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Study Guide prepared by
Catherine Bush
Barter Playwright-in-Residence
The Call of the Wild Adapted by Catherine Bush from the novel by Jack London
*Especially for Grades 4-12
Barter Players Tour – January thru March, 2018
(NOTE: standards are included for reading
The Call of the Wild by Jack London and completing the study guide.)
Virginia SOLs English – 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.7, 4.9, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7, 5.9, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 6.5, 6.7, 6.9, 7.1, 7,2,
7.4, 7.5, 7.7, 7.9, 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, 8.9, 9.1, 9.3, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8, 10.1, 10.3, 10.4, 10.6, 10.8,
11.1, 11.3, 11.4, 11.6, 11.8, 12.1, 12.3, 12.6, 12.8
Theatre Arts – 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.17, 6.18, 6.21, 7.6, 7.7, 7.18, 7.20, 8.5, 8.12, 8.18, 8.22, TI.10,
TI.11, TI.13, TI.17, TII.6, TII.9, TII.12, TII.15, TII.17, TIII.11, TIII.12, TIV.12, TIV.13
Tennessee/North Carolina Common Core State Standards English Language Arts – Reading Literacy: 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 6.1,
6.4, 6.6, 6.7, 6.10, 7.1, 7.4, 7.6, 7.7, 7.10, 8.1, 8.4, 8.6, 8.7, 8.10, 9-10.1, 9-10.4, 9-10.7, 9-10.10,
11-12.1, 11-12.4, 11-12.7, 11-12.10
English Language Arts – Writing: 4.1, 4.3, 4.7, 4.9, 5.1, 5.3, 5.7, 5.9, 6.1, 6.4, 6.6, 6.7, 6.9,7.1,
7.3, 7.7, 7.9, 8.1, 8.3, 8.7, 8.9, 9-10.1, 9-10.3, 9-10.7, 9-10.9, 11-12.1, 11-12.3, 11-12.7, 11-12.9
TCAPS Theatre – 4.6.1, 4.6.4, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8.1, 5.6.1, 5.6.4, 5.7.1, 5.7.2, 5.8.1
Theatre 6-8 –7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2 Theatre 9-12 – 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2
North Carolina Essential Standards Theatre Arts – 4.A.1, 5.A.1, 5.AE.1, 5.CU.1, 6.C.1, 6.C.2, 6.A.1, 6.AE.1, 7.A.1. 7.AE.1,
7.CU.1, 8.A.1, 8.AE.1, 8.CU.1, 8.CU.2, B.C.1, B.C.2, B.A.1, B.AE.1, B.CU.1, B.CU.2, I.A.1,
I.AE.1, I.CU.2, P.C.1, P.A.1, P.AE.1, A.C.2, A.A.1, A.AE.1
Setting Various locations in the brutal Alaskan frontier of the late 1890’s as well as a prosperous farm in
the Santa Clara Valley at the same time period
Characters
The People
Keish – a gold prospector
Carmack – a gold prospector
Judge Miller – Buck’s original owner
Manuel – a gardener, works for Miller
Johnson – a friend of Miller
Hugo – a loan shark
Stranger – buys Buck from Manuel
Porter – works on train that carries Buck
Red Sweater – teaches Law of the Club
Sea Captain – captain of the Narwhal
Perrault – a mail courier in the Klondike
Courier – works at a mail station
Hal – a gold seeker
Mercedes – a gold seeker, Hal’s wife
John Thornton – the one Buck loves
O’Brien – Thornton’s friend, fur trapper.
Matthewson – a rich man in Dawson
Jim – Matthewson’s hired hand
Schneider – Matthewson’s hired hand
Yeehats– members of a native tribe
The Dogs
Buck – a sled dog, the hero of our story
Curly – a sled dog, black Newfoundland
Spitz – a sled dog, white husky
Sol-leks – a sled dog, wears eye patch
Dub – a sled dog
Huskies– savage sled dogs
Others
Snow – the element
Ice – the element
The Beast – a giant moose
Note: Cast Size and Doubling of Actors (“Doubling” means one actor plays more than one role in a production)
In this production of The Call of the Wild we will be using six actors; the actor
playing Buck will play that role only; the other five actors will play all the
remaining parts. Doubling (and tripling) of actors requires distinction between
characters. In this production, characters will be distinguished by costume, voice
and other physical character traits.
The Visual Aspects of the Production: Sets and Properties (Props)
The sets and props for this production will
be minimal. This further helps to focus the
audience on the human aspects of the play.
A good set is not necessarily one that
dazzles the audience with spectacle but
rather creates a visual and physical world
that allows the audience to participate in
the most important aspect of the play: the
journey of the main character(s).
Synopsis
Buck is a powerful dog. Half St. Bernard, half shepherd, he has a comfortable life
on Judge Miller’s estate in California’s Santa Clara Valley. Then gold is
discovered in the Klondike, and the demand arises for strong dogs to pull sleds.
Buck is kidnapped by the Miller’s gardener, Manuel, and is sold to Red Sweater, a
dog trader. Red Sweater teaches Buck to obey by beating him with a club. Buck is
then placed on board a boat sailing north for the Klondike. He is befriended by
another dog, Curly.
Arriving in the chilly North, Buck is amazed by the cruelty he sees around him. As
soon as Curly gets off the boat, she is attacked and killed by a pack of huskies as
another dog, Spitz, encourages them. Watching her death, Buck vows never to let
the same fate befall him. He also vows to avenge Curly’s death. Buck and Spitz
becomes the property of Perrault, a mail carrier working for the Canadian
government. Buck begins to adjust to life as a sled dog. He also rediscovers the
instincts of his wild ancestors and learns to fight. Soon Spitz challenges Buck to a
showdown. Buck kills Spitz and replaces him as lead dog. With Buck at the head
of the team, Perrault’s sled makes record time. However, Perrault receives orders
to leave and is forced to sell Buck and the others to a team of American gold
hunters—Hal and Mercedes.
Buck’s new masters are out of place in the
wilderness. They overload the sled, beat
the dogs, and plan poorly. Halfway
through their journey, exhaustion and lack
of food takes its toll; one of the dogs, Dub,
is shot. Buck and Sol-leks are two of the
dogs left when the team finally limps into
John Thornton’s camp, still some distance
from their destination. Thornton warns Hal
that the ice over which they are traveling
is melting and that they may fall through
it. Hal ignores him and tries to whip his
team into leaving, but Buck refuses to move. When Hal begins to beat him,
Thornton intervenes and claims Buck for his own. Hal curses Thornton and starts
the sled again, but before they have gone a quarter of a mile, the ice breaks open,
swallowing both the humans and the dogs.
Synopsis (cont.)
Thornton becomes Buck’s master, and Buck’s devotion to him is absolute. He even
wins a large wager for his new master by pulling a sled carrying a thousand-pound
load. But Buck’s love for Thornton is mixed with a growing attraction to the wild.
This feeling grows stronger when he accompanies Thornton in search of the Lost
Mine.
While Thornton searches for gold, Buck ranges far afield, befriending wolves and
hunting moose. He always returns to Thornton until one day, he returns to find that
Yeehat Indians have attacked and killed his master. Buck attacks the Indians,
killing several and scattering the rest, and then heads off into the wild, where he
becomes the leader of a pack of wolves. He becomes a legendary figure, a Ghost
Dog, fathering countless cubs and inspiring fear in the Yeehats—but every year he
returns to the place where Thornton died, to mourn his master before returning to
his life in the wild.
Vocabulary Words
frontier
discovery
hinterlands
Klondike
transport
iron horse
ferocious
slouch
ruction
hostility
territory
harness
landlubbers
Newfoundland
bully
savages
wheel dog
mush
gee
haw
whoa
survival
ancestors
ancient
breed
uncivilized
despair
protection
beast
toil
traces
trail
transfer
burden
provisions
carcass
thaw
wasteland
wager
hinder
bluff
Define each of the vocabulary words listed above then write sentences using
them. Remember: anyone reading your sentence should be able to understand
the word from the context in which it is used.
Biography of the Author Jack London was born John Griffith Chaney on January 12,
1876 in San Francisco, California, the illegitimate son of
Flora Wellman and Henry Chaney. Later that same year,
Flora married John London. John was a loving stepfather,
but an unsuccessful businessman. As a result, Jack was
forced to drop out of school at an early age and work to
help support the family. But he maintained a love for
reading and eventually finished high school in one year. He
attended the University of California for one semester
before traveling to the Alaskan Klondike with gold
prospectors. Upon his return to California, he began writing
stories. His fiction, most of which was set in the brutal Alaskan Yukon, was
heavily influenced by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution whose “survival of the fittest”
premise is a common theme throughout some of his most famous works including:
The Son of the Wolf (1900), The Call of the Wild (1903), The Sea-Wolf (1904),
White Fang (1906), The Strength of the Strong (1911), Smoke Bellew (1912), and
The Abysmal Brute (1913).
After a life of adventuring and alcohol abuse, London died on November 22, 1916
on his ranch in California. His life might best be summed up in his credo:
“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out
in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb
meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not exist. I shall not waste my days in trying
to prolong them, I shall use my time.”
Biography of the Playwright Catherine Bush lives in Abingdon, Virginia where she is
Barter Theatre’s Playwright-in-Residence. Her plays for
young audiences include Cry Wolf!, Sleeping Beauty,
Rapunzel, Frosty, The Scarlet Letter, The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, My
Imaginary Pirate, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Call of
the Wild, The Princess and the Pea, Rudolph, The Red Badge
of Courage, Aesop’s Fables, Santa Claus is Coming to Town,
Mother Goose: The Musical, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Old Turtle and the
Broken Truth, Jingle All the Way, Antigone, Robin Hood, and Great Expectations.
www.catherinebushplays.com
A Brief History
Barter Theatre was founded during the Great Depression by Robert Porterfield, an enterprising young
actor. He and his fellow actors found themselves out of work and hungry in New York City. Porterfield
contrasted that to the abundance of food, but lack of live theatre, around his home region in Southwest
Virginia. He returned to Washington County with an extraordinary proposition: bartering produce from
the farms and gardens of the area to gain admission to see a play.
Barter Theatre opened its doors on June 10, 1933 proclaiming, “With vegetables you cannot sell, you can
buy a good laugh.” The price of admission was 40 cents or the equivalent in produce, the concept of
trading “ham for Hamlet” caught on quickly. At the end of the first season, the Barter Company cleared
$4.35 in cash, two barrels of jelly and enjoyed a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.
Playwrights including Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder accepted Virginia ham as
payment for royalties. An exception was George Bernard Shaw, a vegetarian, who bartered the rights to
his plays for spinach.
Today, Barter Theatre has a reputation as a theatre where many actors performed before going on to
achieve fame and fortune. The most recognized of these alumni include Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal,
Ernest Borgnine, Hume Cronyn, Ned Beatty, Gary Collins, Larry Linville and Frances Fisher. The list
also included James Burrows, creator of Cheers, Barry Corbin, and the late Jim Varney.
Robert Porterfield passed away in 1971. His successor, Rex Partington, had been at Barter in the 1950s as
an actor and in the 1970s as stage manager. Rex returned as chief administrator from 1972 until his
retirement in 1992. In March 2006, he passed away.
Richard Rose was named the producing artistic director in October 1992. In that time, attendance has
grown from 42,000 annual patrons to more than 163,000 annual patrons. Significant capital
improvements have also been made. Including maintenance to both theatres, and in 2006, the addition of
The Barter Café at Stage II and dramatic improvements to Porterfield Square.
Barter represents three distinct venues of live theatre: the Gilliam Stage at Barter Theatre (formerly
known as Main Stage), Barter Theatre Stage II and The Barter Players. The Gilliam Stage with over 500
seats, features traditional theatre in a luxurious setting. Barter Stage II, across the street from the Gilliam
Stage and beyond Porterfield Square, offers seating for 167 around a thrust stage in an intimate setting
and is perfect for more adventurous productions. The Barter Players is a talented ensemble of actors,
producing plays for young audiences throughout the year.
History is always in the making at Barter Theatre, building on legends of the past; Barter looks
forward to the challenge of growth in the future.
Good as Gold! Why is Gold Valuable?
Gold in one of the three “precious” metals. (Silver and platinum are the other two.) A metal may be considered precious for the following reasons: 1) Rarity. All the gold ever found would fit in a cube less than 150 feet. 2) Impervious to the elements. Gold will not rust or corrode when exposed to sun, wind, or rain. 3) Malleability. Gold can be hammered into different shapes. 4) Lustre/Color. Gold is beautiful to behold.
Gold Nuggets
Gold nuggets are solid lumps of gold. Nuggets are rare, making up less than 2% of all native gold ever mined. Gold is so malleable that a single ounce of it (the size of a quarter) can be beaten into a thin continuous sheet measuring roughly one hundred square feet. One ounce of gold could also be stretched into a thin wire (5 microns thick) that could stretch 50 miles. The largest gold nugget ever recorded – named “Welcome Stranger” – was discovered in Victoria, Australia in 1869. It weighed in at 172 lbs.
There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills!
More than 90% of all gold ever used has been mined since 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, CA sparking the greatest Gold Rush of all time.
Buried Treasure! The Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds the world’s largest accumulation of monetary gold. The vault is 80 feet beneath the street and holds $147 billion worth of gold bullion. The bedrock of Manhattan is strong enough to support the weight of the vault, its door, and the gold inside.
It’s a Dog’s Life! Powerful Pooch
Pound for pound, sled dogs are the most powerful draft animals on earth.
Who Needs a Pedigree?
Most racing sled dogs are mutts. Although there are purebred sled dogs (Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Samoyeds), most racers are bred from a mishmash of breeds that exhibit certain desirable characteristics, such as the love of running, speed, stamina and being “easy keepers” (these dogs have slower metabolisms that allow them to do heavy work without needing a lot of extra food.)
Go, Dog, Go! Sled dogs can average 8-12 MPH over hundreds of miles (including rest breaks).
Balto
The most famous sled dog in history is Balto. In 1925, the town of Nome, Alaska was faced with a possible outbreak of diphtheria, a life threatening disease. The only medicine known to cure it was located in Anchorage, Alaska, nearly 1,000 miles away. More than 20 dog sled “mushers” raced their dog sleds in the 40-below zero weather to Anchorage. In only six days, with Balto as the lead dog, Gunner Kassen arrived before everyone. Balto soon became a hero. The route that Kassen and Balto took is the one used in a current-day dog sled race, the Iditarod.
Questions/Activities
These Stories Have Gone to the Dogs!
Call of the Wild is just one of several books based on the life of a dog. As a class, read one of the stories above: Lassie, Come Home by Eric Knight, Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, or Sounder by William Armstrong. How do these stories compare to Buck’s life in Alaska?
Research the Husky
The Siberian husky is the breed most closely associated with dog sledding. What is it about this dog that makes it a perfect fit for life in the harness? How are the huskies described in The Call of the Wild? Research the husky and present your findings to the class.
Write Your Own Survival Story
“The temperature dropped to fifty below zero and remained there the whole trip…” Buck was born in sunny California and had to learn to survive the frigid Northland. Write a story where you are forced to live in a foreign environment (underwater, the moon, the desert, etc.) Be sure to include details on what you did to survive.
Trace Buck’s Route to Alaska! Buck was born in the Santa Clara Valley (San Jose, CA). He was kidnapped and taken by train first to San Francisco then to Seattle, WA. From Seattle, he was shipped by boat to the beach at Dyea, Alaska. (The town of Dyea
no longer exists, reference Skagway, AK.) Using a map or atlas, trace the route Buck took. How many miles did he travel?
Gold Rush When was gold discovered in the Klondike? Who was credited? What happened to them? Research their story and the impact their discovery had on this country and present your findings to the class.
Be Descriptive! Read the description below of the man Buck
imagines as he stares into the campfire…
“Sometimes as he crouched there, blinking dreamily at the flames, it seemed that the flames were of another fire, and that as he crouched by this other fire he saw another and different man… This other man was shorter of leg and longer of arm, with muscles that were stringy and knotty rather than rounded and swelling. The hair of this man was long and matted, and his head slanted back under it from the eyes. He uttered strange sounds, and seemed very much afraid of the darkness, into which he peered continually, clutching in his hand, which hung midway between knee and foot, a stick with a heavy stone made fast to the end. He was all but naked, a ragged and fire-scorched skin hanging part way down his back, but on his body there was much hair. In some places, across the chest and shoulders and down the outside of the arms and thighs, it was matted into almost a thick fur. He did not stand erect, but with trunk inclined forward from the hips, on legs that bent at the knees. About his body there was a peculiar springiness, or resiliency, almost catlike, and a quick alertness as of one who lived in perpetual fear of things seen and unseen…”
Students: Find a picture of a person, place or thing from a magazine and write a description of him/her/it in your own words. Be as descriptive as possible.
Teacher: Number the pictures and place them on one wall of the classroom. Give the students copies of the descriptions and see if they are able to match them to the appropriate picture!
Be Artistic! Read the following descriptions from Jack London’s
Call of the Wild…
“Buck threw himself forward, tightening the traces with a jarring lunge. His whole body was gathered compactly together in the tremendous effort, the muscles writhing and knotting like live things under the silky fur. His great chest was low to the ground, his head forward and down, while his feet were flying like mad, the claws scarring the hard-packed snow in parallel grooves. The sled swayed and trembled, half-started forward. One of his feet slipped, and one man groaned aloud. Then the sled lurched ahead in what appeared a rapid succession of jerks, though it never really came to a dead stop again...half an inch...an inch... two inches... The jerks perceptibly diminished; as the sled gained momentum, he caught them up, till it was moving steadily along...”
“When the long winter nights come on and the wolves follow their meat into the lower valleys, he may be seen running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight or glimmering borealis, leaping gigantic above his fellows, his great throat a-bellow as he sings a song of the younger world, which is the song of the pack.”
Now working in whichever medium you choose – paint, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, etc. – illustrate one of the descriptions above.
Write a critique of The Barter Player’s production of The Call of the Wild. Be sure to include descriptions and analyses of the individual performances, the directing/staging choices, and the design elements (costume, set, props, sound). Why do you think some of these artistic choices were made? How
would you have done it differently?
How did the play compare to the novel? How do the structural elements of a play (using dialogue and action to tell the story) differ from that of prose?
Discuss.
In this play the actors have to change quickly from playing gold seekers to dogs to moose to ice to wolves to Yeehats Indians. What movements,
gestures, and other forms of physical expression did they use to accomplish these changes? Did you think they were effective? How were costumes used?
Discuss.
Define comedy and tragedy. Is The Call of the Wild a comedy or a tragedy? Cite three samples
from the book to support your position. How much does a character’s point-of-view determine whether an event is comic or
tragic? Discuss.
Compare and Contrast
After he is kidnapped, Buck is owned by three different men:
Perrault Hal John Thornton
Write a paper comparing and contrasting their relationship with Buck. Which one would you want as a master and why?
How did the play end for these three men?
The Man in the Red Sweater beat Buck when he arrived in Alaska, teaching him the Law of the Club. What is the Law of
the Club? Do you think Red Sweater was being cruel or helpful? Discuss.
Word Search Find the following words in the puzzle below: Buck, gold rush, Jack London, harness, Klondike, Club and Fang, snow, Red Sweater, mush, Alaska, trail, Lost Mine, ice, Yeehats, gee, Call of the Wild, haw, Curly, moose, Spitz, wolf, husky, slash, Judge Miller, howl, frozen, John Thornton, nuggets, uncivilized, sled
C Y N T S N S T A H E E Y N G
L A K Z J L O S T M I N E O K
U C L S B W A D E L S S L W L
B L E L U O I S N N O D R H O
A B U J O H N T H O R N T O N
N E Z O R F M V M U L A S W D
D N U G G E T S S Z Z K H L I
F N B E I E Y H F E B U C K K
A H R E L L I M E G D U J A E
N L M I R E T A E W S D E R J
G C A U N C I V I L I Z E D O
L R C S W I I P B E T L P U U
T I K O K O W V O I M Y D R X
B N L Z D A N A P F U I V H I
R F J F F M U S H C W R J R J
The Call of the Wild Place the following words in the puzzle using the clues below: Klondike, Alaska, Jack London, Call of the Wild, White River, moose, breakout, one thousand, The Barter Players, gee, haw, whoa, mush, California, huskies, Manuel, Buck, Red Sweater, Club and Fang, harness, Spitz, Curly, Solleks, Yeehats, Bush, six, snow, mail, tour, gold, Miller, Thornton
Across
2. Buck wears this at work
5. when actors travel with show
8. Great antlered beast
9. # of actors in play
11. He was kidnapped
13. Gardener with debt
14. Wolf's howl, to Buck
16. Buck loved him best
17. Go!
19. Pan for it in river
21. Two laws Buck learns
26. name of theatre troupe
28. The Land of Ice and Snow
29. Name of Judge
Down
1. Thornton's camp was here
2. Pull left!
3. Buck thinks it's white "mud"
4. How many pounds Buck pulled
6. Used club to beat Buck
7. adventurer/author
8. Perrault delivers this
9. Buck's mortal enemy
10. The Land of Sun and Grapes
12. They kill Thornton
15. Stop!
18. One-eyed dog
20. Friendly Newfoundland
22. Pull sled free of ice
23. Playwright's last name
24. where gold is reputed to be
25. Pull right!
27. savage sled dogs
True and False
Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is False. 1. ____ The Call of the Wild was written by John Thornton.
2. ____ Buck was born to a life of leisure.
3. ____ Curly was a friendly, black Newfoundland.
4. ____ Red Sweater treated all the dogs gently and with tenderness.
5. ____ Sol-leks fell through the ice and drowned.
6. ____ Spitz and Buck hated each other.
7. ____ Hal and Mercedes were well-prepared and experienced gold seekers.
8. ____ Jack London saved Buck’s life.
9. ____ Buck was able to pull a sled weighing 1000 lbs. a distance of 100 yards.
10. ____ Manuel the gardener stole Buck from Judge Miller.
11. ____ Call of the Wild is based on the California Gold Rush of 1848.
12. ____ John Thornton was killed by the Yeehats.
13. ____ Perrault was a mail courier.
14. ____ Spring weather never comes to the Klondike.
15. ____ Jack London prospected for gold.
Matching Draw a line connecting person/place in the 1st column with the corresponding description in the 2nd. 1. Yeehats a. answers the call of the wild 2. Curly b. a native tribe 3. Sol-leks c. discovered in the Klondike in 1896 4. moose d. a friendly Newfoundland 5. Buck e. legendary location of gold 6. John Thornton f. the Great Beast 7. Red Sweater g. saves Buck 8. gold h. has only one eye 9. The Lost Mine i. the Law of the Club
Anthropomorphic Hero
In The Call of the Wild, Jack London writes about his main character, the dog Buck, as if the dog were human. The formal name for giving human qualities to animals is anthropomorphism. This word comes from the Greek words for “human” and “form.” To anthropomorphize something is to give it human form, or human characteristics. London doesn’t have Buck speak or walk upright, but he does give the dog human thoughts and emotions.
ACTIVITY: Rewrite the scene between Buck and Red Sweater from Red Sweater’s point of view. Is it possible for Red Sweater to be the hero in this scene? How could Red Sweater be helping Buck by teaching him The Law of the Club?
ACTIVITY:
Make a list of other books that have anthropomorphic heroes. How do they compare to The Call of the Wild?
Cry Wolf!
Wolves and domestic dogs are both members of the Canidae family, commonly referred to as canines. They share certain characteristics—such as powerful teeth and bushy tails—and differ in other details, such as size and weight. Scientists believe that dogs were the first wild animals to be domesticated. Evidence found in sites dating as far back as 8,000 years suggests that dogs were living with humans.
ACTIVITY: Research the history of the wolf in this country. How many wolves exist in the lower 48 states today? Was this always the case? Where are they most prevalent? Why? Present your findings to the class. ACTIVITY: How is the wolf usually represented in children’s literature? Cite some examples. Is this a fair representation? Why or why not?
DISCUSS “SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST”
From the Page to the Stage! How does a book become a stage play? Here are some of the elements that
went into the Barter Players’ production of The Call of the Wild…
1. Script It all starts here. A playwright (in this case, Playwright-in-Residence Catherine Bush) turns the prose of literature into dialogue and dramatic action. This is called “adapting”. Sound easy? Try it yourself! Pick a scene from your favorite story and adapt it into a scene for the stage. Try not to use the narrative voice – focus instead on creating “dialogue” between the characters.
2. Director/Actors The director and actors begin the rehearsal process. The director “blocks” the play, which means he tells the actors where to move and stand and sit. The actors work on learning their lines, finding their character’s motivation and creating the world of the play. The length of a rehearsal process for a Barter Player production ranges from 30 – 40 hours spread out over 3-4 weeks, depending on the play.
3. Set Design The set designer designs a set that will not only serve the aesthetic needs of the production by creating visuals that represent the various locations in the story (i.e. Judge Miller’s ranch, Thornton’s camp, the ice and snow of the Klondike) but also function as a safe environment upon which the actors will move (or be moved). A good set design will also allow the action to flow from one scene to another smoothly, with seamless transitions. Try it yourself! Using the scene you adapted, design a set that will both visually serve the story and function effectively for the actors.
4. Costumes/Wigs The costume designer is responsible for creating a different look for each character while maintaining the overall aesthetic of the production. Each actor’s costume must be tailored to fit and be built to take the wear-and-tear of 6 shows a week plus tour! Also, in a show where the actor is required to play more than one character, the design must incorporate a method to facilitate “quick changes”. The wig designer is responsible for designing, building and styling the wigs that will appear in the show. Like the costumes, wigs are necessary to help distinguish characters. Try it yourself! Design a costume/wig for the character in your scene. Make sure your costume includes a mechanism to make “quick changes possible.
5. Props Buck’s harness! Perrault’s sled! Hal’s gun! These are a few examples of the props designed and built by Barter’s props department for this production. A prop is defined as an object used on stage by actors for use in the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Try it yourself! Design and build the props you will need for your scene.
6. Lights/Sound Lights not only illuminate the actors and pull focus to various spots on the stage but, together with sound, help create a mood. Lights and sound can also, along with the set, help establish location. The sound of a wolf howling, moonlight washing over the ice and snow and voila! We are in the Alaskan wilderness! Try it yourself! Put together a soundtrack for your scene that establishes place and mood. Feel free to use recorded music/sound effects or perform it live!
7. Stage Manager The Stage Manager attends all the rehearsals and once the show goes into production, is “in charge”, calling all the sound and light cues and maintaining the integrity of the piece during its run.
In The Call of the Wild, Buck transforms from a pampered house pet to a savage dog-wolf. Make a list of the phrases Jack London uses to describe this transformation in the story. How is this transformation accomplished in the Barter Player’s production? Was it successful? Discuss.
The days when prospectors can find gold sparkling in the bottom of a creek bed are gone. Research why gold used to be found in river beds. In addition, find out where most of the world’s gold mines are. What geographic or geologic characteristics do these areas have in common? Create a map that shows the world’s major gold-producing regions. Display your map as you report on the common characteristics of these regions.
The Call of the Wild is set at the end of the 19th century. What was happening in the United States at that time? How did the population of this country change from 1880 to 1900? How did industry change at this time? Who were the minorities? What was their status? Why would the prospect of searching for gold hold such appeal to the population? Would the same hold true today? Discuss.
Suggested Further Reading/Links:
Other stories by Jack London
White Fang The Sea Wolf To Build a Fire The Iron Heel
Biographies about Jack London
Wolf: The Lives of Jack London by James L. Haley Jack London: A Life by Alex Kershaw
For more information about the life and works of Jack London, check out the links below:
http://london.sonoma.edu/ http://jacklondonfdn.org/index.html