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ALL MY SONSTEACHINGRESOURCESAPR — JUN 2019
CONTENTSCharacters3Family Tree5Old Vic EducationThe Old VicThe CutLondon SE1 8NBSynopsis6E imeline of Events13Interview: Jeremy Herrin14Interview: Max Jones15Model Box images & Ground Plan18Interview: Carolyn Downing20Interview: Richard Howell21Classroom exercises22 The Old Vic, 2019All information is correct at thetime of going to press, but maybe subject to changeTeaching resourcesCompiled byEuan BorlandDesignJames Cunninghame GrahamRehearsal and Production PhotographyJohan PerssonEducation & CommunityDirector of Education & CommunityHannah FoskerEducation ManagerEuan BorlandYoung Person’s Programme ManagerNaomi LawsonEducation & Community CoordinatorKate Lawrence-LunnissEducation & Community InternChloe LamAn Old Vic & Headlong co-productionFurther details of this productioncan be found at oldvictheatre.comSally Field, Jenna Coleman, Colin Morgan and Bill PullmanThe Old VicAll My Sons teaching resources2
CHARACTERSSPOILER ALERT!The below information contains plot info and spoilersJOE KELLERHusband to Kate and father to Chris and Larry. He is nearing 60 years old. Joe is a successful self-made businessman.He has little formal education, but he has a fascination and curiosity about the world. During the Second World War,Joe’s factory built aeroplane parts for the military. Joe and his business partner Steve were arrested for intentionallyshipping faulty aeroplane parts which caused 21 aeroplanes to crash, killing the pilots. Joe was acquitted but hispartner Steve was sent to prison. It is revealed during the course of the play that Joe is in fact guilty. He is referredto as Keller in the play text.KATE KELLERWife to Joe and mother to Chris and Larry. Kate is in her early 50s. Kate is a loving and devoted mother. She is steadfastin her belief that her son Larry is still alive, despite the fact that he has been missing in action for several years. Kateholds a great deal of anxiety and guilt over her husband’s past crime. She is referred to as Mother in the play text.CHRIS KELLERSon to Joe and Kate and brother to Larry. Chris is 32. He is loyal, affectionate and an idealist. Chris fought in theSecond World War and now works with his father. Chris is in love with Ann, despite the fact that she used to be in arelationship with his brother Larry. Chris hasn’t seen Ann for five years but has been writing to her during that time.LARRY KELLERSon to Joe and Kate and brother to Chris. Had he lived he would have been 27 years old at the start of the play.Larry’s plane disappeared during the Second World War and he is missing, presumed dead. He was in a relationshipwith Ann. Larry never appears in the play but his memory haunts his family. At the end of the play it is revealed thatLarry killed himself as a result of his father’s crimes.Bill PullmanThe Old VicAll My Sons teaching resources3
ANN DEEVERDaughter to Steve and sister to George. Ann is 26. Ann is kind-hearted but strong-minded. She used to be ina relationship with Larry but has now come to visit Chris, whom she plans to marry. Ann hasn’t spoken to her father,Steve, for years after he was arrested for shipping faulty aeroplane parts. It is revealed at the end of the play that Annhas known for years that Larry killed himself as a result of Joe’s crimes, but she held that information to herself toprotect the Kellers.GEORGE DEEVERSon to Steve and brother to Ann. George is 32. George fought during the War and now works as a lawyer. Georgehadn’t spoken to his father for years prior to the play, but decided to visit him to let him know that Ann was planning tomarry Chris. Now, convinced of his father’s innocence, he flies to the Keller household to stop the wedding. George’sconviction is swayed when confronted with his father’s faults and because of his affection for the Keller family.STEVE DEEVERFather to Ann and George. When Steve was arrested his wife almost left him but decided in the end to stay married tohim. He is serving a prison sentence for shipping faulty aeroplane parts which caused the death of 21 pilots, a crimehe claims Joe is actually responsible for. Steve is described by other characters as a cowardly man who struggles toaccept his own wrongdoings. Whilst this character is important, he does not appear in the play.DR. JIM BAYLISSHusband to Sue. Jim is nearing 40 years old. He lives in the house that used to belong to the Deever family. Jim is adoctor but dreams of becoming a medical researcher, a job which pays less money. Jim does not enjoy being a doctor.It is revealed that he left Sue at one point and ran away to New Orleans to take part in medical research but ultimatelycame back home when Sue came to find him. Jim is aware of Keller’s guilt but keeps this knowledge to himself.SUE BAYLISSWife to Jim. Sue is nearing 40 years old. Money is a big motivator for Sue. She put her husband through medicalschool. Sue is resentful of Chris and his idealism. She blames him for her husband’s desire to take up medical research,a less well paid position. Sue believes that Chris holds others to a standard he himself does not subscribe to as helives off his father’s money, which she believes is tainted by Joe’s crimes.FRANK LUBEYHusband to Lydia. Frank is 32 years old and starting to go bald. Frank is a friendly and well-meaning neighbour butsometimes speaks without thinking. Frank is writing a horoscope for Larry at Kate’s request to find out if the day hewent missing was a favourable day. Frank was able to avoid being drafted during the War as he was slightly too old.LYDIA LUBEYWife to Frank. Lydia is 27 years old. She used to be in a relationship with George but did not wait for him when hewent to war.BERTA local neighbourhood kid. He is eight years old. Bert and the other neighbourhood children have gotten Joe’s arrestconfused and now believe that he is a detective and that he has a jail in his basement. This is a story Joe encourages,much to Kate’s annoyance.The Old VicAll My Sons teaching resources4
KELLER FAMILY TREETRACK HOW EACH FAMILY MEMBER CONNECTS TOTHE OTHER PEOPLE IN THEIR VERDR The Old VicIn a relationshipAll My Sons teaching resourcesUsed to be in a relationshipUsed to be business partners5
SYNOPSISACT ONEEarly Sunday morning, August 1946. The action takes place in the backyard of the Keller home which is located on theoutskirts of an American town. The Keller home is a well kept two storey home. In the garden there is an apple treewhich has broken in half as a result of a storm.Joe Keller is reading the newspaper with his neighbour, Doctor Jim Bayliss. They are joined by another neighbour,Frank Lubey. Joe explains he no longer reads the news section of the paper as he prefers to read the ‘wanted’ ads.Joe is amazed at the things people ask for and the new types of jobs people can do. He explains, ‘In my day, eitheryou were a lawyer, a doctor or you worked in a shop’. Frank notices that the Kellers’ apple tree has been snappedin half by high winds. Frank comments that Joe’s son Larry would have turned 27 years old this month and that it’sfunny that the tree was blown down so close to his birthday. Frank reveals that he is working on Larry’s horoscopeto find out if the day Larry went missing, 25 November, was a favourable day. Frank believes it would be impossiblefor someone to die on their favourable day and that this could prove that Larry is in fact alive. Jim asks if anyone hasseen his son, as he has taken his doctor’s thermometer. Frank comments that he thinks Jim’s son will grow up to bea doctor but Jim rejects that idea, saying that he hopes his son will do something else.Jim asks where Ann is and Joe tells him that she is upstairs sleeping, as they collected her from the train station atone am. Joe says that Ann has grown into a beautiful woman. It is revealed that when Ann was a child she used to livein the house Jim now owns. They are interrupted by Jim’s wife Sue who tells Jim that one of his patients, Mrs Adams,is on the phone. Sue tells Jim he should visit another patient, Mr Hubbard, but Jim tells his wife that Mr Hubbard isn’tsick and doesn’t require his attention. Sue tells her husband that he should see him anyway as he could make tendollars. Jim and Sue exit.Frank’s wife Lydia enters and asks Frank to fix the toaster, which he reluctantly agrees to do. Lydia also notices thefallen tree and asks if Ann has arrived as they knew each other as children. Lydia asks if Ann is due to marry or if sheis seeing anyone. Lydia is surprised that Ann is unmarried while she is married with three children. She always thoughtit would be the other way around. Joe tells her that’s what war does; he used to have two sons now he has one.Sule Rimi and Bill PullmanThe Old VicAll My Sons teaching resources6
Joe’s son, Chris, enters and Lydia exits. Joe asks his son if he has seen the apple tree. Joe is worried about what hiswife, Kate, is going to make of it. They are interrupted by Bert, a neighbourhood kid. Joe pretends that Bert is workingfor him as a policeman. This is a game they regularly play. Bert believes Joe has a jail in his basement and asks if hecan see it. Joe refuses and sends Bert back to the street to keep an eye on the neighbourhood.Chris and Joe return to their conversation about the tree. Chris reveals that his mother, Kate, has already seen thefallen tree as he saw her in the garden at 4am. He also says that he could hear his mother crying in the kitchen. Chrisbelieves they have made a mistake in letting Kate believe that Larry is still alive, as no one else believes it. Joe isfrightened about confronting Kate and challenges Chris to prove that Larry is dead. Instead Chris reveals that thereason he asked Ann to come back is so he can ask her to marry him. Joe tells Chris that he doesn’t know how Katewill react to this news, as Ann was supposed to marry Larry. Chris laments that he has held back in life becausehe was always thinking about other people’s feelings. Joe asks why he has to marry Ann as they haven’t seen eachother since Chris went away to war five years ago. He tells his son that if he marries Ann he is sending a messageto his mother that Larry is dead. Chris is resolute however and tells his father that he will leave town and the familybusiness if he has to. This shocks Joe who tells Chris that the business is all for him.Kate enters complaining that she has a pain in her head. She comments that everything seems to be happening at thesame time: Larry’s birthday, the fallen apple tree and Ann’s arrival. Kate says she is unsure why Ann has come back,but it is suggested from the way she reacts to Chris that she has her suspicions. Kate says she loves Ann for holdingout hope that Larry is alive and not marrying someone else. Kate relates a dream she had the previous night of Larrycrashing his plane and calling out to her. When she woke up she walked out to the garden and found the tree broken.We discover that the tree was planted in Larry’s memory. Chris tries to suggest it’s time to forget Larry, but Kate isunmoved. Chris suggests the family and Ann go out dancing that evening, to which everyone agrees. Chris exits.Kate immediately begins interrogating Joe as to why Chris invited Ann. Kate reveals her suspicions that she thinksChris is planning to propose. Joe dances around the subject but Kate is against the idea. She is convinced Larry isalive and will return and that Joe, above all, must believe that. Joe asks her what she means but Kate will not elaborate.They are interrupted by the return of Bert who has come to report on another child that he would like Joe to arrest. Kateis furious and tells Bert there is no jail and that he should go home. She tells her husband to stop talking about jail.Ann and Chris appear. Ann is wearing an expensive dress and they all comment on how beautiful she is. Jim appearsbriefly and introduces himself to Ann, who comments on how odd it is to see a stranger in her childhood home. Kateturns the conversation to Larry and Ann is embarrassed to discover she slept in Larry’s room without realising it washis. She is surprised that Kate has kept all of Larry’s clothes and shoes in such good condition. Kate asks Ann if herparents are going to get divorced but Ann says that her mother has forgiven her father. Kate gently tries to find out ifAnn is dating anyone but Ann bluntly tells her that she is not waiting for Larry. Kate refuses to accept this.Frank arrives and welcomes Ann. He asks about her brother, George, who is now a lawyer, and if her father, Steve,is expecting to be paroled soon. Before she can answer Chris interrupts and Frank takes his cue and exits. Ann asksthe Kellers if people still talk about her father, but they assure her he is forgotten. Joe says the only person who talksabout the case is his wife. Joe explains that when he was let out of jail the local kids came round to ask him questionsabout it. They ended up getting confused and started to believe Joe was a detective. Ann remembers the neighboursaccusing Joe and her father of being murderers, but Kate says it was different with Joe as he was exonerated. Joerelates his release and how he purposefully got dropped off on the corner so he could walk down the road in full viewof his neighbours. He explains it was the only way to gain back people’s respect. Ann admits that she hasn’t been intouch with her father and neither has her brother George. It is revealed that Ann’s father was sent to jail for shippingfaulty aeroplane parts that caused 21 aeroplanes to crash. Ann says those faulty parts could have gone into Larry’splane at which point Kate asks her not to say that again. Kate exits. Joe tells Ann she should forgive his father andthat he was guilty of being a coward not a crim
The Old Vic All My Sons teaching resources 7 Joe’s son, Chris, enters and Lydia exits. Joe asks his son if he has seen the apple tree. Joe is worried about what his wife, Kate, is going to make of it. They are interrupted by Bert, a neighbourhood kid. Joe pretends that Bert is working for him as a policeman. This is a game they regularly play. Bert believes Joe has a jail in his basement and .
