Ideas and Activities
Liz’s Circus Story is a one-woman play written and performed by Kentuckian Liz Bussey Fentress. The KET television program of this humorous and inspiring play and this web site together offer numerous resources for middle and high school students to explore the elements of performance and production, to find out more about the role of the playwright and other theater careers, and to compare stage and film/television production.
Here are some ideas for you to use:
- DISCUSSION/WRITING: Liz Fentress rewrote her script
numerous times, including a special rewrite for the 60-minute television
program. Ask students to discuss the comment from her mentor,
Warren Hammack of Horse Cave Theatre, that “Plays are not written;
they are rewritten.” To expand, have students write a dramatic
scene based on a personal experience or personal narrative.
- DISCUSSION/GROUP ACTIVITY: The From Stage to Screen
section of this web site deals with the differences between the stage
version and the television version of Liz’s Circus Story.
Have students discuss these differences, then, singly or in groups,
choose another play script and suggest adaptations that would be needed
to create a television production.
- DISCUSSION: Liz Fentress plays all the roles in
Liz’s Circus Story. After viewing the program, discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of this approach. What challenges does
it create for the actor? For the audience? How are the different characters
portrayed? How would the play be different if an individual actor played
each role?
- DISCUSSION/RESEARCH/WRITING: Liz’s Circus
Story tells a real story: Liz’s
reflections
on her circus experiences and the impact Wayne Franzen had on her commitment
to follow her own dream of a career in the theater. It is an excellent
production for discussing the differences between plot and theme. How
is each conveyed in the story? The play also contains a great deal of
symbolism. Discuss what the wind blowing through the circus grounds
symbolizes to Liz. What do “dancing with the horses” and her
dance at the end of the play symbolize? As a related activity, have
students interview a parent or older acquaintance about their dreams
when they were younger. Have they fulfilled them? Or ask students to
imagine how they will feel as middle-aged adults looking back on their
lives. What do they hope to have achieved, and what are they willing
to sacrifice in order to achieve their dreams?
- DISCUSSION/PERFORMANCE ACTIVITY: The puppets play
an important role in this play. How effective are the puppets in conveying
the characters of the animals? As a related activity, have students
create puppets, using foam or other materials.
- RESEARCH/DISCUSSION: Liz’s Circus Story
spans 23 years, from the 1970s to
the
late 1990s. For costume designer Janet Whitaker, finding contemporary
clothes that looked appropriate to the setting and to the 1970s and
’80s was a challenge. Have students research the 1970s, the era
in which Liz Bussey graduated from college and joined the circus. What
were the trends and fashions? What were important world and U.S. events
of this era? In the first scene of the play, Liz tells her mother, “Mom,
I’m 21! And the economy is terrible—everyone I know is cleaning
houses. And Nixon’s in way too much trouble to do anything about
it. I might as well work for a circus!” To what is she referring?
Have students compare this scenario to the environment today’s
college graduates face.
- DISCUSSION/RESEARCH: Wayne Franzen’s lifelong
dream was to own a circus, but he started his circus at a time when
attendance for this type of entertainment was dwindling. Discuss the
circus as popular entertainment. Have students in your class seen a
circus? How does it compare to other types of entertainment available
today? Have students research the history of the circus and its current
status.
- RESEARCH/WRITING: Wayne Franzen’s death made
national news. In 2003, Las Vegas entertainer Roy Horn of Siegfried
and Roy was mauled by a tiger. The use of animals like tigers in circuses
and other performances has become a controversial issue. Have students
research this issue, then formulate and defend an opinion.
- PERFORMANCE ACTIVITY: Use the program and the From Stage to Screen information on this web site as a model for creating a video production as a class.