Meet Our Residents: History’s Successful Failures and Failed Successes

• Can you think of a historical figure who experienced significant failures before achieving success? What lessons can we learn from their journey?
• Do you think failure is a necessary part of success for all historical figures? Why or why not? What can their stories teach us about the balance between effort and outcome?
• Is a professional success worth a personal failing? For example, is it worth being a successful CEO if those working from you don’t make a living wage or if the job makes you an unavailable parent? Are Leni Riefenstahl’s artistic talents worth celebrating if she used those skills to further Hitler’s agenda? 

• Before you saw the production, did you consider any of the historical figures in it failures? After seeing the production do you consider them failures now? What qualities, marketing, labeling of people from history deems them failures? Is hindsight kind to most historical figures because they didn’t have the benefit of knowing how their actions might turn out and affect the world around them?
• If you could offer a pep talk to any of the historical failure figures present in the show, who would you speak to and how might you serve as a mentor or aid of encouragement to them as they dealt with their failures during their moment in history?

Feel free to explore these additional resources on your own to supplement your knowledge for these lessons or share and discuss these sources with your classrooms.

• Failing Before Success in History (Business Insider)
  • Rejection can feel genuinely devastating. But before running away to live a new, anonymous life in a new town to start fresh, consider this: Some of the world's most successful people have failed — sometimes more than once.
• 11 Things Invented or Discovered by Accident (How Stuff Works)
  • Society may hold successful inventors in high esteem, but often their discoveries and inventions were the result of an accident or a twist of fate. This is true of many everyday items, including this list of surprise breakthroughs.
• The Scientific Revolution (Crash Course)
  • Europe in the 17th century was hard to say the least. Wars, plagues and all kinds of unrest. But, there is some good news! Huge advances were underway in the scientific community in Europe at this time and the understanding of how the world works.
• Galileo Galilei: Father of Modern Science (Biographics)
  • Galileo Galilei, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer. Watch this video to learn about the man’s life story and how he pushed failures into successes with thoughtful reflection and exploration.

Download PDF of this Exercise

Subject(s): Social Studies and Theatre

Goals: Students will be able to:

• Synthesize evidence from artifacts and primary and secondary sources to obtain information about events and life in world history;
• Evaluate sources for accuracy, credibility, bias, and propaganda;
• Investigate and research to develop products orally and in writing.
• Define and describe how the Scientific Revolution led to social and technological changes that influenced the European view of the world.
• Explain the roles of resources, capital and entrepreneurship in developing an industrial economy.
• Employ voice, body, and imagination in role playing.
• Demonstrate theatrical direction, including blocking and staging a scene.

Show Connection:

There are several figures from history whose voices and stories serve as inspiration to Failureland!. In this exercise, students will unpack the lives lived by some of the people who inspired the piece. In exploring their lives and the “mistakes that worked”-esque qualities to their work, students will better understand what these figures had to overcome, the work they did and the impact they have had on the world.

Materials: 

• Failed Success / Successful Fails Figure Resources
  • Robert Probst (Cubicles)
  • Anna Jarvis (Mother’s Day)
  • Ethan Zuckerman (Pop Up Ads)
  • John Sylvan (K Cups)
  • Philo Farnsworth (Television)
• Arts and Craft Supplies

Set-Up:

Divide the class into five groups, each group distanced from the others to allow for focused work.

Description:

• As you will see in Failureland!, playwright Dani Stoller takes several historical figures and combines their stories into one wild ride, all in the aid of saving one teenage girl from self-destruction.
• In this exercise, each group will be given information on one of the figures that either appear in the story or influenced the circumstances in the story. They must theatrically stage their assigned person’s life story.
• Each group must dramatically stage their assigned person's life story.
  • The presentation of the life story must engage with the audience / rest of the class.  
  • The piece must be at least two minutes long in performance length. Everyone in the group is present in the piece and “performs” in some capacity.  
  • Performers are allowed to, with consent, touch audience members.
  • Music or sound (amplified or self generated) must be featured in some capacity.
  • In addition to this, a piece of destructible visual art must be created and utilized in the piece as well. (This could be a prop, a costume piece, a consumable, etc.) The piece should be destroyed while the audience is interacting with the piece and ideally, by the audience in some manner.
• Movement and bodies must be active and used in space during the staging of this individual's life story. Groups should not just read through their figure's biography, but look to the biography and articles as guidelines of content to cover, and as inspiration for emotions, movements, sounds, experiences, etc, for this theatrical journey of a piece.
• Groups will present one at a time. Groups are welcome and encouraged to use the entirety of the classroom for this piece and can have the audience start wherever they would like, outside the room inside, etc.
  • Groups should keep in mind that the content of these figures’ lives can and should dictate the form their piece takes. Is a straightforward linear narrative the best way to tell their tale? Is something in the style of a music video or in a series of flashbacks? What will tell their story best? We want to not only learn from these pieces, but we want to be entertained, and most importantly we want to better understand if, and how these people struggled with their success or lack thereof.
• The instructor should share the digital version of their groups’ resources, or physical copies of the articles if preferred. (Each group should only get one of the figures to focus on. Not all five.)
  • Robert Probst (Cubicles)
  • Anna Jarvis (Mother’s Day)
  • Ethan Zuckerman (Pop Up Ads)
  • John Sylvan (K Cups)
  • Philo Farnsworth (Television)
• Student groups are given sufficient time to work on their pieces.
• Present each group's work to the rest of the class, taking time after each presentation for clarifying questions on that figure's life.

Discussion:

• These failed successes / successful failures left their mark on history. What present day figures, leaders and voices do you think are making a difference and leaving an impact with their voices and actions, for better or worse?
• What qualities would you use to describe these figures? Is there one in particular you think made them better able to enact change and strive to create / leave an impact like they did? Would there be a way to leave an impact without that attribute as well?
• What do you hope to leave behind as your impact or legacy on the world? Would there be any negatives to such a legacy? 

Download PDF of this Exercise

Subject(s): Social Studies and Theatre

Goals: Students will be able to:

• Synthesize evidence from artifacts and primary and secondary sources to obtain information about events and life in world history;
• Evaluate sources for accuracy, credibility, bias and propaganda;
• Describe artistic, literary and intellectual ideas of the Renaissance;
• Define and describe how the Scientific Revolution led to social and technological changes that influenced the European view of the world.
• Describe the development of social and cultural patterns in France, with emphasis on the Age of Absolutism, Louis XIV and the Enlightenment period.
• Propose and select alternatives to solve problems while building ensemble.
• Refine physical and vocal techniques for theatre performance.
• Demonstrate theatrical direction, including blocking and staging a scene.
• Understand roles and relationships for theatre production.

Show Connection:

There are quite a few revolutionary figures from history whose voices and stories serve as inspiration to Failureland! In this exercise, students will unpack the lives lived by some of the figures who inspired the piece. In exploring their lives, students will better understand what these heroes had to overcome, the work they did and the impact they have had on the world today.

Materials: 

• Resources for Revolutionary Figures
  • Galileo Galilei
  • Maya Angelou
  • Artemisia Gentileschi
  • Vincent Van Gogh
  • Augusta Savage

Set Up: 

Divide the students into 5 equal groups.

Description: 

• Instruct the students to get together with their preselected group of peers for their work today
• Each group will be assigned one of the following five figures that feature prominently in Failureland!
  • Galileo Galilei
  • Maya Angelou
  • Artemisia Gentileschi
  • Vincent Van Gogh
  • Augusta Savage
• Using digital resources provided, or physical copies of articles for each group's respective figure, each group is given sufficient time to prepare a short three-minute scene(s) that show what sort of revolutionary effect / observation / discovery that figure had.  The scene should also consider how their figure’s work was  interpreted and reacted to by those around them, and what, if any, lasting impact that figure left behind them. This could include their immediate family, loved ones, business partners, etc. These reactions and interpretations also do not have to be strictly positive. (These figures lived a lot of life and the people in their lives may not have always been the most supportive of their work or their lifestyles.)
  • Make an impact by showing us the impact. Play up their contributions and the ways their contributions were received. And great creative! Let the content of their lives dictate the form and format of the scenes. These scenes should help us feel the impact of what these figures brought to the world.
  • As each group explores the research materials, encourage them to not only try to uncover what “discovery” and eye opening work the figure brought to the rest of the world, but what discoveries the figure may have made about themselves, the world and their own place in it. (These may be good discoveries, bad ones, or something else entirely.)
• Instructors should circulate around the classroom as groups are working on their piece, offering guidance on possible staging suggestions, ways to highlight the lives of the historical figures, etc.
• Following the time to prepare, present the pieces one at a time and be prepared to jump in and give corrections, explanations, questions, etc.

Discussion: 

• What types of cultural impacts did these figures have on the world? What impacts did they have on themselves?
• Why are we so quick to dismiss new or revolutionary ideas as failures? How does that kind of societal response affect the potential for progress?
• Some feel that we should paint the most positive version of history possible, often out of respect for the historical figures we’re discussing. Some go to the other extreme, feeling a need to focus history on “exposing” people for their negative attributes.
• How do you feel we should approach talking about real people from history? Why? 

Download PDF of this Exercise

Subject(s): Social Studies, English

Goals: Students will be able to:

• Differentiate between fact and opinion.
• Plan and organize writing to address a specific audience and purpose.
• Investigate and explain the ways individuals and groups exert influence on the national government.

Show Connection:

Living life successfully requires effort and an ability to become “antifragile.” Everyone is capable of contributing to the world with effort and a willingness to develop productive attributes. Through discussing real-life figures featured in Failureland! and real-life figures that the students admire, they will ponder and explore the attributes that they must develop to leave a lasting impact.

Materials: 

• Paper
• Pen or Pencil

Description: 

• This exercise serves better as a follow-up to your field trip seeing Failureland! than as a pre-show experience.
• In Failureland!, Tori has aspirations for college and each person she meets has lived a life full of aspirations. The historical and contemporary figures she meets each have some impact on the world, all born from the pursuit of their own aspirations. Whether the goal is sculpture, literature or fame, each person leaves an imprint that is noticed and remembered.
• Discuss: Think of all of the people Tori met in the play. What are some of the causes or creations they made? What were the creations, causes or stories you knew before you saw the show? Which causes, creations or stories that these figures created matter most to you? Which matters least to you? Why would they have mattered to those figures in their time?
• On a sheet of paper, have students list three people alive today that they think will be influential on future generations.
• Once they’ve written down their names, invite them to interrogate their initial responses: Why did you choose these people? Be specific! (Students may write, draw or list out their reasoning however they see fit.)
• Circle back with the students to touch base regarding their choices. What drew you to select this person? What about them and the work they do and what they stand for makes you believe they will be impactful for future generations? What makes you think they will be successful? (Or if not successful, how will their failure leave an impact for future people to reflect on?)
• Send the students back to their papers. Students should now select two positive qualities they feel that all of these individuals possess and then write three paragraphs on the following:
  • How do you see these qualities show up in how they navigate through the world?
  • What difficult circumstances or work have these people had to work through or with to make positive contributions to the world? How did the identified qualities help them with that work/
  • Why do you personally admire these qualities? What would developing those qualities in yourself require of you?

Discussion:

• What qualities do you possess, big or small, that you think will be impactful not only on you and the life you live, but on those that are a part of your communities?
• What qualities would you like to possess to have a bigger and more positive impact on your communities and the goals you have? What do you think the roadmap to developing those attributes may be? How will these qualities help you better navigate failure and success?
• How can you foster growth and development in a quality you feel you might not possess at the moment?