Stages and Pages
There’s more to theatre than actors and sets. Good theatre is about stories. Great theatre is about ideas. Good theatre entertains. Great theatre provokes an examination of life.
The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) and the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) have partnered to help explore the themes and topics raised in each play during GCTC’s 2011-2012 season.
OPL Readers’ Advisory librarians have read the scripts for each of the plays and recommended resources to further the exploration of their themes through fiction, non-fiction, films, documentaries, periodicals and/or websites. These materials, along with the published scripts, are now part of OPL’s collection and free to borrow. The resources will only add to the experience of seeing the show, and can be explored before or after being part of the audience.
Visit the OPL website to check out the recommended resources or call InfoService at (613) 580-2940 for more information.
AMELIA: THE GIRL WHO WANTS TO FLY
September 13 – October 2, 2011
Fiction
By: G. Willow Wilson, 2010. 162p.
The third in a series of graphic novels featuring Amelia Earhart.
By: Allegra Goodman, 2010. 384p.
A contemporary social comedy about two sisters who are opposites in every way.
By: Lori M. Carlson, 2002. 241p.
Based on the life of pioneering aviatrix Clara Livingston, this is the story of a young woman in the early 1900s who craves escape and eventually becomes an accomplished pilot, rubbing elbows with the likes of Amelia Earhart.
By: Helen Humphreys, 1998. 242p.
Set in 1930s Canada, this novel tells the story of Willa and Grace, two female pilots attempting to break the world record for non-stop flight.
On Glorious Wings: The Best Flying Stories of the Century
By: Stephen Coonts, 2003. 464p.
23 stories and excerpts about flying that were written before and during the twentieth century, compiled in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of powered flight.
By: Susan Sellers, 2009. 213p.
Written from the perspective of Vanessa Bell to her sister Virginia Woolf, this novel plumbs the relationships between the women, their family, and their bohemian Bloomsbury set. For a non-fiction account, try Jane Dunn’s A Very Close Conspiracy: Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf.
Nonfiction
About Amelia:
Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air (DVD) 2010. 50 min.
A look at the groundbreaking aviator and her mysterious disappearance during her 1937 flight around the world, through interviews, discovered evidence, and extensive archival footage. Originally broadcast on the Biography Channel in 1996.
Amelia Earhart: The Turbulent Life of an American Icon
By: Kathleen C. Winters, 2010. 242p.
An insightful biography which looks at Earhart's achievements as well as the influence of her husband, who promoted her tirelessly.
Amelia Earhart's Shoes: Is the Mystery Solved?
By: Thomas F. King, 2001. 376p. A compelling story about the efforts to use science to discover Amelia's fate.
Letters from Amelia, 1901-1937
By: Amelia Earhart, 1982. 253p.
Over one hundred letters from the legendary pilot to her beloved mother, from a four-year-old’s thank- you note to a few lines written just prior to her final flight.
Soaring Wings: A Biography of Amelia Earhart
By: George Putnam, 1939. 294p.
Biography written by Earhart's husband and publicist, George Putnam.
Other Aviators:
Before Amelia: Women Pilots in the Early Days of Aviation
By: Eileen F Lebow, 2002. 315p.
Survey of the careers of aviatrixes from several countries who overcame prejudice against their sex to become accomplished pilots in the years before World War I.
Inside the Sky: A Meditation on Flight
By: William Langewiesche, 1998. 240p.
Seven essays exploring both literal and metaphoric views from above.
Lindbergh: Flight’s Enigmatic Hero
By: Von Hardesty, 2002. 229p.
A visually stunning and fascinating biography of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century. Readers may also wish to check out biographies of Lindbergh’s wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who was also an aviator.
The Sky’s the Limit: Canadian Women Bush Pilots
By: Joyce Spring, 2006. 183p.
Stories of early Canadian women bush pilots from the late 1940s onwards.
By: Beryl Markham. 1983. 293p.
A classic of outdoor literature, this is the autobiography of Beryl Markham, a pioneering aviatrix who became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west.
Adventurous Women of the Time:
Daughter of the Desert: The Remarkable Life of Gertrude Bell
By: Georgina Howell, 2006. 518p.
Biography of the extraordinary Gertrude Bell, who escaped the confines of Victorian life to become an archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, and mountaineer.
By: Blanche Wiesen Cook, 1992 & 1999. 2 volumes.
A highly readable biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady, champion of social justice, and friend of Amelia Earhart.
Living with Cannibals and Other Women’s Adventures
By: Michele B. Slung, 2010. 243p.
Stories of 16 female explorers (including Amelia Earhart) from the 1700s to the present who broke all societal rules by embarking on journeys just as adventurous as those done by men.
They Went Whistling: Women Wayfarers, Warriors, Runaways, and Renegades
By: Barbara Holland, 2001. 281p.
Irresistible stories of women throughout history who have stepped over the edge to live lives of high adventure.
Sibling Rivalry:
Freud’s Blind Spot: 23 Original Essays on Cherished, Estranged, Lost, Hurtful, Hopeful, Complicated Siblings 2010. 273p.
Contemporary writers explore the rich and varied landscape of sibling experience.
Mysterious Aviation Disasters:
Star Dust Falling: The Story of the Plane that Vanished
By: Jay Rayner, 2002. 261p.
On August 2, 1947, a British South American Airways plane called Star Dust took off from Buenos Aires for Santiago. It never arrived. A gripping account of the plane's last journey and of the modern expedition to locate its final resting place.
Whispering Pines
October 25 – November 13, 2011
East Germany (GDR)
The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, 1961-1989
This is a general history of the politics and practices associated with the Berlin Wall, which surrounded West Berlin in the heart of East Germany for nearly 30 years.
The File: A Personal History
1997. 256p.
The author describes his discovery of the file which the East German police had compiled on him during his visit to Berlin in the late 1970s.
The Firm: The Inside Story of the Stasi
By: Gary Bruce, 2010. 239p.
A history of East Germany's secret police, based on previously classified documents and on interviews with former secret police officers and ordinary citizens.
Red Cartoons: Animated Films from East Germany (DVD) 2010. 57 min.
A collection of animated short films produced in East Germany between 1974 and 1990.
In German or English with optional English subtitles.
That was the GDR: A History of the Other Germany (DVD) 2009. 360 min.
Originally produced in 1993, this film features interviews with citizens reflecting on political, economic, and cultural developments in East Germany from the founding of GDR in 1949 to German unification in 1990. In German with English subtitles.
The Wall: A World Divided 2010. 60 min.
Chronicles the history of the Berlin Wall from its construction in 1961 to the opening in 1989. Examines the lives of citizens caught in the politics of the Cold War, the efforts of East Berliners to cross to the West, and the birth of the freedom movement in East Germany's Protestant Church.
When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism
2006. 127p.
Written by a journalist who was on site when the Berlin Wall was opened in 1989,
this narrative tells the whole story, from the division of Germany after World War II, to life in the Communist East, to the massive protests that brought an end to the Eastern Bloc.
Communism
Fear of Mirrors
This novel follows the lives of a family of activists from the days of the Russian Revolution to the post-Wall era.
A Guided Tour through the Museum of Communism: Fables from a Mouse, a Parrot, a Bear, a Cat, a Mole, a Pig, a Dog, and a Raven
Drakulić, 2011. 192p.
In a collection of eight stories that satirizes communism, each tale is narrated by an animal representing a former communist country, with the critter reflecting on the fall of communism.
The Rise and Fall of Communism
Published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this history, based on forty years of study, follows the rise and decline of a revolutionary ideology that changed the modern world.
Art Realism
Capturing Soft Realism in Colored Pencil
2002. 128p.
Kullberg teaches artists how to faithfully capture the essence of any subject without wasting time on excessive detail work.
Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel (DVD) 2009. 138 min.
Recorded in performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Sung in German with subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.
Kites
The Joy of Kites
By: Hans Walter Sylvester, 2008. 172p.
Photographs of kites which the author took over the course of his many voyages around the world.
A Midwinter’s Dream Tale
November 29 – December 18, 2011
By: William Shakespeare.
A wonderful comedy by Shakespeare, and in reference to A Midwinter’s Dream Tale, it is your introduction to the king, queen and entourage of the fairies. In print, we also have a graphic novel version, some "Shakespeare for kids" versions, and the score from an opera adaptation.
The Winter’s Tale (DVD) 2005. 170 min.
A fantastically acted stage production by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The plot of the Shakespearean play forms the foundation of action for the GCTC play.
Shakespeare Retold (DVD) 2007. 360 min.
The BBC took the plots of 4 plays and updated the settings: "Macbeth is the chef in a 3-star restaurant; Beatrice and Benedick are rival co-anchors; Titania and Bottom carouse in a tawdry theme resort; and Petruchio sets out to tame the conservative Kate in a politically incorrect marriage of convenience."
Fool
By: Christopher Moore, 2009. 311p.
A laugh-out-loud satire and re-telling of 'King Lear', starring Pocket, Lear's jester, as he tries to clean up the mess made by the king's actions. So clever and so funny and so fool-ish! A natural read-alike for this play.
Something Rotten
By: Jasper Fforde, 2004. 393p.
In Fforde's alternate reality, people can "read themselves into" works of literature (for instance, to attend anger management therapy with the cast of Wuthering Heights). In this book, Hamlet accompanies the main character, Thursday Next, in her regular life in England. Very silly, smart fun.
An Antic Disposition
By: Alan Gordon, 2004. 337p.
Again, following the theme of fools, this is a mystery series starring a member of the Fool's Guild in the late 12th century. In this installment, the fool the fool works in the household of the historical Hamlet. A wonderful book in a fantastic series.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
By: Tom Stoppard. 1967. 106p.
A play that re-tells Hamlet from the perspective of two incidental characters from the original work. Winner of the Drama Critics Circle award.
A Thousand Acres
By: Jane Smiley 1991. 371p.
A successful Iowan farmer divides his land between his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of the will. What King Lear would have been as a novel in twentieth century America. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
The Constant Princess
By: Philippa Gregory, 2005. 490p.
If you like themes of royal intrigue, nothing beats the novelized history of King Henry VIII and his court. This is the first of the Tudor novels by this popular author.
Dreams Underfoot
By: Charles De Lint,1993. 414p.
From Ottawa-area author and an originator of the “urban fantasy” genre, the first of the Newford series is a collection of short stories. From the reviews: "De Lint has a flair for tales that blur the lines between the mundane world and magical reality, and nowhere is this more evident than in the fictional city of Newford, where the borders between the worlds are at their most permeable."
Stardust
By: Neil Gaiman, 1999. 238p.
A young man in a small English town wanders across the boundaries between the fairy world and his reality. Years later, his son sets off on a quest to find a fallen star and encounters a world beyond his imaginings. Gaiman uses rich language, humour and dark mysteries to reel us in. Later made into a movie starring Claire Danes.
The Good Fairies of New York
By: Martin Millar, 2007. 242p.
In keeping with the fairy and human interactions, this book is a comic urban fantasy story of two Scottish thistle fairies (think punk rock sensibilities and lively, short tempers) living in New York City. Not your typical fantasy book.
Gods Behaving Badly
By: Marie Phillips, 2007. 277p.
Not fairies and humans, but Greek gods and humans. What would happen if Aphrodite, Athena, Zeus, Ares and the rest lived today in London? How would that go?
Waiting For Godot
By: Samuel Beckett, 1982. 60p.
With its two clowns, A Midwinter’s Dream Tale is a close cousin of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a classic of absurdist theatre which one summary describes as "a landmark play of desperation and humor in which two tramps wait for someone who never comes."
Ice Cream Happy Hour: 50 Boozy Treats that you Spike and Freeze at Home
By: Valerie Lum and Jenise Addison, 2011.
You have to see the play to get this joke - Ice Cream!
You Fancy Yourself
January 17 – February 5, 2012
Corrag
By: Susan Fletcher, 2010. 366p.
Corrag is a Scottish woman who, in 1692, is accused of witchcraft and imprisoned for her involvement in the massacre of 38 members of Clan MacDonald at Glencoe. Hers is a story of passion, courage, love, and the magic of the natural world.
Highlanders: A History of the Scottish Clans
By: Fitzroy Maclean, 1995. 276p.
The Laxdala Saga and Other Tales (audiobook CD)
By: Storytellers of Canada, 2006. 3 sound discs.
Written in the thirteenth century, the Laxdala Saga chronicles the history of one of Iceland's earliest families. Stories of feuds and love matches, vast journeys and harsh landscapes are retold by storyteller Carol McGirr.
Northern Lights (music CD)
By: Sissel. Recorded live at Røros Church, Mar. 15-16, 2007.
Includes an Icelandic lullaby.
Scottish Tranquility (music CD)
By: Phil Coulter, 1991. 54 min.
Includes "Red Red Rose" and "Scotland the Brave".
Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-proof
Girls in the Early Grades
By: Michelle Anthony, 2010. 282p.
Emily of New Moon
By: L. M. Montgomery. 339p.
Emily of New Moon features a spirited heroine who, through her imagination and her writing, is able to face life's various obstacles, including a formidable aunt, a mean-spirited teacher, and nasty classmates.
The Hundred Dresses
By: Eleanor Estes. 80p.
Wanda faces mockery at school, both because of her "funny" last name (Petronski) and her claims that she has 100 dresses at home (even though she wears the same one to school each day).
Little by Little: A Writer’s Education
By: Jean Little, 1989. 233p.
In this memoir, prize-winning author Jean Little describes how negative attitudes toward her visual disability left her feeling isolated and friendless as a child. Through her love of reading and writing however, she found a place for herself in the world and developed into a more self-confident young woman.
The Little Match Girl
By: Hans Christian Andersen. 30p.
This edition of the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen includes lovely illustrations by Rachel Isadora.
A Little Princess
By: Frances Hodgson Burnett. 240p.
Another children's classic featuring a heroine who uses imagination and storytelling to transcend her dreary circumstances.
Mean Girls Grow Up: Adult Women Who Are Still Queen Bees,
Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees
By: Cheryl Dellasega, 2005. 246p.
James Dean: First American Teenager (DVD) 2009. 77 min.
Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling (DVD) 2006. 76p.
Follow several competitors as they converge on Louisburg, NC - the mecca of whistling - for the International Whistling Convention and Competition. Special features include a private whistling lesson with Steve “The Whistler” Herbst.
March 21 – April 8, 2012
Non-Fiction
Born Guilty: Children of Nazi Families
By: Peter Sichrovsky, 1988. 178p.
The book documents 14 interviews by Sichrovsky with children (and grandchildren) of Nazi war criminals.
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
By: Hannah Arendt, 2006.
Arendt’s report on the trial of Nazi leader Eichmann includes further material that came to light after the trial, as well as a postscript addressing the controversy that arose over her account.
By: Gerald Posner, 1991. 239p.
Posner’s subjects include relatives of some of the Third Reich's most infamous leaders, as well as of dedicated but obscure supporters.
Hunting Evil: How the Nazi War Criminals Escaped
and the Quest to Bring them to Justice
By: Guy Walters, 2009. 518p.
An account of how the most notorious Nazi war criminals escaped justice, how they were pursued, captured or able to remain free until their natural deaths, and how they were assisted on the run by "helpers" ranging from a Vatican bishop to a British camel doctor, and even members of Western intelligence services.
Legacy of Silence: Encounters with Children of the Third Reich
By: Dan Bar-On, 1989. 338p.
Between August 1985 and October 1987, Israeli psychologist Bar-On traveled to Germany on four occasions to speak with men and women whose fathers had served in the Nazi elite. His book records 13 from over 50 such meetings.
By: Helga Schneider, 2004. 166p.
This memoir relates a daughter's final encounter with her mother, a former SS guard at Auschwitz.
By: Art Spiegelman, 2011. 320p.
In MetaMaus, Art Spiegelman probes the questions most often evoked by the Pulitzer prize-winning Maus, a modern classic that has altered how we see literature, comics, and the Holocaust ever since it was published 25 years ago.
My Father’s Keeper: Children of the Nazi Leaders;
An Intimate History of Damage and Denial
By: Stephan Lebert, 2001. 243p.
In 1959, German journalist Norbert Lebert set out to interview the offspring of former Nazi leaders, young adults with surnames like Himmler and Hess, Bormann and Gering. Six years after Norbert's death in 1993, his son Stephan, a journalist, discovered the interviews among his father's papers and set out to re-interview the children, now senior citizens.
By: Elie Wiesel; translated from the French by Marion Wiesel, 2006. 120p.
First published in 1960, this is an autobiographical account of an adolescent boy and his father in Auschwitz.
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
By: Sabine Reichel, 1989. 214p.
Reichel recounts her childhood memories, her growing awareness of the horrors of the past, and her eventual decision to draw from her elders their explanations for Hitler and his actions.
By: Christiane Kohl, 2010. 243p.
Autumn 1945 saw the start of the Nuremberg trials, in which high ranking representatives of the Nazi government were called to account for their war crimes. In a curious yet fascinating twist, witnesses for the prosecution and the defense were housed together in a villa on the outskirts of town.
Fiction
By: Michael Lavigne, 2005. 300p.
While taking care of his father, who has Alzheimer's, Michael Rosenheim finds out that his parent is a former Nazi now posing as a Jew.
By: Liam Durcan. 2007. 378p.
Neurologist Patrick Lazerenko travels to The Hague to witness the war crimes trial of his beloved mentor, Hernan García, a Honduran doctor accused of involvement in torture.
circle mirror transformation
May 22 – June 10, 2012
Acting, Improvisation & Theatre
Acting Games for Individual Performers: A Comprehensive Workbook of 110 Acting Exercises
By: Gavin Levy, 2007. 235p.
Acting Skills for Life
By: Ron Cameron, 1999. 485p.
Group Improvisation: The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games
By: Peter Gwinn, 2003. 91p.
The Improv Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Improvising in Comedy, Theatre and Beyond
By: Tom Salinsky, 2008. 425p.
The Necessity of Theater: The Art of Watching and Being Watched
By: Paul Woodruff, 2008. 257p.
Stoires of Home-grown Therapy
Every Other Thursday: Stories and Strategies from Successful Women Scientists
By: Ellen Daniell, 2006. 268p.
The story of a problem-solving group that has empowered its members by providing practical and emotional support for over 25 years.
The Film Club: The True Story of a Father and Son
By: David Gilmour, 2007. 247p.
A story about Gilmour's decision to let his teenaged son drop out of high school on the condition that the boy agree to watch three films a week with him. The book examines how those pivotal years changed both their lives.
A Long Way Down
By: Nick Hornby, 2005. 333p.
Meeting on New Year's Eve on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination infamous as a last stop for suicidal people, a talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother share stories about their circumstances and decisions.
One Amazing Thing
By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, 2009. 220p.
When nine disparate characters are trapped together after an earthquake, each of them takes a turn telling "one amazing thing" about his or her life.
Summer on Blossom Street
By: Debbie Macomber, 2009. 361p.
Upbeat cancer survivor Lydia and her pragmatic sister, Margaret, start a "Knit to Quit" group in their Blossom Street yarn store, hoping to bring in customers for weekly self-help sessions.
And Just for Fun
Hoopdance for Beginners (DVD) 2006. 80 min.
Hooping: A Revolutionary Fitness Program to Lose Weight, Feel Sexy, and Have Fun
By: Christabel Zamor, 2009. 210p. + 1 DVD (40 min.)
