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    The Little Years
    The Little Years
    The Little Years
    Ebook107 pages33 minutes

    The Little Years

    By John Mighton

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    About this ebook

    Kate possesses the makings of a gifted mathematician with an enthusiasm for exploring the mysteries of space and time. But this is the 1950s and women are routinely laughed out of scientific circles. Besides, every family has its star, and Kate's brother already holds that distinction. Hindered by prejudices against women, Kate is confined to a life of unfulfilling jobs, leading her to become bitter and unhappy. The Little Years confronts the impact of chauvinism and explores the nature of fame, the value of art, and the passing of time.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPlaywrights Canada Press
    Release dateDec 9, 2012
    ISBN9781770911123
    The Little Years
    Author

    John Mighton

    John Mighton holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Toronto and is the founder of JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies), an educational charity providing free tutoring to elementary-level students in the Toronto area. The JUMP program is currently being tested in three schools in West Virginia. John Mighton is also an award-winning playwright, currently adapting Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe for a stage production at New York's Lincoln Center, and appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Good Will Hunting. He lives in Toronto.

    Read more from John Mighton

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      Book preview

      The Little Years - John Mighton

      The Little Years premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto, in November 1995 as part of the Why Theatre Conference with the following cast and crew:

      Alice: Anne Anglin

      Young Kate/Tanya: Kristen Thomson

      Mary: Melissa Berney

      Norman: Adam Nashman

      Mr. Castle/Roger/Mr. York: R.H. Thomson

      Grace: Fiona Highet

      Kate: Maggie Huculak

      Directed by Herbert Olschok

      Set and costume design by Olaf Altmann

      Lighting design by Peter Freund

      Stage management by Cheryl Francis

      Assistant stage management by Melissa Berney

      Original music and sound design by Brad Hilliker

      A revised version of the play premiered in July 2011 at the Studio Theatre, Stratford, as part of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. It featured the following cast and crew:

      Alice: Chick Reid

      Young Kate/Tanya: Bethany Jillard

      Mary: A.J. Bridel

      Norman: Gavin Tessler

      Roger: Evan Buliung

      Grace: Yanna McIntosh

      Kate: Irene Poole

      Mr. Castle/Mr. York/Orderly: Victor Ertmanis

      Directed by Chris Abraham

      Designed by Julie Fox

      Lighting design by Kimberly Purtell

      Sound design by Thomas Ryder Payne

      Dramaturgy by Robert Blacker

      Assistant direction by Alan Dilworth

      Stage management by Ann Stuart

      A man's life includes much that does not take place within the boundaries of his body and his mind, and what happens to him can include much that does not take place within the boundaries of his life.

      —Thomas Nagel, Mortal Questions

      Characters

      Young Kate

      Kate

      Grace, Kate's sister-in-law

      Alice, Kate's mother

      Tanya, Grace's daughter (played by the same actress as Young Kate)

      Roger, a painter

      Mr. Castle, a school principal

      Mr. York, the director of a funeral home

      Mary and Norman, two high-school students

      With doubling, the play can be staged by either five or six principal actors, plus two young actors in Act I, Scene 2.

      Act I, Scene 1

      1957. ALICE stands in her garden. Her daughter, KATE, sits nearby, an open notebook beside her. We hear the wind in the trees.

      ALICE

      (calling) William!

      Pause.

      William!

      She looks at her watch, then at her daughter.

      What are you thinking about?

      KATE

      My childhood.

      ALICE

      What about it?

      KATE

      I wish I could live it over.

      ALICE

      You're only fourteen.

      KATE

      I'll never be six again.

      ALICE

      You're a little young to be regretting your life.

      KATE

      I stupidly missed so many opportunities. A person can only truly be happy as a child. And I wasn't.

      ALICE

      Why weren't you happy? You had everything. I spoiled you. (calling) William!

      KATE

      If you'd stop calling him, he'd come home.

      ALICE

      He's going to be late for the ceremony. Are you coming?

      KATE

      No.

      ALICE

      You'd win prizes too if you put your mind to it. What are you doing?

      KATE

      Listening.

      ALICE

      To what?

      KATE

      The wind.

      ALICE

      I've often wondered what you do all day. When you're not at school.

      KATE

      Time goes by itself.

      We hear the wind in the trees.

      You can't see the wind, only what it touches. It's the same with time. Recently they found out the year is getting longer. Half a second each century.

      ALICE

      How could a year get any

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