The Charity that Began at Home: A Comedy for Philanthropists

Transcription

1 The Charity that Began at Home: A Comedy for Philanthropists by St John Hankin Education Partner:

2 Synopsis Lady Denison and her daughter Margery are hosting a house party with a difference. They take the words of their preacher to heart, that true charity consists of inviting people into your home that no one else would ever consider inviting. And so, they ask a collection of some very unpopular and Who are all these dreadful people? unlikeable houseguests to spend a week at their home: General Bonsor, the greatest bore in London; Mr Firket, a pushy salesman; Miss Triggs, a mean-spirited teacher; Mrs Horrocks, a dull and ill-mannered woman; and Hugh Verreker, who is living with social disgrace. They have also invited Basil Hylton, the founder of the Church of Humanity and the source of Margery and Lady Denison s charitable beliefs. Mr Hylton s idea is beginning one s charity at home by being kind to everyone, whether they deserve it or not. Things always go better if only one tries to help people, don t they? Despite all her good intentions, Lady Denison s pleasant house party dissolves into squabbling and scandal. Margery s announcement that she will marry one of these dreadful house guests is the last straw for Lady Denison, exposing the limits of her charity. An Interview with Christopher Newton Director of The Charity that Began at Home Why did you want to direct The Charity that Began at Home? In 2000 I thought it was time that The Shaw did one of St John Hankin s plays, so we produced The Return of the Prodigal - with some trepidation. As far as I knew no one had done any of his plays for some considerable time. It turned out to be a great success and so we brought it back for the 2002 Season. I directed another Hankin play, The Cassilis Engagement, in He only wrote six plays in all and he thought Charity was his best play, so it s good to have a go at it. What do you find most striking about this play? Hankin has an ability to create true and dense characters very quickly. Even a stock type such as the General in Charity reveal fascinating details that make the characters three dimensional. And he s not afraid of examining the mores of the time. In Charity it is the daughter who runs the house, and it is the daughter who tries to make Basil Hylton s ideas a reality. Essentially it is about the difficulty of being good and the traps that we can all fall into when we think that we have discovered rules to live by. Interestingly the established church is not talked about except in passing. What do you want students to take away from the performance? The people in this play are recognizable. They are not unlike us, they connect with us, they hopefully talk about things which interest us: love, trying to lead a good life, trying to enjoy life, being honest.

3 Pre-Show Discussion Ethics Ethics is a code of behavior or system of moral principles that direct people s decisions about how to lead their lives. Ethics asks us to think beyond ourselves and our own self-interest and is concerned with what is good for other living things and for society as a whole. The Charity that Began at Home is concerned with the problem of making moral decisions and what our rights and responsibilities to others are. I certainly think the world would be a happier place and a better place if people helped each other because they needed help irrespective of whether they deserved it or not. - Mr Hylton Questions about ethics and morality have troubled philosophers and everyday people alike for thousands of years. The central problem being, how can we know with any degree of certainty, what is right and what is wrong? Ethical principles are designed to provide us with a moral map, so we know what to do when confronted with a moral dilemma. Some commonly held principles include: Do to others as you would like to have done to you. Do not harm others. Always help others. Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not kill. Charity begins at home. Discuss Discuss the principles laid out above and whether or not they are always true. If you believe there are exceptions, explain when and why you would make an exception to the rule. Do you lean towards the idea that an ethical principle, if true, is always true and applies to everyone all the time? Do you lean towards the idea that there are no unchanging moral rules; that each ethical dilemma is different and requires a unique solution? this is really quite preposterous. It s trying to regulate one s life by a theory instead of by the light of common sense. - Mrs Eversleigh Mrs Eversleigh, a character in the play, suggests that we look to common sense rather than moral theories for guidance. What is your definition of common sense? Do you think it exists? Do you agree/disagree with Mrs Eversleigh s point of view?

4 Pre-Show Discussion (continued) Charity: Help or money given voluntarily to those in need. What do you think is meant by the phrase charity begins at home? Where do you think charity should begin? Where should it end? Do you think you have an obligation to give your time or money to those who are in need? If no, why not? If yes, which charitable organizations do you or your school support? How do you choose who receives your support? How do you support the charity (volunteering time or services, fundraising, making a donation, etc.)? How far would you be willing to go to support the charitable organization (how much of your personal money, how much of your free time, etc)? Why do you give to charity? Do you think your charity gets to the root of the problem or is it a band aid solution? Does that influence your decision whether or not to give? Where do your ideas about charity come from? Yourself? Your family? Your religion? Your school? Society? Are there instances when nice is too nice? Discuss examples and/or situations. A philanthropist is a person who practices charitable acts of goodwill towards others. The literal meaning of philanthropist is lover of mankind. Research the following charitable organizations: Heart & Stroke Foundation I Big Brothers Big Sisters I Make A Wish Foundation I Habitat for Humanity Canadian Cancer Society I World Wildlife Fund I Me to We I The Terry Fox Foundation Discuss How do they raise money? Who is the recipient of the charity? Does it make a difference?

5 The World of the Play Rules of Etiquette for Visiting an English Country Manor The main point in a country house visit is to give as little trouble as possible. It is a guest s duty, too, to fall in with all her hostess s plans; to be bright and cheerful, and pleased with all that is done. Help your hostess to entertain others by being ready to join in, or to start, games, dancing, music, or any other amusement suggested, and you will find yourself popular with both hostess and fellow-guests. Etiquette for Women, G.R.M.Devereux (1919) - The Habits of Good Society (1859) In Edwardian England everyone had a position in society and knew what it was, for better or worse. With rigid codes of behaviour and a rigid class system in place, to get an invitation to a reputable, upper class home like Lady Denison s, one would normally have to please and impress the hostess in some way. In addition to having the right social skills, family background, and wealth (although a good family name made up for lack of money), one would also need to possess an unquestionable moral reputation, the right wardrobe, AND the ability to make pleasant conversation in order to penetrate into the right social circles. So, Lady Denison s approach to hospitality would have appeared radical in the eyes of her peers. In the play, had Lady Denison been playing by the established rules neither General Bonsor, Mr Firket, Miss Triggs, Mrs Horrocks nor Hugh Verreker would EVER have been invited. Note: Downton Abbey is a great resource for demonstrating the rules of etiquette both upstairs and downstairs. Status in the Servant Hierarchy Edwardian fashion. Status was as important in the servant hierarchy as it was in the aristocracy, and the servants had their own strict code of behaviours. Soames is Lady Denison s butler. The butler of the house is the head of the servant hierarchy. His chief concern is to keep everyone, including himself, in their place. A good deal of the comfort and pleasure of the family AND the servants depends upon the manner in which the butler attends to his duties. This position was an important managerial position. William is Lady Denison s footman. The footman is under the direct supervision of the butler and is sometimes even known as the under butler. Edwardian maids. Anson is Lady Denison s maid. As a Lady s maid, she would report directly to Lady Denison and would be responsible for everything related to her appearance, including dressing her, maintaining her wardrobe, hair styling, etc.

6 Post-Show Discussion What do you think is meant by the phrase charity begins at home? Do you think that Margery and Lady Denison have correctly interpreted its meaning? How did Soames end up in such a powerful position? Do you agree or disagree with the logic for keeping Soames in his position? Explain your answer. Does Lady Denison and Margery s strategy for helping Soames actually help him to become a better person? Does their strategy help ANY of their house guests? In what way? Does their strategy harm anyone? In what way? Where do you think charity should begin? Where should it end? Is nice ever too nice? With a partner, DISCUSS one of the following lines from the play. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Why? Share your conclusions with the class. If people are disagreeable they don t deserve kindness. It s not what people deserve but what they want that matters, don t you think? In fact, often the less people deserve the more we ought to help them. They need it more. If people would only give up bothering about ideals and face facts, what a much happier world this would be for all of us. You must feel sometimes how splendid it would be to do something heroic, to lay down your life for a great cause, to make the world better. I don t want to make the world better. I think the world s all right as it is. Surely it s always our business to help anyone if we can, whatever he may have done. One should always forgive wrongdoing, shouldn t one? one should obey one s parents I know but there are other duties as well. Photo illustration: Emily Cooper. Christopher Newton & production images: David Cooper Photography.