INSIDE THE OUTSIDERS
AN EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDEThe Araca Group
American Zoetrope

Olympus Theatricals

Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky

Angelina Jolie

Betsy Dollinger Jonathan & Michelle Clay Cristina Marie Vivenzio
The Shubert Organization LaChanze & Marylee Fairbanks Debra Martin Chase Sony Music Masterworks
Jamestown Revival Theater Jennifer & Jonathan Allan Soros Tanninger Entertainment Tamlyn Brooke Shusterman
Geffen Playhouse/Howard Tenenbaum/Linda B. Rubin Kevin Ryan Mistry Theatrical Ventures
Galt & Irvin Productions Tulsa Clarks Paul & Margaret Liljenquist Bob & Claire Patterson Voltron Global MediaJames L. Nederlander Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures The John Gore Organization Independent Presenters Network
Stephen Lindsay & Brett Sirota Jeffrey Finn Playhouse Square Sue Marks Indelible InK Lionheart Productions
The Broadway Investor’s Club Starhawk Productions Distant Rumble Green Leaf Partnership Michael & Elizabeth Venuti
Leslie Kavanaugh Deborah & Dave Smith Belle Productions Chas & Jen Grossman Miranda & Sahra Esmonde-White
Rungnapa & Jim Teague Michael & Molly Schroeder Casey & Chelsea Baugh Jim & Emily Flautt Jon L. Morris Becky Winkler
William Moran Hickey Jr. & William Moran Hickey III Oddly Speciﬁc Productions Melissa Chamberlain & Michael McCartney
Rachel Weinstein Wavelength Productions Rob O’Neill & Shane Snow Eric Stine Cornice Productions
La Jolla Playhousepresent

Book by

ADAM RAPP with JUSTIN LEVINEMusic & Lyrics by

JAMESTOWN REVIVAL (JONATHAN CLAY & ZACH CHANCE) and JUSTIN LEVINE
Based on the novel by S.E. Hinton and Francis Ford Coppola’s Motion Picture
Starring

BRODY GRANT
SKY LAKOTA-LYNCHJOSHUA BOONE
BRENT COMER
JASON SCHMIDTEMMA PITTMANDARYL TOFAKEVIN WILLIAM PAULDAN BERRYJORDAN CHINMILENA J. COMEAUBARTON COWPERTHWAITETILLY EVANS-KRUEGERHENRY JULIÁN GENDRONRJ HIGTONWONZA JOHNSONSEAN HARRISON JONESMAGGIE KUNTZRENNI ANTHONY MAGEESARAHGRACE MARIANIMELODY ROSEJOSH STROBL
VICTOR CARRILLO TRACEYTREVOR WAYNE
Scenography

Costume Design

AMP featuring
TATIANA KAHVEGIANLighting Design

SARAFINA
BUSH

Special Effects Design

Hair & Wig Design

JEREMY CHERNICKLILLIS MEEH

HANA S.
KIMTAYLOR
BENSE

Casting

TARA RUBIN CASTINGXAVIER RUBIANO, CSA

MATT HINKLEY

Associate Choreographers

Projection Design

Sound Effects Specialist

TISHONNAFERGUSONMusic Director &Co-Orchestrator

JACK VIERTELCODY
SPENCER

Makeup Design

ALBERTO “ALBEE”
ALVARADO

Creative Consultant

Sound Design

BRIAN
MACDEVITTMusic Coordinator

Anthropologist

MIRANDA CORNELL

Associate Director

KRISTEN CARCONETILLY EVANS-KRUEGERKRISTY NORTERMICHAEL RALPH

Speech Text & Dialect CoachSensitivity Specialist

Marketing Strategy & Direction

Ticketing & Revenue Strategy

Press

Advertising & Marketing

SERINO COYNE

Digital Advertising

SITUATION INTERACTIVE

Social Media

Production Stage Manager

Production Management

Company Manager

GIGI BUFFINGTONBONEAU/BRYAN-BROWN
BEVERLY JENKINSANN C. JAMES

on the RIALTO

JUNIPER STREET PRODUCTIONSMICHAEL ALTBAUMTANNAMARATHON DIGITAL
General Management

321 THEATRICAL MANAGEMENTMusic Supervision, Orchestration & Arrangements by

JUSTIN LEVINE
Choreography by

RICK KUPERMAN & JEFF KUPERMAN
Directed by

DANYA TAYMORWorld Premiere of “THE OUTSIDERS” Produced by La Jolla Playhouse. Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director & Debby Buchholz, Managing Director
Music by Arrangement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Original Cast Recording on Masterworks Broadway

DEAR EDUCATORS,When you step out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre after attending THE OUTSIDERS with yourstudents, we hope there will be two things on your mind. No, not Paul
Newman; nor, hopefully, your bus/subway ride home. But rather how you
can make the most of your students’ experience of THE OUTSIDERS
on Broadway and how you can use the show to further inspire themto explore and embrace S.E. Hinton’s timeless themes as well as thepowerful impact of theatre and the many career possibilities it holds.
This study guide is designed to bring you inside the world of THE
OUTSIDERS, by giving you and your students a behind-the-scenes
look at the making of this musical from those who created it. It will
also provide you with various discussion prompts, writing exercises,
and other classroom activities following your attendance of the show.
We recognize that students of all ages will be attending the show. This
study guide is a resource for you, and we hope you will feel free to pickand choose the sections that are most relevant to your classroom andtailor them to your curriculum as you see fit. We have provided a brief
exercise key below for ease of reference.
THE OUTSIDERS was written by a teenager about teenagers forteenagers. We hope that seeing this beloved story live on stage willfurther kindle their creativity, ignite their passions, and encourage theircompassion, tolerance, acceptance, and empathy, so that hopefully they
can “stay gold” just a bit longer.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO
WELCOMING YOU TO THE SHOW!
The Outsiders Study Guide conceived and developed by Rachel Weinstein.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 1

TABLE OF CONTENTSABOUT THE SHOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 – 4
HISTORICAL CONTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 – 13
ADAPTING THE STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 – 19
DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 – 25
INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 – 32
INSIDE OURSELVES AND THE WORLD AROUND US . . . . . . . . 33 – 35
INSIDE THE MOVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 – 39
FROM PAGE TO PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
CONTENT ADVISORY AND MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES . . . . . . . 41
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 – 43
EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 – 47

EXERCISE KEY
D DISCUSSION QUESTIONSW WRITING EXERCISESM MOVEMENT EXERCISESC CREATE: EXPRESSION THROUGH ART
V

VIDEO INTERVIEWS AND HIGHLIGHTSEDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 2

ABOUT THE SHOWTHE BELOVED STORY THAT DEFINED A GENERATION,REIMAGINED AS A GROUNDBREAKING NEW MUSICAL.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser
family of “outsiders” battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs. THE OUTSIDERS
navigates the complexities of self-discovery as the Greasers dream about who theywant to become in a world that may never accept them. With a dynamic original score,
THE OUTSIDERS is a story of friendship, family, belonging…and the realization that
there is still “lots of good in the world.”
The winner of the Tony Award® for Best Musical is THE OUTSIDERS. Adapted from
S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film, this thrilling
new Broadway musical features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music
and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine,music supervision, orchestration, and arrangements by Justin Levine, choreography by
Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman, and direction by Tony Award® winner Danya Taymor.

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MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT I“Tulsa ‘67” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ponyboy, Johnny, Company“Grease Got a Hold”. . Dally, Sodapop, Two-Bit, Darrel, Greasers“Runs in the Family” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darrel“Great Expectations” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ponyboy, Company“Friday at the Drive-In”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherry, Bob, Company“I Could Talk to You All Night” . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherry, Ponyboy“Runs in the Family” (reprise) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darrel“Far Away from Tulsa” . . . . . . . . . . . Ponyboy, Johnny, Company“Run Run Brother” . . . . . . . . . Dallas, Ponyboy, Johnny, Company

ACT II“Justice for Tulsa” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Full Company“Death’s at my Door” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ponyboy, Johnny“Throwing In the Towel” . . . . . . . . . . Darrel, Sodapop, Ponyboy“Soda’s Letter” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sodapop, Ponyboy, Darrel“Hoods Turned Heroes” . . . . . . . . . Two-Bit, Sodapop, Greasers“Hopeless War” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherry, Ponyboy“Trouble” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas, Greasers, Socs
“Little Brother” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas, Company“Stay Gold” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johnny, Ponyboy
Finale “Tulsa ‘67” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ponyboy, Company

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 4

HISTORICAL CONTEXTTULSA IN 1960
According to the 1960 U.S. Decennial Census, Tulsa was the second largest city inthe state of Oklahoma with a population of 261,685 (about 4 times the capacity ofan average professional football stadium).
The city’s growth began at the turn of 20th century with the discovery of oil in thestate, which brought a flood of laborers, speculators, and financiers to the area. After
three decades of prosperity, Oklahoma’s oil industry collapsed at the same time that
The Great Depression hit. During WWII, the city’s industry shifted to defense; Tulsa
became the leading manufacturer of military aircraft and a training ground for American,
British, and Canadian pilots. This aeronautical industry led to great prosperity.
During the 1960s and 1970s Tulsa, like other American cities, experienced suburban
sprawl, in which real estate developments — housing tracts and shopping centers — quickly
spread into more rural areas, creating new suburbs. This suburbanization happened
largely as a result of the flight of wealthier whites to the south and east, creating a
segregated Tulsa: North Tulsa was predominantly African American, West Tulsa stayed
primarily working class, East Tulsa grew with an expanding middle class, and South
Tulsa was predominantly upper class.
These divisions led people to socialize with people they lived near, fostering inequality
and contributing to the rise of social groups that would be later dubbed, “gangs.”

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 5

HISTORICAL CONTEXTHISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN TULSA
The city of Tulsa has a long history of violence, most notably against people ofcolor — specifically African Americans and Native Americans. While race is not directly
addressed in the novel of The Outsiders, the cast of the musical hails from a diverse
variety of racial backgrounds. It is important and helpful to understand the diverse
histories that have shaped the region in the decades leading up to the writing of
The Outsiders, which would have certainly impacted these characters.

TRAIL OF TEARS
As part of the Indian Removal
Act of 1830, five Native Americangroups were forcibly removed
from their ancestral lands inthe southeast to present-day
Oklahoma. The Cherokee,
Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw,
and Seminole were rounded up
and forced to march over 1,000
miles to a designated “Indian
Territory.” The journeys wereincredibly difficult, often lasting
several weeks, with shortagesof food, supplies, and wagons.
Many groups were marched theentire distance, with little shelter,even during winter months.
Thousands died due to disease
and malnutrition. These difficult
journeys became referred to as
the “Trail of Tears.”

Elizabeth “Betsy” Brown, a Cherokee Indian who hadjourneyed on the “Trail of Tears” (taken 1903).

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

1921 TULSA RACE MASSACRE(ALSO KNOWN AS THE GREENWOOD MASSACRE)
The Tulsa Race Massacre is amongst the worst incidents of racial violence in the historyof the United States, where white supremacists killed dozens of African Americans,injuring hundreds and imprisoning thousands, and destroying more than 35 square
blocks of a prosperous neighborhood that took years to build, but just 24 hours totear down.
At the end of World War I, the Greenwood District of Tulsa was recognized as having
one of the wealthiest African American communities in the United States. This thriving
business district and surrounding residential area, often referred to as “Black WallStreet,” was home to approximately 10,000 people.
On May 3, 1921, Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old black man was arrested, accused ofassaulting Sarah Page, a white 17-year-old woman in the elevator of an office building.

The “Little Africa” section of Tulsa, Oklahoma in flames during the 1921 race riot.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 7

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The local newspaper, the Tulsa Tribune, printed an inflammatory article that called forthe lynching of Dick Rowland. A mob of hundreds (and in some reports thousands)of angry white men gathered near the courthouse where Rowland was being held;
they were met by a group of 75 Black men who came to protect him. Soon, violence
erupted with gunfights in the streets.
To contain what they referred to as “a Black uprising,” civil officials deputized white
civilians, including many of those perpetrating the violence, sanctioning their actions
by providing them with firearms and empowering them to arrest African Americans.
Then began the looting, vandalism, and arson. The white rioters and deputized militia
set businesses ablaze and prevented the Tulsa Fire Department from putting out thefires. The mob then moved into residential areas, destroying homes, and rounding up
and interning families. There were even reports of planes flown by white men dropping
firebombs on buildings and shooting as families as they fled.
Governor James Brooks Ayres Robertson declared martial law and sent in the National
Guard to help extinguish the fires and take control of the area. They imprisoned all
Black Tulsans not already interned. Over 6,000 people were held at the Convention
Hall and at the Fairgrounds, some for as long as eight days.
Twenty-four hours of violence left millions of dollars in property damage, more than
800 admitted to hospital and dozens reported dead, although historians now believe
as many as 300 people may have died. The financial devastation extended beyond
the property damage and encompassed the loss of inheritance, the loss of wealththat might have shaped the futures for Black generations to come.
In 1996, 75 years after the massacre, the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa
Race Riot of 1921 was formed. The commission’s final report, published in 2001, statesthat elected officials and members of law enforcement conspired with the racist mob
that destroyed Greenwood. The report recommended a program of reparations tosurvivors and their descendants. The state passed legislation to establish scholarships,
encourage the economic development of Greenwood and develop a park in memoryof the victims of the massacre. However, none of the criminal acts perpetrated thatday have ever been prosecuted or punished by government at any level: municipal,
county, state, or federal.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 8

HISTORICAL CONTEXTRESEARCH:
To delve deeper into the details of the Greenwood massacre, encourage your students
to explore The New York Times interactive map and timeline, which includes a 3Dmodel of the neighborhood.

Tulsa, Oklahoma race riot, June 1, 1921.
Photo by Alvin C. Krupnick Co, courtesy of the Library of Congress

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 9

HISTORICAL CONTEXTRACIAL SEGREGATION AND
THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTSJim Crow laws, a collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation,
which Oklahoma adopted shortly after becoming a state in 1907, were designed tomarginalize African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an
education, or benefit from other opportunities.
The laws affected almost every aspect of daily life, mandating segregation of schools,
parks, hospitals, libraries, drinking fountains, restrooms, buses, trains, building entrances,theatres, restaurants, and more. “Whites Only” and “Colored” signs were constantreminders of the enforced racial order. African Americans were not allowed to live inwhite neighborhoods, which is why in Tulsa, most resided in the Greenwood District.
Those who attempted to defy Jim Crow laws often faced arrest, fines, jail sentences,violence, and death. These laws lasted for decades.
In the fall of 1958, Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City was the setting of a pivotal momentin the nation’s civil rights movement. Clara Luper and 13 African American children(aged 6 – 13) participated in a sit-in, silently and nonviolently protesting segregation
at the store’s lunch counter. There, they experienced angry mobs who hurled racialslurs while punching, kicking, spitting at, and scalding them with hot grease.
The sit-in lasted for two days, until finally they were served, and it was amongst thefirst protest of its kind, soon to be replicated across the country.
These forms of protest in the 1950s and 1960s helped lead to the passage of Civil
Rights legislation in 1964 and 1968.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 10

HISTORICAL CONTEXTAUTHENTIC STORYTELLINGIN CONVERSATION
Anthropologist
WITH

Dr. Michael Ralph
What is the work of an anthropologist?

What has been your role on The Outsiders?

Anthropology in the simplest sense is the studyof human society — anthropos is from the Greek
meaning human or mankind and logos meaningscience. It can be the study of ancient civilizations
or of a specific group of people in a distant partof the world who are removed from Western
society. Anthropology is often associated withthe study of “exotic” or far-flung societies in ruralparts of the globe. But ultimately, the insights
anthropologists have gathered demonstrate
just how much all human societies share. For
example, we all have notions of the sacred;
we all have a conception of family and nurture
dreams and aspirations for the future. We allthink about intergenerational tensions, and we all
share resources — sometimes better than others.
These basic questions of economy, religion, andfamily are shared from one society to another.
Maybe the best definition of anthropology is tounderstand the discrepancy between how people
talk about a society and how that society isorganized (for instance, in matters of economy
or politics): The role of an anthropologist is tounderstand and expose tensions between thatperception and reality.

My role on the show initially began as a researcher,helping the director and the performers understandthe world of Tulsa 1967; in which the novel is set.
In this iteration of the play, there is also diverse
casting — especially in terms of the Greasers.
Many of those people were part of Tulsa in
1967; they just weren’t necessarily highlighted
in S.E. Hinton’s novel. Part of my job was to help
everyone think through what the experience ofdifferent characters who belong to different
ethnic or racial groups might have been like inthat moment and to help the performers better
understand the tensions their characters aretrying to navigate.

What was Tulsa like in 1967 and how doesthat play into our story?
In the early 20th century, Tulsa was a huge oil
center. There were wealthy families who madeeven more money through their investment in oil
and other families who never had before known
that kind of wealth. A broad range of people built
and fortified the oil industry infrastructure, like

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT
mechanics, engineers, and other technicians.
By 1967, there was a question of just how much
longer the oil money was going to continue andwhether Tulsa would continue to hold its placein the broader economic landscape. You can
see that dynamic in The Outsiders. The Socs are
wealthier, more privileged, more well-connected,
and the Greasers seem to be more marginal,
low-income. The group with privilege is fiercely
defending their privilege without knowing how
much longer it is going to last.
Tulsa in 1967, like much of the US, was raciallystratified, but there was also evidence of racialtransformation and change in that moment. There
were a lot of firsts around that time for African
Americans in Tulsa — the hospital system wasdesegregated that year and influential doctors
like Charles James Bate would finally serve thegeneral public. Charles L. Owen became thefirst black judge in Oklahoma the following year.
There were also major historic events like the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act
of 1965, as well as the assassinations of John F.
Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin LutherKing, Jr, all of which took place around the timethat this story was written. These were major
events in America with huge political ramifications,and our characters are inhabiting this world as
they are also navigating the more specific andimmediate tensions and crises associated withhigh school and coming of age. By casting in amore diverse way, the play captures somethingthat was not explicit in the book — this time oftransformation — and allows us to talk both about
the specifics of the story and the context at thesame time.
The other thing to note is that there was also avery strong indigenous presence in Oklahoma
in the 20th century. In 1967, local newspapers
reported that the will of an Osage princess
was being contested, which is a reminder thatdiverse groups of people had access to wealthand influence including Osage and Cherokee
leaders. The indigenous presence has always
been substantial in this region even if they havenot always controlled formal sectors of society.

The cycle of violence is a major themein The Outsiders. Violence — and inparticular racial violence — is very mucha part of Tulsa’s history. How did that
history inform some of the charactersas they have been cast in this musicalversion of this story?
Let’s take the character of Dally. In the novel, it ismentioned he has lived in New York and has had
encounters with the criminal legal system; but then,in the casting of the musical, an African Americanman plays the role. That casting resonates withthe present era of mass incarceration and news
stories about police killings of unarmed African
Americans. There has been a lot of attention paid
to what it means to have performers from different
racial backgrounds play specific roles. We do
not want to traffic in stereotypes and reproduce
harm, but we do want to make sure the play isavailable for tough conversations. For the play
to have pedagogic purpose and provide insightabout our society, it has to feel authentic andresonate with the world around us. There havebeen tough conversations amongst the writersand directors, producers, and performers, about
specific dialogue and specific events in both theoriginal story and the musical — and about how
to make sure we approach these themes with a
lot of care and nuance.

What can you tell us about the family
structure of the Greasers?
On the surface, it looks like the Socs have thesewonderful lives and the Greasers are struggling; but
actually, the Greasers are very tight-knit, and they

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT
have a lot of attentiveness and care in their family
structure even if it is untraditional. Alternatively,
you see a lot of anxiety and alienation amongst theSocs, even though they have more resources. The
story of the Greasers is one of family, camaraderie,and care, but there is no doubt that the stressand tensions of struggle show up in the Greaserssociality. They have a lot of tense conversations,
violence is routine — whether they are fighting
off the Socs or even amongst themselves. The
Greasers have non-normative views about how tosocialize; it is rougher than normal, because they
live rougher lives. But what holds them together
is their care and appreciation for one another.
Some of this comes from necessity. We do notsee much about their home lives. We just knowthat they seem to have a lot of time to themselves.
They seem not to have a lot of people who are
keeping tabs on them or trying to account for their
whereabouts or their well-being; these dynamics
suggest that either their parents are absent orperhaps busy working multiple jobs and juggling
multiple priorities.

are well-connected and influential. So, while inthe book the Socs are all white, now there areother ethnicities of elites. Stacy Dash’s character
Dionne Davenport in Clueless is African American
but nonetheless is a Soc, in that sense.
Whether we are talking about skateboarders,
nerds, jocks, or socialites, we can see thatpeople often have fears and anxieties about
what it means to allow others in. In the context
of wealthy elites, we have the added dimensionof banding together to protect resources andinfluence. There are all kinds of ways in which
privilege gets inscribed and reinscribed, and we
get these forms of inequality despite people’s
best intentions — despite knowing the lessons ofhistory. There are a lot of parallels about where
wealth and privilege get concentrated, and how
there are forms of exclusion. For every era andevery generation, we need to learn to break down
and dissect those forms of exclusion or else wewill simply reinscribe them.

C
Anthropologists often study groups acrosseras. What if any parallels do you see
between the Greasers and Socs of 1967
to teenager groups today and what groupdynamics have transcended time?
I observe some parallels between the Greasers
and skateboarders of today. You see the samekind of camaraderie, care, and rebellion. They
are a subculture unto themselves that people
outside of their group do not always understand.
Or, consider the fact that what might be called agang is just a group of young people who don’t
really fit in anywhere sticking together. On theflip side, shows like “Gossip Girl” or “Laguna
Beach” resonates with the Socs. The characters
all go to elite schools, and they are privileged,
but they still get into trouble. An interesting shift
from 1967 to now is the rise in Black elites, who

CREATE:Part of creating a character is understanding
his/her environment and developing a backstory.
Choose a character from The Outsiders. Throughphotos and/or drawings, build a vision board to
depict your character’s bedroom. Are there any
floor or wall coverings? If so, what do they look
like? Are there windows? What kind of bed does
your character have? Does your character sharethe space, and if so, with whom? What if anything
does your character collect? Be specific in yourchoices. Think about color/texture/space/light.
What does the room reveal about his/her economic
standing, family life, values, and interests.

D

DISCUSS:

What are groups that band together to defend theirown privilege? Who do they exclude? Why?

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ADAPTING THE STORY
IN CONVERSATION
WITH

book writer

Adam Rapp
This is your first musical and first stage
adaptation, what has that been like foryou and how has your process beendifferent from the way in which you
usually work?
It was difficult for me. First , I never studied
the form of musical theatre . My brotherwas in a bunch of musicals, and I knew
those through him, but I, myself, was not a
musical theatre person. In fact, I was a jock.
Second, I’m often the main artistic creatorand decision-maker on my projects. I writeand direct most of my work, and I generally
control everything that I do. Usually when
I’m conceiving a theatre piece, I’m thinkingof the entire world of it , the entirety of theaudience experience, not just the dialogue
or the stage directions. So, I was not used tobeing one of five people making decisions.
But in television, a writers’ room is a chorusof ideas, a conversation around a table, andif you have a good room, best idea wins.
That’s what we figured out how to do for The
Outsiders — that way of working as a creative
unit of authorship, and Danya (director of
The Outsiders) has been terrific at centering
herself within that as an audience advocate.

Was it daunting to adapt such an iconic story?
The adaptation process was psychologicallytricky at first. I read the novel when I was 15
years old. I was really drawn to it. I have a lotof reverence for S.E. Hinton, for the worlds that
she created and how she affected young people.
My first several novels that were published wereedgy Young Adult (YA) novels. I love writing
about teenagers. I always have. I had a difficult
childhood that shaped who I am today, so I reallyrelated to the characters in The Outsiders, whocame from broken homes, from the blue-collar
world, not fully educated in some ways, but
beautifully articulate in other ways. I felt like thatwas something I could relate to. The intimidating
factor was, “Am I going to screw this up?” When
I approached the material, I wanted to consider
the adult experience of the story, because I knew
they would be ticket buyers and we wanted toappeal to both adult and kids. So, I leaned into
the more adult subject matter of the novel: theviolence and intensity in the novel, the thoughtsof suicide and lovelorn broken homes. Theseare very serious themes. There is an operatic
finale in the book that ends in a double death.
The stakes are high, and it was important to me
to take the beautiful template that S.E. Hinton

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ADAPTING THE STORY
created in her teen book and flesh it out in a waythat was complex and at times difficult.

What do you think makes this story timeless
and why does it still resonate today?
The notion of “am I going to make it in the world?”
hits all of us at some at some age — 12, 13,
14 — when we start to become sentient beings
who can evaluate our moral compass and figureout what we want from the world. Are we going to
be good people? Are we going to be bad people?
Those are enormous questions that hit all of us
around puberty. There is this huge life ahead ofus, and there is something so profound about
trying to discover who you are and who you will
become — which is Ponyboy’s central pursuit.
Ponyboy has grown up in a broken home, with grief
all around him — I think a lot of us do — but there issomething hopeful about his making a choice tofind a way to belong in the world and his discovery
of art and writing as a way to tell his story.
The idea of chosen family is also powerful. The
Greasers are a chosen family. They lead with
toughness but love — sometimes it’s tough love;
they really care about each other and look out foreach other. I think it a testament to lower classin America where you have to fend for yourself,
but you also have to find who your family really is
because sometimes we don’t come from families
that are intact. It is something that I think Susie
tells beautifully.

For the stage adaptation of The Outsiders,
there was a choice to cast in a raciallydiverse way, which was not a choice forthe film nor explicit in the novel. Can you
talk a little bit about that choice?
We did lot of research about Tulsa. There was
the massacre of 1921 and then later the city

was rebuilt to figure out how it was going tofunction socioeconomically, politically, racially.
We didn’t want to color blind cast it. We knew the
Socs would be white. That was a very accurate
depiction we did research on. We asked Susie
directly, if she intended for all the Greasers tobe white. She did say that there were people ofcolor in her community, but that she didn’t write
about them explicitly because it didn’t occur to
her to do so at that age. However, it could becompelling now. In the novel, she refers to Johnnyas having a darker complexion. It didn’t feel likethat was code for anything, but it did feel like it
was a portal to look through to see if there waspotential for diversity. It felt like it made sensein terms of the town where I grew up in Joliet,
Illinois, which was a former steel town, a smaller
version of Tulsa. I grew up in an apartment complex
called Cedar Wood Apartments. We were oneof very few white families. When Danya, Justin,Zach, Jon, and I started really discussing who
the Greasers could be, we saw an opportunity totell this story about America with a more defined
look at race and at class because that is a hugepart of America and especially in Tulsa.
Initially we weren’t sure who would be cast as
Dally. In one of our early workshops before
Broadway, the part of Dally was played by aterrific actor who was Black, and we saw theopportunity to lean into the racial element. We
loved his relationship to Johnny, as a person ofcolor, and we thought we could further create
space for diversity with some of the Greasers.
It worked, so we became attached to the ideaof Dally being played by a Black man. He is theoutlier of the group; he is from another part ofthe country. It all made sense to us in a way. We
reached out to Susie and asked her how she
felt about it, and she was completely behind it.
I’m proud of the courage of the creative teamto stand by this idea, but it did really require us
to look at the end of the story.

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ADAPTING THE STORY
Yes, Dally’s fate in the stage version of
The Outsiders departs from the book. Can
you shed some light onto that choice forthat change?
It was debated back and forth. We really wanted
to honor the book and the film and Susie’s visionof a guy taking on the system. In her novel, Dally
baits a cop with an empty gun and it’s a powerful,urgent, and tragic life ending act for a boy whois struggling with grief and madness. We didn’t
want to lose that, but we felt that if we had acharacter, who we cast as black, taking on thepolice, it would have tilted the musical into an
event that’s so loaded that it would have createdan imbalance in the musical. Suddenly, we would
be talking about a young person of color who baits
a cop into killing him, and not about Ponyboy’s
story. And while I was not personally afraid ofthat conversation, in fact I think the theatre isalways a great place to have a conversation
when you are facing difficult matters, we felt likeit was just too loaded right now, too triggering,and too traumatic. We discussed it with a lot of
the creative team, especially after some of ourdesigners of color brought it to our attention.
Ultimately, we felt like the theme of the train,
Ponyboy’s relationship to trains with his parents
being killed by a train, would coalesce with
Dally’s fleeing and reinventing his life by getting

on freight trains (at least in our version of thestory) could provide a way for him to take on
the system without it being a cop. That felt likea way for us to have a very tragic and intentional
suicide, without skewing the conversation intoa current affair. Ultimately, we didn’t want topush the musical into a direction where thatwould be all that people would talk about when
they left. We wanted people to talk about theholistic experience, Ponyboy’s journey, and thiscommunity of people.

What would you say to someone who says
this is a lot for young people to handle?
I believe teens and preteens are so much smarter,
more sophisticated, and more daring than wegive them credit for. I think there are a lot ofgatekeepers in the literary community and in our
culture that are afraid of exposing kids to the truthof the world. I see it as honoring them. I believethat they can have really powerful reactions tothese kinds of stories. They see the news andthe internet with all kinds of horrors on it. They
are seeing things in their own neighborhoods.
It’s almost disrespectful to think that they can’t
have conversations about these issues. I think it’s
their right to be exposed to it and to have theirown imagined world within it. And theatre is an
excellent way to provoke those conversations.

“ Teen-agers know a lot today. Not just things out of a textbook, but about living. They
know their parents aren’t superhuman, they know that justice doesn’t always winout, and that sometimes the bad guys win. They know that persons in high places
aren’t safe from corruption, that some may have their price, and that some people
sell out. Writers needn’t be afraid that they will shock their teen-age audience.
But give them something to hang onto. Show that some people don’t see out,
and that everyone can’t be bought. Do it realistically. Earn respect by giving it.”Excerpted from “Teen-agers Are for Real,” by Susan Hinton
The New York Times, August 27, 1967.

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ADAPTING THE STORY

IN CONVERSATIONWITH

DIRECTORDANYA TAYMORBroadway musicals, even those that are
being adapted from existing stories, cantake years to create. At what point did you
get involved and what has been your rolein the development process?
The development process for The Outsiders began
about 8 years ago, but I didn’t join the team until
2021, when Adam Rapp, the book writer, saw ashow that I directed on Broadway called Pass Over,that also examines the pressures our society puts
on young men and the ways it limits their ability
to express their fullness. Adam asked if I had any
interest in directing a musical and I told him that
it would depend on what it was. He told me about
the project, about Jamestown Revival and Justin
Levine who he had been collaborating with. And
he told me it was based on a young adult novel
called The Outsiders, and that the music moved
him to tears every time he listened to it. That
certainly got my attention. I had definitely heardof the book, but somehow, I had never read it.
So, my first exposure to the story was throughtheir incredible music and script. Then I read S.E.
Hinton’s breathtaking book, which I was completely
stunned by. I started immersing myself with thewriters, asking them a lot of questions, developing
the script and score. We did a developmental lab
in New York in the summer of 2022, where we
had a chance to stage a stripped-down versionof this show. Even though it was a bare-bones

staging, the result of the lab was powerful, andwe were able to perform it in front of an audienceand experience their reactions. After the lab, we
continued our work developing the script and then
we took it to La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego,
where we did an out-of-town production, which
was invaluable. We were able to truly see what we
had created and hone it throughout the preview
process in front of live audiences. We learned whatworked and what didn’t, and now we are taking
that information and entering a movement anddesign workshop as well as a script and score
workshop, getting ready for Broadway.

So, this is your first musical?
Yes! It’s amazing and unbelievable. I am so
grateful for this opportunity.

What do you think makes THE OUTSIDERS
so timeless?
The Outsiders is so powerful because it was
written for teenagers by a teenager. Susie
Hinton was 16 years old when she wrote thebook, and she didn’t hold back on telling thetruth, and people respond to her honesty. We
were all teenagers at some point, and for manyof us those were the most tumultuous years of

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ADAPTING THE STORY
our lives, full of visceral experiences that shape
who we will become forever. The authenticity
of Susie’s voice and the story she tells is why
The Outsiders continues to resonate — it is ano-holds-barred account of what it feels like to
be a teenager. Sure, the technology changes,
what clothes are cool changes, but the feelings
don’t change. I think that unadulterated voice iswhat makes The Outsiders so special and what
we seek to bring to audiences in our adaptation.

What to you as a director is the most
exciting part of developing a new musicaland what do you find most challenging?
The most exciting part to me is collaboration.
That’s true with plays, but with a musical it’sa million times more. There are so many more
people involved, so many more departments andmodes of storytelling. You’ve got the music, book,choreography, scenic design, lights, projections,actors. The thrill of directing a musical iscoordinating all these different departments andpeople to create one shared vision, one sharedlanguage, and I love that so much. Bringing out
the best in people and harnessing the energy ofa group towards a shared vision is what inspires
me as a director. The most challenging part isthe same as the most exciting part: It’s a lot ofwork! I also relish that; it is a privilege and anhonor to do it, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
There are a lot of moving pieces that all must be
united to achieve something that ultimately feels
effortless, inevitable, and undeniable.

In the development of new work, how do you
know when a scene, or a song, or a moment
isn’t working? How can you distinguish if
it’s something that needs to be reworked
in the script or if it’s a performance thatneeds to be redirected?
It’s such a good question. Playing around. Trying
the scene in different ways. Asking questions.

And I think through that exploration, hopefully
the piece will tell you what it is, rather than theother way around. There have been times when
we adjusted a performance or attacked a scene
in a different way, we found what it was meant to
be. There are other times when you realize that ascene can be cut or needs to change. There’s nomagic answer. It’s really just about experimenting
and not being afraid to try something in a totallydifferent way. For instance, maybe a song isorchestrated for the piano, but if you change it to
the guitar, it might crack something wide open.
I think trying to be innovative and coming at itfrom a lot of different perspectives can reveal
what needs to shift.

Did you always know you wanted to be adirector? What was your path to this career?
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a director, but
I was exposed to theater at an early age. When I
was about 6 years old, my mom took me to thechildren’s theater in my town and encouraged
me to audition for the musical, which was The
Wizard of Oz. I was cast as a Munchkin. I justloved the whole atmosphere. Later on, my highschool theater teacher, Kristen Lo, introduced
me to directing. She announced that the springshow would be a series of one-acts created by
the students. She told us, “Everybody is going towrite, direct, build the sets, stage manage, andact, and every job is as important as every otherjob. There is no one job that is better or moreprestigious. They are all important.” And I think
her love of theater and her belief that we could
do anything was when I first started to feel thatfeeling of, “Ooh, I like directing. I feel more freedoing this than I feel when I’m on stage.” Shereally championed that exploration for all of us,
no matter which department we took an interestin, and her influence had such an impact on me.
Then I went to Duke, which is not known as atheater school, but which has some great theater
professors and a lot of resources. I auditioned for

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ADAPTING THE STORY
the play my first year, and I remember when the
cast list came back, I was listed as the assistantdirector. And I was like, “Huh?” I wanted to bein the play, but the director must have noticed
something in me. I think if I had been at a more
traditionally competitive theater school, I might
not have had all the opportunities to try and failthat I did at Duke. While I was there, I also had
the chance to work with a lot of people who had
never ever been in a play before and certainly
didn’t plan to be in the theater for their careers,
and that in a way was the best training for me.
You don’t necessarily need formal training to bea great actor, director, or theatermaker. Theaterand storytelling are primal.
Ultimately, I think working in many different
aspects of the theater makes you better at thething you want to do. If you do want to be an actor,
directing will give you a different appreciationof that craft. One of my first jobs out of school
was working as the administrative assistant toan artistic director at a non-profit and it mademe appreciate what all of the people who workin administration do, and how that is an art inand of itself.

it gave me an appreciation for rigor and how it
all works. I think working backstage or front-ofhouse and all these other jobs can help you to
become a director. Being around the thing you
love, in whatever way you can, that’s the key.

What do you hope students will feel when
they leave the show?
It’s hard for me to want to dictate what anyone“should” feel. I just hope that the story might beable to unlock pent-up whatever that needs tofind a way out. I think for different people that’s
going to be different things. Some people might
not know how to express tenderness or love andhopefully this will unleash those feelings and theability to express those feelings. For others, it
might be how to process through grief — what to
do when you are feeling low, and you are having
scary thoughts — how to get through something
like that and get to the other side of it. How could
I prescribe what anyone should feel? All I hopeis that you feel and feel deeply.

V
What is your advice for young, aspiring
directors?
Try it all, and also take in as much theater andart as you can so that you can understand what
you like. Discover your own taste and sense ofaesthetics. I think as a director, one of the skills
that you need is to be able to receive a lot ofdifferent input and keep your true north, keep
your spine, keep your vision. Let what wants tocome in influence it, but also know that ultimately
you can only make something that you thinkis good. And in terms of getting your foothold,I think stage management is a great way in.
Early in my career, I had a residency at the Flea
Theatre, and we had to stage manage for six
months before we were allowed to direct, and

VIDEO:

Watch this video to hear about how Danya firstencountered The Outsiders, what it has been
like directing her first Broadway musical, andhow this production will honor the legacy of S.E.
Hinton’s iconic story.

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DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERs
SET“We refer to the scenography as a ‘memory playground for lost boys.’ The set is groundedin historical research and is inspired by drive-ins and outdoor communal spaces like parks,
lawns, and junkyards.
The landscape evokes Ponyboy’s internal life. Fragments of architecture and objects
remain present in his mind as he reflects on the love and the losses he experienced on
his journey to becoming a writer.
The wall structure is modeled after the back of a drive-in movie theater screen and sits on adirt floor; wooden boards, a jungle gym structure, tires, junkyard objects, and two cars — one
for the Greasers, and one for the Socs — are featured as emblems of the two groups.
At the beginning of the play, the back wall of the set is solid, echoing the socioeconomic
confinement of the Greasers. As the show unfolds, openings begin to appear in the backwall, removing the limits between Tulsa and the rest of the world. There is more access tothe sky, and the air, and to the possibilities that lay beyond. The colors and textures arecharred, and a church window is revealed. The death of Johnny as a result of the fire andtheir heroism are forever imprinted in Ponyboy’s memory.”— Tatiana Kahvegian
Scenography by AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian

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DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERs

LIGHTING“One of the things we’re keying into with lighting is using restraint in color. We use a tightpalette of color rooted in reality. The color of incandescent light and of daylight. The othercolors of light are motivated by actual things on the set — the red that you would see intaillights and the white that you would see from headlights of the period. And then there’s
the sky, which we see more and more as the piece goes on.
The set starts as a very enclosed dark space that gets perforated with light and slowly
opens up; I think that parallels what happens to the kids — Ponyboy and Johnny — who are
growing and maturing. The role of the lighting is literally to ‘illuminate’ so that the audiencecan see, but it also creates a spiritual illumination. Just like painting and photography canbe poetic, lighting can also be poetic. Stage pictures can be poetic. This is a great piecebecause it asks us to be ugly as well, emotionally ugly. At the same time, there can still bea beauty to it; it’s got teeth, but it also has heart. What’s happening in this story is a memoryof something real, so that memory can inform emotional triggers both good and bad.
At the same time, there is also the idea of Tulsa as this dream space, and that is experienced
through the color gold, which appears in three key moments; it peeks through at the movie
theatre, at the church, and then is full out at the end. Last color to fill the space is gold.”– Brian MacDevitt
Lighting Designer

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DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERs

COSTUMES“The world of The Outsiders is sorted into groups the way that society likes to label andidentify people to tell them where they ‘belong.’ So, we have the Socs — the haves — andthe Greasers — the have-nots.
The idea of the memory play, in which we see everything through Ponyboy’s lens, informed
our costume design. The first time we see the Socs, we see them as the epitome of
prep. The epitome of what it means to have — to have homes, to have closets, to have
wealth to buy clothes — so they are crisp, they are vibrant, they are shiny-looking, almostin an intimidating way. In contrast, the Greasers’ uniform is t-shirt and jeans, but it also
expresses individuality in the way that each Greaser styles what they have.
To enhance the idea of memory, every single character wears just one costume throughout
the play; it is the essence of who that person is and how Ponyboy remembers that person.
Because there is only one costume per actor, we can really focus on the details.
By the end of the play, when we reach the rumble, the colors of the Socs costumes recedein all the elements that are happening on stage — the rain, the dirt, the lighting, and the
projections. All the expectations that society puts on these characters get stripped away;
it’s just kids and bodies so that audiences can see that at their core, maybe they are not
all that different.”– Sarafina Bush
Costume Designer

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 22DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERs

SOUND“We are using a Spatial Audio system by L’Acoustics called L-ISA. As opposed to the typical
Left/Right/Center speakers in musical theater, we use five arrays across the proscenium.
With this, we separated the vocals and band to fill the room more to make it sound more
realistic. We can source the vocals to realize where they are onstage and separate theband across the arrays to get a more even sound. It also enables us to move sound effects
around the room so that no matter what seat you are in, even if you are in the back in thecorner, you are feeling everything. For the band, we are staying very analog, very true tothe instrument sound and not digitizing them to keep a rich full tone.”– Cody Spencer

PROJECTIONSSound Designer“The key characteristic of projection design is that they are very ephemeral, but at thesame time, they can be more concrete than lighting because we’re also incorporating
specific images. In the case of The Outsiders, we’re using projection as an expressionof energy. Ponyboy is a young man with an active imagination. The projections help us
access his point of view — his dreams and memories — in a way that tries to capture what
he sees and what he feels.”– Hana Sooyeon Kim
Projection Designer

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DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERs

SPECIAL EFFECTS“ Special effects add an extra layer of storytelling and realism on stage — that bit of extra
theatre magic — to help push the story forward. For this show, we have helped to create
all the elements — the rain, the fire, the smoke, the blood.
Our process started with a conversation with Danya, our director, to get an understandingof her vision. From there, we devised the systems to deliver and integrate those effects
in the theatre setting. Safety is our number one priority. Always. Above everything else.
And sustainability. Our effects need to work eight shows a week, hopefully for a very longtime, so the systems need to be robust, and they need to be easily maintained. After wedevised the ideal systems, we entered a Research and Development phase. We set up
tests; we shot demo videos; we invited creatives into our studio space, and eventually we
moved into the theatre. Time is always our biggest constraint, and we were continuallyrefining throughout the preview process.
All our work is inspected by the New York City Fire Department Explosives Unit and the
local battalion. Backstage for every show, we have a licensed pyrotechnician, who operates
the fire extinguishers and oversees putting anything out. Our stage manager, who is also
fire guard certified, is in front of house, with additional fire extinguishers. Communication is
key and this includes the actors. I always tell them, ‘If you see something, say something.
You are empowered to stop this show if it’s a question of safety.’”– Lillis Meeh
Special Effects Designer

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DESIGNING THE OUTSIDERs

INSIDE THE STAGECRAFT
MAKING IT RAIN
One of the most iconic scenes in The Outsiders is the rumble at the end of the story.
Achieving this effect on stage in live performances involves both art and science.
Engineers, lighting designers, plumbers, and environmental conservationists areamongst the many experts who help to build, design, and maintain the rain system
and make it look authentic on stage.

V

VIDEO:

Here is a behind-the-scenes
video from our pre-Broadway
run at the La Jolla Playhousein San Diego that shares someof the complexities behindcreating this exciting momenton stage.

V

VIDEO:

Here is some additional footage
workshopping special effects
in the studio.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 25

INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICSIN CONVERSATION
WITHBook Writer, Composer, Lyricist,
Music Supervisor, Orchestrator, and Arranger

Justin Levine
You wear a lot of hats on this production.
Can you talk a little bit about all thoseroles and how they come together on thisproduction?
I often tend to be a multihyphenate on showsthat I work on. I think it has its advantages anddisadvantages. Making a musical is such a holistic
experience because you are telling a story throughmusic, dance, spoken word, movement, anddesign. One of the advantages of being one of thecomposers as well as one of the book writers isthat it allows me to be right at the heart of both
the writing and creative processes. This mitigatessome of the challenges that often come withwriting musicals, like having to marry song withspoken word, working out transitions, or figuring
out what should and shouldn’t be underscored. A
challenge that I often face is the fact that it’s very
difficult to look at something through just one ofthose lenses. Even if I am having a conversation
about, say, the book, I am also looking at it as
a composer, orchestrator, or, in some cases,music supervisor. But what I will say is that I love
collaboration, and I rely on this team of people
who are truly the best at what they do. I feel likehaving five jobs on a show is only possible byhaving a lot of collaboration in that process.

What was your training?
My formal education is in theater, not music. I
grew up in a very musical family. I was playing
music from the time I was three years old,but I didn’t study music. As a result, I’m not avery good sight reader; most of my music andplaying is by ear. My training was quite holistic
within theater — I was a performer, I was a writer,and I had learned about design, dramaturgy,
and directing. When people knew that I had amusical background and inclination, they would
at times ask me to compose music for plays or
write a song. Sometimes, if they were looking
for an actor or musician, they would hire me. In
fact, the theater that The Outsiders is playing in
now is where I made my Broadway debut in ashow called Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson. I
was in the cast of that show and also the music
director; that was the first show on which I had
an orchestration credit.

How would you describe the role of songs
in musicals?
Someone once said to me that music is a
metaphor in a musical. What I took that to mean

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INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICS
is that there are certainly well-worn paths for how
music functions inside of a musical, but thoseare just some of the many paths through whichmusic can tell the story. Often, you hear people
say that within musicals, a song comes whensomeone’s emotions are so great that they can’t
say it anymore; so they sing it; that’s one way thatmusic can function. But also, a lot of times in amusical, the music takes us inward. We can go
deeper; we can get more intricate. It can movethe plot forward. Or it can just be moving to adifferent state of mind or a different emotional
place. I am often most drawn to projects where
it’s not always obvious how the story will bemusicalized. So, in fact, the thing we see as an
obstacle is the very thing that draws me in.

What do you think music adds to this story
in particular?
I think the music adds to the story in several ways.
My collaborator, Adam Rapp, once described someof these characters as “beautifully inarticulate,”in the sense that they are not used to expressing
themselves verbally. Often, they lead with either
aggression or emotionality. As for many of us, it’s
not easy for these characters to put into words
how they’re feeling or what they’re thinking, somusic is a great way to do that. It also gives voiceV

to characters that may not otherwise have thatvoice. If, for example, you have a character thatis perhaps a bit more introverted, we still get toknow what’s in their heart through music. There’s
an electricity to the world that we’re building,and the ability to convey that through music is
exciting. This is a show where I feel like music
and sound design work beautifully together
because there are a lot of sonic landscapes thatinteract with music and sound to create textures
for this world.

How would you describe the musical scoreof The Outsiders?
My best elevator pitch for the sound of thisshow has to be Americana, with a capital “A” inthe sense that Tulsa, like America, is a melting
pot and cultural crossroad for music. It is anamalgamation of various styles. You have soul,rock ‘n’ roll, country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, andso many other influences. So, The Outsiders is
not really a genre-based musical, and the sameis true of the work of my musical collaborators,
Jamestown Revival, as a band. When you listen
to a Jamestown record, you hear tunes thatsound like they are from Appalachia, Louisiana,
and the Southwest. We are pulling from all thosedifferent American traditions and influences.

VIDEO:

Watch this video to hear more
about Jamestown Revival’s
process in composing the music
for The Outsiders.

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INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICS

THE ROLE OF MUSIC
Beyond entertainment, songs that have a dramaticfunction are an integral part of musical storytelling;
they help to develop character, advance plot,
explore themes, and share emotion.
Characters often break into song when theemotional stakes have become so high thatthey can no longer express themselves throughordinary speech. Through music, characters canreveal their innermost thoughts, fears, hopes, anddreams, as well as realizations about themselves
and the world around them.

“I WANT” SONG
“I Want” songs usually come early in the firstact of a musical, when one or more of the main
characters sing about the key motivation or desirethat will drive the dramatic action and propel
everyone — including the audience — through theshow. “Great Expectations” is the “I Want” songin The Outsiders.

D

DISCUSS:Study the lyrics for “Great Expectations.” What
does Ponyboy want? Do those aspirations alignwith others around him? What are the obstacles
to him achieving his dream?

V

VIDEO:

To get a taste of the music from The Outsiders,
watch Brody Grant (Ponyboy) singing “Great
Expectations” in the recording studio.

“GREAT EXPECTATIONS”
DARREL WAS ON HIS WAY
UP IN THE WORLD,EV’RYONE KNEW HE’D GO FAR.
LIFE CAME ALONG AND HAD
DIFFERENT PLANS,HOW QUICKLY A DREAM FALLS APART
JOHNNY HAS NO KIND OF
CHANCE IN THIS WORLDNOT FROM WHERE HE’S HAD TO START.
WHO KNOWS HOW FAR IN THIS
LIFE HE COULD GO
IF HE PLAYED A DIFFERENT PART.
I LOOK AROUND AT ALL OF MY FRIENDSAND STILL I FEEL ALONE.
I WOULD FOLLOW THEM TO BATTLE,
BUT THEIR STORY’S NOT MY OWN.
THEY SAY THERE’S STRENGTHIN NUMBERS,
BUT THEY NEVER THINK AT ALL
ABOUT A PATH THAT LEADS YOU OUT
BEYOND THE CITY WALLS
I’VE GOTGREAT EXPECTATIONS.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
TORN BETWEEN WHAT IS
AND WHAT COULD BE
IT’S HARD TO WRITE THE STORY
WHEN THE STORY’S WRITING ME
WHEN THIS GREAT EXPECTATIONMEETS THIS GREAT REVELATION
MAYBE THIS COVER’S NOT YOURS
WHEN YOUR BOOK’S FUN OF CREASESAND YOU SEE THAT THE GREASE ISTELLING A STORY, BUT YOU’VE
READ THAT ONE BEFORESO YOU FIGHT JUST TO SHOW THEM
THAT WE’RE NOT ALL THE SAMETHAT UNDER THE COVER, THERE’S MOREEDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 28

INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICSLYRICAL ANALYSISMusical theatre lyrics use many poetic devises
including rhythm, rhyme, repetition, figurative
language, symbolism, and metaphor.

W/ D WRITE/DISCUSS:

Read the lyrics from “Stay Gold,” which
Johnny sings to Ponyboy on his deathbed
at the end of the show and compare themto Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can
Stay.” How do the lyricists weave references
to Robert Frost’s poem into the song? Whatpoetic devices do they use?

D

DISCUSS:How does Johnny interpret Robert Frost’s poemat the end of the story? Where does he find“gold?” How does this differ from Ponyboy’s earlierinterpretation? How has Johnny’s attitude aboutlife shifted? Why? Why is this pivotal moment
shared through music?

“NOTHING GOLDCAN STAY”
BY ROBERT FROSTNature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

“STAY GOLD”
I HAVE HAD SOME TIME FOR THINKINGSWORE I WASN’T READY TO DIETURNS OUT I WAS WRONGIT MIGHT SOUND CRAZY, BUT HEAR ME OUT
IT MAY TAKE ME TO THE GRAVE BUT I
KNOW WHAT YOUR POEM’S ABOUTI HAVE SEEN A POOL OF BLOOD RUN CRIMSON RED
AND I’VE SEEN THE SUNRISE COMING OVERHEAD
FINDING BEAUTY IN THE FOLDIT’S THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP FROM GROWING OLD
MY FRIEND, STAY GOLD
WHEN YOU’RE YOUNG
AND THE WORLD IS NEW
IT’S EASY TO FORGET WHEN YOU’RE TRYINGJUST TO MAKE IT THROUGH
LIKE THE MORNING LIGHT
AND THE DAWN IT BRINGSYOU SEE THE WORLD FINDING BEAUTY
IN THE SIMPLE THINGSI HAVE LOOKED INTO A THANKFUL FATHER’S EYESTELLING ME I SAVED HIS DAUGHTER’S LIFEI’D DO IT ALL AGAIN‘CAUSE I HAVE FOUND THE BEAUTY IN THE FOLDMY FRIEND, STAY GOLDLOOKING BACKAT THE LIFE I’VE HAD
I HOLD ON TO THE GOOD ‘CAUSE I MADE
MY PEACE WITH ALL THE BADSIXTEEN YEARS, LOOK AT ALL WE’VE DONEWOULDN’T TRADE IT FOR THE WORLDCAN’T YOU SEE THAT WE’RE THE LUCKY ONESI HAVE KNOWN A LOVE THAT MANY NEVER KNOWAND THAT LOVE LIVES ON NO MATTER WHERE I GO
WE ALL WILL MEET OUR END
NO MATTER IF WE MEET IT YOUNG OR OLD
MY FRIENDS, STAY GOLD
FINDING BEAUTY IN THE FOLDIT’S THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP FROM GROWING OLD
MY FRIEND, STAY GOLD.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 29

INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICS

LITERARYCOMPARISONS
In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is reading Charles
Dickens’ Great Expectations. There are many
parallel themes and characters across bothstories.

W

WRITE:

Compare Ponyboy to Pip from Great Expectations.
Discuss their role as narrator. How does theirperspective shape each story? How are thecharacters similar in their aspirations? How
do they diverge? Consider their relationship toother characters such as Dallas/Abel Magwitch
or Cherry/Estella. How are those parallel? How
do they differ?

C

CREATE:

What does “stay gold” mean to you? What in yourday-to-day life inspires you to “stay gold?” Using
any medium you like, create a piece of art thatreflects your inspiration. We invite you to draw,
paint, sculpt, make a collage, shoot a film, takephotographs, write a song, or surprise us withan original creation of your own.
We hope you will help us inspire others to“stay gold” by sharing your creations on social
media! If you feel so inspired, please tag us@outsidersmusical #staygold

V

VIDEO:

See some footage from The Outsiders castresearch trip to Tulsa, scored by Sky LakotaLynch (Johnny) and Brody Grant (Ponyboy)
singing, “Stay Gold.”

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 30

INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICSPOETIC DEVICEIn “Grease Got a Hold,” the composers use acrostic
poetry as a literary device in the lyrics to show
how different characters define what it means
to be a Greaser. For Dally, it’s being tough andintimidating. For Sodapop, its having charm andswagger.

W

WRITE:

Write your own acrostic poem. Take each letterof the word G-R-E-A-S-E-R and write a phrase
beginning with that letter to capture what you
think makes up the essence of a Greaser. Or,
if you belong to another kind of club or affinity
group and you prefer, write an acrostic poem toencapsulate that group.

“GREASE GOT A HOLD”
PONYBOY, I THINK IT’S TIME YOU LEARN
THAT GREASE ISN’T GIVEN, IT’SSOMETHING THAT YOU EARNSOME OF US ARE SMOOTH LIKE JAMES DEAN
SOME OF US ARE COLD AND
A LITTLE MORE MEAN
TIME TO BE TOUGH AND QUICK ON YOUR FEET
THERE AIN’T NO WAY A BOY CAN
MAKE IT OUT ON THE STREETUNLESS YOU’RE MEAN AS A FIGHTER
AND YOU’RE SHARP AS A BLADE
PLAY IT COOL, LITTLE BROTHER,
AND YOU’LL HAVE IT MADE
NO, WE AIN’T GOT MONEY, BUT WE
GOT SOMETHING TO PROVEYOU’RE A GREASER NOW AND
YOU AIN’T GOING BACKYOU’RE AN EASTBOUND TRAIN
ON A GREASED-UP TRACKLET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE
GREASE GOT A HOLD ON YOU

G IS FOR GETTING A LICK AND NOT GIVING A SHIT
‘CAUSE YOU’RE TOUGH ON THE CHIN

R IS FOR YOUR REPUTATION BECAUSE IF YOULOSE IT THEN YOU’LL NEVER WIN

E IS TO EVEN THE SCORE WHEN THE SOCS COME
AT YOU WITH ALL THAT THEY GOT

A: YOU’RE AN ANIMAL,
S: YOU’VE GOT STAMINA,
E IS EMBRACING YOUR LOTNO, NO, IT’S NOT ABOUT GETTING YOUR LICKS...
IT’S ABOUT LICKING YOUR GETS. CHICKS LOVE A
BUSTED-UP FACEG IS FOR GETTING THE GIRLS EVERY TIME
‘CAUSE YOU GOT IRRESISTIBLE CHARM

R IS FOR REELING THEM IN AND THENKEEPING THE PRETTIEST ONE ON YOUR ARM

E IS FOR EFFORTLESS SWAGGER, THE KIND
THAT THE LADIES CAN NEVER DENY

A FOR AFFECTED BUT NOT TOO
SELECTIVE, AND
E IS FOR CATCHING THEIR EYEEDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 31

INSIDE THE MUSIC/LYRICS

CHARACTER
DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH MUSICIn the novel, The Outsiders, the character of Darrel
is described through Ponyboy’s perspective. In
the musical, Darrel has two songs — “Runs in the
Family” and “Throwing in the Towel” — that give
us greater insight into his emotions, motivations,and challenges.

D

DISCUSS:Study the lyrics from “Runs in the Family.” Whathas happened to Darrel’s life over the past year?
How has his plan been altered? How does hefeel about his new life?

“RUNS IN THE FAMILY”
HARD TO BELIEVE IN LESS THAN A YEAR,HOW IT ALL FELL APART AND
I FOUND MYSELF HERE.
I HAD DIFFERENT PLANS I HAD PLACES TO GO.
IT ALL FELT SO SURE BUT WHATTHE HELL DID I KNOW.
SO I DROPPED OUTTA SCHOOL ‘CAUSEI HAD TO EARN A DOLLARNOW I’M STUCK BETWEEN THE ROLE
OF A BROTHER AND A FATHERSOME PEOPLE TOLD ME THATI THREW IT ALL AWAYNOW I WONDER IF THEY’RE RIGHTAT THE END OF THE DAY.
I GET TIRED OF WORKING MY
HANDS TO THE BONE,
I GET UP BEFORE THE SUN IN THE MORNIN’,GET BACK AFTER MIDNIGHT, CAN’T GET A
BREAK MY BACK ALL DAY THEN
I BUST MY ASS AT HOMEI KEEP TREADING WATER
BUT I SINK JUST LIKE A STONEGUESS I’M PROBLEM PRONE.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.
I DID EV’RYTHING RIGHT, BUT
EV’RYTHING WENT WRONG.
THAT’S WHY I’M SCRUBBING THISKITCHEN, WHY I’M SINGING THIS SONG.
I WAS BORN A GREASE, SO
GREASE IS ALL THAT I GET,ANOTHER HARD KNOCK LESSONTHAT I’LL NEVER FORGET.
EITHER WAY I’M LOSINGNO WHICH WAY THAT I GO
DON’T KNOW WHAT THEM BOYSWOULD EVER DO WITHOUT ME
AND WHAT WOULD I DO ON MY OWNTRYING TO KEEP THINGS MOVINGBUT THERE’S NOWHERE LEFT TO GO
WE WERE DAMNED FROM THE BEGINNING
NOW WE’RE WAITING FOR THE FINAL BLOWFOR ONE LAST THING TO SHOW
THAT IT RUNS IN THE FAMILYEDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 32

INSIDE OURSELVES AND
THE WORLD AROUND US
BIAS

IDENTITYIn the opening song of the show, “Tulsa‘67,” Ponyboy and Johnny sing about how
hard it is to be a Greaser, how they are
judged for how much money they haveand how they look.

At the end of the show, Ponyboy says,“I love bein’ a Greaser. And I love Greasers…
but I ain’t just a Greaser. I got a lot moreinside me than just Grease.”

Johnny sings:
THIS TOWN IT ONLY HOLDS YOU DOWN
THERE’S JUDGEMENT EVERYWHERE
AND PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW YOU
BY THE WAY YOU WEAR YOUR HAIR
Many times, others judge us based on ourappearance or a group that we belong
to. Rather than seeing the things thatmake us similar, they focus on the things
that make us different and hold thosedifferences against us.

D

DISCUSS:

What does it mean to have prejudice orbias? As a class, make a list of things forwhich people are judged.

D

DISCUSS:

What does Ponyboy mean that he has
a lot more inside than just Grease? In
general, what makes up one’s identity?
Together as a class, make a list of thecharacteristics that make us who we are.
Can we have multiple identities? What
does it mean to be an individual, butalso be part of a group? Do these two
identities ever conflict?

M

MOVEMENT:

Explore with your student the intersectionof their social identities using this exercise
courtesy of University of Michigan LSA
Inclusive Teaching. Please note the different
approaches to this activity and choose theone that works best for your classroom.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 33

INSIDE OURSELVES AND THE WORLD AROUND USPERSPECTIVE
Our perception of any given situation isvery much tied to our identity and how wemove through the world. Each of us has
our own truth and sometimes, that truth
differs from those around us, creating
conflict. This is especially important toremember when developing characterson stage and creating dramatic tension.
In The Outsiders, Ponyboy keeps a journal
in which he shares his innermost thoughts
and feelings. As the narrator of the story,
he also shapes how we experience theevents as they unfold on stage.

W

WRITE:

Choose any character from The Outsiders
and write a journal entry in their voice.
You may write about ones of the events
that takes place in the story or one thatyou imagine taking place in their lifethat might not be represented in thestory. Try writing from the perspective of
one of the supporting characters — likeone of Ponyboy’s brothers, or maybe
one of the Socs, like Cherry or Bob.
How does your perception of that eventchange when looking at it from anotherpoint of view?

BEING TRUE
TO YOURSELF
In “I Could Talk to You All Night,” Cherry
and Ponyboy share how hard they feel
it is to be their true selves with theirrespective groups of friends. They feelthey’ve “gotta fake it to belong” and to
uphold an image that’s expected of them.
They sing:
IT’S LIKE YOU’RE ALWAYSJUST PRETENDING
IT’S JUST A PART YOU HAVE TO PLAYFEELS LIKE THE PRESSURE’S
NEVER ENDING
THERE’S GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY

D

DISCUSS:Do you have a different public and private
self? Do you feel you’ve “gotta fake it
to belong?” Do you feel the pressure to
behave a certain way? What if any feelings/
hobbies do you hide from your friends?
Is there a person (or persons) with whom
you can be completely yourself?

C

CREATE:

Using any medium you like — drawing,
painting, filmmaking, collage — createa piece of art that captures your public
versus private self.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 34

INSIDE OURSELVES AND THE WORLD AROUND US

RITUAL AND
RITES OFPASSAGE
After Ponyboy is jumped by the Socs at theplayground, the Greasers officially anoint
him as part of their group by greasing hishair. This ritual is a rite of passage and aform of initiation.
In “Grease Got a Hold” they sing:
PONYBOY, I THINK IT’S TIME YOU LEARN,
THE GREASE ISN’T GIVEN
IT’S SOMETHING THAT YOU EARN.

DDISCUSS:

What are some other examples of life
rites of passage that include ritual? Whatare examples where ritual can be used
for initiation? What is the purpose of that
initiation? Discuss how an initiation might
be beneficial and how it might be harmful.

CYCLE OFVIOLENCE
Systemic violence and hatred are an
unfortunate reality of our world. Class
conflict, racial tension, religious strife, anddomestic abuse have existed through themillennia. As a 15-year-old teen, S.E. Hinton

was deeply aware of this enduring violence
and its futility. It is a prominent theme inher novel and the musical.
In “Hopeless War,” Cherry sings:
BUT THIS WAR IT EATS YOU UP INSIDETIL YOU’RE BLINDED BYYOUR FOOLISH PRIDE
WHEN YOU ONLY SEE THE
WORLD ONE WAY
IT’S ONLY BLACK AND WHITEBUT NEVER GRAY
ONE BY ONE WE FALL IN LINETHE SAME MISTAKE A THOUSAND TIMESDOING WHAT WE’VE ALL
BEEN RAISED TO DO…
IT’S A HOPELESS WAR, WE’RE FIGHTING
AND WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT FOR
THE TRUTH IS, EVEN IN THE END
EVEN IF YOU WIN, IT DOESN’T
CHANGE A THINGDDISCUSS:How do Cherry, Ponyboy, and the others
feel about the ongoing feud between theGreasers and Socs? Why do they say it’shopeless? Do you agree? If it is hopeless,why do they continue to fight? Why is it
so hard to break the cycle of violence?
How might they forge a different path?
What other books have you read/movies
have you watched that manifest this same
cycle of violence? How do these cyclesof violence manifest in the world around
us? What do you think it would take for
us to break these cycles of violence?

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 35

INSIDE THE MOVEMENTsTORYTELLING THROUGH MOVEMENT

IN CONVERSATION
WITH

choreographers

Rick and Jeff

Kuperman
What is your process for developing
movement and choreography for a musical?
JEFF: One of the first things we do is read thescript and listen to the music, and we do that a
few times until it is bouncing around our head.
Then we’ll create our own documents of freeassociation for certain musical numbers. At
that point, we come together and identify the
number for which we have the clearest vision,
and we’ll start there. We’ll really investigate thatone piece in a studio together to start to develop
the movement language for the show. Once
we have a sense of that vocabulary, everythingelse comes together organically for us. For The
Outsiders, that piece was the rumble. We werethinking about how to make the rumble as
impactful as it is on the page. One of the firstthings we responded to was Adam Rapp’s stage
direction about it being the brutal sound of “fists
detonating into flesh.” That image — the ripple ofviolence — sparked an idea. So much of the way
we interpret violence is aurally and if we could
be faithful to that stage direction, then we’d beable to make a successful rumble.

Can you talk a little about movement as aform of storytelling? What makes it uniqueand how does it elevate the story of The
Outsiders in particular?
RICK: Storytelling through movement has a very
long tradition, and there is a ton of opportunity tocommunicate nuance through physical movement.
In The Outsiders, the choreography gives us
access to Ponyboy’s memories. The linear natureof experiencing life moment to moment morphs as
the mind encodes memories. Certain moments havea huge amount of real estate in our minds — theheightened moments, the important moments,
the traumatic moments — so choreography helps
give us that feeling of what Ponyboy’s memories
might be like. In addition, choreography cantransport us across time and space. For example,
when Ponyboy and Johnny run away from homeand hop on a train to hide from the police, there
is a sense of anxiety, urgency, and travel. Thereis one way to express that in a novel, anotherway to express it on camera, and choreography
is a helpful tool to give us that sense on stage.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 36

INSIDE THE Movement
JEFF: This is also true of the rumble. The rumble
starts like a real fight, so we immediately geta sense of the stakes, but then it evolves into
something more expressionistic. The movement
vocabulary unlocks an even greater violence andan even greater ability to express the pain and theuselessness of the fight. The entire storytelling
modality of this show incorporates movement.
Sometimes it’s dance, like in the scene at thedrive-in; sometimes it is character exploration
like in “Grease Got a Hold.” And then there are
moments where characters are entering andexiting, carrying planks, and transforming scenery;it’s not dance, but it is choreography, and it ismovement. The way that this ensemble breathes
together is another way you sense movement, but
you don’t necessarily lock into it. It’s happening
subconsciously. Movement is informing the waythat you are absorbing the piece.

How can movement inform character andhow was movement used in character
development of The Outsiders?
RICK: There is, to some degree, a bit of demarcation
between how the Socs move and how theGreasers move. And, at the same time, they
are all teenagers in Tulsa in 1967, so we didn’t
want to lean too far into that cliché of red team/blue team. So even though they have their own
identities and their own way of moving, there
is also an overall language of Tulsa, 1967 thatkeeps it unified.
JEFF: Warm up was a huge part of the process.
Spending time together, warming up, seeing eachother, and moving together in a way that didn’t
have anything to do with the show, was certainly
an extremely important part of the way that thecompany bonded together and found who theircharacters were within the context of the larger
group. Danya led a lot of mirroring exercises sothat people could understand their relationshipto one another — from an angry Soc who might
drink too much to a Greaser who had a toughbackground — and explore that relationship eventhough they might not say any words to each otherin the entire show. They still have a relationship,and you can feel that in the work. We also didsome Viewpoints* exercises so that we could
sync up in terms of the speed and quality of our
movement when we are moving through the show
and changing place and time. We also included a
bit of martial arts training to get those punches
looking real and to teach how to harness andredirect force so that we didn’t have to fake force.
RICK: The goal of Viewpoints* and associatedexercises is to help an ensemble move together,to develop a proprioception of individual membersof an ensemble so that they have an awarenessof where their other team members are at any
given moment. It comes in handy, certainly inthe rumble when we have that many bodies soclose to one another on a limited stage space, butalso, in terms of how the ensemble manipulates
the cinder blocks and planks and other scenic
elements that help us move from place to place.

What makes a good artistic collaboration
and what advice would you give to aspiring
choreographers?
JEFF: One of the reasons why I love working
on this show is because the entire creative
team doesn’t necessarily feel siloed into theirown disciplines. What I think makes a goodchoreographer is the ability to think not only
about movement, but about how movement fits
into the larger piece and how it can elevate theform as opposed to being a contained part ofit. It’s important to learn about lighting, sound,
acting, direction, and music — all of it — so thatyou can be an equal collaborator.

* Read more about Viewpoints on page 38.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 37

INSIDE THE Movement
RICK: Another piece of advice: Just do it! Get in
the studio and do it as much as you can. Don’t
think about it. And go see as much as you can,because it will help you figure out your taste.
What you respond to and what lights you up.
Go see as many shows as you can. If you don’t
have access to live performance, go on YouTubeand find the choreographers that speak to you
and see who they’ve learned from and who theirinfluences are. Don’t be shy to put in the work ofunderstanding the lineage of a particular stylethat excites you.

VIEWPOINTS
Viewpoints is a movement training and improvisation
technique that helps performers and directors
articulate time and space on stage and constructnarratives by harnessing the power of movement.
The theory was initially conceived in the 1970s by
dancer-choreographer Mary Overlie and greatly
expanded upon by director Anne Bogart and
SITI Company.
PHYSICAL MOVEMENT VIEWPOINTS INCLUDE:

JEFF: To be a good collaborator as a choreographer
also means having a plan and doing a lot of prep
work, and being willing to throw it all out thewindow once the rubber meets the road. You
need to have a vision — which isn’t to say thatyou can’t experiment in the room — especiallywhen you are working on certain timelines. You
need to know what you want and how to adapt
that to the reality.

V

VIDEO:

Watch [this video] to learn more about how theKuperman brothers’ personal experience shaped
their work on The Outsiders and why they think
the story continues to resonate today.

• SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP: distance between
bodies, props, and other objects• KINESTHETIC RESPONSE: the ways in which
performers respond to forms of movement• SHAPE: the way that a body appears in space• GESTURE: a movement or expression thathas a beginning, middle, and end• REPETITION: when a performer recreatesor mimics another• ARCHITECTURE: the physical environment
surrounding a performer• TEMPO: the speed at which movements unfold• DURATION: the length of a movement• TOPOGRAPHY: the ways in which movements
create patterns or designs
VIEWPOINTS THEORY:• Emphasizes physicality• Encourages performers to rely on their instincts• Fosters collaborationM

MOVEMENT:BYU Theatre Education offers robust Viewpoints
lesson plans. Try playing Shape Tag with yourstudents to explore spatial relationship with yourstudents, or adapting this Viewpoints of Timelesson plan to a script you are working on in class.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 38

INSIDE THE Movement

CREATING
CONNECTION
THROUGH
MOVEMENT/
THE MIRROR
EXERCISEOne of the central themes of The Outsiders is
the idea that despite their socioeconomic status,
at their core, the Socs and Greasers are verymuch the same.
The mirror exercise is an acting improv techniquedesigned to build trust and synchronicity between
actors. It was used in the early days of rehearsal
for The Outsiders. It can also be used in theclassroom to strengthen connection, promote
teamwork, heighten awareness, and elicit empathy.

M

MOVEMENT:

Break the class up into pairs and ask them toface each other. Have them decide who will lead
and who will follow. The follower must “mirror”
the movements of the leader. The goal is forthem to try follow the movements as precisely
as they can and to be completely in sync with
their partner. Coach the leader to move slowly.
Coach the followers to let their bodies follow
the movements without thinking too much. Aftera few minutes, have the students switch roles.
Repeat. Then coach the students to try staying
in sync with no leader and no follower.
Reconvene the class. Choose one pair of students
to “mirror” in front of the class. Have them silently
decide who will be the leader and who will be
the follower. Cue them to begin “mirroring.” Ask

the rest of the class to guess which person isleading and which is following. The goal is forthe pair to sync so closely that the class cannot
tell. Call up a few other pairs.
Follow-up questions for the group:• How did this exercise make you feel?
• Did you find it challenging? If so, why?
• Did you learn anything new about yourself ofyour partner?
• Did anything surprise you?

ANIMAL EXERCISE
Pony refers to Dallas as the alpha of the wolfpack.
What are wolf traits? How do wolves move? How
do they behave with younger pups? How do they
react to threats?
Studying animal behavior and movement is an
acting technique that can be used to develop
the physicality of a character. It is a techniquepopularized by the actor/director/acting coach Lee
Strasberg, in which an actor identifies an animal
that they believe embodies their character, studies
that animal, and then attempts to incorporatethat animal’s movements and behaviors into
their character.

M

MOVEMENT:

Choose another character from The Outsiders. Ifthey were an animal, what animal would that be?
Study that animal by watching videos online orin the world around you. How does that animal
move? Quickly or slowly? Smoothly or skittishly?
How does that animal behave when it encountersanother animal of the same species or otherspecies? Is it comfortable or scared? Timid or
fierce? Use what you learn about your animal todevelop a physicality for your character. Practice
walking around the room as that character. What
happens when you encounter your classmates
embodying other animals/characters? Does itchange from character to character? If so, how?

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 39

FROM PAGE TO PERFORMANCE/ DISCUSSOR WRITE:
DW

Use the following prompts to spur dialogue
on your way home from the theatre, in a
Socratic Seminar and/or to elicit written
responses from your students about theirexperience of the musical, especially as
it relates to the novel.
• How does the musical of The Outsiders
compare to the S.E. Hinton’s novel? Did
the live performance mesh with what
you imagined when you read the novel?
Why or why not? What if any differences
did you find? How did the storytellingchange? How did being in such close
proximity of the story affect you?

• How is family defined in The Outsiders?
How would you define family?
• Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally are celebrated
as heroes for saving the kids in the
church. Are there other “unsung heroes”
in The Outsiders? Who are they? Whatmakes them heroes?
• S.E. Hinton’s book was published in
1967, what about the book still feels
urgent and/or present in your life?
• There is so much loss and grief in The
Outsiders. Do you also find the story
hopeful? If so, how?

[Note to educators: If you’ve also
watched the film with your students,
you can expand the conversation to acomparison of all three genres.]• How did the music add to the story?
Were there particular songs/lyrics that
resonated with you?
• In the novel, all the characters are
portrayed from Ponyboy’s perspective.
In the musical, these characters cometo life independently and share theirown points of view. Were any of thecharacters different than you imagined?
Did any of them surprise you?

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 40

CONTENT ADVISORY &MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCEs
THE OUTSIDERS MUSICAL INCLUDES SCENESINVOLVING SUICIDE, DOMESTIC ABUSE, AND VIOLENCE.
If you find these topics challenging before or after
viewing the show, The Outsiders has partneredwith Crisis Text Line to make support available.
Simply text HOME to 741741 to reach aLIVE Volunteer Crisis Counselor, or you can connect
with us via web chat at crisistextline.org .
It’s 24/7, free, and confidential.
Remember, you are not alone.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 41

References
CONTENT SOURCESLYRICAL ANALYSISI WANT SONGde Giere, Carol. “Writing ‘I Want Songs’ for Musicals.” MusicalWriters.com. Archived from theoriginal on 2014-06-02. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140602201129/http:/www.musicalwriters.com/write/stephenschwartz/songs/i-want-songs.htm

INSIDE THE MOVEMENT
VIEWPOINTS
https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/viewpoints-acting-training-guide-76450/
https://tedb.byu.edu/?page_id=501
https://dramatics.org/understanding-viewpoints/
https://tedb.byu.edu/page-id-505
https://tedb.byu.edu/page-id-503

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN TULSATRAIL OF TEARS
http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ct.052#:~:text=The%20suburbanization%20
resulted%20largely%20from,Tulsa%20remained%20predominantly%20upper%20class.
https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TR003

1921 TULSA RACE MASSACRE
https://www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/24/us/tulsa-race-massacre.html
https://archive.org/details/ReportOnTulsaRaceRiotOf1921/page/n15/mode/2up

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 42

References

IMAGE SOURCES AND CREDITSPAGE 6
Elizabeth “Betsy” Brown Stephens, a Cherokee woman who walked the “Trail of Tears.”
Image Source: Lmaotru.
https://s36500.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Elizabeth-Brown-Stephens-ZinnEducation-Project.jpg

PAGE 7The “Little Africa” section of Tulsa, Oklahoma in flames during the 1921 race riot.
Source: Library of Congress.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tulsa_race_riot_inflames-1921.jpg

PAGE 8Tulsa, Oklahoma race riot, June 1, 1921.
Photo by Alvin C. Krupnick Co., courtesy of the Library of Congress.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tulsa,_Oklahoma,_race_riot,_June_1,_1921)_-_
photo_by_Alvin_C._Krupnick_Co.,_Tulsa,_Okla_LCCN91796047.jpg

CAST, PRODUCTION, AND ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Photos of cast, creative team, and Tulsa locations by Andy Henderson, 2024.
Photo of set on fire and additional production photography by Matthew Murphy, 2024.
Photo of the rain scene by Rich Soublet.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 43

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDSExercises in this study guide meet the following educational standards.

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDSMIDDLE SCHOOLLANGUAGE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6-8.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.

READING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6-8.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6-7.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summaryof the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including
its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects ofa character, or provoke a decision.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verseor stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions
to other texts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6-7.7
Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio,
video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text towhat they perceive when they listen or watch.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from thetext or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy
stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 44

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDSWRITING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

HIGH SCHOOLLANGUAGE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-12.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

READING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text,
including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the courseof a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.

WRITING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning andrelevant and sufficient evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-12.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosendetails, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-12.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 45

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDSNATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDSVA:Cr1.2.1a: Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art.
VA:Cr.1.2.2a: Make art or design with various materials and tools to explore personal interests, questions,and curiosity.

VA:Cr.1.1.6a: Formulate an artistic investigation of personally relevant content for creating art.
VA:Cr1.2.IIa: Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices
to plan works of art and design.

MA:Cr2.1.I: Apply aesthetic criteria in developing, proposing, and refining artistic ideas, plans, prototypes,
and production processes for media arts productions, considering original inspirations, goals,
and presentation context.

TH:Cr1.1.4a: Articulate the visual details of imagined worlds, and improvised stories that support the given
circumstances in a drama.

TH:Cr.1.1.5a: Identify physical qualities that might reveal a character’s inner traits in the imagined world ofa drama/theatre work.

TH:Cr.1.1.4c: Imagine how a character might move to support the story and given circumstances in a drama.
TH:Cr.1.1.5c: Imagine how a character’s inner thoughts impact the story and given circumstances in a drama/
theatre work.

TH:Cr.1.1.lc: Use script analysis to generate ideas about a character that is believable and authentic in a
drama/theatre work.

TH:Pr4.1.7a: Consider various staging choices to enhance the story in a drama.
TH:Pr4.1.la: Examine how character relationships assist in telling the story of a drama/theatre work.
TH:Pr4.1.6b: Experiment with various physical choices to communicate character in a drama/theatre work.
TH:Pr5.1.6a: Recognize how acting exercises and techniques can be applied to a drama/theatre work.
TH:Pr5.1.7a: Participate in a variety of acting exercises and techniques that can be applied in a rehearsal ordrama/theatre performance.

TH:Pr5.1.8a: Use a variety of acting techniques to increase skills in a rehearsal or drama/theatre performance.
TH:Pr5.1.la: Practice various acting techniques to expand skills in a rehearsal or drama/theatre performance.
TH:Re.9.1.8a: Respond to a drama/theatre work using supporting evidence, personal aesthetics, and artistic
criteria.

TH:Re9.1.lb: Consider the aesthetics of the production elements in a drama/theatre work.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 46

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDSFRAMEWORK FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING:
LIFE AND CAREER SKILLSCOMMUNICATE CLEARLY• Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal communication
skills in a variety of forms and contexts.
• Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, andintentions.
• Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g., to inform, instruct, motivate, andpersuade).
• Collaborate with others.
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.
• Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises
to accomplish a common goal.
• Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual
contributions made by each team member.

WORK CREATIVELY WITH OTHERS• Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively.
• Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input
and feedback into the work.
• Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real-world
limits to adopting new ideas.

EDUCATIONAL STUDY GUIDE 47