Theatre Calgary’s Play Guides and InterACTive Learning Program
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The Play Guide for The Shoplifters was created by:
Zachary Moull
Assistant Dramaturg
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The Shoplifters runs from September 1 to 27, 2015
For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call (403) 294-7447
Front cover image by David Cooper
Table of Contents
THE BASICS
The Company .................................................................... 01
Who’s Who? ...................................................................... 02
Time and Place ................................................................. 02
The Story .......................................................................... 02
EXPLORATIONS
Breaking the Rules
An Interview with Playwright Morris Panych .............. 03
The Stockroom Art Installation
An Interview with Set Designer Ken MacDonald ......... 06
Five Facts on the Five-Finger Discount ................................ 09
Security and Loss Prevention .............................................. 10
Cops and Robbers ............................................................. 11
CONVERSATIONS
Conversation Starters ........................................................ 12
Why Do People Steal? ........................................................ 12
Big Reads from Calgary Public Library ................................. 13
Spotlight Saturday ............................................................. 14
Meet the Cast ................................................................... 15
Sources ............................................................................ 17
THE BASICS - 1 -
The Company
THE SHOPLIFTERS
By Morris Panych
THE CAST Anna Cummer Phyllis Stephen Hair Otto Jeff Lillico Dom Nora McLellan Alma
THE CREATIVE TEAM Haysam Kadri Director Ken MacDonald Set Design Hanne Loosen Costume Design Anton De Groot Lighting Design Peter Moller Original Music and Sound Design
BEHIND THE SCENES
Patti Neice Stage Manager Ashley Rees Assistant Stage Manager Catharine Crumb Head of Lighting Chris Jacko Head of Sound Scott Morris Head Stage Carpenter Ron Siegmund Wig & Hairstylist, Wardrobe Master
THE BASICS - 2 -
Who’s Who?
Alma: A shoplifter
Phyllis: Alma’s accomplice
Otto: A longtime security guard
Dom: A new security guard
Time and Place
The Shoplifters takes places in the stockroom of a large supermarket, in the
present day.
The Story
Alma is a career shoplifter with a knack for getting the “five-finger
discount” from the supermarket. But when she tries to steal some
expensive steaks with her new accomplice Phyllis, she’s caught in the act
by Dom, an overzealous security guard on his very first day. Dom and his
boss Otto hold Alma and Phyllis in the back room of the store, but their
interrogation reveals more questions than answers.
“Thieves respect property; they merely wish the property to
become their property that they may more perfectly respect it.” –G. K. Chesterton
EXPLORATIONS - 3 -
Breaking the Rules An Interview with Playwright Morris Panych
One of Canada’s leading playwrights, Morris Panych has delighted and
shocked audiences around the
world with his darkly absurd
comedies about people on the
edge. At Theatre Calgary, we’ve
presented Vigil, 7 Stories, and
The Overcoat on the Max Bell
stage. In anticipation of our
Canadian premiere of The
Shoplifters, we spoke with
Morris about theft, theatre, and
his connection to Calgary.
What first sparked the idea for
The Shoplifters?
It was watching people steal, especially in grocery stores. They're often
bad at it and somehow still get away with it. Also, I read a story about
how 15% of shoplifting is done by seniors, and often it's just for something
to do as much as being based on need. That made me start thinking about
the different reasons that people break rules. It also happens to be a time
in our country when the political rhetoric is more and more heated about
criminal justice.
What do you find most intriguing about theft?
Theft at its worst is greed, but at its best can symbolize an act of defiance
against the system. What I find most intriguing is that while none of us
condones theft, we sometimes secretly applaud when something is taken
from the rich and given to the poor. We all have our own internal sense of
justice that doesn't always match the legal one.
Morris Panych
EXPLORATIONS - 4 -
Do you think there are grey areas where stealing can be justified?
Theft is wrong, no question; how wrong is the question. We all know in
our hearts that a starving person stealing food to eat is not the same, for
instance, as a rich executive soaking investors or embezzling funds. There
is a lot of in-between when it comes to wrongdoing.
Are you a shoplifter or a security guard?
I am my own thief. I stop myself more often than I let myself get away, so
I guess I'm a security guard. But I wish I was more of a shoplifter.
The Shoplifters premiered last year in Washington, DC. Do you
anticipate any different reactions at the Canadian premiere in Calgary?
Americans, I think, are innately more open with their responses, so they
are a little more vocal. They also are slightly less dark in their sensibilities,
so black humour can shock them a little more. Canadian audiences
probably sit somewhere between British and American in their reaction to
humour. That said, I really try to write from as wide a perspective as
possible, hoping that my themes are more universal than local. I am
interested in the human predicament. The most exciting thing for me is
seeing the reception of my work in different parts of the world.
Your husband Ken MacDonald designed the set for The Shoplifters, like
he has for so many of your plays. How does your creative collaboration
with him work?
Ken has an innate understanding of the underlying absurdity of my work,
while at the same time understanding that, at its core, there is a strong
undercurrent of realism. Ken can magically combine these two elements
so that immediately upon seeing one of his sets, one gets the intended
tone. Our collaborations start almost from the inception of the idea,
because often, if Ken can't see the visual component of the play I'm
working on, he won't like it as much. So it forces me to explore theatrical
metaphor in a much bolder way.
EXPLORATIONS - 5 -
You were born in Calgary and have a family connection to the area. Is it
special to have the Canadian premiere of The Shoplifters here?
I'm very proud, of course. There is something deeply fulfilling about
completing a circle that involves generations. My grandparents settled
east of the city early in the 20th century, in Baintree, which is now
deserted. My mother was born
in Rockyford near Strathmore.
During the depression, after my
grandfather's death, they were
forced to move to Calgary,
living a bit on the edge,
skipping out on rent and bills –
according to my mother,
although she could tell a story.
Later, she worked at the
granary exchange where,
according to her, she invented a
filing system only she could
follow, so that they couldn't fire
her. My mother has been very influential in my writing. Her dark
sensibilities affected me greatly as a child and even as an adult. And in my
office I have a picture of me at the Calgary Zoo, standing with my
grandmother in front of a polar bear. I still remember being terrified. But
my grandmother, who was a school teacher and a fierce grammarian,
always had a weird nursery rhyme to console me, usually about
somebody being thrown down a set of stairs.
Why do you write plays, as opposed to anything else?
I don't really know anything else. Theatre is the simplest, most satisfying
expression of storytelling, and it's communal, so it's ultimately a social act.
As we move further and further away from each other through
technology, as conversations become shorter and people are swallowed by
the screaming chaos of media in all its forms, theatre remains the last, best
refuge of living ideas and expressed feelings.
Morris Panych with his grandmother
at the Calgary Zoo
EXPLORATIONS - 6 -
The Stockroom Art Installation An Interview with Set Designer Ken MacDonald
By Linda Lombardi, Arena Stage Literary Manager
The set for Theatre Calgary’s The Shoplifters had its first life in the play’s
world premiere at Arena Stage
in Washington, DC. Its designer
Ken MacDonald is the longtime
creative partner and husband of
playwright Morris Panych, who
directed that first production of
his new play The Shoplifters.
Linda Lombardi of Arena Stage
spoke to Ken during tech week
in Washington to ask him the
secrets behind the 800 boxes
that make up the set.
What was your inspiration for
the design of the set and all those boxes?
I went to Loblaws in Toronto where I live, and I asked if I could go back
into the stockroom. I looked at a lot of pictures online of stockrooms, too.
They all had these metal shelves and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun if it
was just so magical, that there was no way of seeing how they were
stacked, to not see the shelves?” So I started off by drawing a very realistic
lunch room – I had a great big ventilator fan, a sink, a table, some
cinderblock – it looked very real. But it was boring. And then I came up
with the idea of stacking boxes and drawing them and it became an art
installation. It became larger than life and theatrical. It’s funny, you start
to accept it, don’t you? When you first see it, you think, “Oh my God!” but
then you think, “Yeah they’re just in that back room.” And the boxes are
hanging from the ceiling, piled high.
Ken MacDonald
EXPLORATIONS - 7 -
Are they all actually boxes?
They’re boxes, but they’re not boxes that assemble like you’d find in a
store. We bought them from a box company. They’re flat, and you pull
them together, staple them together, and then we hand-printed on 4x8
sheets of cardboard all the logos that we had determined we wanted to
use. Some of them were almost like silkscreen and a bit paler than normal.
Then that piece of cardboard is cut out, put on, and folded around the top
and re-glued on. Not every box is done – about 225 of the 800 boxes have
logos. I knew that I wanted them randomly staggered and that they
weren’t all flat, and then I just took a box cutter and went around and cut
them in different places and started opening them up. I really liked that
look. Then we started putting stuff inside. It’s very cool. I think people
will think, “Oh well you went to the Safeway and you got a lot of boxes,”
but no. Every box is chosen for its size, where it goes, what’s printed on it,
whether it’s taped, and whether it has a logo on it, and a stamp, and a
barcode, all that detail.
The set of The Shoplifters under construction at Theatre Calgary
EXPLORATIONS - 8 -
You’ve worked with Morris Panych on more than 90 productions.
We’ve been together for 35 years as partners – we’re married now. When
we first started out, Morris was acting and I was writing music a bit. One
day he came home and said “We’re going to write a musical.” I wrote the
music, because I play the piano and sing, and he started writing the show,
which we called Last Call: A Post-Nuclear Cabaret. We wrote about ten
songs, and our landlady at the time was a producer at a theatre company
in Vancouver, where we lived. So we played it for her and she liked it and
her company said, “If you complete it, we’ll do it.” So we did it and it was
a huge hit. We traveled across the country with it, it was made into a CBC
television special, and it started us writing musicals. We wrote two or
three more musicals after that, and that was 25 years ago!
When you’ve been together for so long, do you develop a short hand?
Oh totally! We get along fantastically. We do argue about design, because
he’s very specific and so am I. I’m a little impractical. He’ll say, “Yes, but
how does an actor get offstage?” While I’m saying, “But it looks so great!”
In the last 30 years I’d say we’ve done at least three shows a year together,
and there’s 90 just like that! We do have a shorthand in that we both love
the same kind of look – we both like to be really theatrical, we know we
want a twist to it in some way, we know that we like monochromatic
things, and we like things to look quite classical, in the sense that it could
be 1950, 1960, 1970...
Is there a show that you have always wanted to design that you haven’t
designed yet?
No, there really isn’t. I like working on a new play more than anything.
Like this. There are hundreds and hundreds of productions where you can
look online and see what other people did. I would much rather invent it
from scratch. I would much rather be the first person to do it. So any
dream play I have is a new play that I have yet to design.
EXPLORATIONS - 9 -
Five Facts on the Five-Finger Discount
1. Canadian retailers lose upwards of $3 billion a year to shoplifting and
other forms of theft. Small shops lose an average of $1000 each month.
2. Recent studies estimate that as many as 1 in 10 people are habitual
shoplifters. Men and women are equally likely to shoplift, and around
25% of shoplifters are under 18. Common motivations include poverty
and need, treating oneself, and thrill-seeking.
3. The most frequently shoplifted items are razor blades, alcohol, and
cosmetics. Other top-ten targets include batteries, pills, instant coffee, and
packages of meat. Most shoplifters steal items for their own use or for
their friends and family.
4. Shoplifters report being caught only once every 48 times they steal and
being turned over to the police about half the times they get caught.
5. The penalty for theft under $5000 in Canada can range from a fine and
community service to a maximum of 10 years in prison.
A loss prevention officer in the video surveillance room of a U.S. Army
Exchange store (Vince Little, The Bayonet)
EXPLORATIONS - 10 -
Security and Loss Prevention
Shoplifting is a major drain on retail profit margins, so most stores have
“loss prevention” policies in place to deter theft. These measures might
include videocameras, bag checks, and electronic security tags. Shoplifters
often need a moment of privacy to stash goods, so something as simple as
salespeople greeting customers on the sales floor – known in the industry
as “aggressive hospitality” – can be an effective loss prevention strategy.
When passive measures fail to reduce theft, stores turn to security guards
and in-house detectives. The presence of security guards can be a useful
deterrent in itself. But when it comes to actually confronting suspected
shoplifters, security guards can generally make an arrest only when they
witness someone in the act of committing a crime. The so-called “six-step
rule” was developed as a guideline in the 1990s to help security guards
determine when they had probable cause to detain a shoplifter legally:
1. You must see the suspect approach the merchandise.
2. You must see the suspect take possession of the merchandise.
3. You must see where the suspect conceals it.
4. You must maintain an uninterrupted surveillance to ensure that
the suspect doesn’t dispose of the merchandise.
5. You must see the suspect fail to pay for the merchandise.
6. You should approach the suspect outside.
Loss prevention measures can be expensive, especially when a store needs
to keep security guards on salary. One study found that American
retailers spend an average of 0.46% of their revenue on loss prevention.
This extra cost is passed on to paying customers through higher prices.
“There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.” –Gen. Douglas MacArthur
EXPLORATIONS - 11 -
Cops and Robbers
The endless struggle between cops and robbers (or security guards and
shoplifters) goes far beyond the playground and the shopping mall. It has
deep roots in legend and literature – and it’s surprisingly common for the
thief to take on the role of the hero. These are just a few iterations:
Many cultures have myths
in which fire is stolen for the
benefit of humankind. For
example, the ancient Greek
deity Prometheus steals fire
from Mount Olympus in a
fennel stalk and gives it to
mortals against Zeus’s will.
As punishment, Zeus has
him chained to a rock on top
of a mountain, where his
liver is eaten by an eagle.
In medieval English folklore, Robin Hood is an archer and outlaw who
supports the lower classes by stealing from the rich and giving to the
poor. The Sheriff of Nottingham, his nemesis, chases him through
Sherwood Forest to try to maintain order.
In Les Misérables, the novel by Victor Hugo and subsequent stage
musical, Jean Valjean steals a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s children
and goes to prison for many years. When he takes an assumed name
upon his parole so that he can live a productive life, he is pursued
relentlessly by the police office Javert.
In tales of the Old West, the exploits of real-life outlaws such as Jesse
James, Butch Cassidy, and Billy the Kid take on legendary proportions.
The legends surrounding James, who robbed several banks and trains,
compared him to Robin Hood (although there’s no solid evidence that
he actually gave any of his stolen money to the poor).
Detail from “Prometheus Brings Fire to
Mankind” (1817) by Heinrich Füger
CONVERSATIONS - 12 -
Conversation Starters
Are you a shoplifter or a security guard?
Which grocery store aisle are you most likely to be found in?
Do you think of yourself as a have or a have-not?
Under what circumstances could you justify stealing something?
If you could steal one thing and never be caught, what would you take?
How much power do you think store security guards should have to
detain people they suspect of shoplifting?
Is there any moral difference between stealing from an individual and
stealing from a corporation?
Do you think that theft can ever be completely eliminated? If yes, how?
If no, why not?
Why Do People Steal?
Motivations for theft are remarkably varied, from poverty and need to
thrill-seeking and fighting authority. The reasons are often deeply
personal. One study, for example, found that many first-time shoplifters
had recently experienced a significant loss or other emotional stressor.
Episode #135 of the public radio show This American Life explores the
many kinds of theft and the many kinds of thieves, and includes a
fascinating interview with a senior-citizen shoplifter. It was one of Morris
Panych’s resources for his play. “Stories about crime,” says host Ira Glass,
“are a kind of snapshot of someone’s life and their problems at a certain
moment. Through our crimes, we express who we are.”
Listen: www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/135/allure-of-crime
Watch: CBC Doc Zone’s “The Secret World of Shoplifting”
www.cbc.ca/doczone/episodes/the-secret-world-of-shoplifting (video)
www.cbc.ca/doczone/features/fact-sheet-shoplifting1 (factsheet)
CONVERSATIONS - 13 -
Big Reads from Calgary Public Library By Rosemary Griebel
Shoplifter, by Michael Cho
Graphic Novel, 2014. Corrina Park supplements her dead-end
social life and mind-numbing urban existence with the thrill of
shoplifting. It’s not even particularly adventurous theft, self-
described as both “small time” and “magazines only, honest.”
Between grumpily writing advertising copy and catering to the
whims of a banshee-howling cat, Corrina comforts herself with
frozen dinners and second-guessing her own apathy. Illustrator
Cho’s debut novel is a funny and touching portrait of urban angst.
The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting, by Rachel Shteir
Non-fiction, 2011. The first serious study of shoplifting, tracking
the fascinating history of this ancient crime. Dismissed by
academia and the mainstream media and largely misunderstood,
shoplifting has become the territory of moralists, mischievous
teenagers, tabloid television, and self-help gurus. Tracing the
evolution of shoplifting through history (Eve, Shteir quips, was the
very first shoplifter when she swiped that apple), the author’s
fascination for the topic and sense of humor are infectious and
make the history of this curious crime compulsively readable.
Not For Nothing, by Stephen Graham Jones
Mystery, 2014. The town is Stanton, Texas, population 3,000; the
private investigator is disgraced detective Nicholas Bruiseman,
who's so down on his luck that he's forced to take a job as a live-in
security guard for the town's lone storage facility. This is his new
life, starting over with nothing in the town in which he grew up,
where every person he encounters – friend, enemy or ex-lover – is
from his school or the child of someone from his school. A plot
with twists, turns, and memorable characters.
CONVERSATIONS - 14 -
Catch Me If You Can, by Frank W. Abagnale
Memoir, 2002. Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert
Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of the most
daring con men, forgers, imposters, and escape artists in history.
In his brief but notorious criminal career, Abagnale donned a
pilot's uniform and co-piloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as the
supervising resident of a hospital, practiced law without a license,
passed himself off as a college sociology professor, and cashed
over $2.5 million in forged cheques, all before he was 21. Now
recognized as the U.S.’s leading authority on financial foul play,
Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-
fiction international escapades and ingenious escapes make Catch
Me If You Can an irresistible tale of deceit.
Spotlight Saturday
Dig deeper into the ideas! Join us in the lobby after our fourth Saturday
matinee for lively conversations around the themes of our shows. Our
Spotlight Saturday events are free and open to all – no ticket required.
Geoffrey Szuszkiewicz of the Buy Nothing Year Project
Saturday, September 26, at 3:30pm in the Max Bell Theatre lobby
In 2013, two Calgarian roommates received international attention when
they embarked on a experiment many thought would be impossible to
complete. For one year, Julie Phillips and Geoffrey Szuszkiewicz took part
in Buy Nothing Year, a project that would almost completely limit their
purchasing from August 2013 to August 2014. By July 2014, Julie and
Geoffrey had fully converted to “freeganism,” acquiring essentials such as
food items only through their garden, their friends, and even the
dumpster. The project fundamentally changed the way Geoffrey and Julie
approach consumerism. “Consumerism can be viewed as a mindless
activity,” they write on their blog, while “to share resources with each
other forces us to connect and establish social community.”
Click on the book covers
to check availability at
Calgary Public Library!
CONVERSATIONS - 15 -
Meet the Cast
ANNA CUMMER (PHYLLIS)
Grocery store aisle: Bakery
Heist film: The Thomas Crown Affair (the first
one with Steve McQueen)
If you could steal one thing and never be
caught, what would you take?
An original Van Gogh (The Starry Night)
Are you a shoplifter or a security guard?
A shoplifter with a security guard’s conscience
STEPHEN HAIR (OTTO)
Grocery store aisle: Pizza
Heist film: The original Pink Panther
If you could steal one thing and never be
caught, what would you take?
I wouldn’t do it
Are you a shoplifter or a security guard?
Neither
“Property is theft!”
–Slogan of the 19th-century French anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
CONVERSATIONS - 16 -
JEFF LILLICO (DOM)
Grocery store aisle: I’m a bit ashamed, but
my wondrous girlfriend usually does the
grocery shopping
Heist film: High Life, based on the play by
Canadian playwright Lee MacDougall
If you could steal one thing and never be
caught, what would you take?
I’d steal home plate for the Blue Jays to win
the World Series this year
Are you a shoplifter or a security guard?
In this day and age, when most of us want
the best for the world yet still unwittingly
contribute to its degradation, I’d have to say
a bit of both
NORA MCLELLAN (ALMA)
Grocery store aisle: International
Heist film: The Italian Job
If you could steal one thing and never be
caught, what would you take?
Someone’s heart!
Are you a shoplifter or a security guard?
Both
CONVERSATIONS - 17 -
Sources
“Allure of Crime.” This American Life #135, prod. Ira Glass. WBEZ-
Chicago. Jul 23, 1999.
www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/135/allure-of-crime
Cromwell, Paul. “Shoplifting.” In The Encyclopedia of Crime and
Punishment, ed. David Levinson. New York: Sage, 2002.
“Fact Sheet: Shoplifting.” CBC Doc Zone. Jul 28, 2012.
www.cbc.ca/doczone/features/fact-sheet-shoplifting1
Hampson, Sarah. “The Thrill of Shoplifting.” The Globe and Mail. Jul 18, 2011.
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/the-thrill-of-the-steal-
shoplifting-is-retail-therapy-of-another-kind/article625886
Haygood, Will. “A Story of Myth, Fame, Jesse James.” Seattle Times. Sep
17, 2007.
www.seattletimes.com/html/living/2003885037_jessejames17.html
“Psychological Studies.” National Association for Shoplifting Prevention.
www.shopliftingprevention.org/what-we-do/learning-resource-
center/psychological-studies
“Retail Crime and Shoplifting.” Calgary Police Service.
www.calgary.ca/cps/Pages/Community-programs-and-
resources/Crime-prevention/Retail-crime-and-shoplifting.aspx
“Shoplifting and Theft.” Calgary Legal Guidance.
clg.ab.ca/programs-services/dial-a-law/shoplifting-and-theft
Shteir, Rachel. The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting. New York:
Penguin, 2011.
“Theft of Fire.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_of_fire