TEACHERS' RESOURCES

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). A Waltz Dream is singing theatre. Follow that link for the history of this art form.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Operetta
A Waltz Dream is an operetta. Explain what that means. (If you were able to attend The Merry Widow during our last season, compare the two.) What would have to happen to make A Waltz Dream into an opera? Do you think it would be successful as an opera? Support your opinion with evidence from the performance. Could it be converted into a play that was not musical? Why or why not?

What other operettas are your students familiar with? Many of Gilbert and Sullivan's works are operettas. Have your students study another operetta and compare and contrast the two. Have them find reasons for the music being different.

Critique
Have your students write a column of criticism of the story. Be sure they support their opinion with data from the performance. Be sure to make this assignment before they attend so they can be thinking about it as they watch the performance. Choices could include the music as performed by the orchestra, the music as performed by the vocalists (either collectively or individually), the dancing, the sets, the staging and the directing. Have your students read several newspaper reviews before they attend the performance so they can be familiar with the professional’s manner of critiquing.

Rewrite/revise
Have your students’ revise of rewrite a portion of the dialog 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.

Have your students write new lyrics for one of the songs in the play. For example, The Waltzer Duet. Be sure they notice that it is a duet. They should maintain that format.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Author Study
Have your students study the life and talent of Oscar Straus. Why is Straus's era called the Silver Age? Who was the composer of the Golden Age? Compare and contrast their lives and works. Have your students discuss how it would feel to constantly be compared and questioned about being related to some one whose name was similar to their own and whose talent was in the same area. Would they be happy to be the “lesser light?” Be sure they understand Straus's comment “I wrote my Waltz Dream with the direct and conscious intention, openly admitted, of equaling the records set up by The Merry Widow, and perhaps even breaking them.”

Your students should know that singing theatre is a collaboration between the author (librettist) who writes the words and the composer (lyricist) who writes the music. Investigate the relationship between Oscar Straus and Leopold Jacobson and Felix Dörmann. As you study these men, look for similarities in their life experiences.

Many people, including Straus and Jacobson were affected by World War II and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. Who were other Straus contemporaries? How did his life compare to them during the Second World War? Describe how that impacted their lives, how differently some were affected than others. Compare Straus with Lehár in this area. Did the fact that Straus was Jewish have an effect? Of particular interest should be The Anschluss. Find examples of other theatrical people who were affected strongly by Hitler’s policies. What was the impact on theatre of World War II? Find evidence to support your opinion. Your students may be familiar with the movie The Sound of Music. Have them discover how Straus left Austria and compare his adventures with that of the Trapp family.

Straus was invited to Hollywood to work in the movies, a relatively new medium during his time. Have students investigate his later works and decide how Hollywood changed him, if it did. Have them decide what affect his reception by the biggest names in American musical world might have had. What about the big names in the movies?

Straus' operetta A Waltz Dream was made into a movie (The Smiling Lieutenant) starring Claudette Colbert, Mariam Hopkins and Maurice Chevalier. If your students are familiar with other operettas or operas, have them decide which ones could be easily adapted to movies. Would they make good musicals or straight films? Provide evidence to back up your opinion.

Royalty and the class system
Some of the leading characters in the play are members of the ruling class. Describe the various levels of royalty in one of the countries you have studied. This play takes play at the end of Austro-Hungarian Empire. If you have studied that era, use that for your reference. If not, look at modern royalty, e.g. England, Monaco. At the time of Early Twentieth Century Europe, many changes were happening politically. Is this reflected in this operetta? What other changes were going on, both in Europe and in the rest of the world? Does music and theatre reflect the times? Are they ahead or behind the times? What is your evidence to support your opinion? Cite specifics.

Map Skills
Use one or more of the links provided to find a map of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire. Compare that map to Europe today. Locate the countries that are still in existence. Determine which countries have changed names and/or boundaries since that time. Explain the major causes of those changes. Some of them have made several changes. Be sure you make note of all of the major ones. What would life be like in one of those countries today?

FINE ARTS
Music
This operetta includes an All Female Orchestra. Have your students investigate this phenomenon. Does it exist today (Cleveland Women's Orchestra)? Where did this come from? Does today's society usually treat women musicians in this fashion? Where does it still exist, outside of the United States? Do women have successful careers as musicians today? Give examples.

Operatic Voices play an important part in Lyric Opera's presentations as we use no voice amplification. Have your students discuss the difference between amplified and natural voice techniques. Which require more skill? More practice? Have your students listen the classical or semi-classical recordings of various voices until they can identify the difference between, for example, and alto or a soprano, tenor or baritone. Then have them listen to the performance and identify all of the main characters' voices. Have them listen to contemporary voices and do the same. Have them choose a “favorite” voice and find a famous person with that range and decide if they like that person's voice. Have them support their opinion with evidence. You might have them listen to the famous “Three Tenors” and have them choose a favorite and explain why that is their choice.

Dance
What kinds of dances are used in this production? Are any of them familiar to you? Which of the songs is/are probably drawn from ethnic music? What is your evidence? Does the use of ethnic/national music and dance affect the play? Is it a positive or negative affect? Compare these to modern dance music. Are any of them still used today? What dance forms have replaced them? Can you find evidence to trace one of these into its ancient form?

Costumes
Write a review of the costumes. Include such things are your opinion of their authenticity, their effectiveness, and how they help or hinder the success of the play.

Draw a new set of costumes for this play. Be sure to write a justification for the changes you make. Be sure to think of the constraints such as budget and ease of use by the performers. Also, costumes must be reused by different people at other venues (rentals).

Set Design
Design a new series of sets for this play. Be sure to write a justification for your design. Remember, things such as budget and size of stage area affect what sets are used. Also, all sets must be portable as many companies rent sets and all companies must store their sets for reuse.

Musical History
Oscar Straus lived from 1870 to 1951. His first work was a waltz, his last boogie-woogie. Trace the kinds of music that were popular or well known during those 80 years. Alternately, trace popular music from 1929 to 2009. What kinds of trends to you see? The waltz was considered rather immoral in its early days. Is that true of some other kinds of music? If so, which kinds? Did those become more acceptable over time, as did the waltz? Try to find contemporary musicians who have written music in a wide variety of kinds. Have they always been accepted? Are they more accepted in their “later years?”

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
There are many off-stage careers in the theatre. Have your students investigate careers such as Costume Supervisor, Répétiteur, usually called the rehearsal pianist, Stage Manager and Production Carpenter. See (Unsung Heroes). Have them look at careers in sound and lighting, as well as stage hands and opera company management.

Return to A Waltz Dream Home Page

Revised March 2009
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.