A SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY GUIDE

Compiled by Natalia Razak, Hillary Rea, Tara Demmy, and Harry WaterHillary Rea, Tara Demmy, and Harry WaterHillary Rea, Tara Demmy, and Harry Watermeirer

1.

Section One: About the PlayPlay Synopsis.........................................................................3About the Playwright....................................................5Production History..........................................................5

Second Two: History and ContextTimeline of Publishing........................................................6Henry James, Theodora Bosanquetand Feminism at The Turn of the Century and Feminism at The Turn of the Century ..............8 ..............8 History of the Foxtrot................................................10

Section Three: Our ProductionDesign & Production.......................................................11Costume Sketches.............................................................12Who’s Who in the Cast..................................................13Interview with Michael Hollinger.............................14Discussion Questions........................................................16

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ghost ~ WriterBy Michael Hollinger

Directed by James J. Christy on the Arcadia Stage

September 9th - November 7th, 2010

CHARACTERSMyra Babbage - late 30s to early 40s

Franklin Woolsey - late 50s to early 60sVivian Woolsey - same age as Woolsey, or slightly younger

SETTINGAn austerely furnished room in New York City; November, 1919

.

2.

Section One: About the Play

PLAY SYNOPSIS

The play opens on Myra, sitting expectant in front of a sleek black typewriter, and Woolsey, standing behind her and staring out the window. Myra launches into an explanatory monologue direct-ed towards an invisible visitor, outlining the patience and diligence required in taking dictation. She talks at length in a speech replete with pauses. Occasionally, she stops to briefl y type, explaining: “that wasnʼt writing; only typing.”

Eventually, Woolsey speaks. He upbraids her for fi dgeting, and they engage in a short conversation. It eventually becomes clear that this conversation is a memory, as Myra shifts out of it and back into her conversation with the unseen visitor. The visitor, it turns out, is an observer hired by Mrs. Woolsey to look in on Myra, and the work she and Mr. Woolsey are doing. Myra comments on the weather, and then the phone begins to ring. She does not answer it, explaining to the interviewer that it will eventu-ally stop, but it rings and rings to the point of awkwardness.

When it does cease, Myra begins to ask, and answer, the “typical questions” she has apparently fended off many times before, so (as she says) to save the unseen observer the time and effort. As she does so, it becomes clear that there is something somewhat off with this situation – Woolsey is, in fact, not in the room, the memories he acts out with Myra are simply memories, and Myra is taking dicta-tion from a non-corporeal force.

Myra begins to share more memories and, interspersed with her monologues, the scenes are acted out between her, Woolsey, and Mrs. Woolsey: how she came to work for Mr. Woolsey on a recom-mendation from her professor Mr. Aldredge (who she believes to have been sweet on her and thus have ulterior motives for telling Woolsey what a promising student she was). Woolsey tests her dictation skills and is satisfi ed, but since Myra is a young girl, he worries she will get married and quit, as his last secretary did. She tells him she has no current prospects, but this is a lie: she does admit to at-tending a social dancing class on Thursday evenings, requesting that their work not confl ict with this engagement, but assures Woolsey she attends with her cousin, when in fact she goes with her sweet-heart, Geoffrey. As she leaves, he asks to her to throw away the paper with her audition dictation on it. She seems uncomfortable with doing so, so Woolsey takes the paper, rips it neatly into four pieces, and drops it in the trash.

Myra then shares the memory of fi rst meeting Mrs. Woolsey, who inspects the writing premises as she does the new secretary. Mrs. Woolsey confesses to also being a writer, but of poetry, and (it is sug-gested) of less talent than her husband. She seems unhappy in the marriage, and skeptical of Myra and the amount of time she and Woolsey will spend together.

The memories shift back to Myra and Woolsey working together, and this one shows a shift in their relationship. In his dictation, Woolsey chooses a semi-colon to go at the end of a phrase Myra believes should have a full stop. She refuses to continue typing until Woolsey amends his choice, which annoys him. Yet, he not only ends up changing it, but agreeing that it is the right choice. Thus begins a more collaborative atmosphere between the two. When she leaves to go to her dance class, there is an air of unhappiness in Woolsey.

PLAY SYNOPSIS

3.

4.

PLAY SYNOPSIS

In another memory, Myra reads back the second chapter of the book they are working on, and Woolsey ends up striking the fi rst three paragraphs. Mrs. Woolsey barges in and announces they must stop working – she and Woolsey have a social engagement. She then badgers Woolsey to put a phone in his workspace, an argument they have clearly had before. As Woolsey leaves to get ready, Mrs. Woolsey tells Myra that she was the inspiration for the love interest in his fi rst novel. She then reveals she wants to learn how to type, and she wants Myra to teach her. Myra proves to be an exacting and strict teacher, and Mrs. Woolsey gives up before they reach Lesson Two.

After more comments on the weather to the unseen observer, Myra shares a memory of Woolsey struggling to fi nish another novel while echoes of poor reviews of his prior work plague his mind. He instructs Myra to type – type anything, just so he can hear the sound of the typewriter – and not to tell him the phrase she chooses. The brief typing jolts him back into good spirits, and from then on Myra will type the phrase whenever he appears to be stuck. The phone rings (apparently he has ac-quiesced to his wifeʼs request to put one in the workroom) and Woolsey refuses to answer it. He then realizes he has kept Myra past her dance class, and apologizes, but she does not seem to mind. They have tea, and their relationship has obviously shifted again. At her next dance class, Geoffrey proposes marriage, and Myra declines.

As the memories move on to the dictation of Woolseyʼs fi nal book, a story about an older sculp-tor and his model of many years, Woolsey seems to randomly interject that he never learned how to dance due to his religious upbringing, Then she shares the story of July 13th, the day Woolsey died., with the unseen observer. He collapsed during dictation. For the next six weeks, Myra mourned in-tensely, until one day she went into their workspace and began typing their phrase. Eventually, words started to fl ow, his words, and by the end of the night she has contributed many pages to the unfi nished manuscript. She shares the story of Mrs. Woolsey visiting the workroom while Myra continues to take Woolseyʼs posthumous dictation, asking all the questions Myra answered herself at the beginning of the play, and threatening to burn the manuscript if she can prove it is a forgery. But even she, though skeptical, admits that the writing is just like her late husband s̓ and demands to know how she does it. Hauntingly, she reminds Myra that if there is nobody giving her dictation, then it is just she alone, writing in an empty room.

Lastly, Myra backtracks to tell the unseen observer of teaching Woolsey to dance so he can write about dancing in his last novel, and how he tells her he loves her and not Mrs. Woolsey but he can-not leave her, and how he kisses her again and again. As she fi nishes the story, she gets angry with the unseen observer, launching into a tirade about how she is not crazy, or wasting her life. She falls silent, and begins to type, hesitantly at fi rst, then with fervor. When she stops, she types a deliberate period, and then tells the unseen observer that he should leave quickly to beat the rain. She stands by the win-dow and as it begins to pour, she sobs as the lights fade to black.

PLAY SYNOPSIS

5.

Production History

Michael Hollinger has been “hailed as one of Americaʼs brightest new comic voices, celebrated for his razor-sharp wit and clever wordplay, Philadelphia-based Michael Hollinger is rapidly becoming one of the most suc-cessful and widely produced playwrights in this country and beyond. His plays have been produced in New York, in re-gional theatres around the country and throughout Europe” (University of Iowa Press News Release, 1997). Hollinger was born on January 13th, 1962 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is an assistant professor of theatre at Villanova University, and a resident playwright for New Dramatists. He received a Bachelor of Arts in viola performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Arts in theatre from Villanova University. His former plays include A Wonderful Noise, Opus, Tooth and Claw and Tooth and Claw and Tooth and Claw Red Herring. He has also written plays for young audiences, Herring. He has also written plays for young audiences, Herringsuch as Eureka! and Hot Air, and the screenplays Hot Air, and the screenplays Hot Air, Incor-ruptible and ruptible and ruptible Pipe. His awards include the Harold and Mimi Pipe. His awards include the Harold and Mimi PipeSteinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Citation for Opus, the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Opus, the Barrymore Award for Outstanding OpusNew Play for Opus in 2006 and Opus in 2006 and Opus Red Herring in 2000, the Red Herring in 2000, the Red HerringFrederick Lowe Award for Musical Theatre for A Wonder-ful Noise, the Roger L. Stevens Award for the Fund for ful Noise, the Roger L. Stevens Award for the Fund for ful NoiseNew American Plays, and fellowships from the Indepen-dence Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Hollingerʼs musical background has infl uenced his take on writing, giving him experience in the subject and respect for its process. The New York Times said about Opus: “[it] considers the matter of mu-Opus: “[it] considers the matter of mu-Opussic making with an intimate, appraising eye, showing us the sweat, the drudgery and the delicate balance of personalities that lie behind the creation of a seemingly effortless performance.” (Isherwood 2007). Hollinger has said, “Plays are music to me; characters are instruments, scenes are movements; tempo, rhythm and dy-namics are critical; and melody and counterpoint are always set in relief by rests—beats, pauses, the spaces in between” (Baker 2007).

The fi rst staged reading of Ghost~Writer was held by PlayPenn at the Adrienne Theatre on Thursday, July 23, 2009, directed by Harriet Power, Dramaturg was Larry Loebel, with the cast of Megan Bellwoar as Myra Babbage, Nancy Boykin as Mrs. Woolsey, Dan Kern as Mr. Woolsey. Ghost~Writer marks the seventh Ghost~Writer marks the seventh Ghost~Writer world premiere for Hollinger at the Arden and the play is scheduled for production at The Bloomburg The-atre Ensemble and Florida Stage in 2011.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT Michael Hollinger

6.

SECTION TWO: HISTORY AND CONTEXT Timeline of Publishing Compiled by Hillary Rea

131 BCE: Acta Diurna - the First Daily Gazette was carved on stone or metal and posted in public places. 70 BCE: The book trade in Ciceroʼs Rome

– booksellers and copyists carried on an ac-tive trade. Cicero complained of the publica-tions ̓poor quality. 84-86 CE: The fi rst mention of writings pub-

lished on parchment – the poet Martial writes about fi nding Homerʼs words written on small pieces of leather. 600-700: Most published writing was

contained within monasteries. All of these were ecclesiastical manuscripts.

713-734: One of the fi rst newspapers is written on silk – The Bulletin of the Court is published in China.

972-983: 5048 volumes of 130,000 pages are printed in China -- The Buddhist Tripitaka is printed using 130,000 wood blocks.

1420-1470: A scribe mass produces illuminated manuscripts called “History Bibles”. 1440: Johannes Gutenburg invents the printing

press. Moveable type is introduced into pub-lishing.1450: The fi rst printed newsletters are

circulated around Europe.1465-1470: 5 years of fi rsts – The fi rst book is printed in Italy, the fi rst book is printed in Roman type, the fi rst edition of a classical text, the fi rst edition of the bible in a modern language, the fi rst printed encyclopedia, the fi rst printed edition of Virgil.

1480: A typical print run is between 100 and 700 copies.

1605: First European newspaper, Relation, is published in Strasburg.

1609: First publication of Shakespeareʼs sonnets is printed in London

1690: First newspaper is printed in North America

1500: Printing presses are established in 282 cities in over 20 countries.

1741: First magazine is published in North America. Ben Franklin was the fi rst person to come up with the idea to publish a magazine in the Colonies.1821: First cloth edition bindings are

produced in London1829: The Braille system of printing and reading for the blind is created.1851: The New York Times begins

publication

7.

1867: First commercially successful typewriter is produced.1910: 8468 new books are published in the

United Kingdom. The mechanical typewriter reaches a somewhat standardized design.

1950: 11,638 new books are published in the United Kingdom1964: The fi rst computerized

encyclopedia is created.

1969: 32,393 new books are published in the United Kingdom

1970: Books on tape are popularized

1975: Barnes and Noble becomes the fi rst American bookseller to discount books.1984: The fi rst desktop publishing program is

invented by Macintosh.

1993: The webʼs fi rst and longest continuously running blog is created. (http://forests.org/blog).

1996: 968,735 different printed books are produced. The New York Times creates their website (www.nytimes.com).

2000: 3,200,000 books are in print in the United States.

2001: Wikipedia begins.2003: The fi rst cell phone novel is published in Japan. 55% of US Households have Internet access.

2004: 8,000,000 American adults say they have created blogs

2005: There are 300,000,000 printed copies of the Harry Potter book series

2006: 3.1 billion books are sold this year.2007: More than 4.7 billion bibles have been printed. 12,000,000 American adults say they have created blogs. The Amazon Kindle, an e-book reader, is introduced.2009: E-books begin to outsell

physical books.2010: First Pulitzer is given out for Internet Journalism.

Timeline of Publishing (Continued)

8.

Michael Hollinger reports one of the inspirations for Ghost-Writer was the relationship between the novelist Henry James and his secretary Theodora Bosanquet.

Henry James (1843-1916) was an American-born author, essayist and critic who worked primarily as an expat in Europe, becoming a British citizen in 1915. He is oft thought to be the father of the realism movement. His stories primarily center on a comparison of the Old World with the New, featuring Americans interacting with the English, and social commentary on topics such as politics, class, status, and feminism. He was widely respected in his own time and moved in the same circles as other literary fi gures of the day, including Robert Browning, Lord Alfred Tennyson, and Ivan S. Turgenev. He never married. Speculations abound as to why – was he in love with his cousin? a closeted homosexual? too neurotic to handle a traditional marital relationship? – and though his personal letters and journals provide insight into those issues, the question has not been defi nitively answered.

“I suppose he found me harmless and I know that I found him overwhelming...Once I was seated opposite to him, the strong, slow stream of his deliberate speech played over me without ceasing.” – Theodora Bosanquet, from Henry James at Work

Theodora Bosanquet was James ̓typist and amanuensis from 1907 until his death – one of the most important times in his career. She was also an author in her own right, penning several memoirs about her years as a typist, including Henry James at Work (1924), Henry James at Work (1924), Henry James at Workoriginally published by Leonard and Virginia Woolfʼs Hogarth Press. The book offers insights into James ̓writing process and their relationship. In 1907, Bosanquet heard a passage from James ̓The Ambassadors being read as a typing exercise at the secre-The Ambassadors being read as a typing exercise at the secre-The Ambassadorstarial bureau where she worked. Bosanquet had been caught up in the feminist movement sweeping the world, and she recognized the passage and inquired as to its use. She discovered James was looking to hire a new amanuensis, and though she was not a typist, she was determined to get the position. She hastily learned

Henry James, Theodora Bosanquet and Feminism at The Turn of the Century By Natalia Razak

and Feminism at The Turn of the Century

the rudiments of typing, and though initially awkward at the keyboard, James took a liking to her. She began taking his dictation later that year. Bosanquet and James forged an interesting relation-ship. James was of the opinion that typists, especially women, were to be an empty vessel through which his genius would fl ow. He had fi red his previous male typists for having what he called “too much Personality” (qtd in Edel 94). He preferred them to be “without a mind” (qtd. in Edel 360). Bosanquet found this alternately humorous and troubling. “Mr. James assumes complete ignorance of any literary knowledge on the part of his amanuensis. He told me that The Newcomes was in one word and that it was by Thackeray!” (qtd. in Edel 362). But Bosanquet did not succumb to James ̓preference – her diary shows her as frequently critical of him, and she is known to have disliked his propensity for alliteration. While his work with her was hardly collaborative, they had a good relationship and he (perhaps unwittingly) aided her pursuit of a parallel writing career in the long, intermittent silences of his writerʼs block. Their relationship was forged by the typewriter, a relatively new technology. Its advent allowed for the rapid transcription and archiving of records, accounts, and correspondences, and demand was rampant. With businesses clamoring to use the new machines, the only question was one of staffi ng; for though the machines were quick, their operators were not. Men were not interested in clerical positions with no promise of ad-vancement or high wages; they were used to being in a position of speaking, not of recording. Or as James put it, “too much Personality.” Women, however, had been fi lling similar posts since the Civil War. They were will-ing to work for half the pay as men, had no qualms about remaining in the same position their entire lives, and were quickly accepted as typists. After all, the typewriter “is especially adapted to feminine fi ngers. They seem to be made for type-writing. The type-writing involves no hard labour, and no more skill than playing the piano” (Harrison 9), so women being better typists than men posed no threat. Remington, the leading brand, came out with the early “Sholes and Glidden” typewriter adorned with feminine décor and the same peddle treadle used for the companyʼs sewing machines. It was the Remington that bound Bosanquet and James. She writes, “During a fortnight when the Remington was out of order he dictated to an Oliver typewriter with evident discomfort, and he found it almost disconcerting to speak to something that made no responsive sound at all” (Bosanquet 248). The typewriter had become an intrinsic part of his writing; one he could not live without. He had been dictating to a typist since the 1890s, and by the time Bosanquet entered his life it was “a confi rmed habit, its effects being easily recognizable in his style, which became more and more like free, involved, unanswered talk” (Bosanquet 247). This comfort and dependence on dictation, along with the invention of the typewriter and the rise of the female typist, as well as the presence of an intelligent and talented amanuensis, all combined to create and foster the process by which James (and Bosanquet) produced their works.

Henry James, Theodora Bosanquet and Feminism at The Turn of the Century (Continued) and Feminism at The Turn of the Century (Continued)

999...

10.

History of the Foxtrot By Hillary Rea History of the Foxtrot By Hillary R

The foxtrot is a nearly one hundred-year-old form of social dance that was fi rst performed in 1914. Most historians credit the dance to be in-vented by, and named after the Vaudeville dancer and comedian Harry Fox. Fox performed this dance in his act with another Vaudeville group the Dolly Sisters. F.L. Clendenen credits him with inventing the dance in the 1914 book Dance Mad, where his dance steps were also recorded. Foxʼs incarnation of this ballroom dance was performed as a series of trotting steps. It soon evolved into a more graceful series of smooth glides by husband-and-wife competitive ballroom dancers Vernon and Irene Castle. Mr. and Mrs. Castle are also credited with popularizing all of modern social dancing. In the 1930s, renowned dance instructor and businessman Arthur Murray standardized the foxtrot. Murray, whose name is im-mortalized in a franchise of dance studios worldwide, sold dance lessons by mail. He also created packages of paper “footprints” that

people would place on the fl oor and teach themselves how to dance. The foxtrot was one of these packaged lessons. From the late teens to the 1040s, the foxtrot was the most popular of social dances. Originally the foxtrot was performed to ragtime music but was later accompanied by the same Big Band music that was used for swing dancing. Most of the records that were released during this time period were songs marketed for dancing the foxtrot. In the 1950s, during the birth of Rock and Roll, record executives struggled to market the new music that was being released. Many early rock and roll singles were released as “fox-trots”, including “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets. It has since become the best selling “foxtrot” of all time. The foxtrot has been re-popularized by the reality TV competition show Dancing with the Stars. Celebrities such as Joey Fatone, Pamela Anderson, and competition show Dancing with the Stars. Celebrities such as Joey Fatone, Pamela Anderson, and Nicole Scherzinger have performed the foxtrot live in front of millions of at-home viewers. The foxtrot is performed to music that counts in 4. The most common patterns for this dance are slow – quick – quick and slow – slow – quick – quick. According to the International Standard of Ball-room Dancing, foxtrot can now be split into two types of dances: the slow foxtrot and the quick foxtrot, which is now referred to as the Quickstep. A basic foxtrot includes a Three Step (slow-quick-quick), a Feather Step (3 progressive steps), a Natural Turn (a turn to the right), a Reverse Turn (a turn to the left), Hover Steps (movement done on the balls of the feet), and a Closed Impetus (a closed movement or rotation that drives the dance).

11.

SECTION THREE: OUR PRODUCTION

Scenic Designer Costume Designer DAVID P. GORDON CHARLOTTE CLOE FOX WIND

Lighting Designer Sound Designer JEROLD R. FORSYTH JORGE COUSINEAU

Dramaturg Assistant Director EDWARD SOBEL MATT SILVA

Stage Manager ALEC E. FERRELL

Scenic Model

DES

IGN

& P

ROD

UCT

ION

Fabric Swatches

12.

Costume Sketches By Charlotte Cloe Fox Wind,Costume Designer

D

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N &

PRO

DU

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Vivian Woosley

Myra BabbageFranklin Woosley

13.

Who’s Who

T

HE

CAST

MEGAN BELLWOAR (Myra Babbage) So good to be back at the Arden! Favorites here:Dancing at Lughnasa, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Weir, Bunnicula, and The Weir, Bunnicula, and The Weir, Bunnicula, Translations. A proud member of the Phila-Translations. A proud member of the Phila-Translationsdelphia theatre community, other credits include Act II Playhouse, 1812 Productions, PA Shakespeare Festival, Walnut Street Theatre, Peopleʼs Light and the Philadelphia Live Arts/Fringe Festivals. Look for her this spring in Dublin by Lamplight with Inis Nua. By day, she teaches Dublin by Lamplight with Inis Nua. By day, she teaches Dublin by Lamplightand directs for Abington Friends School; by night (and everywhere in between), mama to Jam and Willa. Love and thanks to Jim, Terry andMichael—always, Michael. Also to Mrs. McDermott at Villa Maria Academy, who taught us all how to type.

PATRICIA HODGES (Vivian Woolsey) is thrilled to be making her debut at Arden Theatre Company in this elegant and passionate new play. She appeared on Broadway in A Man For All Seasons, Dancing at Lughnasa, and at Lughnasa, and at Lughnasa Six Degrees of Separation. Off-Broadway creditSix Degrees of Separation. Off-Broadway creditSix Degrees of Separationinclude Roseʼs Dilemma (Manhattan Theatre Club), Roseʼs Dilemma (Manhattan Theatre Club), Roseʼs Dilemma Communicating Doors, On the Verge, and Doors, On the Verge, and Doors, On the Verge, The Normal Heart (NY Shakespeare Festi-val). Regionally she has played leading roles in Night of the Iguana(Guthrie), Lettice and Lovage, Mrs. Warrenʼs Profession, The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, Woman in Mind, Betrayal, Three Tall Women, The Clean House, Hay Fever, and The Clean House, Hay Fever, and The Clean House, Hay Fever, Much Ado About Nothing. Her most Much Ado About Nothing. Her most Much Ado About Nothingrecent TV credits are Royal Pains, Another World, and Royal Pains, Another World, and Royal Pains, Another World, Law & Order.

DOUGLAS REES (Franklin Woolsey) Doug is thrilled to be back at the Arden, and proud to be continuing his association with Michael Hollinger. He created the role of “Carl” in the world premiere of Opus, and subsequently performed in the New York City premiere. He next a peared at the Arden in the revival of Michaelʼs An Empty Plate inthe Café du Grand Boeuf. He has performed at numerous theatres the Café du Grand Boeuf. He has performed at numerous theatres the Café du Grand Boeufacross the country, and recently appeared with Alec Baldwin and Eliza-beth Banks on 30 ROCK. Though he now resides in New York City, he is a native Pittsburgher–GO STEELERS!

14.

Interview with Michael Hollinger By Natalia Razak

Arden: What made you to decide to start writing plays?

Michael Hollinger: I identifi ed myself as a writer from a rather young age, writing poetry primarily at fi rst (“Fewer words,” as Mrs. Woolsey says in the play). But I was attracted to the play form early on, as my family was heavily involved in a community theatre in my home town -- acting, building sets, etc. I “ran lines” with my mother as she learned roles (something my own son is doing with my wife Megan downstairs as I write this), which acquainted me with the conventions of dramatic writing so that it was a very familiar form by the time I started writing short plays as a teenager.

A: How does being a musician inform your writing?

MH: I think my sense of plays as an interplay of voices is enhanced by my experiences playing chamber music; I believe plays should be aurally satisfying even if you donʼt understand the language. Musicians also study form more rigorously than theatre artists do: Whatʼs a concerto? Whatʼs a symphony? Whatʼs a tone poem? Whatʼs a sonata? Whatʼs a cantata? Whatʼs a song cycle? There are models for all of these forms across the centuries, and, in my experience, musicians -- composers in particular -- tend to be more aware of the constraints and possibilities inherent in each. Consequently, Iʼm very interested in the form of each play, its structure, sequence of “movements,” how the various characters, like instruments in an en-semble, are brought in or out to produce a certain effect. Studying viola seriously also helped me acquire greater detachment in the revision process. When you practice a diffi cult passage over and over, you canʼt waste time beating yourself up about a clumsy shift or fl at note. You just have to observe carefully and do it again and again, striving to get closer each time. This taught me a certain discipline with regard to revision -- a combination of rigor and patience.

A: What was the inspiration for Ghost~Writer?Ghost~Writer?Ghost~Writer

MH: A few years ago I ran across an anecdote about Henry James and his secretary, who typed as he dic-tated his novels and stories over the course of years. According to the anecdote, when James died the secretary claimed to continue receiving dictation from her late employer. My mother had died shortly before I encountered this story, and, through conversations with my father, I began thinking about “the presence of absence” -- that is, the power that a departed loved one holds over us, and how we negotiate the space left by that person. As the play continued to develop, I also found myself looking at the nature of creative process itself, that mysterious combination of craft and what most people would call inspiration.

15.

Interview with Michael Hollinger (Contined)

Megan Bellwoar as Myra Babbage

A: Is the ending meant to be ambivalent? Are we to believe the novel has been fi nished?

MH: The play is designed to make the audience question Myraʼs relationship to Woolsey and the work they produce together, and this perspective changes throughout the play. Iʼd rather not comment spe-cifi cally on the ending, so as not to reveal too much.

A: What do you want the relationship between Myra and Woolsey, both pre- and posthumously, to indicate, if anything? What are your thoughts on what passes between them?

MH: Clearly, Myra and Woolsey have shared not only space and time but also a deeply intimate rela-tionship. Like an artistʼs model, Myra has been present for and integral to the process of creation, and, as we see in the play, she comes to impact the outcome of Woolseyʼs work in a many ways, both large and small.

A: Why do you think the Arden is a good fi t for this play?

MH: The Ardenʼs mission focuses on the telling of stories -- something I strive to do well in all my plays, and particularly in this one, which refl ects storytelling on a variety of levels. In my experience, the Ardenʼs audience is intelligent, cultivated, and adventurous, and I trust theyʼll enter this play with

Discussion Questions

1. What elements of design stood out to you the most in this production? How did they help to drive the story?

2. What device does the director use to switch from Myraʼs storytelling in the present to the memory scenes that take place? How do the actors make these transitions?

3. Mrs. Woolsey creates tension and evokes competition within the narrative of Ghost~Writer. In what way does Mrs. Ghost~Writer. In what way does Mrs. Ghost~WriterWoolsey compete with Myra? How is she competing with her husband?

4. Ghost~Writer is the 7th world premiere production of a Ghost~Writer is the 7th world premiere production of a Ghost~Writernew play by Michael Hollinger at Arden Theatre Company. Imagine Hollingerʼs creative process. How do you think it relates to Woolseyʼs?

5. One of the main themes of Ghost~Writer is isolation. How Ghost~Writer is isolation. How Ghost~Writerdoes this theme resonate with each character?

6. Myra provides an oral narrative; Woolsey preserves his stories by writing them down, while Hollinger is telling his story through live theater. How do these three forms ofstories by writing them down, while Hollinger is telling his story through live theater. How do these three forms ofstories by writing them down, while Hollinger is telling his

storytelling compare and differ? How do they all come together in this play?

7. Discuss the signifi cance of dance and music in Ghost~Writer . Ghost~Writer . Ghost~Writer

8. Ghost~Writer deals with Myraʼs relationship to Woolsey both while alive and posthumously. Ghost~Writer deals with Myraʼs relationship to Woolsey both while alive and posthumously. Ghost~WriterDiscuss the supernatural elements that occur in this story. Describe the “presence of absence” that Hollinger puts forth in his play.

9. Creative process is the combination of craft and inspiration. How does the creative process of a writer differ from that of a director? How about an actor? A designer?

10. The Arden often reconfi gures the theater seating to meet the needs of each production. Why would the director have chosen this particular audience arrangement? Do you think it was a good choice?

Megan Bellwoar as Myra and Douglas Rees as Woosley

16.