Table Of Content

STAGE Christmas in Prague 1 Joyce Hannam Introduction The story Jan and Carol Vlach live in Oxford, where Jan teaches Czech at the university. They live with Jan’s father, Josef, who is sixty-eight. Jan and Josef came to England from Czechoslovakia in 1957, when Jan was a baby, and Josef has never gone back. One day, in 1995, Carol, who is a harpist, receives an invitation to Background to the story play in a concert in Prague that Christmas. She would The story is concerned with Europe before and after like to go, and persuades Jan and Josef to go with her. the fall of the Iron Curtain, which separated eastern Carol arrives in Prague before Jan and Josef. One and western Europe until the early 1990s. Josef and day, after rehearsal she goes shopping in the old town his wife have to choose between staying in Prague, – she wants to buy some Christmas presents. Walking fighting for democracy within their country, at the cost back to her hotel, she sees Jan across the street. She of almost certain arrest and imprisonment, or making shouts to him, but he doesn’t react. She runs across a highly dangerous escape. The escape from the street to him, but is knocked down by a bus. Czechoslovakia into Austria, and eventually to England, The next morning the orchestra discover that Carol mirrors similar exiles by families and individuals from is in hospital. They phone Jan and Josef who all the Eastern countries – and many of the people immediately make plans to fly out to Prague early. The exiled in this way have only recently been able to conductor of the orchestra visits Carol in hospital and return to the countries of their birth. Note that Jan and tells her this, but she can’t understand. Jan is already Josef escaped from Czechoslovakia, as the country in Prague – she saw him yesterday. Shortly after the was called at the time. The country has now been conductor’s visit, another man comes to visit her in divided into the Czech and Slovak Republics. Prague, the hospital. It is Pavel Brychta, the man Carol saw in which was once the capital of Czechoslovakia, is now the street – he feels that in some way he caused the the capital of the Czech Republic. accident and wants to see how she is. Again, Carol can’t understand – he looks exactly like Jan. As Pavel Discussion points leaves her room, he meets Jan and Josef, who have 1 Josef is an exile who hasn’t seen his home town just arrived in Prague. Josef brings both men into her for nearly forty years. Can you think of other exiles room – he thinks he has the explanation. – either famous ones or known personally to you? Pavel is Jan’s twin brother. Jan and Josef escaped 2 Do you know other examples of twins who were from Czechoslovakia at Christmas 1957, crossing the separated and then meet again after many years? border in the snow – he and his wife were wanted by the police. The next night, Josef’s wife tried to cross with Pavel, but was shot and killed by border guards. Josef was told that both his wife and Pavel had been killed, but Pavel was safe and had been brought up by his grandmother. There is a happy reunion in the hospital. Carol recovers to play her harp at the concert, which is attended by Jan, Josef and Pavel, her new brother-in-law. © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS STAGE Christmas in Prague 1 Pre-reading activity Match the words with the pictures 1 4 7 2 8 3 5 9 6 a The border guards watch day and night. f There was a sudden noise and somebody b Jan’s father came slowly into the room. shouted. c ‘We must play well.’ g ‘Who are you?’ d ‘I must find something this afternoon.’ h He saw Pavel and stopped suddenly. e ‘Jan! Jan! It’s me, Carol!’ i ‘Leave, before the Russians get you.’ To the teacher Aim:To familiarize students with the story and its When the students have completed this task, check setting the answers with them. Then ask them for ideas Time:5–10 minutes about the content of the story. Do not concentrate Organization:Give one copy of the worksheet to on getting the correct answers: the important thing each student or each group of students. Ask the here is for students to develop ideas which they can students to match the words with the appropriate check when they read. picture. Key:1c, 2a, 3b, 4i, 5h, 6d, 7g, 8e, 9f. PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS STAGE Christmas in Prague 1 While reading activity Spot the mistakes Read this summary of the story (Chapters 1–3) and correct the mistakes. Jan and Carol live in Cambridge with Jan’s wants to look at the beautiful old houses. At father Josef. Jan is a student at the university midnight, she leaves the old town and walks and Carol plays the piano in an orchestra. One back to her hotel. Suddenly she sees a man day Carol gets a letter. It asks her to play in across the street. It is Josef! She shouts to him. some concerts in Prague at Christmas. She asks He looks at her, and then starts to run away. Jan and Josef to go with her but they don’t Carol runs across the street after him, but falls want to. on the snow. Carol arrives in Prague for the first The next afternoon, Carol is not at the rehearsal. It begins at two o’clock. After the rehearsal . . . rehearsal Carol goes to the old town. She Now write your summary of Chapter 4. Include five mistakes. When you have written it, give it to somebody to correct. To the teacher Where:At the end of Chapter 4 spread over two. For the first part, the students read Aim:To help with summarizing and revision of the summary (which summarizes the story up to the reading end of Chapter 3) and correct the mistakes they find. Time:20–30 minutes In the second part they write their own summaries of Organization:You will need a photocopy of this Chapter 4 with deliberate mistakes included. In the worksheet for each student. The activity is in three third part they read one another’s summaries and parts which can take place in one lesson or be find and correct the deliberate mistakes. © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE STAGE Christmas in Prague 1 After reading activity Character sketches Age: Sixty-eight Place of birth: Prague Age: ...................... .................... ............... Job: Retired Place of birth: ............................................................................ .............................. Favourite food: Potato soup Job: ......................................... ....................................................... Favourite drink: ........................................ JOSEF CAROL Two important things he says: Favourite food: ............................................. 1 ....................................................................................................... Favourite drink: ........................................... 2 ....................................................................................................... Two important things she says: What he is going to do after the story ends: 1 ........................................................................... ......................................................................................................... 2 ........................................................................... What she is going to do after the story ends: Age: ............... Place of birth: ...................... ................................................................................. Job: ........................................................................... ................................................................................. Favourite food: ................................................ Favourite drink: JAN ................................................ Two important things he says: 1 Age: ...................................................................................................... ............... 2 Place of birth: ...................................................................................................... .............................. What he is going to do after the story ends: Job: ............................................................ GIORGIO ...................................................................................................... RINALDI Favourite food: ............................................. Favourite drink: ........................................... Two important things he says: Age: Place of birth: ............... ...................... 1 Job: ........................................................................... ........................................................................... 2 Favourite food: ........................................................................... ................................................ Favourite drink: PAVEL What he is going to do after ................................................ Two important things he says: the story ends: 1 ...................................................................................................... ................................................................................. 2 ...................................................................................................... ................................................................................. What he is going to do after the story ends: ...................................................................................................... To the teacher Aim:To focus students’ attention back on to some of students a copy of the worksheet. Ask them to fill in the characters the information for each character. Some of the Time:15–20 minutes information will come from the story, but some will Organization:Give each student or group of have to be filled in by the students’ imagination. PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS