November Play On! Materials
PYGMALION
This month, we are learning about Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Pigmalion. An opera about a sculptor who falls in love with his own statue, which then comes to life!
We will learn from two incredible artists: Dramaturg and Actor, Peregrine Heard, and Sculptor and Scenic Designer, Vincent Gunn. We will discover how stories can be told in many different ways, and about the power of sculpture and design.
Ovid’s Pygmalion myth has inspired many interpretations over hundreds of years. Operas, ballets, plays, films, songs, and even a Broadway musical: My Fair Lady. Click below for a scene from the 1964 movie starring Audrey Hepburn. This is the song, “Wouldn’t it be loverly”
The ballet Coppélia, about a toy-maker who falls in love with a life-size doll he has created, is also inspired by the Pygmalion myth. Watch as Dr. Coppélius believes he sees his doll coming to life:
Sculpt Your Own Statue!
Here are a few depictions of Pygmalion and his beloved statue:
Dance Along!
Now, put on some music from the opera, and imagine you are the statue coming to life!
Tell Your Own Story!
Now, in a fun DRAMATURGY ACTIVITY from Peregrine, tell your own story:
The opera Pigmalion is based on a story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, written in the 1st century CE. Metamorphoses tells us many stories of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and humans. You might even recognize a few! Now is your chance to create an adaptation of one of these stories, just like Rameau did with his opera.
Choose a story or character from Metamorphoses (remember: “metamorphosis” means “change” or “transformation”—most of the stories feature a character transforming into something new). Then create your adaptation: you can make a painting, write a script, choreograph a dance, or retell the story in a new setting in your own words. Think about how your version can highlight the parts of the story that are important to you.
ACIS & GALATEA
Galatea was a nereid, a sea nymph, who lived on the island of the Cyclops (the one-eyed giants). One of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, was in love with Galatea, but she did not return his love. Instead, Galatea loved the shepherd Acis, and together they would mock the love songs Polyphemus would sing for Galatea. This angered Polyphemus, and in his jealousy he hurled a boulder from the side of Mount Etna at Acis, crushing him under the rock. As Acis’ blood flowed out from under the rock, Galatea turned it into a river and she turned Acis into the god of the river.
NARCISSUS & ECHO
Narcissus was an exceedingly beautiful young man, who was destined to live a long life—as long as he never caught sight of himself. One day Narcissus was walking in the woods when the nymph Echo observed him and fell in love with him. Narcissus sensed her following him and called out “Who’s there?” but Echo could only reply by repeating his words, because she had angered the goddess Hera with her chattering. So Echo called out “Who’s there? Who’s there?” and Narcissus got angry because he thought she was mocking him. When Echo revealed herself to him, Narcissus rejected her, and she wasted away, until all that was left of her was her voice. Narcissus was punished for his cruelty. The goddess Nemesis lured him to a pond where he caught sight of his own reflection and mistook it for a young man in the water. He fell deeply in love with this beautiful young man, never realizing it was himself, and pined away because he could not touch the young man or join him in the water. He sat gazing into the water for years and years, until he transformed into a yellow and white flower that we call the narcissus, or daffodil.
PHAETON
Phaeton’s mother was a mortal, but his father was the sun god Helios, and he would often boast about his father. His friends teased him, saying he could not be the son of a god, so Phaeton asked his father to give him proof. Helios said he would grant his son one wish, and Phaeton wished to drive the chariot of the sun through the sky for one day. Helios tried to talk him out of it, explaining the many dangers on the journey through the sky and the difficulty of controlling the horses, but Phaeton insisted. As soon as he took the reins, Phaeton discovered how true his father’s words were—first the chariot veered too close to the earth, burning the land, then it swung too far from the earth, freezing the land. The stars and earth itself complained about the reckless boy driving the sun chariot, and Zeus struck him down with a bolt of lightning. Phaeton’s seven sisters gathered at the spot where he fell to earth, and as they mourned him, the gods turned them into poplar trees, and their tears became amber.
Read along!
For even more Pygmalion-related fun, check out the book, Pigmalion, by Glenda Leznoff, about a young pig named Juliette, who is on a quest to star as Eliza Piglittle in George Barnyard Shaw’s famous play.
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