Unless your class regularly attends live theatre, your first lesson should always be the Mandatory Lesson or a review of that lesson. In any case, a reminder of the rules is in order. If you have time for only one other lesson, please make that a review of the story (or plot line) of the play. The Gondoliers is singing theatre. Follow that link for the history of this art form. There is a synopsis and notes provided for your use. In addition to the synopsis, there are notes with links to definitions as the words apply to this play. Many of the expressions used are not common today, and all students should look at this list. It may be especially useful to your ESL students, and you might wish to use this list before going through the synopsis.

Many potential lessons are available from this story. This is just a brief list of suggestions.

LANGUAGE ARTS
The date of the action has been moved almost 200 years, from 1750 to the late 1940s. After the students have seen the opera have them compare it with the synopsis here and discover what changes have been made necessary.

Many European countries were reinstating their royal family following World War II. Have your students research those countries and tell whether the royals were successful in re-appearing. Have your students determine whether this “works” or not. Be sure they justify their opinions with evidence from the play.

There are many other times which in which this play could be set. Have your students choose another time and tell what they would do to change the play into that time or place. For example, what costumes, scenery, etc. would they use?

After the performance, have your students write a review. Be sure they understand that they must justify their opinion. Give this assignment before they attend so they will be looking for evidence.

If your students are having trouble using quotation marks correctly, use a script to help them understand who is talking when. Introduce the concept of a script. Then have them write a mini-play using the script format. Follow up by having them write additional dialog outside of the script format to ensure they understand the use of quotation marks.

This play is a comedy. What makes this one funny? Have your students explain why they think it is. Use the synopsis to help them understand that it is a satire on snobbery at all levels. The characters are caricatures and their nonsensical exaggerated feeling about kings, for example, make them comical.

The various songs in this play are all written in verse. Depending on your class's level of experience/expertise, have them write a verse or a poem to replace one in the play. Be sure they understand that it must "fit" the music and the situation where it is to be used.

Rewrite/revise
Have your students’ revise or rewrite a portion of the play that they either did not like or that they felt would be strong/funnier/better if written differently. Have the remainder of the class offer opinions on whether they think the revision is an improvement.

CHARACTER STUDY AND SOCIAL STUDIES
Part of the plot of this play depends on the obsession of the characters with “rank” or social status. Have you students look at this phenomenon and find comparisons with society today.

While The Gondoliers is set in Italy and Spain, it is a very English story. Part of the present British class system is the use of titles. The British Peerage includes the royal family, at this time Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip and their children and grandchildren. In addition, there is an entire list of titles. While these are very nominal today, they were far less so at the original time of this play. Have your students examine the peerage titles and investigate what "perks" go with those titles. (Look at the royals, especially.) Why could such a system lead to abuses? Is the class system alive today? In Britain? In the United States? In other countries of the world? Name some countries and compare and contrast the formal and informal class systems that exist today.

Gilbert and Sullivan enjoyed success both in Great Britain and in the United States. That brought with it some problems. Many of their productions were successful, for example H.M.S. Pinafore was a huge success in this country. (The Gondoliers was only moderately successful.) But no royalties were paid to Doyle Carte, Gilbert or Sullivan. This was over the issue of copyrights. There were lawsuits. They developed a scheme to circumvent this problem with Pirates, but were again unsuccessful. Have your students investigate this issue. How would they manage today? Could they keep the rights to this play and receive royalties? This is similar to the issue of intellectual property being fought today over recording and streaming music. Have your students draw similarities and differences between the two issues.

This play often refers to “republic” and “republican ideas.” These are not referencess to these as we know them in the United States today. Have your students study Venice and its past. From the first Doge to Medieval times to the time of Napoleon, there is a varied history. Among the interesting asides is the process of electing a new Doge, as outlined in the section Venice and its Gondolas.

The notions of “republic” and “republican ideas” used in the play are greatly exaggerated. Have your students look closely at the roles of the “kings” and servants in this play. Would this system work even for a little while? What about the “queen “? Have a discussion with your class about the use of such labels as left-wing and conservative. Are they sometimes uses as this play uses “republic” to exaggerate? Give examples.

If your students have an interest in different systems, ask them to compare and contrast the British Parliament (and Prime Minister) and the United States Congress (and President). Be sure they look at both houses of each system, the House of Lords and the House of Commons for Britain and the Senate and the House of Representatives for the United States. After they have a solid understanding of both systems, have them list and defend the best and worst of each system. Ask them to create a "more perfect system" and tell why their system would be better than either of the others.

You could also have them compare and contrast the Court systems of both the United States and Great Britain. (See The Lord Chancellor and The Courts.) Be sure they outline the difference between lawyers under the United States system and barristers and solicitors in Britain. Have them offer an opinion about which is the better system and defend their opinion with facts. Have them look further into the Court systems of both and decide which they prefer. Have them defend their opinion with facts.

This play says that the king has 95 quarterings. These refer to his heraldic coat of arms. Have your students study those. Have them create a coat of arms for their family and decide how many quarterings they should have. Be sure they provide evidence to defend their choices.

Combine art and social studies by having your students create a series of coronets for a group of people. Perhaps they could do one for families: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter; for school personnel: Principal, Vice Principal, Counselor, Teacher, Aide, etc. or, if they are sophisticated enough, for the United States government: President, Vice President, Cabinet, Senate, House, etc.. Be sure they can tell why they choose each decoration and what the hierarchy is for their choice. You may allow them to decide on a "group" and defend who is in that group and why as well as the differences in "rank."

One of the characters from this play is the Grand Inquisitor. Have your students study the difference between the Papal Inquisition and the Spanish Inquisition. This is an example of artistic license, as neither man was probably in Venice at the time of this play. Have your students think of other times when writers like Gilbert have used inexact times/incidences to create a specific tone or idea.

SCIENCE
Venice is a famous location. Why might this play have been placed there? What are some of its current problems? What solutions has modern science suggested for the flooding by sea? What are possible solutions for the sinking of the city? Should these measures be taken? How costly are they? What is the value of that investment?

Gondolas and gondoliers are at the heart of this play. Yet, few of them exist today. Has the modernization of transportation in Venice improved the life of those who live there? Why or why not? Are vaporetti (boats uses as buses) a good replacement for the gondola?

MUSIC
The Gondoliers is singing theatre. You should consider an early lesson on singing and the part music plays in our enjoyment of the theatre and other performance venues. Your students will know and recognize many theme songs from movies and some music from opera, such as The Toreador Song from Bizet's Carmen, Figaro’s aria from Rossini's The Barber of Seville, the Wedding March from Wagner's Lohengrin, or the "Lone Ranger Theme" from Rossini's William Tell. Although they may not know the music from Gondoliers, they should be able to discuss how music affects us as we watch and listen to various forms of entertainment. Play one or more of the important songs (Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes (thought by many to be the best song they ever wrote} or Don Alhambra) from the play for your students. Ask for their reaction.

The blind-man’s bluff sequence is notoriously difficult to stage. Have your students watch it carefully and determine why. What would they suggestion to make is easier without loosing its charm? Are other choreographic sequences they would suggest changes to? If so, what changes and why?

ART
Hold a discussion about the staging, including the scenery and costumes. Have your students choose a scene or a character that they would like to "dress." Have them present their work to the class, explaining why they chose that scene or character, what they did differently and why. Have the class comment on how well the changes affect the play.

Have your students create a playbill to advertise this play. Decide in advance if they should use the performance you are to attend (or have attended) or if they should create one from the time of Gilbert and Sullivan, a possible date in the distant future, or other options. Another option would be to create a handbill.

Have your students criticize the scenery for this production. Have them look for authenticity. Would that be necessary in the United States today? Have them recommend any changes that they feel would enhance the play. Have them support their changes with sketches or drawings.

Have your students criticize the costumes for this production. Have them look for authenticity. Would that be necessary in the United States today? Have them recommend any changes that they feel would enhance the play. Have them support their changes with sketches or drawings.

CAREERS
There are many people other than performers involved in this kind of production. There are two articles to help you here. The first, Creating an Opera, will tell your students about creating the performance itself, There are numbers of people who are involved in this process. The second, Unsung Heroes, will provide you with the people who are rarely, if ever, seen. Have your students look at this list and determine an area that interests them. Have them research the opportunities in that area and write a report on it.

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Revised December 2010
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.