mtc cuckoo s nest study guide

8/8/2019 MTC Cuckoo s Nest Study Guide

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/mtc-cuckoo-s-nest-study-guide 1/23

ONE FLEW OVER

CUCKOO'S

N E S T

T

H E

DaleWassermanB a s e d o n t h e n o v e l B y K e n K e s e y

a

p l a y

B y

S T U D Y G U I D E

STUDENT-ONLY MATINEE:

OCTOBER 13

OCTOBER 14 – NOVEMBER 6, 2010

THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

generously supported by

TMS T R O N G E R C O M M U N I T I E S T O G E T H E R

A CO-PRODUCTION

WITH



TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. BEFORE THE CURTAIN RISES

Cast & Creative Team 2

Theatre Etiquette 3

About the

Playwright:

Dale

Wasserman

4

About the Original Author: Ken Kesey 5

Interesting Facts About the Novel, Play and Film 6

Where Did the Title of the Novel and Play Come From? 7

Setting of the Play 7

Who’s Who in the Play 8

Summary of the Play 9

What Category of Play is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 10

Did You Know? A Glossary of Allusions and Vocabulary 10 ‐ 12

Vocabulary Improvement 13

II. WHILE

THE

CURTAIN

IS

UP

Plot 14

Character 14‐15

Setting and Mood 15

Theme 15‐16

III. AFTER THE CURTAIN FALLS

Reflect on Pre‐Performance Activities 17

Cast a Feature Film Version of the Play 17

Create an Act Three for the Play 17

Write a Different Ending for the Play 18

Write

a

Review

18

Write a Letter to the Director 18

Reflective Writing on the Theatre Experience 18

Representing Character, Conflict and Theme 19

Matching Quiz 19‐20

IV. ANSWER KEYS

Answers to Vocabulary Development Exercise 21

Answers to Matching Quiz 22

- 1 -



THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Manitoba Theatre Centre

Presents

ONE FLEW

OVER

THE

CUCKOO’S

NEST

By Dale Wasserman. Based on the Novel by Ken Kesey

Directed by Miles Potter In Co‐Production with Theatre Calgary

CAST

Chief Bromden

Aide Warren

Aide Williams

Nurse Ratched

Nurse Flinn/Sandra

Dale Harding

Billy Bibbit

Scanlon

Charles Cheswick

Martini

Ruckly

Randle P. McMurphy

Dr. Spivey

Aide Turkle

Candy Starr

Bernard Starlight

Kudjo Fiakpui

Ray Strachan

Vickie Papavs

Arielle Rombough

Graham Percy

Trevor Rueger

Frank Adamson

Stan Lesk

Tony Eyamie

Aaron Conrad

Shaun Smyth

Jon Ted Wynne

Ardon Bess

Camille Devine

CREATIVE TEAM

Director

Set Design

Costume Design

Lighting Design

Sound Design

Fight Direction

Vocal Coach

Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager

Apprentice Stage Manager

This Study Guide was prepared by Dom Saliani

and Shari Wattling, Literary & Education Manager, Theatre Calgary

MTC thanks Dom, Shari and Theatre Calgary for the use of this informative guide.

Miles Potter

Allan Stichbury

Gillian Gallow

Kevin Lamotte

Marc Desormeaux

Jean‐Pierre Fournier

Jane MacFarlane

Ailsa Birnie

Margaret Brook

Matthew Lagacé

- 2 -

http://www.theatrecalgary.com/






THEATRE ETIQUETTE

“The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental.

It's so much like life.” – Arthur Miller

Arrive Early:

Latecomers

may

not

be

admitted

to

a performance.

Please

ensure

you

arrive

with

enough time to find your seat before the performance starts.

Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices: Please TURN OFF your cell phones/iPods/gaming

systems/cameras. We have seen an increase in texting, surfing, and gaming during

performances, which is very distracting for the performers and other audience members. The

use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

Talking During the Performance: You can be heard (even when whispering!) by the actors

onstage and the audience around you. Disruptive patrons will be removed from the theatre.

Please wait to share your thoughts and opinions with others until after the performance.

Food/Drinks: Food and drinks are not allowed in the theatre. Where there is an intermission,

concessions may be open for purchase of snacks and drinks. There is complimentary water in

the lobby.

Dress: There is no dress code at the Manitoba Theatre Centre, but we respectfully request that

patrons refrain from wearing hats in the theatre. We also strive to be a scent‐free environment,

and thank all patrons for their cooperation.

Leaving During the Performance: If an audience member leaves the theatre during a

performance, they will be readmitted at the discretion of our Front of House staff. Should they

be

readmitted,

they

will

not

be

ushered

back

to

their

original

seat,

but

placed

in

a

vacant

seat

at

the back of the house.

Being Asked to Leave: The theatre staff has, and will exercise, the right to ask any member of

the audience to leave the performance if that person is being disruptive. Inappropriate and

disruptive behaviour includes, but is not limited to: talking in the audience; using electronic

devices, cameras, laser pointers, or other light‐ or sound‐emitting devices; and/or deliberately

interfering with an actor or the performance (tripping, throwing items on or near the stage,

etc.).

Talkbacks: All Tuesday evening and weekday matinee performances at MTC feature a talkback

with members of the cast following the show. While watching the performance, make a mental

note of

questions

to

ask

the

actors.

Questions

can

be

about

the

story,

the

interpretation,

life

in

the theatre, etc.

Enjoy the show: Laugh, applaud, cheer and respond to the performance appropriately. Make

sure to thank all the artists for their hard work with applause during the curtain call.

- 3 -



I. BEFORE THE CURTAIN RISES

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: DALE WASSERMAN

He

wrote

over

30

television

dramas.

One

of

these plays, I, Don Quixote was eventually

turned into the hit Broadway musical, Man of La

Mancha.

Dale Wasserman

was born on

November 2, 1914

in Rhinelander,

Wisconsin. His

parents were

Russian immigrants

who, interestingly

enough, operated

silent movie

houses. Perhaps

this is where Dale

Wasserman’s interest in theatre and film began.

He came

from

a large

family.

There

were

fourteen children in total. Tragically, both his

parents died before Wasserman reached the

age of ten.

Wasserman also wrote or contributed to the

writing of screenplays for a number of movies,

including The Vikings and the epic Cleopatra

which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard

Burton. He did not receive screen credit for the

latter.

In 1962, Ken Kesey published the novel One

Flew Over

the

Cuckoo’s

Nest .

Kirk

Douglas

loved

the novel and within a year of its publication, he

hired Dale Wasserman to write a play based on

Kesey’s book. The adaptation premiered on

November 13, 1963 at the Cort Theatre on

Broadway, with Kirk Douglas in the role of

Randle P. McMurphy. After completing only one year of formal

schooling at a Los Angeles high school, he

dropped out and entered theatre life. He taught

himself lighting design and went on to

eventually become a director and producer.

Because of the enormous success of Man of La

Mancha and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ,

Wasserman has become one of the most often

produced playwrights in the world. Wasserman soon realized that "everything on a

stage was

subservient

to

the

text"

and

that

is

when he decided to focus his efforts on writing.

His first play Elisha and the Long Knives was

awarded an Emmy for being the top TV play of

the year. During the fifties, he was one of the

busiest and most prolific of TV script writers.

It is uncertain as to how many awards

Wasserman has received for his film and theatre

works as he rarely showed up at the awards

ceremonies

On the 21st of December, 2008, Dale Wasserman

died at the age of 94 in Phoenix, Arizon

Dale Wasserman on the writing of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

“But in order to write this play I need to know much more about asylums, treatments, and the so‐called

insane. My research covers six institutions, starting with a posh mental clinic in New York where I watch

sixty

electroshock

treatments

in

one

morning

and

encounter

two

other

writers

among

the

patients.

Then

down, down the scale to the abysmal cellar of Milledgeville, Georgia, a classic snake pit where the

patients spend their days chained to radiators. Climactically, still unsatisfied that I know my subject well

enough, I arrange with the head psychiatrist of an Eastern institution to have myself committed as a

patient for a period of two weeks. (Of that, perhaps I'll write at another time.) I can only say that there's

no urge to escape an asylum; to the contrary, it's comfortable, it is seductive to abandon volition and to

live unstressed at no price other than merely obeying the rules.”

from “Hatching The Cuckoo’s Nest " By Dale Wasserman.

The Dramatist , Sept/Oct 2001

- 4 -



ABOUT THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR: KEN KESEY

Kenneth Elton Kesey was born in La Junta,

Colorado on September 17th, 1935.

Throughout

his

high

school

and

college

years,

he

was a champion wrestler and almost earned a

spot on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team.

Before the publication of One Flew over the

Cuckoo’s Nest , Kesey completed two

unpublished novels: End of Autumn and Zoo.

In 1959, during his studies at Stanford

University, Kesey became a paid volunteer in a

CIA financed project (Project MKULTRA) which

studied the effects of hallucinogenic drugs such

as LSD and mescaline. While participating in the

project, Kesey

interviewed

patients

at

the

Menlo Park Veteran’s Hospital and eventually

formed the opinion that they had become

vicitims of society – pushed out because of their

lack of conformity. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s

Nest was inspired by, and written during this

time.

In addition to his writing, Kesey became a

notable counter‐culture figure for his

involvement with the “Merry Pranksters.”

The

Pranksters

were

a

group

of

people

who

travelled the country in a psychedelic bus

creating performances that promoted the use of

hallucinogenic drugs and confronted societal

rules of convention and conformity. He was

eventually arrested

for

possession

of

marijuana

in 1965 and served a five month jail sentence ‐

after faking his own suicide in attempt to avoid

charges. After this experience, he gave up his

drug habit and eventually continued his writing

career. None of his later books were as

commercially successful as One Flew Over the

Cuckoo’s Nest .

Kesey’s exploits as a Merry Prankster were

chronicled in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool ‐ Aid

Acid Test (1968) and noted in poems by beat

poet

Allan

Ginsberg.

Ken Kesey died on November 10th, 2001 at the

age of 66.

Ken Kesey on the need for mystery:

"The answer is never the answer. What's really interesting is the mystery.

If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be seeking.

I've never seen anybody really find the answer—

they think they have, so they stop thinking.

But the

job

is

to

seek

mystery,

evoke

mystery,

plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom.

The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer."

‐ Ken Kesey "The Art of Fiction" ‐ interview by Robert Faggen, The Paris Review No.

130 (Spring 1994)

- 5 -

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Kesey4.jpg



INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE NOVEL, PLAY AND FILM OF ONE

FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Kesey’s experiences while volunteering in the

CIA funded project to study the effects of

psychedelic drugs in Palo Alto, California served

as the basis for his 1962 novel.

The film version of the novel was produced by

Douglas’s son Michael and directed by Milos

Forman. It starred Jack Nicholson. The film is

one of the very few films to sweep all five of the

most important Academy Awards. It won Best

Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director

and Best Adapted Screenplay.

A year after the publication of the novel,

Hollywood actor, Kirk Douglas recruited Dale

Wasserman to write a stage adaptation of One

Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest . Kesey was not at all pleased with the direction

of the film and he claimed that he had never

seen it. He was especially disappointed that it

did not have the character of Chief Bromden

serve as the narrator as he was in both the

novel and play.

The stage play premiered at the Cort Theatre on

Broadway on November13th, 1963. It closed

after 82 performances.

Kirk Douglas

bought

the

film

rights

to

the

novel

and fully intended to star in it. However this was

not to be. The film was not made till 1975 and

by that time, Douglas was too old to play the

lead.

Interestingly enough, Kesey also disagreed with

the casting of Jack Nicholson as McMurphy.

Kesey believed that the role should have been

played by Gene Hackman.

A second revival of the play appeared on

Broadway in 2001. It featured Gary Sinise in the

lead role. It won two Tony Awards. The play

later appeared in London in 2004. This

production featured Christian Slater.

The play was revived in 1971 and it was a

sensational success. It starred William Devane

and it ran for an incredible 2,000 performances.

It was the success of this revival that got

Hollywood interested in turning the story into a

major film in 1975.

Kirk Douglas talking about how the play based on Kesey’s novel came about:

“When I first read One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest , I fell in love with the book.

Immediately, I bought the rights to it for a movie. And then I went to Oregon and met Ken Kesey. He was

a husky, strong‐looking individual, and we sized one another up. We had one thing in common – we had

both been undefeated wrestlers in college. I don’t know how I would have handled Ken on the mat. It

would have been tough. He was noncommittal as I heaped on praise for his book One Flew Over The

Cuckoo’s Nest …

Our first attempts to make a movie of his book met with no success. I decided to

transform the book into a play and produce it on Broadway. I hired Dale Wasserman to write the play, and

assembled a good

cast

including

William

Daniels

and

Gene

Wilder.

I played

the

lead

of

McMurphy.”

‐ Kirk Douglas in Entertainment Weekly

- 6 -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073486/






WHERE DID THE TITLE OF THE NOVEL AND PLAY COME FROM?

The title of Kesey’s novel and Wasserman’s play comes from a Mother Goose

nursery rhyme:

Vintery, Mintery,

Cutery,

Corn

Vintery, mintery, cutery, corn,

Apple seed and apple thorn;

Wire, briar, limber lock,

Three geese in a flock.

One flew east,

And one flew west,

And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

SETTING OF THE PLAY

Time The 1960s

Place “The day room in a ward of a State Mental Hospital somewhere in the Pacific

Northwest. A spacious, clean‐lined expanse, impersonal and rather sterile.”

Scale model of the set design for the 2010 MTC/TC production by Allan Stichbury.

- 7 -



WHO’S WHO IN THE PLAY

(The descriptions below in quotation marks come from Dale

Wasserman’s character descriptions in the script.)

The

Patients

Chief Bromden is a “huge, bull‐muscled Indian

who stands six and a half feet but when people

are about carries himself like a small man.” He

has been diagnosed as being schizophrenic. The

staff also believe that he is deaf and dumb.

Much of the action in the story is seen through

his eyes.

Dale Harding is “in his late thirties, handsome,

effete.” An intelligent but nervous man. He is

the most educated patient in the institute. His

problems stem

from

his

feelings

of

sexual

inadequacy brought about by his dominating

wife.

Billy Bibbit is “In age, almost thirty, but appears

more like a boy.” He suffers from insecurity, a

strong guilt complex and he continues to be

totally controlled by his mother. Billy also has a

stuttering problem.

Scanlon is “in his fifties.” He is obsessively

preoccupied with the imaginary construction of

bombs

that

he

wants

to

use

“to

blow

up

the

whole stinkin’ world.”

Charles Cheswick is “short, chubby, crew‐cut;

his manner alternately truculent and cringing.”

He is one of McMurphy’s first supporters in the

ward. He is constantly asking for changes in

ward policies but lacks the courage to act.

Martini is “a little Italian … eager and bright‐

eyed.” He suffers from frequent hallucinations.

Ruckly is “blank‐faced and empty‐eyed.” He is a

victim of

electro

‐shock

therapy

and

an

unsuccessful lobotomy. He spends much of his

time standing, as if crucified, against a wall and

uttering the occasional profanity.

Randle Patrick McMurphy is 35 years old. A

boisterous, self ‐centered and self ‐confident

man. He loves to gamble and con people. His

self ‐assured attitude and manic behaviour puts

him a sharp conflict with Nurse Ratched.

The Staff

Warren and Williams are aides who work on the

ward. They unquestioningly follow Nurse

Ratched's orders.

Dr. Spivey is the head psychiatrist in the ward

He is easily manipulated by McMurphy and

Nurse Ratched.

Nurse Ratched (also known as the Big Nurse) is

a “handsome woman, her age hard to tell. There

is an odd perfection about her.” She is the

ultimate authority in the ward. She has a serene

confidence and asserts her absolute control

through intimidation and manipulation.

Nurse Flinn is a “vapid girl with apprehensive

eyes.” She

is

young

and

eager.

Mr. Turkle is the “aging night man” on the ward.

He has a weakness for alcohol and marijuana.

He too is easily manipulated by McMurphy.

Others

Candy Starr is a fun loving prostitute and a

longtime friend of McMurphy. “She is a dish.”

Sandra is also a prostitute and friend of

McMurphy.

- 8 -



SUMMARY OF THE PLAY

The curtain rises on a large, sterile ward in a

mental asylum which is kept under control by

the icy rule of Nurse Ratched. The patients are

kept in

line

through

the

use

of

tranquilizing

drugs and the threat of electroconvulsive

therapy and worse. When Randle P. McMurphy,

an uncontrolled brash, self ‐confident, fighter,

gambler, lover and self ‐confessed psychopath

bursts into the ward, Nurse Ratched’s

unchallenged rule is put into question. To avoid

hard jail time at a prison farm, McMurphy has

pretended to be crazy. Ironically, he soon finds

that this mental asylum is far more harsh and

oppressive than his previous prison ever was.

At first, McMurphy’s attitude and defiance

towards Ratched

and

her

rules

serve

as

a source

of humour and sport. However the ward’s

dynamics quickly change to a no‐holds‐barred

conflict between McMurphy’s irrepressible

desire to express his free will and Nurse

Ratched’s uncompromising commitment to

maintain her control and authority.

Prior to McMurphy’s arrival, the patients had

given up and given in to Nurse Ratched’s

authority. They tolerate her arbitrary rules and

have abandoned any desire to exercise any form

of independence. McMurphy decides that he

will make men out of the complacent “boys.”

Soon, much to the dismay of Nurse Ratched, the

patients are

resisting

her

authority

and

are

verging on rebellion.

McMurphy is threatened with electroconvulsive

therapy if he does not conform to Ratched’s

expectations. Predictably, McMurphy is unable

to give in to the Big Nurse’s authority and the

threat becomes a reality.

Not content with merely inflicting humiliation

and pain on McMurphy, Nurse Ratched

manipulates events to show McMurphy who is

in ultimate control and to ensure that all the

patients learn

a lesson

about

the

consequences

of defiant behaviour such as McMurphy’s.

Much of the story is witnessed through the eyes

of Chief Bromden and in the end, it is he who

finds a way to free McMurphy (and himself)

from Nurse Ratched.

Costume Design Sketch for R.P. McMurphy for the

Theatre Calgary/MTC Production, 2010.

Sketch and Original Designs by Gillian Gallow.

Costume Design Sketch for Candy Starr and Sandra

for the Theatre Calgary/MTC Production, 2010.

Sketch and Original Designs by Gillian Gallow.

- 9 -



WHAT CATEGORY OF PLAY IS ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S

NEST ?

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest contains

aspects found in a number of different theatrical

and literary genres. These genres include:

Tragedy – serious works in which the

protagonists suffer a tragic end, or loss as a

result of a character defect or unwise decision.

Morality Play – a form of entertainment which

first became popular during the Middle Ages.

Many modern plays are also considered morality

plays if their plots involve straightforward

characters and if their purpose is to teach lessons

in morality.

Comedy of Menace – Plays which fit this genre

are humorous in places but the humour is

mingled with plot elements that are unsettling

and disturbing. Audiences at such plays often

find it difficult to know how to respond in that

the dramatized situations are funny and

unsettling at the same time.

Realism – realistic drama involving everyday

people dealing with significant social and

political issues of the day

DID YOU KNOW? ‐ A GLOSSARY OF ALLUSIONS AND

VOCABULARY

The following information provides background,

definition or explanation of specific references in

the play that you may not be familiar with. The

references are presented in the order in which

they are mentioned in the play. For your

convenience, some relevant websites are

hyperlinked.

Act I

All of the action in the play occurs in a day room

of a mental asylum. Some of the patients are

referred to as being acute. While the nature of

illness and symptoms are often severe (usually

depressive or schizophrenic), such patients are

considered treatable.

Others in the ward are classified as being

chronic . These patients are incurable and need

life‐long

care.

Many

of

the

“chronics”

are

in

a

vegetative, or severely mentally altered state.

When McMurphy first enters the ward, he

wants to know who the bull goose loony is. A

bull goose is the dominant goose in a gaggle.

This is McMurphy’s way of asking the patients

which loony is in charge.

During McMurphy’s first group therapy session,

the resident psychiatrist Dr. Spivey explains that

what they have at the institute is a Therapeutic

Community. This is a reference to a patient‐

driven, group‐based treatment approach

developed by Maxwell Jones, a British

psychiatrist. He

believed

that

institutional

patients should have a say in their own and each

other’s treatment, as well as in creating policies

and procedures. It is clear in the play, however,

that Nurse Ratched’s ward is far from

democratic.

Dr. Spivey also suggests

that for patients to hel

themselves they need

to probe the secrets

the subconscio

Sigmund

p

of

us. Dr.

Freud (185

1939), considered

to

be

the father of modern

psychiatry, believed

that the roots and causes of many mental

disorders are buried deep in a level of the mi

below conscious thought. Among many othe

subconscious thoughts and motivations, he

believed that the cause of many personality

6 –

nd

r

disorders often has something to do with sex.

Sigmund Freud

- 10 -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality_play



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_of_menace





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freud

http://www.wpclipart.com/famous/psychology/Sigmund_Freud.png



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freud



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy




During the same group therapy session, upon

talk of Harding’s young attractive wife, Martini

dy

erapy

ssion, Harding accuses McMurphy of

Carl Jung

(who is prone to frequent vivid hallucinations)

exclaims. “Mamma mia! Una poppona! La

figura d’una dea! Mi fa allungare!” This is

Italian for: “Oh Mama! What a babe! The bo

of a goddess!

She

gets

me

so

excited!”

At the end of McMurphy’s first group th

se

simplifying the work of Freud, Jung and

Maxwell Jones.

(1875 – 1961)

as a disciple of Freud’s. w

He is best known for his

extensive work on dream

analysis and symbolism.

Maxwell Jones

introduced

e notion that mental

c s

a continuous process

ke Ratched’s abuse. When he suggests that

s as a

th

asylums should take the

ommunities. Therapy wa

that occurred all day and

in a group setting. Jones also believed that

patients should have a say in the development

of the policies and procedures in the ward.

McMurphy cannot understand why the patients

form of therapeutic

ta

they raise hell, Harding warns that the

consequence of

such

rebellion

is

Electro

‐Shock

Therapy which he sarcastically describe

“device that combines the best features of the

sleeping pill, the electric chair and the torture

rack.” Electro‐Shock Therapy or

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), is a

controversial medical treatment for

illness (often depression, schizophren

bipolar disorders) in which an electrical curre

is introduced into the brain to induce mild

seizures. The procedure is still practiced today,

however it became less frequently prescrib

treatment with the introduction of antipsychotic

drugs in

the

1950s.

Act II

mental

ia and

nt

ed as

Nurse Ratched discovers that Chief

romden is not catatonic, she becomes very

. A

iour

.

py is not effective in

ontrolling McMurphy’s

behaviour,

Nurse

n

0s

e

uality.

formed in

When McMurphy’s

o lady friends

g

e

to dec for

Sandra. This is a reference

When

B

upset that she had been fooled for so long

catatonic state is one in which a person (in

clinical terms, often schizophrenic), displays

passivity or abnormal movement and behav

often involving repetitive purposeless activity

They also do not show much response to stimuli

from the outside world.

When Electro‐Shock Thera

cRatched suggests that they consider the more

drastic measure of performing a lobotomy .

During this irreversible surgical procedure, a

surgeon severs the nerve connection betwee

the frontal lobes of the brain. Patients who

undergo this procedure are often calmer and

lose their violent tendencies. Unfortunately,

some also enter a vegetative state. During 195

and early 1960s some institutional facilities

established assembly lines so that surgeons

could operate on several patients at the sam

time, treating cases of schizophrenia,

depression, anxiety

disorders

and

cases

of

“defiant behaviour” including homosex

Between 1939 and 1951, over 18,000

lobotomies were performed in the United

States, with many thousands more per

other countries.

tw

break into the ward

for a party, Hardin

assures them that

they are

indeed

completely crazy. H

ipher a Rorschach

to the

even jokingly offers

Rorschach Test

which was developed by Swiss psychiatrist,

Hermann Rorschach in 1922. The persons being

tested are shown a series of ink blots and are

asked to describe what they see. Their

responses are believed to reveal important

information regarding their personality,

intelligence and emotional states. For a look

the ten different ink blots used in this tes

their interpretations check out this

at

t and

Wikipedia

article.

During the drunken party in the ward organized

y McMurphy, Sandra cannot believe what is

g

b

happening. The very knowledgeable Harding

reassures her by claiming that the “whole thin

is a collaboration between Franz Kafka and

Mark Twain.” An interesting collaboration, to

say the least.

Carl Jung

Rorschach Ink

Blot

Franz

- 11 -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jung



http://bipolar.about.com/od/glossaryef/g/gl_ect.htm





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_test













Franz Kafka (1883 ‐1924)

created some of

Franz Kafka

the

ion.

was

mor iscove d into

a very large bug. In h

strangest and most

troubling works of fict

His view of the world

that it is oftentimes

inexplicable. In

his

novel

Metamorphosis, the

protagonist awakens one

rs that he has change

is novel, The Trial , the

protagonist is arrested and put on trial but he is

never told what he is being charged with.

Because of his work, the term

ning and d

Kafkaesque has

ntered into our vocabulary. It refers to a work

t

e

or a situation that is marked by a “senseless,

disorienting, and often menacing complexity.”

Not many people know that American novelis

and humorist, Mark Twain (1835 ‐1910), best

known for his Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

books, was an inveterate cynic. He was a bitter

satirist who often poked merciless fun at our

most cherished institutions.

At the end of the fake weddin

g ceremony for

illy and Sandra, Harding leads in a prayer which

of

o are

.

Franz Kafka

B

foreshadows that there will be consequences

for their riotous behaviour: “As comes the

dawn, we shall most assuredly be lined up

against the wall and fired upon with bullets

Miltown! Librium! Thorazine! ” The first tw

sedatives often used to treat anxiety symptoms

Thorazine is an anti‐psychotic medication.

- 12 -

http://www.prlog.org/10844250-franz-kafka.jpg










http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafka

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Kafkaesque








http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafka




VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

To better appreciate the dialogue during the performance, you may find it helpful and

entertaining if you became more familiar with the more difficult words in the play by spending

some time with the following activity.

Match the words from the play in Column A with their appropriate definitions in Column B.

If you are having trouble with any of the words, help is available online at

http://www.onelook.com/

Check your answers here Vocabulary Quiz Answer Key (page 21).

Column A Column B

1. vapid

2. effete

3. truculent

4. therapeutic

5. pinochle

6. psychopath

7. libido

8. defunct

9. orient

10. zealous

11. feigning

12. drudgery

13. protocol

14. ardent

15. fixation

16. weaned

17. egomaniac

18. benevolent

19. geriatrics

20. gape

21. lucid

22. latrine

23. audacity

24. rescinded

25. croupier

26. tincture

27. revels

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

__

a. one who displays criminal, aggressive, or perverted behavior

b. monotonous difficult work

c. medical science that deals with issues relating to the elderly

d. determine one's relative position

e. boldness, daring

f. annulled; taken away

g. one who is overly interested in oneself and not in others

h. faking

i. festivities; partying

j. generous and kind; producing good

k. unhealthy preoccupation on someone or something

l. defiant; hostile

m. person in charge of a gambling table

n. bathroom

o. intensely emotional or eager

p. extremely enthusiastic

q. stare open mouthedly

r. no longer of use

s. established way of doing things

t. card game which resembles whist

u. restoring to health

v. aspect of the mind which deals with love or sexual desires

w. lacking in

liveliness

or

spirit

x. made independent of

y. over‐refined; self ‐indulgent

z. clear‐minded

aa. trace or tint

- 13 -





II. WHILE THE CURTAIN IS UP – Questions to Consider

PLOT

• In the

novel

from

which

this

play

adapted,

Chief

Bromden

serves

as

the

narrator

of

the

action. Ken Kesey, the author of the novel, was extremely upset with the feature film

version of his book because the story was not told through Chief Bromden’s point of view.

In what ways did the playwright and the stage director make it clear that the action of the

play is intended to be seen through Bromden’s eyes?

• The climax of a story can be either the point of highest dramatic tension or the turning point

for the protagonist(s).

Does the play have a true climax?

If so,

when

does

the

climax

of

the

play

occur?

Does it mark the highest point of dramatic tension or is it the turning point for the

protagonist in the play? Explain.

• Generally speaking, the final scene of a play needs to be carefully crafted for maximum

effect. Playwrights would want to accomplish a number of purposes with the endings of

their works.

With a partner, generate a list of at least three things that you think the ending of a play,

generally speaking, should accomplish.

After

watching

the

performance,

consider

the

extent

to

which

the

ending

of

One

Flew

Over

the Cuckoo’s Nest succeeded in accomplishing the three things in your list.

CHARACTER

• A protagonist is defined as the major character in a work. One important characteristic of a

protagonist is that he or she undergoes a significant character change.

Based on the above definitions, who, in your opinion, is the protagonist in the play?

Justify your opinion.

• Contrast is an effective tool for characterization. Identify the ways in which contrast is

developed between one of the following pairs of characters:

Dr. Spivey and Nurse Ratched

Nurse Ratched and McMurphy

How did this production emphasize the contrast in their characters?

- 14 -



• Create a brief character sketch of McMurphy, Nurse Ratched or Billie.

Be sure to identify important character traits, values, beliefs, attitudes, dominant emotions,

strengths, weaknesses, etc.

SETTING & MOOD

• This play is a challenge to set designers in that there is only one set. To expect audiences to

look at the same set for the entire duration of a performance, the set must be interesting

and multi‐functional.

What were your first impressions of the set?

What did the set design and props contribute to the overall effect of the play?

How did the director utilize the set to make it multi‐functional?

• Identify when

and

how

sound,

music

and

lighting

effects

were

used

effectively

during

the

performance.

In other words, what specific moods, atmosphere or effects did the use of sound, music and

lighting help to create at various times in the performance?

• One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is set in the 1960s in a mental institution in Oregon.

What would be lost or gained if the play were staged in modern day costumes and in a

present day Manitoba setting?

THEME

• One of the more important themes in this play deals with the need to question and resist

people and systems that threaten freedom and the human spirit.

What does the action in the play and the choices made by the major characters suggest

about this important theme?

• To identify the themes or main ideas of a work, it is often helpful to consider if the major

characters have undergone any significant character change or if they have come to some

new significant realization about people or life.

In what

ways

do

the

major

characters

change

during

the

process

of

the

play?

What do these changes tell us about what the author is trying to say about people and

about life?

• What did you think of the title of the play?

In what ways is the title an appropriate one?

- 15 -



Create two alternate and appropriate titles for this play.

• Another important theme of the play deals with the idea that sometimes, people have to

take drastic measures for the sake of their own sense of identity and peace of mind. Chief

Bromden is well aware of this idea.

Create three statements that Chief Bromden would agree with by the end of the play in

regards to what people sometimes have to do to be true to their sense of self and to ensure

their own peace of mind.

- 16 -



III. AFTER THE CURTAIN FALLS – Post‐Performance

Student Activities

REFLECT ON PRE‐PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES

What pre‐performance information and activities best prepared you for the play?

What else could you have done or wished you had done to have better prepared you for your

viewing of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ?

CAST A FEATURE FILM VERSION OF THE PLAY

Assume that another feature film version of the story is being made and that you have been

given

the

job

of

finding

a

cast

for

it.

What well known actors would you choose to play the roles of the major characters?

To justify your casting choices, you should refer to other similar roles handled by each of the

actors.

Which, if any, of the actors used in the Manitoba Theatre Centre production would you cast in

your movie? Why?

CREATE AN

ACT

THREE

FOR

THE

PLAY

Assume that some time has passed since the events related at the end of the play.

What do you think has happened to the major characters?

Create a scene in which you dramatize what you think occurs two years after the events of the

play to any or all of the following characters:

Nurse Ratched

Chief Bromden

Harding

Candy Starr

Nurse Flinn

Feel free to create new characters for the main characters to interact with.

- 17 -



WRITE A DIFFERENT ENDING FOR THE PLAY

How satisfied were you with how the play ended?

Assume that you have been given the task of creating an alternate ending for the play.

Write a new scene that serves to take the ending in a direction that you are happier with or that

you find more interesting or dramatic.

WRITE A REVIEW

Write a review of the performance of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest that you have just seen.

Read several newspaper or magazine reviews to get a better idea of the style and structure of

typical drama reviews.

A good central source for reviews can be found at:

http://www.curtainup.com/goingall.html

Make sure that you do not follow any one review too closely.

Your review should reflect your personal take and evaluation of the performance.

WRITE A LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR

Write a letter to the director commenting on what you enjoyed or did not enjoy about the

production.

Focus on how elements such as casting choices, use of lighting, sound and music, costuming and

acting contributed to your enjoyment of the production.

REFLECTIVE WRITING ON THE THEATRE EXPERIENCE

Consider the reasons why so many people prefer attending a live sporting event such as a

football or a hockey game over watching the same event on TV.

Now consider the ways in which attending a live theatre performance could be preferable to

watching a feature

film

on

the

big

screen

or

a DVD

or

video

at

home.

What did you enjoy most about being part of the audience attending the Manitoba Theatre

Centre and seeing One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest ?

Based on this experience, are you looking forward to attending another play in the near future?

Explain.

- 18 -

http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/dramauk/jonesc1.htm



http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/dramauk/jonesc1.htm



REPRESENTING CHARACTER, CONFLICT AND THEME

Create a poster by finding (or creating) a series of graphics, photos or illustrations, and words

that you think serve, in significant ways, to illustrate or bring to life the characters, the

situations, the themes or messages of the play.

Complete your representation on poster paper.

On the back side of the poster, briefly explain why you chose the graphics you did. In other

words, what does each of your visuals represent?

Please note that the explanation of the graphics on the back of your poster is not an essay or a

formal piece of writing.

MATCHING QUIZ

Try the matching quiz on the following page. In Column A, there are a number of memorable

quotations spoken during the play. Match the quotation with the correct character who spoke it

from the following list:

Billy McMurphy

Dr. Spivey Nurse Ratched

Chief Bromden Sandra

Harding Turkle

Martini

Characters may

be

used

more

than

once.

Check

your

answers

here

Matching

Quiz

Answer

Key

(page 22).

- 19 -



Column A Characters

1.

You

think

I’m

ravin’

‘cause

it

sounds

too

awful

to

be

true,

but

my

God, there’s such a lot of things that’s true even if they never really

happen!

2. Buddy, you are so wrong, I don’t have to do this, and I don’t have to

do that, and get the hell away from me or I will take and …

3. But you must realize that our policies are engineered for your care.

Which means cooperation.

4. It was on account of my mother. Every time she comes to visit it

leaves me feeling just awful.

5. Mama Mia! Una poppona! La figura d’una dea! Ma fa allungare!

6. HOME RUN!

7. How can I be big if you ain’t? How can anybody?

8. Anointest my head with conductant! Do I get a crown of thorns?

9. I do not approve surgical procedure in the absence of recurring

violence.

10. Tha’ better be good liquor.

11. Jeez what a blast! Is this really happening?

12. I hope you’re satisfied. Playing with human lives. Gambling with

human lives as though you were God.

13. Okay, Chief, go. You’re going to make it out there.

- 20 -



IV. ANSWER KEYS

VOCABULARY EXERCISE ANSWERS

Column A Column B

1. vapid

2. effete

3. truculent

4. therapeutic

5. pinochle

6. psychopath

7. libido

8. defunct

9. orient 10. zealous

11. feigning

12. drudgery

13. protocol

14. ardent

15. fixation

16. weaned

17. egomaniac

18. benevolent

19. geriatrics

20. gape

21. lucid

22. latrine

23. audacity

24. rescinded

25. croupier

26. tincture

27. revels

w. lacking in liveliness or spirit

y. over‐refined; self ‐indulgent

l. defiant; hostile

u. restoring to health

t. card game which resembles whist

a. one who displays criminal, aggressive, or perverted behavior

v. aspect of the mind which deals with love or sexual desires

r. no longer of use

d.

determine one's

relative

position

p. extremely enthusiastic

h. faking

b. monotonous difficult work

s. established way of doing things

o. intensely emotional or eager

k. unhealthy preoccupation on someone or something

x. made independent of

g. one who is overly interested in oneself and not in others

j. generous and kind; producing good

c. medical science that deals with issues relating to the elderly

q. stare open mouthedly

z. clear‐minded

n. bathroom

e. boldness, daring

f. annulled; taken away

m. person in charge of a gambling table

aa. trace or tint

i. festivities; partying

- 21 -



MATCHING QUIZ ANSWERS

Column A Characters

2. You think I’m ravin’ ‘cause it sounds too awful to be true, but my

God, there’s such a lot of things that’s true even if they never really

happen!

Chief Bromden

2. Buddy, you are so wrong, I don’t have to do this, and I don’t have to

do that, and get the hell away from me or I will take and …

McMurphy

3. But you must realize that our policies are engineered for your care.

Which means cooperation. Nurse Ratched

4. It was on account of my mother. Every time she comes to visit it

leaves me feeling just awful.

Billy

5. Mama Mia! Una poppona! La figura d’una dea! Ma fa allungare! Martini

6.

HOME RUN!

Harding

7. How can I be big if you ain’t? How can anybody? Chief Bromden

8. Anointest my head with conductant! Do I get a crown of thorns? McMurphy

9. I do not approve surgical procedure in the absence of recurring

violence.

Dr. Spivey

10. Tha’ better be good liquor. Turkle

11. Jeez what a blast! Is this really happening? Sandra

12. I hope you’re satisfied. Playing with human lives. Gambling with

human lives as though you were God.

Nurse Ratched

13. Okay, Chief, go. You’re going to make it out there. Harding

mtc cuckoo s nest study guide

Documents