Nancy Drew, Girl Detective
October 20-November 5, 2000
Based on The Clue of the Dancing Puppet by Carolyn Keene. Adapted for the stage by Marisha Chamberlain.

About the Play | Playguide | Resources | Cast List | Photos

This Playguide is prepared for teachers, students, parents and subscribers attending San Diego Junior Theatre’s productions. It is our desire to make the artistic experience of attending live theatre as enriching as possible, for all of San Diego’s families.

Playguide

Who Is Nancy Drew?

Our famous girl detective, Nancy Drew, was created in 1930. In the past seventy years she has only aged two years, starting out as a sixteen year-old, and aging to eighteen. The creation of Edward Stratemeyer, a publisher who also created the popular series’ The Bobsey Twins and The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew was meant to provide a fresh interpretation of a determined young woman. Over the past seventy years, Nancy Drew books have been written by several authors, all working under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Edward Stratemeyer never lived to see the phenomenal success of his creation, as he died of pneumonia in the spring of 1930, just after the first three books were published.

Nancy Drew appealed to young readers in the 1930s and 1940s for her independence and freedom. Nancy lives with her father, the famous lawyer Carson Drew, in comfortable River Heights. She is financially secure, and does not have any obligations of school or work to tie her down. This, coupled with her blue roadster, made her very popular with envious young women. Nancy’s freedom allows her to travel to country, and in some books the globe, solving mysteries. She always succeeds, with the help of her two best friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin. The first four volumes of the Nancy Drew series featured Helen Corning as Nancy’s sidekick and companionable friend. Helen was phased out and replaced by George and Bess in volume 5, The Secret at Shadow Ranch. Because George and Bess are opposites, George being athletic and tom-boyish and Bess being feminine and flirtatious, they complemented Nancy perfectly.

In volume 7, The Clue in the Diary, another popular character was introduced. Ned Nickerson became Nancy’s permanent boyfriend, thus accompanying her as a regular date for social events. The most important man in Nancy’s life, however, is her father Carson Drew. He treats Nancy more like an equal than a child, and is presented as the ideal father.

Now in 2000, Nancy Drew books are still popular. The character has inspired nine spin-off series, including the Nancy Drew Picture Books, the Nancy Drew Files, Nancy Drew SuperMysteries and the interactive Be-a-Detective series.

From the Bookshelf

Here is a sampling from the Nancy Drew series. For more titles, go to our Resources section.

The Secret of the Old Clock
The Hidden Staircase
The Bungalow Mystery
The Mystery at Lilac Inn
The Secret of Shadow Ranch
The Secret of Red Gate Farm
The Clue of the Broken Locket
The Haunted Bridge

Compare/Contrast

Our production of Nancy Drew, Girl Detective is based on the The Clue of the Dancing Puppet, first published in 1962. The book and the play, while following the same basic story line, differ in many ways. Read the book before or after seeing the play and make a list of the differences that you find. Then, think about why the playwright decided to make these changes. Did it make the story more interesting? Did it lend itself better to a theatrical production? Sometimes there are elements in books that cannot be replicated on the stage in a realistic enough manner (a car chase, for instance. Do you feel this was the case in this book?

Who’s Who in Nancy Drew

These are the characters you will meet in Nancy Drew, Girl Detective

Nancy’s family and friends

Carson Drew, Nancy’s father
George Fayne, Nancy’s friend
Bess Marvin, George’s cousin and Nancy’s friend
Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s boyfriend

The Footlighters

Hamilton Spencer, director of the Barn Theatre
Margo Spencer, his wife
Emily Spencer, their daughter
Cally Calhoun, costume designer for the Footlighters
Tammy Whitlock, leading lady of the Footlighters
Bob Simpson, leading man, Emily’s boyfriend
Jamie, the stage manager

Good Guy

Chief McGinnis

Bad Guys

Tom Tozzle
Bushy Trott

The Making of a Play

You can probably guess by the title of the book The Clue of the Dancing Puppet, that there may be some special effects needed to make the play work.

Like how do you make a puppet dance?

Weeks before the play even begins to rehearse with actors, the design team gets together for a series of production meetings. The director, and designers (costumes, lights, sets, props) put their heads together about the look of the show.

This show is set in the 1940s in a small town somewhere in America. The setting moves from Carson Drew’s law office in River Heights, to The Van Pelt Estate, home of the Barn Theatre. The designers research the time period and present their ideas for their own area of the show. When there are technical elements that may prove challenging, the design team comes up with solutions.

In this play, there are several puppets that are integral to the plot. First it had to be determined how the puppets would be made. The director had to consider what action the puppets are involved in, before deciding what type of puppet would be appropriate.

We don’t want to give the secret away, so when you see the production watch the puppets carefully. Do you think this is how you would have done it if you were the director?

The Footlighters

The Barn Theatre has its own resident community theatre group. Called The Footlighters, this group performs a variety of plays for a local audience. If you formed your own theatre group what kind of plays would you produce? Do you like musicals, comedies, classic works by William Shakespeare? What would your theatre company be known for? Which job in the theatre would you like to have? Would you be the leading actor? The director? One of the designers? Give your theatre company a name. The Footlighters refers to the theatre lighting that is placed at the edge of the stage.

Circle Stories

Mysteries are fun! And you and your friends can create your own mystery story together. Sit in a circle and designate one person as the starter. Remember that a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The person who begins the story begins to tell and includes the setting of the story (a theme park, another planet, the grocery store) and introduces the characters (who is our detective?). When the starter says “and then...” the person to their right continues the story. It’s tricky to tell a mystery story. Each person will have to listen to the person before them, and contribute something that makes sense. When any storyteller is ready to pass on they say “and then...”

If you like the story you came up with, write it down in outline form on a piece of paper. Now you can act it out! Assign characters. If there is more than one person who wants to play a certain character, just have a different actor play it in each scene. Act out the scenes using improvisation (acting without a script). You will probably have to rehearse it a couple of times before it is “performance ready.” Simple costume pieces and props will make your performance super special.

Don't forget!

All roles in Nancy Drew, Girl Detective are played by San Diego Junior Theatre students. Junior Theatre students (ages 3-18) take classes in all areas of performing arts from highly-qualified teaching artists. Click here for more information about our classes or performing opportunities, or call (619) 239-1311.

Educators!

Did you know that San Diego Junior Theatre offers many programs designed specifically for you? We have Artist-in-Residence programs for Kindergarten through 8th-grade classrooms, as well as Theatre-in-the-Park workshops that link directly to our productions. Call our office at (619) 239-1311 to request a brochure, or ask for ext. 29 for booking information.