My Fair Lady (elementary) - Shaw Festival Theatre

My Fair Lady 

Based on the play Pygmalion by BERNARD SHAW 

Adaptation and lyrics by ALAN JAY LERNER 

Music by FREDERICK LOEWE 

C ONNECTIONS 

Shaw Festival 

Study Guide 

Grades 3‐8

WHAT MAKES 

SHAW SPECIAL 

Festival Theatre 

Court House Theatre 

Royal George Theatre 

MANDATE 

THE SHAW STORY 

The Shaw Festival produces and presents the work of George Bernard 

Shaw (1856-1950) and playwrights writing anywhere in the world during, or 

about, the era of Shaw’s lifetime. 

VALUES 

• The Shaw Festival chooses works for presentation that are challenging, 

provocative and intelligent. 

• Productions engage audiences with clever, insightful, and delightful portraits 

of the human condition. 

• The works chosen often resonate with the wit, social commentary, and 

topical relevance for which G.B. Shaw himself was well known. 

• The Shaw Festival is dedicated to excellence, consistency, and integrity 

in all its creative and administrative practices. 

• The Shaw Festival operates within a fiscally responsible and accountable 

framework. 

THE SHAW FESTIVAL ATTRIBUTES ITS SUCCESS TO: 

The Ensemble - their talent, continuity, generosity, and collegiality fuel 

all of the Festival’s efforts 

The Company - their singular sense of purpose fosters mutual trust, respect, 

and dedication to the Festival 

The Repertory - the alternating schedule of performance serves the audience 

and inspires the company 

The Mandate - 1856-1950 offers a wealth of material to fascinate and delight, 

liberating the ensemble to explore complex questions from the safety 

of the not too distant past while encouraging audiences to re-discover 

themselves through the lens of historical perspective 

The Shaw Festival is a crucible of progressive and provocative ideas 

inspired by the brilliance, bravery, humanity, and humour of 

George Bernard Shaw. 

OUR THEATRES 

The Shaw Festival presents plays in four distinctive theatres. The Festival 

Theatre with 869 seats is The Shaw’s flagship theatre; the historic Court 

House where The Shaw first began performing seats 327; and the Royal 

George Theatre, modeled after an Edwardian opera house, holds 328. Our 

new Studio Theatre has flexible seating and can accommodate approximately 

200 seats. 

THE SHAW’S COAT OF ARMS 

In 1987, on the occasion of our 25th Anniversary, the Shaw Festival 

became the second theatre company in the world to be 

granted a Coat of Arms by the College of Heralds. A large 

painted sculpture of our Coat of Arms adorns the lobby of the 

Festival Theatre. 

C ONNECTIONS 

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Shaw Festival Study Guide

C ONNECTIONS 

Study Guide 

A practical, handson 

resource for 

the classroom 

which contains 

background 

information for the 

play, as well as 

suggested themes 

for classroom 

discussions. 

My Fair Lady is 

recommended for 

students in grade 

3 and higher. 

This guide was 

written and 

compiled by 

Megan Gilchrist 

and Suzanne 

Merriam. 

Additional 

materials were 

provided by Molly 

Smith, Paul 

Sportelli, Ken 

MacDonald, Judith 

Bowden, Amanda 

Tripp, Joanna 

Falck, Carly 

Commerford and 

Leonard Conolly. 

Cover: 

Deborah Hay 

Photo by: Shin 

Sugino 

Previews: April 13 

Opens: May 28 

Closes: October 30 

THE PLAYERS 

Eliza Doolittle DEBORAH HAY 

Freddy Eynsford-Hill MARK UHRE 

Mrs Eynsford-Hill / Cockney GABRIELLE JONES 

Colonel Pickering PATRICK GALLIGAN 

Jamie BILLY LAKE 

Busker / Lady Boxington KIERA SANGSTER 

Bootblack / Charles / Policeman COLIN LEPAGE 

Cockney Quartet /Butler / 

Dr Themistocles Stephanos KELLY WONG 

Henry Higgins BENEDICT CAMPBELL 

Cockney Quartet / Footman / 

Sir Reginald Tarrington LOUIE ROSSETTI 

Cockney Quartet / Consort / 

Zoltan Karpathy JEFF IRVING 

George / Footman ANTHONY MALARKY 

Alfred Doolittle NEIL BARCLAY 

Harry / Lord Boxington KYLE BLAIR 

Tart / Embassy Guest / Maid MELANIE PHILLIPSON (until June 1) 

MELANIE JANZEN (after June 1) 

Busker / Angry Man DEVON TULLOCK 

Mrs Pearce / Queen of Transylvania PATTY JAMIESON 

Tart / Maid / Lady Tarrington ROBIN EVAN WILLIS 

Flower Girl / Maid SACCHA DENNIS 

Mrs Higgins SHARRY FLETT 

Street Sweep / Maid HEATHER McGUIGAN 

Flower Girl / Swing KATIE MURPHY 

Flower Girl JACQUELINE THAIR 

Cockney / Swing KELLAN ZIFFLE 

Buskers ALEXANDRE BRILLON 

CELESTE BRILLON 

AIDAN TYE 

LUKA VUJIC 

THE ARTISTIC TEAM 

Director MOLLY SMITH 

Musical Director PAUL SPORTELLI 

Choreographer DANNY PELZIG 

Set Designer KEN MACDONALD 

Costume Designer JUDITH BOWDEN 

Lighting Designer JOCK MUNRO 

Projection Designer ADAM LARSEN 

Sound Designer JOHN LOTT 

C ONNECTIONS 

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“ The 

difference 

between a 

lady and a 

flower girl 

is not how 

she 

behaves, 

but how 

she is 

treated. 

‐Eliza Doolittle 


The Story ” 

MY FAIR LADY is a story about... 

...the transformation of Eliza Doolittle from a dirty, uncouth Cockney flower 

seller into an elegant, well-spoken lady. 

Professor Henry Higgins, a speech scientist can place any person by their 

accent to within two streets of where they were born. One night outside 

the Royal Opera House in London, Professor Higgins and a fellow speech 

expert, Colonel Pickering, hear the ear-splitting howls of a flower seller 

whose basket of flowers has been knocked to the ground. Higgins is 

horrified by her language and speech and tells Colonel Pickering that if 

Eliza could simply learn to speak proper English, he could pass her off as a 

duchess at an Embassy ball within six months. While Higgins says it 

jokingly, Eliza hears this proposition and seizes her chance. The next day, 

she arrives at Higgins’ home and says she’ll pay for lessons to learn proper 

English so she can work in a flower shop. Pickering then challenges 

Higgins to deliver on his boast and Higgins accepts claiming, "I’ll make a 

duchess of this draggle-tailed guttersnipe!" Eliza moves in and the 

transformation - both inside and out - for both Eliza and Higgins begins. 

Higgins puts Eliza through a series of exhausting and degrading exercises 

to improve her speech. Eliza’s spirit is almost broken by his heartless 

attitude towards her, and her first public test of her skills, as the Ascot 

Racecourse, nearly ends in disaster as she slips back into her uncouth 

manner of speech. 

However, with the encouragement of Pickering and Mrs. Higgins, Eliza’s 

next presentation to high society is a complete success. At the Embassy 

Ball, her manners are impeccable, her speech is proper, and everyone at 

the Ball is completely convinced by her performance. Afterwards, Higgins 

celebrates “his” success at winning the bet, but continues his lack of 

recognition for Eliza - she has served her purpose, and he seemingly is now 

done with her. 

Eliza, who has learned self-respect from Mrs Higgins and Colonel Pickering, 

walks out on Higgins, and it is at that moment he realizes that he has come 

to care deeply for her. As he contemplates life without Eliza, the play ends 

with her return and they meet as equals - both having undergone transformations. 

C ONNECTIONS 

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ELIZA DOOLITTLE 

A Cockney flower girl with an appalling 

accent and an ambition to become a 

sales-lady in a florist shop. She asks the 

famous phonetician Henry Higgins to 

teach her to talk and act like a lady so 

that she can improve her station in life. 

ALFRED DOOLITTLE 

Eliza’s father. He is a proud 

member of the ’undeserving poor’, a 

layabout and a heavy drinker. He 

visits Higgins to collect payment 

for the possession of his daughter. 

OO’S OO? 

(WHO’S WHO?) 


HENRY HIGGINS 

An upper class bachelor and phonetics 

expert who wagers that in six months he 

could pass Eliza off as a duchess at an 

Embassy ball or get her a place as a 

lady’s maid or shop assistant. 

FREDDY EYNSFORD-HILL 

An upper class but penniless 

young man who falls desperately 

in love with Eliza Doolittle after 

she is transformed from a flower 

girl into a lady. 

© The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. All rights reserved. www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org 

COLONEL 

PICKERING 

An expert on 

Indian dialects 

visiting London to 

meet Henry 

Higgins. He 

assists in Eliza’s 

transformation. 

MRS HIGGINS 

Henry’s mother. 

She is the first to 

test Eliza as a 

lady. 

MRS EYNSFORD- 

HILL 

Friends with Mrs 

Higgins and 

mother of Freddy. 

MRS PEARCE 

Henry Higgins’ 

housekeeper 

C ONNECTIONS 

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the 

eaine 

e, 

you 

t last 

at 

SHAW THE VEGETARIAN 

“Meat is poison to the 

system. No one should live 

on dead things.” 

He believed this to be the 

reason he stayed mentally 

and physically fit into his 

90s. 

The Playwright 

SHAW THE LOVER 

GBS loved women. He had 

life-long affairs with many, 

in letters, poetry, and 

prose but rarely of the 

flesh. He was a major 

supporter of women’s 

emancipation. 

“She is the slave of duty.” 

The Playwright 

Bernard Shaw 

SHAW THE BOY 

“I may add that I was incorrigibly idle and worthless as a schoolboy, and 

am proud of the fact.” 

But his bedtime reading consisted of the entire works of the entire works 

of Dickens and Shakespeare. 

SHAW THE REBEL 

“Do not do unto others as you expect they should 

do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.” 

Shaw championed equity for those who had no 

voice in society - the underprivileged and women. 

SHAW THE SOCIALIST 

“Socialism is … the economist’s hatred of waste and 

disorder, the aesthete's hatred of ugliness and dirt, 

the lawyer’s hatred of injustice, the doctor's hatred 

of disease, the saint's hatred of the seven deadly 

sins.” 

Shaw believed in activism. Intellect and words 

were his weapons. 

SHAW THE SUPERMAN 

Shaw was interested in everything, had an opinion on everything, 

and criticized everything. No thought went unrecorded 

or unexpressed. The personal letters he wrote in his 

lifetime compose five large volumes. He wrote reviews, 

articles, essays , 55 plays and introduced a new adjective 

into the English language - Shavian - a term used to describe 

all his brilliant qualities. 

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“ They 

(Lerner and 

Loewe) 

have drawn 

song out of 

Shaw’s 

people, not 

imposed it 

on them. 

” 

Kenneth Tynan 

Theatre Critic 

From Myth to Musical 

First A Myth ... 

~ Roman poet Ovid wrote a myth about a sculptor 

named Pygmalion who created a statue of a beautiful 

woman named Galatea. He prayed to the goddess 

Aphrodite to bring his statue to life. She granted his 

request and Pygmalion and Galatea married and 

enjoyed a long and happy marriage. 

Then A Play ... 

~ Bernard Shaw wrote a play called Pygmalion, about 

Henry Higgins, a linguistic scientist who takes a bet to 

transform Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower seller into a 

duchess. Higgins teaches Eliza how to speak and behave 

properly and wins the bet. Even though Eliza’s new 

education has left her unsuitable to return to flower 

selling she leaves Higgins in search of a new life. 

Then A Film ... 

~ Pygmalion was the first of Shaw’s works to be adapted 

for the screen. Against Shaw’s wishes, a “romantic 

ending” was added, with Eliza returning to Higgins. 

However, the film version did retain the highly 

controversial line from the play “Not bloody likely”, 

which was considered a “swear word” at the time. 

Then A Stage Musical … 

~ Alan Jay Lerner and Fritz Loewe created the musical 

My Fair Lady which opened on Broadway in 1965 and ran 

for 2,717 performances - a record at that time. The 

original Broadway cast recording of My Fair Lady spent 

480 weeks on the Billboard charts, making it the thirdlongest 

selling album of all time. 

And Again a Film ... 

~ My Fair Lady was made into a film in 1964 starring 

Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. The film won eight 

Oscars. Some of the many modern takes on the My 

Fair Lady story include episodes of The Simpsons and 

The Family Guy, as well as the 1999 film She’s All 

That. 

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Did You 

Know... 

In 2010, the 

Shaw Festival 

supported the 

equivalent of 

1,107 full-year 

jobs, and the 

total economic 

impact of the 

Festival is 

estimated at 

$75.4M! 

WHO’S WHO IN THE THEATRE 

Theatre is all about teamwork. 

Here’s a list of some of the many people it takes to create live theatre. 

Careers in Creative 

⇒ Artistic Director 

⇒ Director 

◊ Intern Director 

⇒ Actor 

◊ Acting 

Apprentice 

◊ 

⇒ Design 

◊ Lighting 

◊ Set 

◊ Costume 

◊ Sound 

◊ Video/Projection 

⇒ Planning Director 

⇒ Music 

◊ Director/ 

Conductor 

◊ Composer 

◊ Music Intern 

◊ Accompanist 

◊ Singing Coach 

⇒ Playwright 

⇒ Literary Manager 

⇒ Choreographer 

◊ Dance Captain 

⇒ Publications Coordinator 

⇒ Speech and Dialect 

Coaches 

⇒ Arts Educator 

⇒ Alexander Technique 

Coach 

⇒ Dramaturg 

Careers in 

Administration 

⇒ Executive Director 

⇒ Executive Assistant 

⇒ Human Resources 

⇒ Development 

◊ Fundraiser 

◊ Researcher 

◊ Customer 

Relations 

⇒ Information Services 

◊ Database Analyst 

◊ IT Specialist 

◊ Receptionist 

⇒ Marketing 

⇒ Finance 

◊ Accountant 

◊ Bookkeeper 

◊ Payroll 

Coordinator 

⇒ Audience Services 

◊ Food & Beverage 

Staff 

◊ Ushers 

⇒ Facilities 

◊ Housekeeping 

◊ Maintenance 

◊ Security 

◊ Groundskeeper 

⇒ Distribution 

◊ Printing Press 

Operator 

◊ Mailroom 

Coordinator 

⇒ Sales 

◊ Box Office 

◊ Green Room 

◊ Retail 

⇒ Public Relations 

⇒ Housing 

◊ Maintenance 

* Check out Who’s Who crossword puzzle on page 29 * 

Careers in Production 

⇒ Stage Management 

◊ Stage Manager 

◊ Assistant Stage 

Manager 

◊ Apprentice 

⇒ Props 

◊ Buyer 

◊ Builder 

◊ Driver 

⇒ Wardrobe 

◊ Buyer 

◊ Milliner 

◊ Accessorist 

◊ Boots/Shoes 

◊ Cutter 

◊ Taylor 

◊ Sewer 

◊ Dyer 

◊ Wardrobe Running 

⇒ Scenic Art 

◊ Painter 

⇒ Scenery Construction 

◊ Carpenter 

◊ Welder 

◊ Machinist 

◊ Drafter 

⇒ Audio 

◊ Sound Operators/ 

Engineers 

⇒ Technical Director 

⇒ Electrics 

⇒ Stage Crew 

◊ Stage Carpenter 

◊ Stage Hand 

◊ Flyperson 

◊ Stage Crew 

◊ Changeover Crew 

⇒ Wigs 

◊ Wigmaker 

◊ Hair Stylist 

◊ Make-up 

C ONNECTIONS 

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“ 

In Act 

I 

Higgins tames 

Eliza; in Act II, 

she 

tames 

” 

him. 

” 

Molly Smith, 

Director 


Jobs in Theatre: 

The Director 

MOLLY SMITH talks about 

directing My Fair Lady 

The Director is in charge of everything that 

happens onstage. They guide the cast and 

crew towards the goal of creating the best 

production possible. Here is what Molly 

Smith, the director of My Fair Lady, has to say 

about the show: 

Inspired by Ovid’s classical myth of transformation in which the sculptor 

Pygmalion creates a beautiful ivory statue of a woman named Galatea and 

then falls in love with her, our story is about the transformation of a 

human being through language, manners, mind and dress. It is a doubleheaded 

transformation because both Eliza and Higgins are transformed. It 

is the story of emancipation – not just about Eliza, but Higgins as he moves 

into his own humanity. 

The other story is about class – and the rigid social structures which 

confine us. In a world increasingly blown apart by the dynamics of the very 

rich and the very poor, this musical hits the sweet spot of our 

contemporary awareness of class. 

It asks the question: How does language define us? How do we judge 

others through their language, manners and dress? How does our own 

class: lower, middle, upper, confine and define us? Ken McDonald’s 

beautiful set design and Judith Bowden’s stunning costumes will answer 

these questions through the physical world. 

Eliza comes from a rough and tumble world where there are real fights to 

survive. She has no mother, an absent father. When she comes to Higgins’ 

home – it is in desperation. 

When Eliza becomes a lady, she maintains the toughness, drive and spunk 

she had on the street and can turn it on and off at will. The street people 

are scavengers, manipulating and have their hands in each other’s pockets. 

There is range to them as well as range from rich to poor. 

Higgins is all head on fire with his ideas. He’s ahead of the curve in his experimentations 

with language – a mad scientist. He is focused with a razorlike 

intensity and drive. She’s a wild animal – as driven as he is. 

In Act I, he makes her a lady but she still has all the robust, fiery energy 

she arrived with. 

In Act II, she tames him. It is a boxing match. She fights and argues to open 

his emotional side. She battles to break through, leaves him, takes off on 

her own, joins forces with his mother and beats him at his own game. 

In the end, when she comes back, he’s bereft – and they meet as equals – 

eye to eye. 

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“ 

We 

finally 

- 

arrived at 

those moments 

where music 

PAUL SPORTELLI, Music Director 

talks about the music in 


The Musical Director coordinates all music for a 

and lyrics could 

show. They are responsible for sorting, assigning and 

reveal what 

was implied 

and not repeat 

what was 

already in the 

transcribing musical parts, teaching the music to the 

cast and orchestra, and they also sometimes (but not 

always) act as the show’s conductor. 

The conductor’s job is to set the pace (tempo) of the music, and keep 

the singers and orchestra performing together. 

text, and could 

catch the 

drama at the 

hilltops where 

it could ascent 

no further with- 

Everyone writing a musical based on pre-existing material should have a 

good reason why that material will benefit from musical treatment before 

they proceed. In My Fair Lady Lerner and Loewe truly found a way to use 

music to enlarge our understanding of Shaw’s original Pygmalion 

characters. 

out the wings Music has a way of striking at the core of an emotion in a way that is 

of music 

different from words, and is often more able to capture a sense of the 

and 

indescribable. 

lyrics… 

” 

There is much these characters know, but a lot they don’t know. Lerner 

Alan Jay 

captures this sense of the unknown or indescribable in key lyrics, like 

Lerner, 

Eliza’s “I’ll never know what made it so exciting” and Higgins’ “I’ve grown 

The Street 

accustomed to the trace of something in the air.” What is it Eliza thinks 

Where I Live 

she’ll never know? What is it in the air that Higgins can’t pinpoint? The 

answer is never given through words, but the music gives us strong clues. 


Music Director 

Observe the brilliance of how Lerner and Loewe use Higgins’ music to 

show character development—Higgins always sings up-tempos, but when 

we get to I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, he sings a ballad. That 

musical treatment gives us dramatic information about his character. At 

the end of end Act I, music and movement tell the story and create a 

perfect sense of “what will happen?” in a way that words could not. 

The writers are also smart in choosing the appropriate musical boundaries 

for Eliza and Higgins who never sing a duet. They do sing together (The 

Rain in Spain), but Pickering is there singing along as well. The only time 

they sing alone together is in the penultimate scene, when his singing 

interrupts hers and she walks out. 

While rehearsing this production, we've enjoyed the lyrics—especially 

immersing ourselves in all the dialects and realizing how much that 

informs the music-making! We’ve also enjoyed the music, but most of all, 

that marriage of words and music. Or as Lerner aptly called it, “the 

wings.” 

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“ 

I love the 

people I 

am working with 

on this 

production. The 

creative team 

are all fabulous, 

exciting, 

passionate 

about their 

work and 

this 

production. 

- 

Judy 

Farthing, 

Production Stage 

Manager 



Stage Manager 

” 

JUDY FARTHING, Production 

Stage Manager talks about stage 

managing a musical 

The Stage Manager’s job is to maintain the overall 

“look” of a production. From the time rehearsals 

start until the final curtain of the show, the Stage 

Manager is in charge. They keep the show true to 

the director’s and designer’s vision, keep the pace 

of the show moving, call cues, protect the actors 

and crew by making sure everything and everyone 

moves on and off stage at the correct time, and 

troubleshoot any problems that might arise. Stage Management is one 

of the very few jobs that touches every aspect of production … If you 

want to know what’s going on in the show, ask a Stage Manager! 

Describe your job (what do you do?) I facilitate/supervise the 

smooth running of rehearsals and performances, and communicate 

the needs of the production to other departments such as: 

the Production Department (including set builders, set painters, 

wardrobe and wigs), the Administration Department and Front of 

House Department (including theatre managers and ushers). 

How did you get to be a stage manager? 

Schooling in technical theatre is an asset – extensive apprentice- 

ship and mentoring in the area of stage management. As my career 

continued, more opportunities came forward as a result of the past 

work relationships that I cultivated. I came to The Shaw when a 

position as an assistant stage manager opened up. When the 

Shaw Festival shows ended I worked in the “off season” as a stage 

manager with other theatre companies. I then worked here at the 

Shaw Festival as stage manager and then production stage 

manager. 

When you first began working on My Fair Lady, what was your 

greatest fear ? 

My skills at reading music were a little rusty. I very much enjoy 

working on a musical, but I have high school band music reading 

skills … and that was a long time ago! 

What is the best thing about working on My Fair Lady? 

I love the people I am working with on this production. The creative 

team, director, choreographer, music director, designers, and the 

cast of actors are all fabulous – exciting – passionate about their 

work and this production. It’s exhilarating to be in the rehearsal hall 

and now onstage watching and supporting them all. Theatre is a 

collaboration of talented individuals and this has been a shining 

example of why I love my job. 

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“ 

The 

designer’s 

challenge is that 

he can’t move 

the audience 

around, so he 

has to think 

about how to 

position the 

scenery to give 

the audience the 

best view. 

- 


Set Designer 

” 

Thomas 

Schumacher 

How Does the Show 

Go On? 

KEN MACDONALD, Set Designer for 


The Set Designer’s job is to take the audience on a 

visual journey by creating the world of the play. 

Where did you get your ideas for the set design for My Fair Lady? 

When I read My Fair Lady I was struck by the many references to birds 

that came up. So I have based the set design on Victorian silhouettes of 

birdcages for; Professor Higgins house, the Ascot horse race, the Embassy 

ball room, and Mrs Higgins’ garden. The bird cage metaphor is used to 

represent social classes. Each of the upper and lower classes have their 

own particular ’cage’ and this reality drives the story. The various 

characters attempt to escape their individual bird cages and the only way 

to get out of their social class is to fight, then fly. 

What is your process when designing a set? 

First of all, I read the play — in this case I read both My Fair Lady and 

Shaw’s Pygmalion. Then I have many conversations with the director and 

other designers and together we choose a direction for visually 

representing and supporting the story and characters. 

In my many discussions with the director, the costume, lighting and 

projection designers we all agreed that we wanted the world of My Fair Lady 

to be grounded in 1912 England with the correct silhouette but modern at the 

same time. 

How might set design help tell the story of the play? 

The audience can tell a lot about the world of the play by the set and the 

way the characters relate to the set. For example, the set for under the 

bridge where the street people live is very grimy with rust and rivets 

representing the ugly, dirty dangerous world in which Eliza lives. On the 

opposite end, the set for the Embassy Ball consists of a blue curtain rising 

to reveal a 17’ glittering, brass bird-cage gazebo through which guests 

enter into the ball room. The two worlds of lower and upper class 

contrast in design, texture and colour. 

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“ 

I despise 

those 

gowns with a 

sort of weed 

here and weed 

there. Something 

simple, 

modest, and 

elegant is 

what’s called 

for. 

Perhaps 

with a 

sash. 

- 

Henry Higgins, 



Costume Designer 

” 

JUDITH BOWDEN, Costume 

Designer for My Fair Lady 

The job of the Costume Designer is to help tell the 

story of the play because costumes tell the 

audience about the characters they are watching. 

Costumes are often used to show the audience that 

the play takes place in a certain historical period or 

in a special location eg. My Fair Lady is set in 1912 

London, England 

How do you begin the process of designing costumes? 

In my original discussions with Molly (the director) and Ken (the set 

designer), we talked about how we might add a modern twist to this 

musical while remaining true to the portrayal of real characters and story. 

We wanted to show the world where Eliza comes from as aggressive and 

violent so we can understand why Eliza is so desperate to get out. So, for 

the costumes for the people living in the streets I looked to steam punk 

for ideas. 

What is steam punk? 

Steam punk is a fashion style that was popular in early 

1980s and 1990s. This fashion style takes Victorian and 

Edwardian visuals and gives it a modern twist. For the 

characters who live in the streets of London, steam punk 

was a useful stylistic tool giving a visual edginesss to the 

characters forced to survive in the streets. 

Where did you get your ideas for the costumes for My Fair Lady? 

All costume design begins with reading the play/musical and learning 

about the characters and their world. For example, at the beginning of the 

play, Eliza lives on the streets in 1912 — so her costume must reflect the 

hard, tough life of that time. Her next costumes are clothes that have 

been chosen for her by men. By the end of the play, her clothes reflect 

the influence of the other women, (especially Mrs Higgins and Mrs Pearce), 

as well as her own choice. 

I drew from the set designer’s bird imagery for the costumes of the upper 

class characters. During the Ascot scene, I have designed the costumes 

so the women look like exotic birds. 

C ONNECTIONS 

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“ 

My favourite 

thing about 

being a 

performer is 

being on stage … 

performing for 

an 

audience. 

” 

Celeste Brillon, 

Ensemble Member 


A Day in the Life 

of a Child Performer 

Ensemble Member CELESTE 

BRILLON shares her thoughts on 

performing 

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF 

I’m 13 years old and in Grade 7 at Ecole La Marsh 

French public school in Niagara Falls. For fun ... I 

like to go shopping and hang out with friends, watch 

Glee, snowboard, swim and look after my hamster. 

I guess I got interested in theatre because both my 

mom and dad were in theatre before I was born. 

They were both in The Phantom of the Opera for 7 years in Toronto (my mom 

was on stage and my dad was in the orchestra as a French horn player). We 

went to a lot of shows and I was always performing with my brother and by 

myself at home. 

HOW DID YOU BECOME A PERFORMER? 

I’ve been taking ballet since I was 2 1/2. I also take singing with my mom, tap, 

lyrical and jazz lessons weekly as well as piano lessons. In the past I took violin 

and highland dance lessons. I’m also in a show choir called Niagara Star 

Singers and we practice every week and perform at lots of openings. We just 

got back from a performance trip to Disney World. I’ve gone to theatre camp 

and drama camps and I sing in the chorale at school and have acted in our 

drama productions there. Last year I was Jeanne in Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of 

Arc). 

HOW DID YOU START ACTING AT THE SHAW FESTIVAL? 

I’ve had three roles with the Shaw Festival so far and am now an ensemble 

member. In December 2008 I auditioned for the part of “Louise” in Sunday in 

the Park with George. I went for the first audition (I prepared a monologue 

and sang I Know Things Now). I was really excited to be offered the part! 

In 2010 I auditioned and was offered the role of Little Mary in The Women. 

This year I was offered the part in My Fair Lady as a street busker/urchin. I 

didn’t audition since I’ve done about 150 shows at Shaw so far, so I guess they 

know me by now. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR ROLE THIS SEASON? 

This year I am acting with my brother Alexandre who is 10 and in Grade 4. I 

think that’s one of my favourite things. This role has no talking or singing – 

just ‘miming’ as buskers and street urchins I always like the costumes I get to 

wear too. I’m really happy to be on stage at The Shaw again! 

C ONNECTIONS 

14 


The World of the Play: Life in Victorian Britain 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT 

My Fair Lady is set in 1912, London England. What was actually 

happening in the time period before My Fair Lady? 

Victorian Britain 

Victorian times means during Victoria's rule (1837- 

1901). Queen Victoria ruled for 64 years. 

◊ no electricity— gas lamps or candles were used for 

light 

◊ no cars—people either walked, travelled by boat or 

train or used coach horses 

◊ Britain built and ruled over a huge empire throughout 

the world 

◊ tremendous change—in 1837 most people lived in villages and worked 

on the land; by 1901, most lived in towns and worked in offices, shops 

and factories 

◊ the number of people living in Britain more than doubled from 16 million 

to 

37 

million causing a huge demand for food, clothes and housing 

◊ factories and machines were built to meet this demand 

◊ Britain became the most powerful and richest country in the world, 

ruling a quarter of the world's population 

◊ many households had a servant or servants 

◊ police force put in place and seaside holidays were invented 

◊ new cookers and gadgets for the home were invented 

Queen Victoria 

15 

C ONNECTIONS 


The World of the Play: Life in Edwardian Britain 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT 

My Fair Lady is set in 1912, London England. What was actually 

happening in the time period during My Fair Lady? 

Edwardian Britain 

The Edwardian Era (1901—1919) includes the reign of 

King Edward VII — Queen Victoria’s son — who ruled 

for only 10 years (1901-1910). 

◊ a golden age for fashion and art - also called the 

“Belle Epoque” 

◊ growing gap between the upper class (rich) and 

lower class (poor) 

◊ middle class grows (business owners, shopkeepers, 

doctors) with rise of factories and industry 

◊ rights for women influence society and politics 

◊ in theory, child labour is now against the law (in practice, it continues) 

◊ hunting a popular sport among the upper class 

◊ huge advances in technology — telephones, telegraphs, typewriters, 

motion pictures, vacuum cleaners, fire extinguishers, liquid detergent, 

cellophane, stainless steel, diesel locomotive, brassiere, tear gas, and 

refrigerators invented 

◊ Titanic sinks in 1912 

◊ electric trams began running in London 

◊ first Model-T Ford car sold 

◊ first flight across the English Channel 

King Edward VII 

16 

C ONNECTIONS 


“ 

A lady 

like you 

shouldn’t be 

walkin’ around 

London at this 

hour of 

the 

morning. 

Streetperson 

speaking to Eliza 

Doolittle. 


The World of the Play ” 

Life as a 1912 Upper-Class Kid 

◊ Children were considered the centre of the home. 

◊ Childhood illness and death were a concern, but 

wealthy families could afford medicines and care from 

a doctor. 

◊ Many of the cures given to children were worse 

than the disease, and sometimes were toxic 

concoctions of things such as mercury, chloride, opium, 

cocaine, and sulphur. 

◊ Children played with wooden toys, wax and 

porcelain dolls, teddy bears, clockwork toys, puzzles, toy boats and trains. 

◊ New toys invented: “Minoru” (a racing-themed board game named after King 

Edward’s racehorse) and “Mechanics Made Easy” in 1901 (changed to 

“Meccano” in 1907). 

◊ Food was bland and meals consisted of potatoes with gravy, hot or cold meat, 

a vegetable (such as cabbage), and for dessert a steamed pudding, a custard, 

or milk pudding and jam. 

◊ Treats included satin pralines, peppermint lumps, toffee, and liquorice allsorts. 

◊ Holiday trips were to the seaside, where children enjoyed treats such as ice 

cream, seafood, candy floss, and sugar rock. 

◊ Children were educated either in the home by tutors or at schools. Nannies 

were hired to care for and educate young children. Older children were sent to 

boarding schools. 

◊ Many schools had uniforms, a school motto, and song. 

◊ School work was hard – for eg. write “an example of a compound-complex 

sentence” or record “the names of all the kings and queens of England in 

chronological order.” 

◊ Boys learned arithmetic, Latin and political and social history. Girls were 

trained in manners, music and languages such as German and French. 

◊ Reading for pleasure was popular for both boys and girls. Popular authors 

were Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Edith Nesbit, 

Lewis Carroll, Kenneth Grahame, Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers 

Grimm. 

◊ Children who misbehaved were 

punished by humiliation, isolation, 

withdrawal of privileges, or by physical 

punishment such as the strap, cane or 

switch. 

◊ The Scouting movement for youth 

began in 1909 (the Guides, for girls, 

began in 1910). 

17 

C ONNECTIONS 


“ 

Look at 

her - a 

prisoner of 

the gutters; 

condemned 

by every 

syllable 

she 

utters. 

Henry Higgens 

talking about Eliza 

Doolittle 


The World of the Play 

Life as a 1912 Lower-Class Kid 

” ◊ Children often missed or left school to work in workhouses, mills and mines. 

◊ New laws introduced — children no longer expected to work alongside adults. 

Also, children had to reach a certain level of education before leaving school. 

The age of school leaving was officially 13 years old. 

◊ The poorest children were the most susceptible to illness and death, as their 

families could not afford medicines or care from a doctor. 

◊ Families lived in crowded housing conditions. Many families lived in one or two 

rented rooms with shared washing and toilet facilities. This meant that illness 

spread quickly and was often difficult to control. 

◊ Diptheria, tuberculosis, and accidents were all common causes of death for 

poor children. 

◊ Food was not nutritious. Mostly bread and margarine or jam. They may get 

cooked potatoes or a boiled stew or soup, but the food was often so overboiled 

that none of the vitamins or minerals were left. Malnutrition caused 

many children to die. 

◊ Toys were handmade from whatever materials were available. 

◊ They played games such as marbles, hoops, tops, skipping and conkers (played 

with chestnuts in the Fall), leapfrog, hopscotch, hide and seek, and street 

cricket. 

◊ A treat was going to a movie. 

The middle and upper-class 

children did not go - their parents 

disapproved of “living pictures.” 

DISCUSS 

Would you prefer 

to be an upper- or 

lower-class kid? Why? 

How is your life different today 

than in 1912? 

18 

C ONNECTIONS 


“ 

A woman 

who utters 

such 

depressing and 

disgusting 

noises has no 

right to be anywhere 

— 

no right 

to live. 

Henry Higgins 


” DISCUSS 


LANGUAGE 

Does how you speak change the way you are? 

In My Fair Lady, Mr Higgins makes it his mission to change the way that Eliza speaks. 

He has her pronounce words over and over again and practice her vowels until she says 

them properly. Mr Higgins firmly believes that changing the tone of her voice will make 

her seem more like a ‘lady.’ During the time period of the play, Eliza would be 

considered more proper and ladylike if her speech was clearly polished and spoken. 

Sometimes you speak differently by changing the words you use or your tone of voice 

depending on who you are talking to. 

Think about how you speak to other people. Do you speak to your 

parents the same way that you speak to your friends? What about your 

teacher? What about a stranger? What about the parent of a friend? 

ACTIVITY Write a letter to a close friend about something exciting that 

happened to you this week. Then, write the same letter again, but 

pretend you are text messaging or typing to your friend on the computer. Write 

your letter a third time, this time to your parents or another adult in your life. 

Compare your three letters. What are some of the similarities between your letters? 

What are the differences, if any? How is the way you write to your friends different 

from how you write to your parents? Did you take out any information depending on 

who you were writing to? Why or why not? 

ACCENTS AND DIALECTS 

ACCENT can be defined as: 

¬ the specific way a person pronounces specific words. That pronunciation can be 

shaped by where the person lives or grew up, the person’s original (or native) language, 

or any number of social factors. 

DIALECT can be defined as: 

¬ the way a person pronounces specific words, but also which words a person uses and 

how the person uses those words to convey his or her meaning. A dialect often will use 

words in very different ways than the “proper” or widely accepted usage of the 

language it comes from. 

DISCUSS 

Do you speak a dialect? 

Do you have the same dialect as the rest of your immediate family? 

Siblings? Parents? Grandparents? 

Do you have the same dialect as your classmates? Teachers? 

Site examples of specific words you use or pronounce differently than other 

people you know. 

What creates the difference in these dialects? Age? 

Location? Race? 

C ONNECTIONS 

19 


“ An 

Englishman’s 

way of 

speaking 

absolutely 

classifies him. 

The moment he 

talks he makes 

some other 

Englishman 

despise 

him.” 

Henry Higgins 



” 

ACCENTS AND DIALECTS IN MY FAIR LADY 

In My Fair Lady, Henry Higgins speaks Standard English – the “proper” or widely 

accepted form of English within the United Kingdom. He enunciates his words clearly, 

making each sound easy to understand. Even when he is insulting someone, he chooses 

his words carefully (often selecting phrases that highlight his high level of education), 

as this quotation illustrates: 

“Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these 

columns, you incarnate insult to the English language; I could pass you off as the Queen 

of Sheba.” 

DISCUSS 

What does Henry’s dialect say about his personality? His 

values? His background? His economic status? 

How do other characters react to Henry’s dialect? What does Eliza think of 

the way Henry speaks? What does Pickering think? 

Rewrite Henry’s quotation from above in your own dialect. 

Eliza, on the other hand, speaks the Cockney dialect of English – one of the 

traditional dialects of London’s poor working class. Cockney is known for its 

distinctive pronunciations and word choices, some of which can be seen here: 

“Aoooow! I ain’t dirty: I washed my face and hands afore I come, I did.” 

Eliza uses the word “ain’t” instead of “I am not”, “afore” instead of “before”, and “I 

come” instead of “I came”. She adds the phrase “I did” to the end of her sentence for 

extra emphasis. She makes the unusual “Aoooow” sound (which particularly drives 

Henry crazy) to express her anger and displeasure. All of these word choices stem from 

her upbringing in the Cockney dialect. 

DISCUSS 

What does Eliza’s dialect say about her personality? Her 

values? Her background? Her economic status? 

How do other characters react to Eliza’s dialect? What does Mrs Pearce 

think of the way Eliza speaks? What do her father and his friends think? 

Rewrite Eliza’s quotation from above in your own dialect. 

ACTIVITY 

Practice different dialects with the following lines from My Fair Lady: 

Eliza: I ain’t done nothin’ wrong by speakin’ to the gentleman! 

Bystander: Blimey, he ain’t a tec; he’s a bloomin’ busybody, that’s what he is! 

Higgins: Remember, that’s your handkerchief; and that’s your sleeve. Don’t mistake 

the one for the other if you wish to become a lady in a shop. 

Freddy: I should be so happy if you would take it. You’ll enjoy the race ever so much 

more. 

Doolittle: I’ll tell ya, Governor, if you’ll only let me get a word in. I’m willing to tell ya. 

I’m wanting to tell ya. I’m waiting to tell ya. 

20 

C ONNECTIONS 


“ 

Whenever 

‘Ere! I’m 

goin’ 

away! He’s off 

his chump, he 

is. I don't want 

no 

balmies 

teachin’ 

me. 

people have 

mental 

breakdowns 

they at once 

think of 

” 

Dr. Chumley. 

‐ Nurse Kelly 

Harvey 

” 



Eliza Doolittle 


COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG 

In My Fair Lady Eliza Doolittle speaks with a Cockney 

dialect … just what is Cockney? 

Invented between 1844 and 1847, Cockney Rhyming Slang is a way of 

speaking that uses rhyming words in phrases. 

It is said that the slang was originally developed by the thieves of London, 

so that they could communicate without the bobbies (police) understanding 

what they were saying. 

In Cockney Rhyming Slang, a word is represented by a phrase that ends in 

a rhyme. For example, the word mate rhymes with china plate. So the 

phrase china plate represents mate. However, in spoken slang, only the 

beginning of the phrase would remain. So the word china means mate. 

ACTIVITY 

Here are some other examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang 

Use the slang terms in a sentence as shown in example #1 

1. Adam and Eve = believe 

Sentence: Would you Adam and Eve it? 

2. Apples and Pears = stairs 

Sentence: _________________________________________________ 

3. Bricks and Mortar = daughter 

Sentence: _________________________________________________ 

4. China Plate = mate/ friend 

Sentence: _________________________________________________ 

5. Dicky Bird = word 

Sentence: _________________________________________________ 

6. Dog and Bone = telephone 

Sentence: _________________________________________________ 

7. Whistle and Flute = suit 

Sentence: _________________________________________________ 

ACTIVITY Write a note to a friend using your rhyming pairs and 

phrases. You can use other sentences as well to help your 

writing flow. Trade your note with a friend and see if you can decode each 

other’s messages! 

C ONNECTIONS 

21 


The World of the Play: Extension Activities 

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES 

Missing Persons Report 

In My Fair Lady, Eliza leaves Professor Henry Higgins’ 

house after he shows no feelings for Eliza and her success 

as a lady. He takes the credit for her accomplishments, 

which makes Eliza feel unimportant and small. Because 

she believes that Higgins was only using her to win a bet, 

Eliza displays her anger through a confrontation with him 

in his house. After this argument, Higgins learns that Eliza 

has gone missing. 

Imagine you are a police officer investigating the report of a missing person. 

You need to write a report with information about: 

¬ background about Eliza and Higgins 

¬ testimony from household staff, Professor Higgins, Colonel Pickering, 

Alfred Doolittle, and other witnesses 

¬ a timeline of events that led to Eliza’s disappearance 

¬ your theories about where Eliza might have disappeared to based on 

evidence you have collected. 

Draw and Design 

Design and create a missing person’s poster for Eliza Doolittle. 

You can use any kind of paper or materials that you like. Be sure 

to include all of the important information about Eliza; what 

would you need to know to spot a person who was missing? Some examples 

might include her hair colour, height, or what she was last wearing. Include any 

details that you feel are important, and if you don’t know the actual details, use 

your imagination. Remember: missing person’s posters need to capture people’s 

attention. The more creative you are, the more eye-catching your poster 

will be! 

TV Talk Show 

Split up into groups of four. Imagine you are writing a 

script for an interview on a television talk show. Each 

group member will play one character: Eliza, Higgins, 

Pickering, and the host of the show. As a group, write a 

5-10 minute dialogue for these characters that 

discusses the events in the play. First, the group should 

brainstorm two questions that could be asked of each 

character. Once the host writes the questions, the students playing the 

characters should brainstorm their answers and write them down. Your 

dialogue can also include more than questions if you want to make it more 

entertaining! Students who are playing the characters can interact with one 

another; humorous lines can be added if you wish. Once the script is written, all 

four students should read the script together, acting as their characters. 

C ONNECTIONS 

22 


“ 

Come 

on, Eliza, 

slip your old 

Dad half a 

crown to go 

home 

on. 

Alfred 

Doolittle 



” 

BRITISH MONEY - HOW MUCH IS THAT? 

My Fair Lady takes place in London, England in the year 1912. Money 

operates much differently in England even today. In Canada we have dollar bills 

and other coins, but in England they have pounds, shillings, and pence. 

Pound 12 pence = 1 shilling 

S Shilling 5 shillings = 1 crown 

d Pence 20 shillings = 1 pound 

In 1912, the average working man in Britain received approximately 1 pound per 

week. At the same time in Canada, workers were receiving approximately $12 per 

week. Therefore, in Canada in 1912, an average family’s monthly budget would be 

approximately $50 per month! (It is important to note that at that time, the cost 

of living was much less than it is today). 

DISCUSS 

What items could you purchase now on a budget of only $50 per month? What 

are the most important things in your budget that you absolutely need? What 

would you be willing to give up? Imagine some of the differences in how people 

spent their money in 1912. How would these decisions affect the economy and 

their way of life? 

“I really haven’t any – stop: here’s three hapence, if that’s any use to you.” 

Colonel Pickering 

Try some research – How much is a hapence worth? Do you think Eliza was happy 

or disappointed with the amount that Pickering offered her? 

Take A Penny, Leave A Penny 

It is important to note that 1912 was different than today in many ways. Parents in 

poor urban areas would sometimes ‘sell’ their children into jobs or to an employer. 

By doing this, parents would gain money to support their family and they believed 

the child they sold would have an opportunity to gain skills they could use later in 

life. 

FACT: Today, 1 British pound = $1.57 Canadian 

Keeping this in mind, read the following quotes from the play and answer the 

following questions. 

HIGGINS: “Do you mean to say that you would sell your daughter for 5 pounds?” 

How much is 5 pounds in Canadian dollars? 

DOOLITTLE: “The missus wouldn’t have the heart to spend ten, Governor; ten 

pounds is a lot of money: it makes a man feel prudent-like; and then goodbye to 

happiness.” 

In your opinion, does ten pounds in Canadian dollars seem like a lot of money? Mr 

Doolittle only wants five pounds to sell Eliza, and he refuses to take ten. Why do 

you think he does this? 

HIGGINS: “I want to find her! The girl belongs to me! I paid five pounds for her!” 

How much money does five pounds equal in Canadian dollars? Why does this 

comment seem inappropriate for today’s society? 

23 

C ONNECTIONS 


“ 

It’s 

“Aoow” 

and “Garn” 

that keep 

her in her 

place, not 

her 

wretched 

clothes and 

dirty 

face. 

That’s Debatable! 

” 

” 

Henry Higgins 


The following is a list of quotes from the play 

My Fair Lady providing rich topics for discussion ... 

“There you are. ‘She ain’t got no parents.’ What’s all the fuss about? The 

girl doesn’t belong to anybody but me.” (Higgins, about Eliza) 

What does this statement reveal about Mr Higgins’ personality? What does it 

tell you about his view of Eliza? 

“I ain’t pretending to be deserving. I’m undeserving, and I mean to go on 

being undeserving. I like it, and that’s the truth.” (Alfred Doolittle) 

What do you think it means to be ‘undeserving’? Why would Mr Doolittle like 

feeling this way? 

“Now, what call would a woman with that strength in her have to die of 

influenza, and what becomes of her new straw hat that should have come 

to me? Somebody pinched it; and what I say is, them as pinched it, done 

her in.” (Eliza) 

What does Eliza mean when she says ‘pinched it’ and ‘done her in’? How do 

these phrases differ from the way people talk in our society in present day? 

“You don’t care. I know you don’t care. You wouldn’t care if I was dead. 

I’m nothing to you – not so much as them slippers.” (Eliza) 

Why do you think Eliza feels this way? How can you show your friends and 

family that you care? Brainstorm your ideas in a web. 

“I sold flowers. I didn’t sell myself. Now you’ve made a lady of me, I’m not 

fit to sell anything else.” (Eliza, to Higgins) 

What has Higgins done that has caused Eliza to feel this way? Do you think 

she could still sell flowers even though she is a lady? Why or why not? 

“And you mean to say that after you did this wonderful thing for them 

without making a single mistake, they just sat there and never said a 

word to you? Never petted you, or admired you, or told you how splendid 

you’d been?” (Mrs Higgins, to Eliza) 

How do you think Eliza feels after speaking to Mrs Higgins? Think about a 

time when you felt unappreciated. Share your thoughts with a partner. 

“I should never have known how ladies and gentlemen behave if it hadn’t 

been for Colonel Pickering. He always showed me that he felt and 

thought about me as if I were something better than a common flower 

girl. You see, Mrs Higgins, apart from the things one can pick up, the 

difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but 

how she is treated.” (Eliza) 

Do you agree with Eliza? Why or why not? 

“I want a little kindness. I know I’m a common ignorant girl, and you a 

book-learned gentleman; but I’m not dirt under your feet.” (Eliza, to 

Higgins) 

How does this quote show Eliza’s character development throughout the 

play? How has her perspective changed? In what ways has it stayed the 

same? 

C ONNECTIONS 

24 


The World of the Play: Extension Activities 

Welcome to Our World - 

The World of Theatre 

The following activities are designed to help 

students learn about theatre and the various 

professions involved in operating a theatre 

company. 

Theatre Brainstorm 

Have students imagine that their class is going to start a theatre company. 

DISCUSS 

In groups, students discuss and choose: 

1. a name for their theatre company 

2. the type of shows they would like to present (eg. children’s theatre, 

comedies, mysteries, plays by Shaw, etc.) 

On a large piece of paper, students brainstorm the different jobs that might be 

needed in order to run their theatre company. Students may be asked guided 

questions in order to complete the activity (ie you have actors to put on the play, 

but how will the audience see them on stage? You have actors who need 

costumes, but where will the costumes come from?) 

Once they are finished brainstorming, have the students check their list against the 

list on page 8. Did they miss any important jobs? Older students could research 

how much each job pays (www.workinculture.ca is a good site regarding careers in 

the arts). Create a budget the theatre company and decide how much money their 

theatre would have to take in to cover expenses. 

What is my Job? 

Students select a job from the list on page 8. 

RESEARCH Find out what that person does, and how to get that position (ie do 

you need to attend high school, college or university? Do you need 

to apprentice? What sorts of skills do you need to do the job?). Have students 

present their findings to the class (as a report, or as a creative presentation, ie a 

skit, a Powerpoint or audio/video presentation etc.). Try crossword on page 29. 

Inside the Theatre 

There is much more to a theatre building that the theatre itself. 

Have students research some of the places in a theatre company 

RESEARCH 

where people do their jobs (i.e. on stage, back stage, orchestra pit, 

trap room, workshops, offices, lobby, etc.). Where would the students most 

like to work? Examine the sectional view of the Shaw Festival Theatre on page 27 

and see if you can find the following: stage, backstage, orchestra pit, trap room, 

lobby, stage management booth, lighting, audience seating, balcony, lighting, and 

fly tower. Check your answers on page 28. 

C ONNECTIONS 

25 


The Shaw Festival Theatre 

26

Fly Tower 

Sets/Curtains/ 

Scrims/Lighting 

The Shaw Festival Theatre 

Lighting 

Balcony/Gallery 

Seating 

Stage Management 

Booth 

Upper Lobby 

Lobby 

Backstage 

Trap Room 

Orchestra Pit 

Stage 

Orchestra Seating 

27

(2 words with a space) 

(2 words with a space) 

C ONNECTIONS 

28 


(2 Words) 

A 

P R O D U C E R 

T 

I 

S T A G E M A N A G E R 

T 

I 

C 

D 

I 

R 

E 

C 

T 

S T A G E 

C O S T U M E 

C H O R E O G R A P H E R 

R 

D 

I 

R 

E 

T 

R 

ANSWER KEY 

C 

O 

M 

P 

O 

E 

C 

O 

R 

S 

(2 words with a space ) 

29

Say What? 

GLOSSARY 

Brogue – a strong accent, notably in Irish dialects of English 

Consort – an association or partnership 

Dialect – a variety of language (specifically, often a spoken variety) 

that is characteristic of a particular area, community or group, often 

with relatively minor differences in vocabulary, style, spelling, and 

pronunciation 

Flippancy – disrespectfully disregarding someone or something, 

especially in respect to serious or sacred matters 

Ghastly – horrifying; shocking; extremely bad 

Gramophone – a brand of phonograph that introduced records. The 

phonograph plays records in a similar way to how CD players play 

CDs, except records are much bigger. The phonograph uses a needle 

to read the record so it knows what music to play 

Guttersnipe – a person who is from the lowest social or economic 

class 

Infantile – in a childlike or immature manner 

Phonetics – a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of 

sounds of human speech 

Poignant – evoking strong mental sensation, sometimes to the point 

of distress; emotionally moving 

Presumptuous – assuming beyond what is right or proper because 

of an excess of self-confidence or arrogance 

Tec - a detective 

Tomfoolery – foolish behavior; acting silly and nonsensical 

C ONNECTIONS 

30 


Sources 

BOOKS & ARTICLES 

Garebian, Keith. The Making of My Fair Lady. Toronto: ECW Press, 1993. 

Lerner, Alan Jay. The Musical Theatre: A Celebration. New York: McGraw-Hill 

Book Company, 1986. 

Malam, John. Building Works: Theatre. From First Rehearsal to Opening Night. 

NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Peter Bedrick Books. 

Schumacher, Thomas. How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the 

Theatre. New York: Disney Enterprises, Inc., 2007. 

WEBSITES 

Children’s Lives and Activities 

http://www.1900s.org.uk/1900s-sources.htm and http://www.1900s.org.uk/1900sstreetgames.htm 

(“A Child at the Time”-first-hand account of childhood in Edwardian Britain) 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/ (BBC website – primary 

history; lots of interactive-photos, videos, research, quizzes, activities, teachers’ resource 

section) 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/childrens_lives/edwardian_lives/index.html (Victoria and Albert 

Musem of Childhood site; information and images about children’s lives in Victorian Britain) 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/kids_pages/things_to_make/index.html (Victoria and Albert 

Museum of Childhood site; crafts ie “Make your own Victorian village,” silhouettes, toys, 

etc.) 

Clothing/Fashion 

http://costumes.org (The Costumer’s Manifesto-wide variety of information on different 

eras) 

http://www.fashion-era.com/la_belle_epoque_1890-1914_fashion.htm (part of the fashionera.com 

website – also includes other eras; information on clothing, hair, accessories, etc.) 

Inspiration 

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51510656/My-Fair-Lady-Study-Guide (Cleveland Playhouse) 

http://www.mccarter.org/education/myfairlady/index.html (McCarter Theatre) 

http://www.repstl.org/studyguides/ (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) 

North American Perspective 

http://www.britishhomechildren.org/index.php? 

option=com_content&view=category&id=24&Itemid=192 (Maria Rye British Home Children) 

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hnintro.htm (Eyewitness to History-Photos of Children 

at work 1908-1912) 

Victorian and Edwardian Britain 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/ 

newsid_8680000/8680305.stm (BBC production on the history of suffragettes in London) 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/early-20th-century.htm (British National 

Archives site 1901-1918; lesson plans on a variety of topics ie suffragettes, education, the 

Titanic, changes in British society, etc.; “create your own website” about suffragettes or 

British society) 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/ (Britain 1901-1918) 

http://www.victorianweb.org/ (Scholarly articles on a diversity of topics; links to outside 

resources ie Victorian nursery rhymes, magic lantern shows, music, theatre, etc.) 

http://www.victoriaspast.com/ 

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/victorians.html (School webpage; contains 

information on Victorian social history, including a section on children’s lives ) 

C ONNECTIONS 

31

My Fair Lady (elementary) - Shaw Festival Theatre

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