Glossary
arranged alphabetically, after the Bible verses
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​First Corinthians 10:13 (New Testament) - "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." First Corinthians comprises a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth, where there is disagreement about certain religious beliefs due to pagan influences.
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John 1:8-9 (New Testament) - "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The Gospel of John affirms Jesus Christ as the Son of God and tells of his disciples, ministry, and resurrection.
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Matthew 5:27 (New Testament) - Luke is citing part of the Gospel called "The Sermon on the Mount," in which Jesus expresses his teachings. "An eye for an eye," love your enemies," The Golden Rule, and The Lord's Prayer are part of the Sermon, along with guidance on lust, divorce, and fasting.
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Matthew 7:15 (New Testatment) - "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. The final chapter of "The Sermon on the Mount."
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Proverbs 1:10 (Old Testament) - "My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them." This is the tenth of ten instructions intended for young men. Proverbs preaches that fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 38 (Old Testament) - one of seven "pentitiental" psalms, this one in which David, who became king of Israel after slaying Goliath, longs for forgiveness:
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LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie. I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak; I have become like one who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.” For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. Many have become my enemies without cause ; those who hate me without reason are numerous. Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. LORD, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.
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7 - the number is indeed the most frequently used in the Bible. Its original representation of completion derives from Genesis and the seven days in which God created humans and the earth.
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Andrew - originally a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming a disciple of Jesus. As described in Matthew 4:18-20, Andrew represents pure trust in Christ: "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him."
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Arsenic and Old Lace, You Can't Take It With You, Midsummer, Our Town, Seussical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown - plays frequently produced by high schools for their tame content (sex in Midsummer notwithstanding) and large casts.
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Arthur Miller lawsuits - Miller and his estate have been aggressive in safeguarding his works, including a lawsuit against The Wooster Group, and he wasn't very happy with the playwright Donald Margulies either. Sheri needed express permission from Miller's estate for Kingdom City, as did The Guthrie Theater when they produced The Stuff of Dreams, dramaturged by youknowwho.
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Cecil B. Jones Artist-in-Residence - there is no such residency or artist of renown by that name. However, many colleges and universities have such programs, like this one at F&M.
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Deuteronomy 15:1-6 - At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
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Dr. Seuss - the writer's children's stories have often been mined for political meaning.
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Drew Barrymore's Cosmo interview - I couldn't find such an interview, but click to see a similar story.
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Father, Son, Holy Spirit - the Christine doctrine of the Trinity, which holds that while there is only one God, he exists in three coeternal manifestations.
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The Gift of the Magi - a 1905 short story by O'Henry in which a couple of limited means go to great lengths to exchange Christmas gifts. The wife sells her hair to buy her husband a watch fob; the husband sells his watch to buy his wife a comb set. Ironically, as the couple acted impulsively, neither gift is useful, but the couple confirm their love. The story's conclusion: "And here I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gits, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi." O'Henry Awards are prestigious prizes given to short stories.
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Goyim - derogatory term used by Jews to describe non-Jews
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Jericho - As told in the Book of Joshua, following the escape from Egypt and Moses's death, Joshua was named leader of the Israelites, instructed by God to conquer Canaan and its people. Jericho was the first city to fall, when its walls miraculously crumbled after Joshua followed God's explicit instructions. Evangelicals interpret the story as necessity for strict obedience to God.
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Jesus Christ Superstar - like you don't know all the words. A 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice following Jesus's last days leading up to his crucifixion. Revived frequently in national tours and on Broadway; produced by NBC in April 2018 to great fanfare.
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Juilliard - The Juilliard School has a reputation for being the most prestigious performing arts school in the country; it's ranked #1 in surveys of global performing arts schools. Their marketing reads: "As an actor, you will develop your capacity to bring body, voice, and spirit together in ways both personal and transformative, while exploring plays that range from the classic texts of Shakespeare and Chekhov to exciting new works, both in the classroom and on the stage." Julliard offers a BFA and an MFA in Acting (both four years long), and competition is fierce. (The school's acceptance rate is 6%; the typical acceptance rate for liberal arts colleges, like F&M, is around 30%.) The directions for the application essay are: "Please write about why you have chosen to become an actor and your personal artistic goals. We encourage you to write frankly and openly about your life, your connection to your art, and how you see your art connecting to the world. Share your passion about people or politics or other art forms or about anything that speaks to you." Annual cost, including tuition, housing and personal expenses, is $63,689. Notable alumni include Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Adam Driver, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Tom Robbins, Michael Urie, and Robin Williams.
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Kristallnacht - the November 9-10, 1938, "Night of Broken Glass," during which Nazi paramilitary, assisted by civilians, plundered or destroyed 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and schools in Germany, Austria, and northwest Czechoslovakia. 91 official fatalities were counted, but the number could be much higher. Following the forty-eight-hour blitz, 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps. The event critically served to move the Third Reich from the enactment antisemitic policies to outright violence. The "broken glass" refers to the shattered windows that littered the streets in the aftermath.
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​The Lamb Who Would Be King - an unusual title for a frequent theme, derived from the sentiment expressed in Revelations 17:14 in which the enemies of Christ "shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Click below to hear an evangelical sermon of the same title from Denver First Church. The play Matt refers to is a passion play produced at Easter. Crystal's joke about The Lamb Who Would Be Dinner is a riff on The Man Who Came to Dinner, another play popular in high schools for its PG comedy and large cast.
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Lancaster College - Westminster College is less than 10 miles south of Kingdom City. Westminster is a small liberal arts college (1,000) students, with an English major and emphasis on Creative Writing: "Creative Writing at Westminster empowers students to discover language that skillfully evokes their experiences and ideas. In Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Playwriting courses, students engage in a writing practice that strengthens their attention to the world, encourages them to make nonlinear associative leaps, and allows them to draw upon knowledge usually buried in memory or the unconscious mind. Creative writers at Westminster challenge themselves to recognize subtle effects of sound, image, tone, and form in a diverse array of published literary works, even as they practice achieving those effects in their own work. Above all, they engage in what Robert Frost calls “play for mortal stakes”—that process of discovering what’s significant through spontaneity, attention, and craft."
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​​Medea, Macbeth, Hedda Gabler, Miss Julie - plays by Euripides (and others), Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, and August Strindberg whose strong (however flawed) female characters give the plays their titles. Crystal's suggestion that "Miss Julie-type shit goes down all the time around here" refers to the plot's ill-fated love affair, between a servant and his employer, and its ending in apparent suicide. Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith, two grande dames of British acting, both played Julie. I believe the reference to "Alexandra Moore's production last year" is invented. At the end of Scene 3, Crystal begins to deliver Julie's most famous, scornful and classist monologue (though in a different translation):
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Merrell boots - popular brand of hiking boots. Click here to see the range of styles and prices.
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​"New York attitude" - a phrase interpreted as anti-Semitic, as demonstrated in a scene from "The West Wing."
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Platt College - no such program exists.
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Pottery Barn desk - possibly bought online, possibly brought from New York; the nearest store location is 100 miles east in St. Louis. Click here to view what Miriam would have shopped for. Note the prices.
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Psychology Today - a magazine published since 1967 with the aim of making psychology accessible to a general audience. Recent articles include "Evil Is Not a Universal Truth," "What Regulates Emotional Health?" and "What Is Trust?"
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Saint Joan - George Bernard Shaw's 1923 play about Joan of Arc, remarkable for its refusal to indict Joan's persecutors, treating them instead as men acting (however wrongfully) in good faith. This is in notable contract to Arthur Miller's treatment of Danforth, Hathorne, and other accusers in The Crucible.
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Sanctuary - a popular hymn in various services and among Christian recording artists.
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Sodom and Gomorrah - two cities reputed for their wickedness, destroyed by God (Genesis 18-19). The phrase is synonymous with places of sin.
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Pieter Segart, The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 1650
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Stanislavsky, Beckett, and Brecht - three major theatre thinkers and practitioners of the 20th century. Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938) was a Russian actor and director, credited with founding a school of natural acting that would dominate 20th-century performance. Irishman Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) was the foremost avant-garde writer of the century, whose hallmark was a dark, often bleak but comic view of human existence. The work of German playwright-director Bertolt Brecht (1989-1956) is marked by its overt leftist political agenda and its rejection of naturalistic stage practices. He, like Arthur Miller, testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he pretended not to speak English well. Unbeknownst to the senators, Brecht testified with his passport in his pocket, and he left the U.S. the next day.
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Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) - prolific American playwright and novelist (among only five writers to have received three Pulitzer Prizes) whose works investigate the connections between every day life and the cosmos. Miriam is joking about the prevalence of Our Town (1938) in the high school repertory while acknowledging his works can be mined more deeply.
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"The one thing I do - Forgetting what is behind, and reaching forward to what is ahead." - Philippians 3:13, a.k.a. The Epistle of Paul to the Phillippians. From the New Testament, in which Paul writes to a friends community to reassure them the friend has recovered from his illness. This section of the epistle largely deals with keeping the faith in the face of great odds.
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"The True Love Waits Guide to Courting, Dating, and Hanging Out" - visit LifeWay Christian Resources for information about "true love waits," and visit the Teaching & Learning Purity page.
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Tom Sawyer - Miriam's reference to Mark Twain's novel is to the title character's success in convincing his friends that painting a fence is a privilege, thereby getting them to do the work on his behalf. Miriam is suggesting Luke similarly fooled Dan into doing his work.
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Winona Ryder's scene with Daniel Day Lewis - the film scene Crystal cites:
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