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TABLE OF CONTENTS
To the Educator ………..……………………………………………………………… 3
A Note to Students: What to Expect at the Theater……….….……………… 4
New Stage Theatre …………………….………………………………….…………. 4
About the Author………………….………………………………………………….. 5
From the Page to the Stage ……………………………………………………….. 7
Meet the Suspects …………………………………………………………..……….. 8
Plot Summary ……………………………………………………..…….……………. 9
Costume & Scenic Design: A Journey Back in Time ………………….. 10-11
Pre-Show Activities …………………………………………………………… 12-13
If You Have One Day To Prepare ……………………………………………….. 14
Poem …………………………………………………………………………………… 15
Word Search …………………………………………………………………………. 16
Ideas To Consider ……………………………………………………………… 17-18
Post-Show Activities…………………………………………………………… 19-20
How to Write a Review ........................................................................... 21
Teacher/Student Evaluations ……………………………………………………. 22
Explore and Learn More! ......................................................................... 23
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DEAR PARTNER IN EDUCATION
We are thrilled to have you and your students at New Stage to experience AND THEN THERE
WERE NONE! Thank you for taking the time to arrange for your school to attend a student
matinee! AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is the best selling crime novel of all time! We are
extremely enthused to bring this stage adaptation to life as a way for your students to be
introduced to this classic literature as well get to know the art of theatre.
This study guide is to help prepare you and your students for the performance. We have
included writing prompts, discussion questions and classroom activities – to invite your students
into the world of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. We want to prepare them to experience live
theatre set in a different time period, to understand their role as audience members, and to gain
a deeper knowledge of the story’s themes and characters.
We have included an array of activities for before and after the play from facts about the author
to a word search to help them investigate the potential motives for the crime. We hope these
activities will get your students excited to see the show!
At the end of the study guide, we have included evaluations for both teachers and students. We
would love to hear your feedback! Please feel free to send not only the evaluations but any
activities and pictures your students create in response to the show!
The cast, crew, and staff at New Stage cannot wait to welcome you to the theatre!
From all of us: enjoy the show!
Sincerely,
Sharon Miles,
Education Director
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NOTE TO STUDENTS: EXPECTATIONS
You may or may not have attended a live theater performance before. To increase your enjoyment, it might be helpful to look at the unique qualities of this art form — because it is so different from movies or video!
The live theatrical performance not only involves the actors on the stage; it is meant to involve you, the audience, in ways that film and television cannot. In truth, although you are sitting in an auditorium and the actors are on stage, there is very little separating the audience from the performers. How you react to the play deeply affects the actors. Something as seemingly trivial as whispering or unwrapping a candy bar can distract them and disrupt the mood and tone of their performance. Due to the important relationship between actors and audience members, there are certain provisions of live theater we wish to call to your attention. These basic work to ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone!
YOU HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY!!
- Do NOT take photos or videos during the performance. Just enjoy the show! - Do NOT eat, drink or chew gum in the theatre. Save Snacks for intermission! - Do wait quietly in your seat for the show to begin and stay in your seat
during the performance. Again… just wait for intermission! - Do make sure all cell phones are turned OFF during the performance.
- The light from a silent cell phone while texting or checking social media can be very distracting to other people in the audience and the actors on stage. Even if you try to mask it with your hand or under clothing we can still see the light. It might also interfere with microphones.
- Do NOT talk to your neighbor during the show! Listen carefully or you both will miss something!
- Do feel free to react appropriately to the performance. We welcome your laughter and applause! Remember audience reaction is important!
Basic Theatre Etiquette
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NEW STAGE THEATRE
Mississippi’s Professional Regional Theatre!
MISSIONThe mission of New Stage Theatre is to provide professional theatre of the highest quality for the people of Mississippi and the Southeast.
New Stage is committed to producing important contemporary works and classics, selected for their artistic merit and their power to illuminate the human condition. Challenging new works in development are included through the Eudora Welty New Play Series named for the distinguished writer.
The theatre is dedicated to cultivating and educating a culturally diverse audience by gathering the finest available resources including playwrights, actors, directors, designers, technicians, administrators, trainees, and board members. Integral to the theatre’s total effort, its education department maximizes its potential by offering artistic and technical internships, by mounting intern touring programs supported by teachers’ materials for schools statewide, and by developing curricula for and teaching youth and adult classes
HISTORYNew Stage Theatre was chartered as a nonprofit organization in 1965 and produced its initial season in the winter and spring of 1966. Founded by Jane Reid Petty and seven other charter board members, with the assistance of the American National Theatre Academy and Actors’ Equity Association, the theatre has been dedicated to professional excellence in the dramatic arts since its inception.
Now in its 52nd year, New Stage produces a full professional season, including five main stage shows in the subscription series, a Holiday show, children’s shows, the Unframed at New Stage Theatre Series, and selections in the Eudora Welty New Plays Series, named in honor of the internationally acclaimed writer, a lifetime member of the theatre’s board of directors.
As a professional regional theatre, New Stage is committed to exploring new worlds of theatre, including challenging new works in development, important contemporary plays and classics selected for their artistic merit, their power to illuminate the human condition and their impact on the community.
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Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and, in many languages, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels written under the name Mary Westmacott.
Agatha Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was written towards the end of the First World War, in which she served the Volunteer Aid Detachment Unit which provided field nursing. In it she created Hercule Poirot, the little Belgian detective who was destined to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. It was eventually published by Bodley Head in 1920.
In 1926, after averaging a book a year, Agatha Christie wrote her first masterpiece. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the first of her books to be published by Collins and
marked the beginning of an author-publisher relationship that lasted for 50 years and well over 70 books, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was also the first of Agatha Christie’s books to be dramatized – under the name Alibi – and to have a successful run in London’s West End. The Mousetrap, her most successful play of all, opened in 1952 and is the longest-running play in history.
Agatha Christie was made a dame in 1971. She died in 1976.
Agatha Christie Ltd. was founded in 1955 and has promoted and administered her work under her direct control and that of her family ever since. The company is based in London, the CEO is Hilary Strong and the Chair is the author’s great-grandson, James Prichard. www.agathachristie.com
Agatha Christie as a successful author Agatha Christie as a young woman Agatha Christie as a child
GET TO KNOW THE AUTHOR
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FROM THE PAGE TO THE STAGE Putting on a play is a lot of fun, but it’s also lot of work! It takes an entire creative
team of people to make a play happen. Have you ever considered a job in theatre?
First, a director is chosen for the play. The director is the person with the vision for the show.
Next, the director meets with scenic and costume designers to discuss the set, props, and costumes.
Then, the director has auditions (or try- outs). Actors come to read and perform scenes from the script for a chance to be in the show!
Actors learn their lines and stage blocking while the designers and crew complete the costumes, props,
and set.
Once the actors are chosen to be in the cast, rehearsals begin! The stage manager organizes the rehearsal calendar and makes sure actors are where they need to be and have what they need.
While actors and directors, are rehearsing, designers and the crew are building the costumes, props, and set, and the box office manager sells tickets!
A lighting designer places lights and other special effects in place to create the best visual display.
Everyone gets together during dress and technical rehearsals to put all the pieces together... and
FINALLY
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MEET THE SUSPECTS
The cast in order of appearance
Rogers……………………………… Chris RoebuckMrs. Rogers………………………. Juniper Wallace Fred Norracott………………….. Cory DrakeVera Claythorne………………… Taylor GalvinPhilip Lombard………………….. Jonathan WhitneyAnthony Marston………………. Kyle Daniels Emily Brent………………………. Viola Dacus William Blore……………………. John HowellDr. Armstrong…………………… Cliff BowenGeneral Mackenzie……………. Ray McFarlandSir Lawrence Wargrave……… Joseph Frost
Setting The living room of a house on Soldier Island, off the coast of Devon, England.
Time Act I, A summer evening in August
Act II, Scene 1,The following morning. Scene 2, The same day- afternoon.
Act III, Scene 1,The same day-evening. Scene 2, the following afternoon
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PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story that made Agatha Christie the best-selling novelist of all time and is read all over the world in more than 50 languages. “It was so difficult to do,” she writes, “that the idea had fascinated me.” It was an idea which is now the basis for many Hollywood horror films and has become a cliché to modern audiences, but it was Agatha Christie who was the first to do it and so successfully that the story has become her most adapted piece.
And "en "ere Were None
One by one, each guest’s darkest secrets are revealed… until there were none.
When a group of ten strangers, lured to a remote English island, discover that their eccentric millionaire host is missing – mysterious mischief and shenanigans are set into murderous motion. One by one, each guest’s darkest secrets are revealed…until there were none. Stranded by a tumultuous storm and haunted by a clue- filled nursery rhyme, one by one the guests begin to meet gruesome and untimely demise. Each have been marked for murder! All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal and a secret that will seal their fate. With only the fallen believed innocent, who remaining among them is the killer? Based on the best-selling mystery novel of all time, this darkly captivating thriller will leave you breathless at the edge of your seat. One of Christie’s darkest tales and a masterpiece of dramatic construction, its growing sense of dread and unfaltering tension will keep you guessing to the very end. Will you solve the mystery?
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COSTUMES
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COSTUMES
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SCENIC DESIGN
More often than not, the opening scene of a play will give important information to the audience about the characters, the circumstances, the
atmosphere, and what may ensue. In the following opening scene from And Then There Were None, we meet Thomas Rogers, the butler/house-
parlourman, and his wife, Ethel Rogers, the cook/housekeeper. They have been sent to the Soldier Island mansion in advance by the owners to make
preparations for the arrival of the eight invited guests.
Activity: Read the following scene.
MRS. ROGERS: First group’s arriving. Another bunch not far behind. So much to do I don’t know where to start.
ROGERS: Calm down, Ethel, everything’s shipshape now. Looks nice. Kind of bare, but rich people like places bare, it seems.
MRS. ROGERS: Rich people are peculiar.
ROGERS: And he was a peculiar sort of gentleman that built this place. Spent a wicked lot of money on it he did, and then gets tired
of it and puts the whole thing up for sale.
MRS. ROGERS: Beats me why the Owens wanted to buy it, living on an island, all alone ...
ROGERS: Oh, come off it, Ethel, and take all that stuff out into the kitchen. They’ll be here any minute now.
MRS. ROGERS: Making that steep climb an excuse for a drink, I suppose. Like some others I know ... I’ll want at least five loaves in
the morning and eight pints of milk, remember.
ROGERS: Right.
MRS. ROGERS: Don’t forget the oil for the generator. You ought to charge up tomorrow, or the lights’ll run down. I forgot to give you
the list of guests, Tom.
ROGERS: Thanks, old girl. H’mmm, doesn’t look like a very classy bunch to me. Miss Claythorne. She’ll probably be the secretary.
MRS. ROGERS: I don’t hold much with secretaries. Worse than hospital nurses, with them giving themselves airs and graces and
looking down at the servants.
ROGERS: Oh, stop grousing, Ethel, and cut along to that lovely up-to-date, expensive kitchen of yours.
MRS. ROGERS: Too many new-fangled gadgets for my fancy!
Once students have examined the scene excerpt, ask them to jot down everything they have found out and then share
their thoughts. Some prompts you may wish to offer could be:
1. What did you learn about Mr. and Mrs. Rogers? 2. What are the Rogers’ opinions about the mansion and where it is located?
3.What is their relationship like? 4. Who do they talk about and how do they feel about those people? 5. Do you think you were given
any clues as to how the story might unfold?
PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES
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PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIESTHE ART OF COSTUME DESIGN
The clothing we wear in our everyday lives often communicates information to others about who we are. In the theatre, clothes send
us signals similar to those in everyday life; however, there are significant differences. Clothes often inform us about gender, status
and even occupation but on stage this information is larger because every element in the theatre is featured. In everyday life what
you where may not seem significant, but one stage the costume often opens the door to the very life of the play!
Stage costumes:
1. help establish the tone and style of a play
2. indicate the historical period and setting of a play.
3. show the status, occupations and personalities of the characters in the play.
4. indicate the relationships among the characters.
5. may reinforce the significance of individual characters or the theme of the play.
6. meet the needs of individual performers in terms of freedom of movement and quick changes.
7. should be consistent with other visual elements and the directorial vision of the production.
The play is set in the late 1930’s in a mansion on Soldier Island, off the coast of Devon, England. The island is isolated & can only be reached by boat. The ten people on the island come from varied backgrounds & social status.
The Characters:
Mrs. Rogers, the cook/housekeeper, is described as a frail woman who scares easily.
Mr. Rogers, her husband, is the formal, dignified butler/house-parlourman.
Anthony Marston is a rich, spoiled, good-looking young man known for reckless driving his brand-new, expensive sports car.
Emily Brent is an elderly, repressed, religious woman who reads her bible every day and shows no compassion or understanding for others.
Philip Lombard is described as an attractive man in his mid 30’s, well-tanned, with a touch of the adventurer about him.
Vera Claythorne is an attractive young woman of 25 who has been a governess. She has been hired to be the secretary to Mrs. Owen, who, along with her husband, owns the mansion in which the play is set.
If you decide to give your students an opportunity to test their costume rendering skills, please share their work with
us! We want to encourage them to explore and discover all of their talents. Who knows, the next great costume
designer could be sitting in your classroom!
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The Characters:
Mrs. Rogers, the cook/housekeeper, is described as a frail woman who scares easily.
Mr. Rogers, her husband, is the formal, dignified butler/house-parlourman.
Anthony Marston is a rich, spoiled, good-looking young man known for recklessly driving his brand-new, expensive sports car.
Emily Brent is an elderly, repressed, religious woman who reads her bible every day and shows no compassion or understanding for others.
Philip Lombard is described as an attractive man in his mid 30’s, well-tanned, with a touch of the adventurer about him.
Vera Claythorne is an attractive young woman of 25 who has been a governess. She has been hired to be the secretary to Mrs. Owen, who, along with her husband, owns the mansion in which the play is set.
If you decide to give your students an opportunity to test their costume rendering skills, please share their work with us! We want to encourage
them to explore and discover all of their talents. Who knows, the next great costume designer could be sitting in your classroom!
PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES
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1. Give a very brief biography of Agatha Christie’s life and work (see page 5).
2. Give the basic info below to the students about this particular play.
And Then There Were None is the best selling crime novel of all time! The story has also inspired many parodies including the spoof Murder by Death (1976), which starred, Maggie Smith (Downton Abby) and Truman Capote among others, and even an episode of Family Guy, titled And Then There Were Fewer. (2010)
This famous Agatha Christie play has been produced under more than one title, including Ten Little Indians, but it does NOT follow the normal Christie-style “whodunit” formula listed below:
- The detective stumbles upon a murder or is called upon by an acquaintance, who is involved.
- The detective interrogates each suspect, examines the crime scene, and makes a note of each clue.
- At some point, one of the suspects dies, often because they have figured out who the perpetrator of the first crime is. They must be silenced.
- Finally, the detective arranges for a meeting with all the remaining suspects and exposes the guilty party as well as exposing other unrelated secrets (red herrings) along the way.
Inform the students that this story breaks many of the above rules of the mystery genre. Advise them to listen carefully when announcements are made stating the “alleged” crimes of each guest.
3. Read the first Scene of the play on page 13 and have a group discussion.
4. Share the poem with the students so that they are familiar with it. It will help them look for the clues within the murders of each guest.
ONE DAY TO PREPARE PLAN
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Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little soldier boys traveling in Devon;One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little soldier boys going in for law; One got into chancery and then there were Four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One little soldier boy left all alone;He went and hanged himself
And then there were None.
—FRANK GREEN, 1869
When Agatha Christie wrote the novel AND THEN THERE WERE NONE the ending left her readers dumfounded. When she adapted the novel for the stage she embraced the possibility of alternate endings! The following poem serves as a little teaser to spark interest. This poem sits at the center of our mystery, but it only provides one of the possible endings Christie has allowed for stage performances.
THE POEM
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ATTWN Word Search
WORD BANK
M A C K E N Z I E R S WY D R A B M O L O S J AS C Z S I R H G N L K RT H R E E V E R O E A GE F I V E R K E T D G RR O T E N N V T S N N AY U Z N G D O F R A O VY R G S Q C Z F A L R EO L W D A R E V M S T BB L O R E O W T X I S WQ M R W N R E D R U M XB A C E S O L D I E R AN I N E I G H T D F A C
ARMSTRONG BLORE EIGHT FIVEFOUR ISLAND LOMBARD MACKENZIE
MARSTON MURDER MYSTERY NARRACOTTNINE ONE SEVEN SIX
SOLDIER TEN THREE TWOVERA WARGRAVE
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Spoiler Alert!! PLEASE WAIT TO SHARE
THE REMAINING CONTENT FOR
CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSION AFTER THE
PERFORMANCE!!
POST SHOW ACTIVITIES
IDEAS TO CONSIDER AFTER The Show
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL?
First there were ten on Soldier Island, and then there were none. In the play, when Emily Brent theorizes that Mrs. Rogers’ death was an act of God, punishing her for murdering her former employer, Justice Wargrave replies: “My dear lady, in my experience of ill doing, Providence leaves the work of conviction and chastisement to us mortals – and the process is often fraught with difficulties. There are no short cuts.”
At the end of the play, Wargrave explains his insane plot to Vera, saying: “You were all guilty, you know, but the Law couldn’t touch you so I had to take the Law into my own hands.” Were the crimes committed by the ten on Soldier Island punishable by law? Was Wargrave justified in his insane desire to bring them to justice? Does the loss of one life allow for another loss?
ACTIVITY:
1. Divide students into two sides or small groups – pro and con.
2. Assign the debate topic: Resolved – it is appropriate to take the law into one’s own hands.
3. Have students work in teams to prepare written defenses of their assigned side, whether they agree with that side or not. They should use examples and/or facts and/or current events of “political correctness” to help support their ideas.
4. Then share their ideas, perhaps in a debate format.
EXPLORING UNDERLINING CULTURAL THEMES IN AGATHA CHRISTIE NOVELS
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IDEAS TO CONSIDER AFTER THE SHOW
THOUGHTS ON LIES AND DECEIT
If you think it’s stressful trying to figure out relationships at your school, imagine that your life is at stake! So if everyone’s got something to hide, what is Christie saying about lies and deceit? Is it possible that all of us—even those most respectable and seemingly innocent—are sitting on some secrets?
Activity: Writing Prompts
1. Does it matter whether or not the characters are lying about their pasts? Why or why not?
2. Respond to the following: Most of the characters don’t admit to any wrongdoings because they’re lying to themselves. Some, like Vera, have even managed to convince themselves that they haven’t done anything wrong. Emily Brent is the only one who doesn’t lie, because she feels morally justified in her actions.
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POST Show ACTIVITIES
REMEMBERING THE TEN LITTLE SOLDIER BOYS
Have students read the “Ten Little Soldier Boys” rhyme aloud one verse at a time. After each verse, ask students if they can recall which character met his or her demise, how that character died, and what crime that character had been accused of committing.
1. Discuss the role of the poem “Ten Little Soldier Boys” in And Then There Were None. Why does the murderer choose to follow the poem so closely? What effect does this have on the characters? How does the nursery rhyme give us clues about who the real killer is?
CHARACTER EXAMINATION
Were you surprised by the ending of And Then There Were None? Had you suspected the killer all along? Why/why not? Or did you suspect someone else, perhaps an eleventh person on the island? What part do you think guilt played in each character’s behavior and actions as the story unfolded?
1. Discuss how Agatha Christie portrays social hierarchies. What commentary is she making on her society’s class system?
2. Do you think that the killer acts justly? Why or why not?
3. Who do you consider the most “evil” character in the play? Justice Wargrave? Marston? Emily Brent? Someone else? What do you think your choice says about you?
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Comprehension Quiz (AFTER THE PERFORMANCE) 1. What is the title of the Nursery Rhyme that hangs in everyone’s room? a. Devon Island Ten b. Ten Little Soldiers c. Ten Little Indians
2. Why does Vera come to the island?
a. She’s a reposter and wants to confirm rumors about the island’s owner b. She’s pursuing Philip Lombard c. She has been hired as a secretary
3. How does the killer accuse the guest of committing murders?
a. The killer does not accuse them but just begins killing them off b. by listing their crimes on a record the is played before dinner c. by speaking to them on a hidden loud speaker
4. Where did Lombard leave twenty-one men to die? a. a battlefield in France b. the Sahara Dessert c. the African bush
5. Which guess carries a revolver?
a. Armstrong b. Wargrave c. Lombard
6. Which guess is most likely to be seen with a Bible?
a. Emily Brent b. Vera Claythorne c. General Makenzie
7. Which character is a reckless driver?
a. Tony Marston b. Dr. Armstrong c. Philip Lombard
8. From what does Emily Brent die? a. poison in her drink b. a blow to the head c. lethal injection
9. Which guest pretends to be killed?
a. Armstrong b. Wargrave c. Blore
10. “U.N. Owen” is associated with what, according to the judge?
a. The United Nations b. the coordinates of the island c. the word “unknown”
KEY: 1.B 2.C 3.B 4.C. 5.C 6.A 7.A 8.A 9.B.10.C
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Student Evaluation Form— AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
Name:___________________________ School:_________________________
What parts of the play really got your attention?
What did you think about the costumes, props, and set?
How would you have changed them if you were the designer?
Who was your favorite character? Why?
What other stories would you like to see onstage?
What else would you like to tell us about the play?
Share your thoughts with us! Return this form to to your teacher or to Sharon Miles/ EducationDirector/ New Stage Theatre/
1100 Carlisle St/ Jackson, MS 39202 or fax to 601.948.3538
Teacher Evaluation Form— AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
Name:___________________________________________School:___________________________
1. What is your overall reaction to the production?
2. How do you feel about the production values of the performance (costumes, set, performers, etc?)
3. How did your students react to the production?
4. Did you utilize the study guide materials? Why or why not? (We would love to see some of the work your students have done!)
5. What is your overall reaction to the question and answer (talk-back) session?
How did you hear about the New Stage production of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE?
What other plays would you like for your students to see?
Please list other comments and observations.
Please help New Stage by sharing your thoughts with us! Return form to:
Sharon Miles/ Education Director/ New Stage Theatre/ 1100 Carlisle St/ Jackson, MS 39202 or fax to 601.948.3538.
Learn and Explore More! 10 Things You Didn’t Know About And Then There Were None! http://www.agathachristie.com/watch/and-then-there-were-
none/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-and-
All the details! Photos, maps and background information highlighting every detail of And Then There Were None.
http://www.bookdrum.com/books/and-then-there-were-none/9780007136834/bookmarks.html
10 Things You May Not Know About Agatha Christie
http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-agatha- christie?cmpid=Social_Twitter_SiteShare
Agatha Christie, the Official Website . In 1971, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Christie the title of Dame Commander of
the British Empire. Agatha Christie’s outstanding career spanned more that five decades. To find out more about her
life and work, visit her official web site at http://www.agathachristie.com/.
PORTIONS OF THIS STUDY GUIDE WERE GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE EDUCATION STAFF AT GREAT LAKE THEATER IN CLEVELAND, OHIO.
