A BOOK MUSICAL OF DEAD POETS SOCIETY
by
Logan Schurr
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for Departmental Honors in
the Department of Theatre
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, Texas
May 6th, 2019
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Impact of Dead Poets Society on Students: Study of Keating's Teaching, Study notes of Theatre
The profound effect of the unconventional teaching methods of John Keating, a new English teacher in Dead Poets Society, on his students' lives. Through poetry and free-thinking philosophies, Keating inspires Todd, Neil, Knox, Steven, and Charlie to seize the day and live boldly. The document also discusses the lack of character development of Keating and the importance of his first class period in introducing the 'carpe diem' concept.
What you will learn
- How does Keating's first class period set the stage for the rest of the film?
- What is the role of poetry in Keating's teaching methods?
- How does John Keating's teaching style affect his students in Dead Poets Society?
- What is the significance of the 'carpe diem' concept in Dead Poets Society?
- How does Keating's philosophy lead to an unexpected tragedy in Dead Poets Society?
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A BOOK MUSICAL OF DEAD POETS SOCIETY
by Logan Schurr Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors in the Department of Theatre Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas May 6th, 2019
A BOOK MUSICAL OF DEAD POETS SOCIETY
Project Approved: Supervising Professor: Alan Shorter, M.F.A. Department of Theatre Penny Maas, M.F.A. Department of Theatre Candace Tangorra Matelic, Ph. D. College of Fine Arts
INTRODUCTION
When I decided to major in theatre in college, I honestly couldn’t articulate the reason why I wanted to pursue it. “It is fun,” I told my parents. Once I got to TCU and began to study it every day, I began to understand why I loved it and saw it as such a noble profession: Storytelling. It is an ancient tradition essential to our culture and to humanity itself. Without stories, we would not have history. Without stories, we would not have a culture. Without stories, we would not have entertainment. The Greeks first adopted the art of storytelling. Aristotle, in his book, The Poetics , wrote, "…it achieves, through pity and fear, the catharsis of these sorts of feelings (1449b21–29).” In other words, theatre helps people release their emotions by experiencing the characters' emotions. Theatre can change the world and influence people. That is why I am fascinated with the art and believe it to be a fundamental element of our culture. During my time at TCU, I have learned about what makes a story well-told and how to tell a story well. As an actor, it's essential to know what story you are telling, but as an artist, it is crucial to understand how and why you are telling the story. Ever since I first saw the movie, Dead Poets Society , I have been captivated by the story, the characters, the many emotions it evokes, and the sense of inspiration it provides. With prominent elements of poetry, rhythm, and abundant energy, I immediately felt I should adapt it into a musical. Seemingly lighthearted, it tackles difficult themes, elicits a lot of emotion, and examines tragedy. Stephen Sondheim, a prolific musical theatre composer/lyricist, some deem as the “Shakespeare of Musical Theatre," was mentored by the famous lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein III. Hammerstein gave him a plan to improve his writing that Sondheim describes in his book, Finishing the Hat, “first, adapt a good play; next, adapt a not-so-good play, then adapt a non-
drama; and only then try an original.” I may be skipping to step 3 with this project, but I feel confident in this story’s potential to relate to and affect an audience. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A MUSICAL What Makes a Musical “Good” Before I can turn something into a musical, I need to breakdown what makes a musical a musical. I can make a list of some essential attributes found in any musical: music and conflict. Other than these, there are no hard and fast rules depicting what a musical has to be. There are some musicals with hardly any dialogue. There are some musicals without an intermission. Some musicals do not move chronologically or logically. There are some musicals with minimal story. Although there is a wide range of what musicals can be, I’m interested in breaking down what a musical should be to be successful, specifically in preparation for this adaptation. First, I must narrow down what type of musical it should be. There is a book musical , which is a musical with a chronological storyline with music intertwined with dialogue. A revue is a musical without a storyline, usually used to highlight songs. A jukebox musical is a show created around pre-existing songs. Another type is called the concept musical in which the show isn't necessarily following a storyline but instead centers around an idea or specific theme. I believe that the book musical is the most suitable type of musical for this adaptation, as defined by Cohen: Traditionally the story is told as a linear narrative in which speech, song, and dance alternate smoothly and unobtrusively. The musical numbers usually occur at crucial points in the story – that is, at emotionally high points. They are also often found at significant structural points, such as the beginning and the end of each act. (Cohen, 10)
- In Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street , Sweeney wants revenge upon the judge and the corrupt system that destroyed his life and his family.
- In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye tries desperately to hold onto old-world traditions and values in a world where traditions and values are inexorably changing. (Spencer, 28) In my opinion, one primarily important feature of a successful musical is that it is character driven rather than plot driven. I believe audiences don't want to see a bunch of things happen; they want to see humans react to things happening. The protagonist, as discussed earlier, has to be the one moving the plot forward, not getting lost in it. The result can be a character’s transformation. Whether this character has achieved their goal or not, they are changed. If a musical does not include this dynamic character or gain a sense of lessons learned, audiences exit the theatre saying, "what was the point?" Last, but certainly not least, the music itself must combine appropriate style and sound to support the story. Songs should be strategically placed at critical points of the plot where emotions run high. The foundation of musical theatre hinges on the idea that singing is a heightened version of speech, thus requiring that the emotion be intensified as well. In other words, a character’s emotion has to be so strong, that merely speaking is not enough: they must sing. Songs should help develop the plot, not stand alone as merely a beautiful song. Spencer explains, “A given song or musical sequence can develop a newly introduced idea or move the story forward – but the one thing it must never do is repeat information we already know,” (Spencer, 43). Music is a substantial tool used to intertwine and intensify the story of a musical seamlessly.
THE MOVIE
Summary Dead Poets Society (1989), a film directed by Peter Weir, is a movie about an unorthodox English teacher who shakes things up at an elite boy’s school in 1959. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the film: In 1959, the Welton Academy is a staid but well-respected prep school where education is a pragmatic and rather dull affair. Several of the students, however, have their thoughts on the learning process (and life itself) changed when a new teacher comes to the school… John Keating introduces his students to poetry, and his free- thinking attitude and the liberating philosophies of the authors he introduces to his class have a profound effect on his students, especially Todd, who would like to be a writer; Neil, who dreams of being an actor, despite the objections of his father; Knox, a hopeless romantic; Steven, an intellectual who learns to use his heart as well as his head; and Charlie, who begins to lose his blasé attitude. Keating urges his students to seize the day and live their lives boldly; but when this philosophy leads to an unexpected tragedy, headmaster Mr. Nolan fires Keating, and his students leap to his defense. (Rotten Tomatoes) The movie was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director and won the category, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. It was nominated for four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, and Best Screenplay. It won eighteen other awards, including international and independent film festivals. It ranked number 10 on the 1989 charts and has grossed 235.9 million over its lifetime (IMDb).
falls into step with Dr. Hagar, which is a metaphorical reflection of his conformity in signing the papers and assigning blame to Keating. Because this concept of conformity is associated with rhythm, I believe there is some fascinating potential to express it through music. Additionally, many of the boys’ individual characteristics create musical opportunities. Neil wants to be an actor, and therefore he knows how to emote and tell stories. Adapting this into music might mean Neil's musical motives may be very dramatic and powerful with a wide vocal range. Todd has the potential to be a poet. Because of his love for language and strength in articulating emotion with words, his music may include a significant amount of verbosity. Knox is a hopeless romantic just bursting with love for Chris. Knox’s musical style may employ romantic-era structure, duets, and classic theatrical conventions (like expressing his love by singing about not being in love). While one wants to avoid stereotypes when creating characters, raising them to the level of archetypes provides the audience with relatable traits. Archetypes may be used here to help the audience connect to their lives, which, in turn, aids in developing the plot. As these characters embrace a transformation by becoming their own person and thinking freely, the music will be consequently transformed. The music may have faster tempos, be more varied, have more melodically exciting sounds, jazzier rhythms, and louder instrumentation as the transformation occurs, and each characters' journey can dictate this. Iconic and Necessary Moments from the Movie Dead Poets Society is critically acclaimed and enduringly popular, as demonstrated by its numerous awards and box office results. Because this movie is so well-known and celebrated, some iconic lines, scenes, moments, and images are essential to the musical adaptation.
First and foremost is Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” One of Keating’s dreams is to be a role model for these boys, as introduced by this poem. Keating invites his class to call him “Captain” in the seventh scene of the movie as he introduces himself. Whitman’s poem proclaims admiration for a leader which appropriately sets up the relationship. It also gives us a foreshadowing of loss, as the poem is about the loss of the captain; in the movie, that is Keating getting fired. Throughout the movie, the boys refer to Keating as “Captain” when pursuing actions inspired by him. The phrase “O Captain, my Captain” is heavily associated with the movie and is very important to preserve in the musical adaptation. In the same scene, Keating introduces the students to the phrase, “ carpe diem ,” translated from Latin to English; it means, "seize the day." This becomes a consistent theme throughout the rest of the movie and a battle cry as the boys learn to break the rules and become their own person: Neil yells it before auditioning for the play at Henley Hall, Knox yells it before he calls Chris on the phone, and Charlie references it as source of inspiration for publishing his article. This phrase is so central to the theme of the movie; it cannot be excluded. Another poem very significant to the film is Henry David Thoreau’s “On Life in the Woods.” The first time it is mentioned in the movie is scene seventeen when the boys are about to depart for the cave for their first Dead Poets Society meeting. There is a camera shot depicting Neil’s textbook inscribed with Keating’s name at the top of the title page. Below “John Keating” is Thoreau’s poem, with a note that indicates the poem must be read at the beginning of every meeting. Later, Neil reads it to kick off the first re-installment meeting. At the end of the film, after Neil has committed suicide, Keating opens Neil’s textbook to read the passage. The poem demonstrates the idea of living life to its fullest yet resonates on a
film critic of all time, writes, “Keating is more of a plot device than a human being,” (Ebert). I can understand that he is a rebellious teacher who cares for these boys, but in my musical adaptation, I would need to include him more in the plot. He is an impactful character, but I need to see how this story impacts him by providing more of his reactions and emotions as the story progresses Next, the plot is often described as a little bit scattered. There isn't a clear sense of the main conflict and the main character. Most people conclude Neil's story is the main one, but some reviews guess that Todd retells the movie, and from his point of view Knox's love story is wedged in there too. Neil's story is most relevant to the overall themes and the most tragic, but it is not always the main focus. In my musical adaptation, to develop this idea further, I would need to make him the definitive protagonist. Todd’s story, however, is still important and adds another layer of development. His transformation throughout the movie makes him a hero and the one perhaps most affected by Keating’s teachings. Making him the second story will be difficult, but I think his story is still significant. Knox’s love story is quite sweet, comical, and a great example of how Keating’s philosophy affects the boys. However, as Ebert describes it, “a teenage romance between one of the Welton students and a local girl is given so little screen time, so arbitrarily, that it seems like a distraction.” Ebert is right; as sweet as it is, this story seems random and an unnecessary break in the plotline. I think this storyline can shrink and become more of a sidelight of comedic relief than one of the main focuses. Another issue in the movie is the Dead Poets Society itself. It’s explained as a type of rebellious club, but the boys go to a cave and read out of a book. "The society's meetings have been badly written and are dramatically shapeless, featuring a dance line to Lindsay's "The Congo" and various attempts to impress girls with random lines of poetry,” (Ebert). Indeed,
there is no sense of mystery or defiance and very little bohemian activity. I would need to explore further how to fix this issue, but perhaps some more research on nonconformist groups would inspire additional, possibly controversial actions, during their Dead Poets Society meetings. Overall, my biggest concern is fitting all of this into a two-hour time frame. So much of the film is so valuable and recognizable that it is difficult for me to select the areas that must be cut. Many aspects are underdeveloped, but the movie itself is already too long. The next step will be to pare down the essential elements of the film and determine which pieces can be abandoned. ADAPTING FOR MUSICAL THEATRE Process To figure out how to adapt this movie to the stage, I had to start with a full version of the film. I watched the film in full, pausing after every other second to note the mood, dialogue, and action. My full list of components is 70 scenes long and comprises 36 pages of notes. This kind of detailed information is what I would need to generate the book. This process makes it easier to determine stage directions and to identify who speaks when, and how. After viewing the full inventory of every single thing that happens, I can see the big picture and understand what I should keep, what I should change, and what I should omit. What Should Be Kept? The very first scene of the movie is set in the school church. It is a processional to start the school year, where the school's flags with the four pillars on them can be seen: tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence. These four words alone set up the conflict in the show. Also, I think it is essential to see the homogenous schoolboys in this scene, the formality, and
when the boys get to Keating's class. I think these three classes can be shown in rapid succession, not full scenes, but just enough to establish the status quo. A hugely important element to preserve is Keating’s first class period, as we meet him, and see how reluctant the boys are in following his directions. Keating walks the boys out of the classroom to the trophy cases in the hallway and explains that life is short and introduces the famous “carpe diem concept." This scene, of course, is instrumental to the rest of the story; thus it must be kept. The next few scenes only establish two things; Todd's shyness and Knox's dinner at the Danburry’s (where he will meet his love interest, Chris). Although these are both important things, they can be very simplified. I can tack on the acknowledgment of Todd’s shyness and his reluctance to join the boys’ study group to the end of Keating’s class as a transition. I believe I can also tack on the information about Knox’s dinner at the Danburry’s in the same transition, as the next scene is at this dinner party. The next two scenes are showing Knox’s dinner at the Danburry’s where he coincidentally meets Chris (and falls in love with her), and his returning to the boys during study time and telling them about it. We need to know that Knox met Chris and he's head over heels in love with her, but we don't necessarily need to see it happen. The next scene is Keating’s class again. Before class begins, I would reveal the information about Knox’s meeting in a conversation before class. By doing this, it will shorten the number of unnecessary scenes, so I don’t take as much time with secondary storylines. Besides, this will allow me to develop each of the characters by showing their reaction to Knox's meeting of Chris. We can start to learn about their personalities through their dialogue here. When class begins, the most critical part of the scene is Keating's instruction to rip out the pages of the textbook. In the film, he takes his time to set up the
uselessness of the text. I could establish his point in a lot less time so I can get to the action of the boys agreeing to rip out the pages as instructed by Keating, as that is the critical moment of this scene. The boys discover something important from Keating’s past in the next scene: he was a student at Welton involved in the Dead Poets Society. Neil brings an old yearbook from many years ago, and they find Keating's page. After reading his credits, Charlie assumes that Keating must have been a hell-raiser. They talk amongst themselves to try to figure out what the Dead Poets Society could have been. I can combine this with the next scene where the boys follow Keating out into the courtyard and ask him what the Dead Poets Society is. After Keating explains the purpose and reveals the club as a secret, the boys are inspired. Keating leaves, and Neil asks the boys if they want to restart the club. Although some are at first reluctant, they eventually agree. This scene is vital in the development of the plot and hints at the journey our protagonist, Neil is about to embark on. The next scene involves the boys sneaking out and arriving in the cave for their first meeting. This scene is critical as we hear Neil recite Thoreau’s “I went into the woods” poem, which foreshadows the end of the story. In the movie, not a lot happens other than them eating food and telling stories. I want to change this and focus more on their awkward effort to figure out what “thinking freely” really means. This scene requires additional study of the bohemian philosophy that Keating might have been championing, and I would develop their discussion more deeply. Next up is another scene in Keating's classroom. The next scene is the iconic scene where he stands on his desk. Everything in this scene is relatively concise and meaningful. It illustrates Keating’s personality and drives home the central theme of the entire film using a very strong and memorable visual.
The next scene is another meeting of the Dead Poets Society in the cave. This particular meeting in the movie will need further development and adaptation for the musical. The most important part of the conference is Knox's yearning for Chris, as he now knows she is dating Chet Danburry. After wallowing in self-pity, he decides to do something about it and runs out of the cave and back to school. (I would combine this with the next scene.) He reaches the telephone booth at school where he calls Chris, who invites him to an upcoming party. He screams “YAWP” and runs upstairs singing “carpe.” This next scene, scene 32 in the film, is that iconic courtyard scene where Keating explains the notion of conformity. After the boys begin walking in sync, Keating explains the lesson, telling them to think their individual thoughts, walk to their own beat. I would set the next scene at Chet's Party. Though it doesn't occur in the film, I would have Knox's friends accompany him to the party. In this scene, Knox gets too drunk and kisses Chris's forehead. I like the idea of including this scene because I think it is interesting to show how the Welton boys behave at a public school high school party. There are opportunities for them to exhibit their character traits and new ways to demonstrate their interpretation of Keating’s “carpe diem.” In the end, Chet tackles Knox, beats him up a little bit, Chris pulls him off of Knox, but Chet leaves him with this threat, “the next time I see you, you die.” The next scene will be Neil getting back to school from rehearsal to a surprise visit from his father. This scene is necessary because it demonstrates the intolerance Neil’s father has, and the desire Neil has to stand up to him and speak his mind. His father has found out that Neil is in the play and demands that he quit. Neil tries to fight back, explaining that the play is the following night and Neil loves it. Eventually, Neil gives up and says he will obey his father.
We now move to Scene 46 in the film which is instrumental in exploring Neil’s relationship with Keating. It is the conversation between the two, where Keating advises Neil on how to handle this situation with his father. Neil explains his love for acting and his father’s disdain towards it. Keating tells him to talk to his father before the performance tomorrow night. Neil asks if there is another way, Keating says there is not. Skipping over the next few scenes, I will combine the information we learned into this next scene. After Keating dismisses class, we learn that Knox went to profess his love for Chris with the requisite flowers and a poem. Upon his return, the boys question how it turned out. Neil is the last one left in class, and Keating asks him how the conversation went. Neil nervously tells him that his father didn’t like the situation one bit, but he’s letting him stay in the play. He explains that his father will be out of town for the next few days so he’ll have to miss the show. Neil thanks Keating for the advice. The next scene depicts the boys getting ready for the show and transitions into the show. They are primping and teasing each other. On their way out, they are stopped by Chris in the foyer. Knox runs over to talk to her. Chris came to warn Knox that Chet has threated him if he ever gets near Chris again. After teasing each other, Knox realizes she wouldn’t be there if she didn’t like him. They decide to walk to the show together. The play begins as all the boys take their seats. Neil is portraying Puck and is doing an outstanding job. We see Mr. Perry enter the back of the theatre, the same minute Neil does. Neil delivers the last monologue of the play, which is reflective of his relationship with his father. After the applause, when he hugs his cast-mates and friends, he faces his father. His father drags him out of the theatre and into the car. Keating congratulates Neil on his performance, and Mr. Perry sees this and confronts Keating. Mr. Perry tells Keating to stay away from his son.