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Wiley and the Hairy Man

Study Guide created for the CSU Bakersfield Theatre for Young Audiences Tour

By Kamala Kruszka

What’s Lurking in the Swamp?

Wiley must go out into the CSUB Theatre for Young
swamp to build a hound Audiences Tour 2007
house for that dog of his. But
he’s sure the Hairy Man is Opening March 10th
lurking nearby, and would The Arena Theatre
rather stay in bed instead.
Mammy won’t put up with Caption describing picture or graphic. Special points of interest:
that, though, and as the “best
conjure woman in the whole  Don’t miss the great design activities
southwest county” she hopes inside where students create swamps
to arm Wiley with charms and costumes!
and chants to keep him safe.
Of course, the Hairy Man  Where is the Hairy Man from? Find
can’t stand no dogs either, out in our background article.
but that won’t help Wiley. To
get rid of the Hairy Man  How does the Chorus create all the
forever, Wiley must out- scenes in the play? Experiment with
smart him three times, and to the class on using bodies to create
do that Wiley must trick him objects.
on his own.
 Create your own chants and charms
Adapted from the traditional to do the housework in post-show
southern folktale, Wiley is activities!
able to overcome the
terrible Hairy Man and Inside this issue:
realize that he has the power
in himself to face whatever Background
fears may haunt him.

2

Written by Suzan Zeder, this 2
rhyming play is sure to be a
big hit with children age five Cast List
and up.

The Themes of the Play Pre–Show Activities and 3
Discussions 3
Feeling powerless to fear can Wiley and the Hairy Man has its uses his unique abilities to finally Post-Show Discussions 4
make even the bravest soul think hero face his fears showing the trick the Hairy Man and banish 5
twice about themselves. Many viewer that we all have the him forever. Post-Show Activities 6
young people have to overcome power to out-smart and Young people need to know that
the feeling of fear, especially overcome our fears, and even they have the power within Swamp Coloring Page
irrational fears, if they are going laugh at them in the end. themselves to overcome all sorts
to become independent, healthy The ability to play at one’s of difficulties. With the help of Wiley Word Find
individuals. Whether it’s the fear strengths is also a major theme wise adults and loyal friends,
of the dark, or the “monster of the play. Wiley overcomes they will find their way and
under the bed”, or even of the Hairy Man, not because of grow to know and love
failure, fear can keep us from what his Mammy does, or that his themselves more.
growing into our potential. dog can protect him, but that he

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Wiley and the Hairy Man

About the Origins of the Story

Wiley and the Hairy Man traces its to state, “I wanted to write a play
origins to the American South.
Long held as an oral tradition, about kinds of fears that children
during the Federal Writers Project
of the New Deal Era, it was finally face, alone in the dark. I wanted to
captured in text form by Donnell
Van de Voort. The story was write a play about magic—good
originally set in the Alabama
Swamps, but according to magic and bad—and, most
playwright Suzan Zeder it can
happen, “anywhere there are importantly, the magic that all of us
swamps, and magic, and small
frightened boys.” have somewhere deep inside us.”
In Zeder’s version she has changed
the ending and has “written a play Published in 1972, Wiley and the
about a small boy with a big fear
who learns to overcome his own Hairy Man has been performed
problems himself. “ Zeder goes on
extensively throughout the world.

Zeder, long considered a major

playwright for young audiences is

also the author of Step on A Crack,

The swamp where Wiley lives

Doors, Mother Hicks, and In a Room

Somewhere. All her plays are

characterized by their sensitivity to
them with the artistic respect they

the particular perspective a child
deserve.

has within our world, and treats

The Cast “Stampin’ stompin; coming
through the trees, shuffling’
The cast of our show is made up entirely of Wiley Jake J. Facile through the swamp grass,
students at CSUB. Coming from various Mammy Teresa Landgon blowing in the breeze, bounding
majors and backgrounds, our actors all Dog Katherine Cruz pounding fast as he can. What
have in common the desire to work with Hairy Man Fabian Euresti did Wiley see? He saw the
young audiences. They rehearsed the Sprite Courtney Sherman Hairy Man!”
show for the Winter Quarter on Tuesday Sprite Anita Sandoval
and Thursday mornings. On tour, they will
perform at over ten schools, the Beale
Library and for the students at CSUB. They
are definitely a fine, dedicated cast of
actors.

Director’s Notes:
What To Look for in Our Production

In 1993, one of my first professional
pretending to be is very much the art

shows was in a regional tour of Wiley that the child practices on a daily basis.

and the Hairy Man, for Childsplay, Capturing this environment required

Arizona’s professional theatre for young a set designed to appear playful and yet

audiences. Since that tour, I have always
part of the swamp. Student designer

wanted to mount the show again. There may be an alligator or two
hidden on the set
Tiffany Pounds has done just that,
playful nature of the play, as well as its
What I think is unique to this more suspenseful moments. After all,
creating a set that is both a who doesn’t like to watch a scary movie
now and again, if only to shriek and then
production is the use of the chorus as laugh knowing that you and your heroes
playground—complete with slide, are all right.

environmental elements in the show. teeter-totter and rope climb– with the Director—Kamala Kruszka

They become everything . . .sticker realistic backdrop of the murky swamp

bushes, alligators, stumps, and even the
and the added foliage onstage to create

spooky sounds that the swamp makes. It
texture.

is this use of the actor that I find so
Costumes, designed by Roger Upton,

engaging for the young viewer. To see
capture the rural feel with overalls,

an actor transform physically and pinafores and lots of calico. We hope

vocally into whatever they are that our vision of Wiley takes you into the

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CSUB Theatre for Young Audiences Tour 2007

Discussions for Before the Show

sayings people say to each other
 In our play, Wiley has to go into

the swamp to build a hound that are meant to extend good

house for his dog. Because it is a luck.

muddy place, Wiley has to be

aware of pricker bushes and  In our play there is a chorus.

quicksand, not to mention The chorus is there to act as a

alligators. When we go walking sort of narrator, setting up the

in our countryside, what animals scene and giving the audience

and plants do we need to be more details. What other plays

aware of? or stories do you know that have

a narrator?

 Wiley and Mammy use rhyming

chants to help them keep safe  The Hairy Man is a type of

from the Hairy Man. In the “boogey man” or monster. Can
theatre actors tell each other to  The Hairy Man has hairy feet,
“break a leg” as a way of
wishing good luck before doing you think of other stories about
a show. Can you think of any
hairy eyeballs and spits sparks!

monsters? How do the heroes

What do you think he will look

overcome the monsters and win

like in the play?

in the end?

Pre-Show Activities

Swamp Settings Chorus Convention Poetic Chorus
In this guide is a coloring sheet all On page 2 of the guide is a quote
about animals that make their homes In our production the chorus from the play that introduces the
in wetlands and swamps. Have Hairy Man (stampin’ stompin’ etc.)
students pretend they are the set transforms into scenery. Break the Copy this on the board and have the
designer for our play. Have them class break into groups of four.
draw a backdrop that includes some class into groups of three or four and Allow each group to decide upon
of these animals. What colors might the way to dramatize this piece of
seem more “swampy’? What kinds see if they can make the following dialogue to create the very scary
of trees and plants can be included Hairy Man entrance. Encourage
to create the shadowy wet world of things using their bodies: students to use their bodies and
the swamp? (TA 2,5) voices to bring the text to life.
pit of quicksand pricker bush (TA 1,2)

tree stumps fireplace

tables and chairs

This will give students a good idea

of what the chorus will be doing.

(TA 2)

Discussions for After the Show

would look. How did our Hairy

 Why was Wiley so scared of the  Mammy gives Wiley a lot of help
in the play, but mostly encour-
Man look? Was he different ages him to learn to take care of
himself. What things do our par-
Hairy Man? How did tricking the ents do to help us become more
independent? What things do
from what you expected? What they teach us that help us when
they are not around? (TA 4)
Hairy Man help Wiley to over

would you have changed in his

come his fears? Are there things

costume to make him look more

we are afraid of that we can try

to overcome? What might we do like your image? (TA 4)

the next time we are scared?

 The play is written in rhyme so

(TA 4) at times the chants and spells

can sound almost like songs.

 Before you saw the show you

Which spells do you remember

may have had a picture in your

most? (TA 1, 4)

mind of how the Hairy Man

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Wiley and the Hairy Man

Activities for After the Show

What Ever Happened To? Chant-o-rama
Pretend you can make up a chant
Monster Party to make the clothes on the floor go
into the closet, or to make your
What happened to Wiley’s pappy? bed. How might that chant go?
Now that you have encountered our Have the group think of a rhyming
chant or spell they could use for
See if the class can come up with an any household task from washing
monster, see if you can create one the dishes to mowing the lawn.
Maybe, “Grass, grass do not grow.
original scenario and dialogue Machine over there, start to mow!”
specific to Kern County. Where (TA 2, 5)

about the day that Pappy Hound Dog Helpers
might it live? What might it eat? Playing the hound dog is perhaps
the most fun part in our play.
disappeared by Tombigbee River. Break the class into pairs and
What animals would it be able to create scenes of Wiley playing
with Hound Dog. When is he ready
Preparing the text as a script will to play, when would he rather
change into? Allow students to sleep? How does this hound bark
and chase the Hairy Man? (TA 2)
give students the opportunity to
become their monsters through

become playwrights and extend the
voice and movement. Maybe you

themes of the play. (TA 2)

could have a monster party where

they all meet and get to know each

other. The dramatic possibilities are

endless. (TA 2)

Map to the Center of the Swamp Monsters from other Lands
Wiley has to go into the swamp, but In many folktales there are
there are places to avoid. See if the monsters that are overcome.
group can draw a map for Wiley that Ireland and England have stories
shows the way from his house to the about giants, Germany trolls, and
tree he must cut down to build dog’s China has stories about dragons.
hound house. Remember to include Mexico has stories about La
the sticker bushes, quicksand, Llorona. All monster stories have
snakes, bats and alligators. Include the common thread that they are
a compass so we can tell which eventually overcome by someone
elements are North, South, East and else. Have students write an
West. Finally, see if you can include original monster tale based upon a
a distance measurement that shows cultural monster from a different
how many feet per inch are shown land. How is this monster similar to
on the map. (TA 5) the Hairy Man and how is it
different? (TA 3)

Sources used in this Study Guide

Pearson-Davis, Susan, ed. Wish in One Hand and Spit in the Other: A collection of plays by Suzan Zeder. New
Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1990.
Jennings, Coleman. Theatre for Young Audiences. New York: St. Martins Press, 1998.
Van de Voot, Donnell, “Wiley and the Hairy Man.” A Treasury of American Folklore. Ed. B. A. Bodkin. New York:
Crown Publishers, 1944.
The Young Scientists Introduction to Wetlands, US Army Corps of Engineers, 1999.

Complete packet found at http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/wetlands.ysi.html.

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CSUB Theatre for Young Audiences Tour 2007

Wetland Animals

Wetlands serve as nurseries for
fishes. Many birds, especially
waterfowl, build nests and raise their
young in wetlands. Migratory birds
depend on food from the wetlands,
that lie on the way of their route, and
in the south, many birds winter in the
wetlands. Amphibians and reptiles
make wetlands their homes.
Salamanders, frogs and toads, turtles,
alligators and snakes live in
wetlands. Insects and spiders,
butterflies and moths, along with
mammals from the tiny mouse to the
ferocious bobcat or gigantic moose—
all these creatures are supported by
the different wetlands. Here is a list
of the animals shown above: alligator,
bobcat, spotted turtle, moose, frog,
dragonfly, beaver, muskrat, duck,
eagle, sandpiper, bass. Can you find
them?

CSUB Theatre for Young Audiences Tour 2007

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