DRAMA Reading Group Guide

 BY RAINA TELGEMEIER Reading Group Guide for Educators* Introducing . . . . . Drama! Drama will be published in September 2012. You can check out a sneak peek at the book
at http://youtu.be/SLI_CjTQFFE. Raina Telgemeier’s previous book, Smile, is based on
her own childhood experiences with dental drama and mean friends. Drama is a purely
fictional story. However, good writers write from their experiences and Drama is based
on Raina’s experiences with drama and choir classes in high school, mostly in the
ensemble. She writes in her Author’s Note that, “More important than any of the parts I
sang were the people I met.... every person on or behind the stage had an important role
to play, and pulling off a live show together was thrilling. In a way, those years of my life
helped me find my voice and gave me a wealth of artistic material to draw from. Callie’s
experiences are different from my own, but many of the characters and events in this
story are inspired by things I was a part of. And the talent, courage, and dedication of my
friends continue to inspire me every day.”
Drama Synopsis The stage is set for awkward relationships and dramatic flourishes as Callie and her
friends work on their middle school’s production of Moon over Mississippi. As the set
designer, Callie is responsible for creating the world of the play and she dreams big.
Callie’s enthusiasm pays off when she draws a pair of adorable twins, Jesse and Justin,
into her world of theater and quickly becomes friends with them. While the stage crew
and actors scramble to get ready for the show, Callie grapples with crushes that may or
may not be reciprocated. Emotions will run wild and anything can happen before the
curtain falls.
About Raina Telgemeier
Raina Telgemeier lives in New York with her husband, fellow graphic novelist Dave
Roman. (Fun Fact: They were born on the same day, May 26, 1977 on opposite coasts.)
In addition to Smile, Raina has adapted and illustrated The Baby-sitters Club graphic
novels, written X-Men: Misfits (with Dave Roman), and has contributed to anthologies
like Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery, Flight: Volume 4, and Explorer: The Mystery
Boxes. Raina Telgemeier has received several awards and recognition for her work. She
was nominated for an Ignatz Award in 2003 for Promising New Talent and Outstanding
Minicomic. In 2003, she won a Friends of Lulu Kimberly Yale Award for Best New
Talent. She was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2005 for Talent Deserving of Wider
Recognition. She won the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens. According
to Telgemeier’s website, “Smile was also an ALA Notable Book, a Kirkus Best Book of
2010, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Honor title.” Recently, she was awarded
the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for Smile. Raina received a starred review for Drama
from Publisher’s Weekly. Find out more about Raina Telgemeier at www.goraina.com.
About Gurihiru Gurihiru is the 2-person art team that colored Drama. According to their blog, Gurihiru
are “comic artists and character designers living in Japan. Sasaki is in charge of pencil
and ink. Kawano is the colorist. "Gurihiru" is the team name.” Raina specifically selected
them to do the color for Drama. They have previously worked on Avatar: the Last
Airbender, Wolverine, and Power Pack. Find out more about Gurihiru at
http://gurihiru.blogspot.com.
About John Green John Green is the letterer of Drama. John is a jack-of-all-trades who writes, draws, and
designs comics and video games. He collaborated with Dave Roman on Quicken
Forbidden and most recently, on Teen Boat. He has worked with Raina Telgemeier
previously on Scholastic's Baby-sitters Club graphic novels and Smile. He also creates the
Phineas and Ferb comics for Disney. (Fun Fact: Like Raina, John Green also fell and lost
his teeth as a kid.) Find out more about John Green at www.johngreenart.com.
Discussion Questions Please note that these questions may include spoilers.
The title Drama refers to the emotional upheavals that occur both offstage and onstage.
What are some of the parallels between life in middle school and putting on a school
play? How do the pressures in Callie’s personal life influence her work on the stage crew
and vice versa?
Callie was transfixed by theater after seeing Les Miserables. How can seeing live theater
impact our emotional reactions to the performance? What is special about seeing actors
perform onstage that sets it apart from seeing a movie or reading a play? If you have seen
a live performance, discuss your experiences and impressions of the actors, staging,
costumes, and lighting. How did you react to the performance?
Callie finds her niche in the theater world by working on designing sets. She dreams big
and works hard to accomplish her goals. She is particularly passionate about having a
working cannon onstage, a giant magnolia tree, a gazebo, and an interior and exterior for
the house. Why are these set pieces so important to Callie? What is she trying to
accomplish by creating these intricate and complicated sets?
While pouring over Callie’s favorite book about theater with Jesse, Callie and Jesse jump
into the book ‘Mary Poppins-Style’ and explore the sets. While they are there, Callie tells
Jesse: “I want the audience to believe that the actors really live inside of the world on
stage” (53). How do the illustrations on pages 50-53 convey the transition from a book to
a set to a living, breathing world? How does Raina Telgemeier make use of small details
to express this message? How do set designers create the illusion of a real world on
stage? What role does set design play in the way a story is told?
Much of the drama in Drama involves crushes, misplaced affection, and rejection. After
Greg rejects her, Callie tells Liz, “No matter how many times I told myself to just ignore
my crush on him...that didn’t stop me from wanting to kiss him” (21-22). As Jesse
asserts, does Callie “fall in love with every nice guy [she] meets” (212)?
Is it possible to control a crush? How does Raina Telgemeier convey this emotion?
(Bonus Question: In what other scenes/settings does she use the same icon to express this
feeling of love?) What attracts Callie to Greg and then Jesse? How does Callie deal with
her crushes? What would be your advice for Callie about her crushes?
Callie responds to Justin’s confession that he’s gay with acceptance and a hug. How does
her caring reaction impact her relationship with Justin? What does it say about her
character? Why do you think Justin decided to tell Callie? How do you think you would
react if a friend came out to you? What about if you came out to a friend? How would
you want your friend to react?
The lettering not only provides the text and story, but it conveys emotion, action, and
movement. How do the lettering and speech bubbles work together to tell the story? How
do subtle changes in the text, like making certain words bold, affect the tone of the scene?
How do sound effects work in Drama?
Other dramatic works are mentioned throughout Drama, including Shenandoah, Guys
and Dolls, Les Miserables, and Oklahoma. How do these musicals provide inspiration for
Callie and her theater crew? (To gain familiarity with these musicals, you can watch clips
on YouTube.) Why is it important for people involved in theater to be familiar with other
dramatic works? If you were adapting Drama into a musical, what would you use as your
source material? In other words, what other plays, musicals, and even movies would you
use as inspiration for the look and feel of Drama: The Musical?
Jesse saves the day when Bonnie won’t return to the stage by taking on the role of Miss
Maybelle. Why do you think Jesse took this huge risk and stepped on stage in a feminine
role? How do the other characters’ respond to his choice? How do you think you would
react if you were in that audience? How about if you were West, and playing opposite
Jesse? What would you do if you were in Jesse’s position?
Callie affects everyone around her without even realizing it. How did she help Jesse
“break out of his shell” (223)? How does she stand up for him at the cast party? What
makes Callie an appealing and likable character? How do these traits make her an ideal
future stage manager?
The beginning of the book includes an image of Callie alone at the empty baseball field,
hurt and humiliated after Greg has Matt lie to her about being at baseball practice (17).
Her back is turned towards the reader. At the conclusion of the book, the final page
shows Callie happy and excited about the future. She is facing the reader. How do these
two images show how Callie has changed throughout the story?
Related Resources Nonfiction Appelbaum, Stanley. The New York Stage: Famous Productions in Photographs: 148
Photos, 1883-1939, from the Theatre and Music Collection of the Museum of the
City of New York. New York: Dover Publications, 1976.
Block, Geoffrey H. Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to
Sondheim and Lloyd Webber. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Dunleavy, Deborah, and Jane Kurisu. The Jumbo Book of Drama. Toronto: Kids Can
Press, 2004.
Friedman, Lise, Mary Dowdle, and Julia Stiles. Break a Leg!: The Kids' Book of Acting
and Stagecraft. New York: Workman Pub, 2002.
Kenney, Karen L. Cool Sets & Props: How to Stage Your Very Own Show. Edina, Minn:
ABDO Pub, 2010.
Williamson, Walter. Behind the Scenes: The Unseen People Who Make Theater Work.
New York: Walker, 1987.
Discovering Careers for Your Future: Performing Arts. New York: Ferguson, 2005.
Fiction Calin, Marisa. Between You & Me. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Children's Books,
2012.
Creech, Sharon. Replay. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2005.
Green, John, and David Levithan. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. New York: Dutton,
2010.
Hicks, Faith E. Friends with Boys. New York: First Second, 2012.
Johnson, Maureen. Suite Scarlett. New York: Point, 2008
Kim, Derek K, Jesse Hamm, and Jared K. Fletcher. Good As Lily. New York: Minx,
2007.
Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park.
New York: Dial Books, 2008.
Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2000.
Lockhart, E. Dramarama. New York: Hyperion, 2007.
Mantchev, Lisa. Eyes Like Stars. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2009.
Paulsen, Gary. The Boy Who Owned the School: A Comedy of Love. New York: Orchard
Books, 1990.
Roman, Dave, and John Green. Teen Boat! New York: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2011.
Shulman, Polly. Enthusiasm. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2006.
Stahler, David. Spinning Out. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2011.
Wilkinson, Lili. Pink. New York: HarperTeen, 2011.
Wood, Maryrose. My Life, the Musical. New York: Delacorte Press, 2008.
Zadoff, Allen. My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies: A Novel. New York: Egmont
USA, 2011.
Films about Theater Broadway: The American Musical
High School Musical
Camp
Stagedoor
Camp Rock
Shakespeare Retold
The Hobart Shakespeareans
Girls on the Wall
Sing Faster: The Stagehands' Ring Cycle
Comics Resources Kids’ Comics Revolution Podcast
http://comicsaregreat.com/category/kidscomicsrevolution
Comics are Great! Podcast
http://comicsaregreat.com/category/cagpodcast
Brain Burps about Books Podcast
http://katiedavis.com/category/podcast/
Using Graphic Novels with Children and Teens: A Guide for Teachers and Librarians
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/using-graphic-novels-children-and-teensguide-teachers-and-librarians
Extension Activities Paper Bag Dramatics
Involve young adults in theater and improvisation games to help them experience the
process of preparing a play. One game you can play is Paper Bag Dramatics. Paper bags
are filled with a collection of random objects (at least five or six items) that serve as the
props and inspiration for short plays. All objects must be used within the short plays they
perform. Participants can discuss the story structure of plays before dividing up in groups
to plan and perform their skits. Additional ideas for theater games can be found in Break
a Leg: The Kids' Book of Acting and Stagecraft.
Comic Adaptations
Raina Telgemeier masterfully recreates the process of creating a musical in her graphic
novel. Even while reading it silently, you can almost hear the music playing and the
actors singing. Using the medium of comics, the world of theater can come alive like
never before. Host a workshop on adapting a scene from a play, musical, or movie into
comic book form. Partner with a local cartoonist to help lead and teach this workshop. A
variety of resources are available to teach about the elements of comics, including panels,
framing, layout, speech bubbles, sound effects, sequencing and more at
http://readingwithpictures.org. Learn more about offering a comics workshop with Jerzy
Drozd’s Comic Books: A Pathway to Learning workshop guide at
http://comicsaregreat.com/images/CPTL_PACKET.pdf. You could even invite Jerzy
Drozd, the teaching artist and superpowered cartoonist, to host a workshop at your
library. Find out more at www.comicsaregreat.com.
Coming out in Middle School
According to the New York Times article by Benoit Denizet-Lewis1, it is increasingly
more common for young adults to come out in middle school. The thoughtful reactions
that young people have to their friends coming out in Drama can be used as a
springboard for an open discussion about acceptance and tolerance. Educators can gain
tips for starting the conversation by viewing the excellent documentary film, It’s
Elementary: Talking about Gay Issues in School. Additional resources can also be found
from organizations like GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network),
Teaching Tolerance, and Facing History and Ourselves. (For a window into life in middle
school, you can listen to This American Life’s episode, Middle School at http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio‐archives/episode/449/middle‐school.)
About the Guide *This Reading Guide for Educators was created by Eti Berland for LIS590CRL: Comics:
Advising Child and Adult Readers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Any corrections or additions can be sent to etiberland@gmail.com.
1
You can read the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27outt.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all.