes the book or script of a musical or opera Marking O ut - when the stage is marked with tape to show where furniture and props should be placed during the performance (see also SpikeB) Matinee # a morning or afternoon performance of a show Monologue - a speech given by one actor Notes - the meeting a director usually has after a rehearsal or performance to tell the cast and crew how he felt about their performance and to make any changes he may think are necessary O ff B ook - when the director tells the cast (usually by a certain date) that they must memorize their lines and can no longer use their scripts in rehearsal
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Theatre Terminology
O verture - the beginning music in musical theater which usually gives the audience an idea of the music to come and gets them into the feeling of the show Personal Props - props that are carried by an actor in his costume during a performance Playbill 1)a program(booklet)that contains information about a production 2)the posters used to advertise a production

Preset - when either a prop, costume or something else used in a production is placed in or around the stage before the start of a performance Prompt - as actors move from using the script to no script (see off book),the prompter follows the play in a book and gives a portion of a line to an actor, if needed, to help them remember the line Props - all the items used in a play to tell the story not including the scenery or costumes -- the short forms of "Properties" Rehearsal - the period of practice before the beginning of a show in which the actors and director work on the development of the show Reprise - in musical theater, when either a whole song or part of a song is repeated Run - the number of times, or duration of time during which a show is performed Run-through - a rehearsal in which the actors perform the show from the very beginning to the very end... "Run the show" is another way of saying the same thing Running-Time - the amount of time it takes to perform the play from beginning to end not including any intermissions...as theater is live performance, this can vary slightly for each performance Scrim - a drop made of a special woven material that is sometimes used in the scenery of a play. When lit from behind you can see through it. When lit from the front it appears opaque. Sides # the scenes or sections of a script used for an audition Sound Effects - the noises which are produced to accompany a scene in a show...these noises are mostly produced by a machine but can be produced by actors or stage hands off stage Spike - same as "Marking O ut" Stage Directions - when a script contains information for the actors giving them specific entrances and exits and activities to be done onstage Standby - a person who understudies a single role (or more) but is not part of the chorus or ensemble of a musical or play Strike - to take the set apart when a show ends
18

Theatre Terminology
Subtext - the feelings behind the words a character speaks Technical Rehearsal - usually the first time a play is rehearsed in the place where it is going to be seen by the audience and in which the scenery, sound and lighting are used... this rehearsal can be done with or without costumes... "Tech" is the slang for this process Timing - when an actor has the ability to say or do something at the best moment for the most effect Swing - a performer in a musical who substitutes when chorus members are unable to perform Understudy - an actor who studies the lines and blocking of a role, and is able to take over for the original cast member in a role Wardrobe # 1) the stock of costumes and accessories which are owned by a theatre 2) the department in a theatre responsible for the upkeep of the costumes that are being used in a show that is currently in performance

19

Further Resear h
B ritain on the Home Front

Life in 1930s and 1940s (Snapping Turtle Guides: B ritish History) by John Guy
http://childreninwar2.blogspot.com/ The Home Front Reconstructed by Liz Gogerly At Home in World War 2 Rationing by Stewart Ross At Home in World War 2 Evacuation by Stewart Ross Children and the B litz by Jane Shutter

Well Meet Again Photographs of Daily life in B ritain During World War Two
Introduced by Robert Kee by Topham Lib http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/ http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/home_front.htm http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/homefront.htm http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-britain http://www.amazon.com/1940s-House-B enHymers/dp/B 0000AYL47/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1295482369&sr=1-2 B ritish World War II History http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/britain_40.htm http://www.amazon.com/B B C-History-World-War-II/dp/B 0009941E8/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2? ie=UTF8&qid=1295487167&sr=1-2-fkmr0 Women in the Second World War by Collette Drife

Silently into the Midst of Things: 177 Squadron Royal Air Force in B urma 1943-1945: History and Personal Narratives by Atholl Sutherland B rownRAF B omber Stories: Dramatic First-Hand Accounts of B ritish and Commonwealth Airmen in WW2 by Martin B owman
http://www.worldwariihistory.info/in/B ritain.html http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/women_at_war_01.shtml B ritish World War II Theatre

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Introduction by B retislav Hodek and Preface by Sir Donald Wolfit The Cambridge History of B ritish Theatre Volume 3 Since 1895 by B uz Kershaw Theatre History Explained by Neil Fraser Entertainment,Propaganda,Education:Regional Theatre in Germany and B ritain B etween 1918 and 1945 by Anselm
Heinrich

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre by Don Rubin,Peter Nag, and Phippe Rouyer The Cambridge Guide to Theatre by Martin B anham The Continuum Conpanion to Twentieth Century Theatre by Colin Chambers
http://www.steppenwolf.org/watchlisten/backstage/detail.aspx?id=23 http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/osc/osc75.htm 1930Politics and Attitudes of B ritain 1930-1945

Family Newspapers? Sex, private life & the B ritish Popular Press, 1918-1978 by Adrian B ingham Decline and Fall of the B ritish Aristocracy by David Cannadine The Game of The Foxes; the untold story of German espionage in the United States and B ritain during World War II by Ladislas Farago
http://wn.com/B ritish_propaganda_during_World_War_II http://store.payloadz.com/details/74334-eB ooks-History-B ritish-World-War-2-Propaganda-Posters.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4659477.stm http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/chamberlain_arthur_neville.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/churchill_winston.shtml Sir Donald Wolfit

Sir Donald Wolfit C.B .E His life and work in the unfashionable theatre by Ronald Harwood The Dresser by Ronald Harwood
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0938372/bio http://www.answers.com/topic/donald-wolfit 20