Check out this amazing Dramaturgy work by Pat Young for the 2023 Dad’s Garage Production of Wicket.
Protip for you super nerds out there, and you know who you are. The PDF download contains additional annotations from the script/book for the show. Nerds!
Creating Wicket
The original mock-up for Wicket.
CREATING WICKET
It all started with a misunderstanding.
“The story behind the story, like that musical Wicked.”
“Are the actors people of short stature, or do they cast height-blind?” asked Travis Sharp.
“Wicked, like the Wicked Witch of the West.”
Of course, as someone that has had their brain “calibrated to Star Wars”
since the movie came out, Sharp heard “Wicket.”
And very slowly, an idea began to grow. A mock poster was shared on social media, garnering likes and retweets. It could have just ended there. But for Sharp, the idea kept growing. “What was the story behind the story? What
were the Ewoks up to?” Sharp pitched his idea to his home, Dad’s Garage
Theatre Company in 2012. They rejected his premise for four straight
years. He eventually made a demo tape and pitched it one more time in
2016. This time, the green light was given with just a couple of notes from Artistic Director Kevin Gilese: “Finish the script, and find an attorney.”
Since the script was based on intellectual property, it needed to have some kind of criticism or social commentary to be considered “fair use.” This is mainly where the script’s themes come into play: Lucas’ monopoly on the franchise, the lack of gender and race diversity in his films, and turning the franchise into a giant toy-making machine. And luckily, they got a lawyer to agree with them.
Sharp ended up meeting his friend (the one from the miscommunication conversation earlier) in Atlanta for some hot wings and trivia. There, he met Haddon Kime, who was living in Candler Park at the time. The conversation went as follows:
Kime: What do you do?
Sharp: I write musicals.
Kime: I write musicals too.
Sharp: Um … do you want to write a musical with me? Kime: Sure.
And there you have it. The two would have weekly meetings; Sharp focusing on the book, Kime on music, with the two sharing lyric writing duties. For Kime, it was his first time writing a musical with a collaborator who works primarily in improv comedy, even stating that “some of the best ‘yes, and’ experiences have been with Travis.”
Wicket first premiered at Dad’s Garage in September 2017, and was the best-selling show in the theatre’s history. The show would be performed 18 months later at Performing Arts San Antonio…and was also the best-selling show in the theatre’s history. Four productions were scheduled in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live theatre for roughly two years. Eventually, Dramatically Incorrect Theatre Group and Dance Company in Lowell, Massachusetts would mount a production of Wicket, opening October 2022.
Wicked v. Wicket
WICKED vs. WICKET
WICKED: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a musical about the…witches of Oz. It is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of West), which itself is based on a series of books by L. Frank Baum. Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003, and is the second highest grossing musical of all time behind The Lion King. The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz, and the book by Winnie Holzman.
Wicked tells the tale of Elphaba, and how she eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. The first act shows Elphaba and Galinda (the Good Witch) at Shiz University. We learn that someone (the Wizard) is working to discriminate and suppress the animals in Oz. Despite being labeled as “wicked,” Elphaba has a chance to make amends, but decides against it, realizing that “she needs to do what’s right for her.”
Both Wicket and Wicked are stories taken from an existing work, but told from a different perspective, and with some creative liberties. In fact, the character Logray makes mention of this at the end of Act I in Wicket, when he sings, “Under your stupid spell to retell and resell a story we already knew, just from a different point of view? Busted!” In the two musicals, we see Wicket and Elphaba feel constrained, yearning to live a life where rules are not set for them. Elphaba sings about her desires at the end of Act I with “Defying Gravity,” the musical’s signature song. Wicket also talks about The Rules, and soon eventually realizes it’s in his (and the tribe’s) best interest to break them. And it should be noted that even the titles are similarly composed.
We also see a connection between the Wizard and the Emperor. Both demonstrate a desire to control what is around them. The Wizard uses a propaganda campaign to convince the citizens of Oz that animals are better off being silenced, in addition to “cheap parlor tricks,” whereas the Emperor wants to create a profitable line of toys out of the Ewoks. It’s also interesting to note that both have guards at their beck and caw, though answering which ones are more competent is up for debate.
While we see similar traits in mirroring characters, the musicals
themselves are vastly different. It’s witches vs. teddy bears, wizards vs. emperors, corrupt governments vs. founder’s syndrome. One character sings about unrequited love, and another sings while taking a massive poop.
Wicket, while showing some similarities to Wicked, is first and foremost a Star Wars parody, and should be treated as such.
For more information, visit:
George Lucas Creates Star Wars
GEORGE LUCAS CREATES STAR WARS
GEORGE WALTON LUCAS JR. was born May 14th, 1944. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in film in 1967. Lucas was drafted by the Army to fight in the Vietnam War, but was exempt when he tested for diabetes.
Lucas cofounded a studio with Francis Ford Coppola in 1969, calling it American Zoetrope. Together they produced Lucas’ first film THX 1138, though it flopped at the box office. Lucas then created his own studios with Lucasfilms, Ltd.
and directed American Graffiti.
As Graffiti was being produced, Lucas started pitching his next film to studios, a space opera based on Akira Kurosawa films and spaghetti westerns called Star Wars. All but one studio turned it down, that one being 20th Century Fox. The success of Graffiti allowed Lucas leverage during contract negotiations with Fox. Instead of asking for more money or a greater percentage of profits, Lucas instead asked for two things: the rights to any sequels, and the rights to any merchandise.
Star Wars1When the film was released it 1977, it was titled Star Wars. It wasn’t until the film’s re-release in 1981 that the title was retroactively changed to include the subtitle A New Hope. was released in May 25, 1977 and soon became the highest grossing film of all time. Lucas immediately began work on the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. He worked with Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan on the screenplay, but ultimately left directorial duties with Irwin Kushner so that he could focus on expanding a special effects company called Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). Empire would go to become the highest grossing film of 1980. Kasdan and Lucas also wrote the screenplay for the third movie in the series, Return of the Jedi, with Richard Marquand directing. The film was released in 1983, and became the highest grossing film of the year. All three films have been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.
One scene added to A New Hope was Han Solo meeting Jabba the Hutt. The scene generally does not add anything to plot, and slows down the pace of the film.
In 1997, A New Hope was re-released in theatres to mark the 20th anniversary or the film’s original release. However, Lucas altered the film to reflect how he originally saw the film being made, most due to “limitations in time, budget, and technology.” Special effects were added, additional scenes were inserted, and certain moments were altered entirely. To quote Douglas Adams, “this had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”
The changes are (for the most part) universally despised and offensive. In fact, Lucas’ name is often used as a verb to mean “retroactively change a film or tv series.” Lucas himself has stated that he won’t release the first versions of the films stating, “[the original movie] doesn’t really exist anymore. … I’m sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be.” Lucas would continue to make modifications and restorations to additional releases, including DVD in 2004, Blu-Ray in 2011, and 4K in 2019.
Lucas announced in 1993 that work on a prequel trilogy would begin, a three-movie arc that would explore Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side and his eventually transformation in Darth Vader. The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, and was the highest grossing film of the year. Fans and critics enjoyed the film from a visual effect aspect, but were unimpressed by the exposition and characters2*cough cough* JAR-JAR BINKS *cough cough*. The other two movies in the trilogy, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, were released in 2002 and 2005 respectively. The films suffered the same fate as The Phantom Menace…high grossing, visually appealing, but poor dialogue and storytelling. Lucas wrote and directed all three films.
In 2012, Disney would acquire Lucasfilm for over $4 billion. Shortly before the acquisition was finalized, a sequel trilogy was announced, though Lucas would serve a much smaller role, only acting as a creative consultant. The films are The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
Together, the three Star Wars trilogy films have made over $10 billion in box office sales, and that does not include other Star Wars based films, like Rogue One or Solo. Merchandising, on the other hand, has made over $40 billion. Before the release of Star Wars in 1977, toys were not tied to movie releases. A small toy company based in Ohio called Kenner obtained the rights to produce Star Wars toys the year of the film’s release, but the company was drastically unprepared for the demand generated by the film. This is mainly because of Lucas himself, due to his “unwillingness to provide character and vehicle designs for fear his creations would be plagiarized by film and television.” In order to meet demand, Kenner initially released what they called “picture based” toys, like puzzles and coloring books. The company then released an “early bird certificate” that promised action figures later in the future. Nearly a year after the film’s release, the figures were made available. Sales from merchandising on the first Star Wars film account to over $100 million.
In the original contract, Lucas got 2.5% of all royalties, while Kenner got 95% (the
remaining 2.5% went to Fox). Years after the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983, Star Wars merchandise slowed down and sales plummeted, and Kenner eventually stopped making Star Wars toys. Hasbro purchased Kenner in 1991, but the toy rights contract with Lucas expired shortly after. Lucas announced production on the prequels in 1993, and then renegotiated his share with Hasbro, increasing it from 2.5% to 18%.
Over the years, George Lucas has made billions of dollars from the Star Wars franchise. In reality, the billions made from this franchise are merely a byproduct to Lucas’ main goal: control. The deal Lucas struck with 20th Century Fox allowed him to maintain complete control over his vision without studio interference. It allowed him free reign as a filmmaker to do what he thought was best for his films. Ironically, Lucas stated that his rise from independent to corporate filmmaker mirrored that of Anakin Skywalker, who would eventually become Darth Vader.
Lucas is currently semi-retired, only providing insight to writers and directors on other Star Wars related projects.
Ewoks and Endor
EWOKS AND ENDOR
When Lucas began production on Return of the Jedi, he wanted a civilization based in stone-age culture to fight the technologically adept Empire. He originally wanted them to be Wookies, but that wouldn’t make sense because Chewbacca is a highly capable co-pilot of the Millenium Falcon. So he created Ewoks3The word “ewok” is never spoken or referenced in Return of the Jedi, nor are any of the names of the Ewoks., which is a slight anagram of Wookie. It also rhymes with Miwok, a Native American tribe near the Redwood Forest in California, which is where the scenes for Return of the Jedi were filmed. He also based their appearance on a Griffon Bruxllois (Brew-sell-wah), a dog breed that Lucas owned at the time.
Ewoks are small, furry creatures about three feet tall. Almost all of the Ewoks’ fur are earth tones, Their language (Ewokese) is an amalgamation of Kalmyk (Mongolian), Tagalog, and Nepalese. They live in Bright Tree Village, with Chirpa serving as their chieftain. The village is comprised of thatched huts amongst the trees and above the forest floor, with wooden walkways connecting the homes. Their fighting style reflects that of the Viet Cong, using unconventional methods during battle to attack their enemies, often setting traps and ambushes. Ewoks are a carnivorous species, and consider humanoid flesh to be a delicacy.
The homeworld for Wicket and the Ewoks is Endor, which has been cause for confusion. It’s often described as “the forest moon of Endor.” The phrase can mean “a forest moon NAMED Endor” “and/or “a forest moon OF THE PLANET Endor.” Endor is itself a moon with forests, and it is located in the Endor system. The Endor system also has two suns, Endor Prime I and Endor Prime II. The planet that Endor orbits is also Endor though the Ewoks call it Tana, which is their word for host planet.4That should clear everything up.
The plot of Return of the Jedi centers around Endor, as the Empire has begun construction on a second Death Star (the first one was destroyed by Luke in A New Hope). The Empire uses Endor as a base of operations, building a shield generator on the moon to protect their giant space weapon.
Ewoks were a point of contention amongst fans and critics alike when Return of the Jedi was released. While Lucas had his reasons for putting them in the movie, many believed that Ewoks were placed in the film to help sell merchandise and attract a younger audience.
The Ewoks also starred in two made for TV movies, Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor, released in 1984 and 1985. They also had they’re own animated series, Ewoks, which ran for two seasons in 1985 and 1986. Fans site these adaptations as supporting evidence that the Ewoks were created just to appeal to children.
Wicket
WICKET
WICKET WYSTERI WARRICK is the first Ewok to appear on screen in Return of the Jedi. Wicket is the most well-known Ewok, like how Chewbacca is the most well-known Wookie. He was portrayed by Warwick Davis in Return of the Jedi, and briefly again in The Rise of Skywalker. Wicket also appeared in the two made for TV movies, Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor, as well as the animated series Ewoks.
According to Wookiepeedia, Wicket is the “The great-grandson of Erpham Warrick, Wicket was the third son of Deej and Shodu Warrick, following Weechee and Willy, and was the older brother of Winda.” 
Wicket is an incredibly inquisitive and curious Ewok. He serves two roles in Bright Tree Village; first as a scout, and also a warrior.
In pop culture, Wicket is not portrayed as much as the other main characters. Usually, Ewoks are all lumped together, rather than singling out just one. That being said, Wicket is portrayed in the Family Guy episode “It’s a Trap!” by Tim the Bear, a character which is actually from one of Seth McFarlane’s other animated shows, The Cleveland Show. As the episode notes, they “started to run out of their own characters.”
For more information, visit:
The Emperor
THE EMPEROR
EMPEROR PALPATINE is one of the antagonists in the Star Wars films. He first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, and presumably died6 in Return of the Jedi. He has been portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in all live action Star Wars films. He is the leader of the Empire, and answers to no one, and is the most powerful Sith lord in the galaxy.
The prequel trilogy explores the Emperor’s rise to power. He is introduced as Senator Palpatine, though we eventually learn that he leads a double life as Darth Sidious. Through democratic backsliding, he orchestrates the Clone Wars, effectively ends the Jedi Order, and instates himself as the Emperor of the First Galactic Empire.
Other series that feature the Emperor include Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Rebels, and Obi- Wan Kenobi.
While Darth Vader is a more well-known villain, the Emperor is by far more evil. He is obsessed with power, and will sacrifice anyone that stands in his way. He uses people as pawns to get what he wants, which is especially evident through his corruption of Anakin Skywalker.
Emperor Palpatine has appeared in pop culture in many ways. In fact, the concept of the Emperor has become so embedded in society that anyone with a black robe and a hood that partially covers their face is immediately associated with the Emperor and evil.
Here are some of the character’s appearances in pop culture:
- Dwight Schrute from The Office dressed as the Emperor for Halloween. However, during the course of the episode, Schrute (unknowingly) takes on the Emperor persona and speaks to his boss Michael like a Sith Lord.
- A Muppet meme shows Kermit speaking with the “evil version” of himself.
- In Family Guy’s Star Wars parody, he is portrayed by Lois Griffin’s father Carter Pewterschmidt.
For more information, visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpatine
The Entire Emperor Palpatine Storyline Explained
Princess Leia Organa
PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA
PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA is one of the main characters in the Star Wars franchise. She is the child of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala (revealed in Revenge of the Sith), and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. She goes from a princess in A New Hope, to a Rebel leader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and eventually the general of the Resistance in the sequel trilogy. Her home planet of Alderaan is destroyed in A New Hope by the Empire’s Death Star. The character has made appearances in numerous other Star Wars based media, including Rogue One, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and several comics and novels.
Leia was portrayed by Carrie Fisher in the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Fisher passed away shortly after filming The Last Jedi. Though she appears in The Rise of Skywalker, her scenes were actually unused footage from The Force Awakens.
Leia’s signature hair style was inspired by a style worn by women in the Hopi tribe circa early 20th century. Lucas stated that he wanted to “create something different that wasn’t fashion.” They’re often referred to as “cinnamon buns.”
The character of Leia has had a tremendous impact on pop culture and society. She’s a feminist hero and “an exemplary personification of female empowerment.” Leia has also been parodied and referenced in numerous television shows and movies. For instance:
- In the Family Guy three episode parody of the entire original trilogy, mother Lois Griffin plays Leia.
- In Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs, Daphne Zuniga plays Princess Vespa, a direct reference to Leia (in this picture, the buns are actually headphones)
- Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons, trying his best.
- In 30 Rock, Liz Lemon pretends to be Princess Leia to get out of jury duty.
For more information on Leia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Leia
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Leia_Skywalker_Organa_Solo
The Other Ewoks
THE OTHER EWOKS
The rest of the Ewoks are an integral part of the plot in Wicket, but there’s far less back story to them compared to Leia or the Emperor (as far as the feature films are concerned). Some of them appear only in Return of the Jedi, and some are only characters in novelizations and the animated series. Any backstories for these characters have been pulled from the novels and animated series. The back stories are not included in the feature films. In fact some of the information links are just summaries of the animated series.
Logray
LOGRAY
LOGRAY is the shaman of Bright Tree village. He appeared in Return of the Jedi, and was portrayed by Mike Edmonds. Logray also appears in Caravan of Courage. In all of his appearances, Logray uses magic to assist his tribe. He is suspicious of all outsiders, especially humans.
Click here for more backstory on Logray.
Kneesaa
KNEESAA
KNEESAA A JARI KINTAKA is a princess in Bright Tree Village, daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. She appeared in the Ewoks animated series, as well as a number of comic books and novelizations. She portrayed as a kind and tender spirit, and was often seen as the voice of reason amongst her friends. She also showed respect to her Elders, even when they did not show trust her as their future Chief. She eventually marries Wicket after the Battle for Endor.
Click here for more information on Kneesaa.
Chirpa
CHIRPA
CHIRPA is the Chief of the Council of Elders in Bright Tree village. He was played by Jane Busby in Return of the Jedi. He also appeared in various novels and comic books. He is described as an “experienced and fair minded ruler.”
Click here for more information on Chirpa.
Teebo
TEEBO
TEEBO is a warrior in Bright Tree village. He was played by Jack Purvis in Return of the Jedi, and the character appears in various novels and comic books. Teebo was at one time an apprentice to Logray, and eventually becomes a shaman by the time the First Order and the Resistance begin their conflict (re: when The Force Awakens begins)
Click here for more information on Teebo.
Shodu
SHODU
SHODU WARRICK is the mother of Wicket. She is a caring, nurturing mother, and very protective of her family. She values consideration for others, even for those outside of the tribe. This is demonstrated in Caravan of Courage, when a young human named Cindel got sick. She was brought into Shodu’s home and given medicine, and helped nurse the young girl back to health. In Caravan of Courage, she was portrayed by Pam Grizz.
Click here for more information on Shodu.
Latara
LATARA
LATARA is a female Ewok, and best friends with Kneessaa. She seeks attention frequently, often acting like a princess herself. She only appeared in the animated series.
Click here for more information on Shodu.
The Other Humans
THE OTHER HUMANS
ENSIGN
An example of an Imperial Science Officer
The ENSIGN is an African-American female science officer. When we look at who they employ across all three trilogies, the Empire hires almost no women OR people of color. In fact, the only person of color that worked for the Empire in the movies
was a stormtrooper with the call letters FN-2187 (though towards the beginning of The Force Awakens, the stormtrooper actually defects to the Resistance and takes the name Finn). The only female in the feature films that worked for the Empire was a high ranking stormtrooper named Captain Phasma, and we don’t even see her face.
Igar
IGAR
IGAR is an Imperial Commander for the Empire in Return of the Jedi. While on Endor, Luke surrenders to him and is brought to Vader. He was portrayed by William Hoyland. There is not much backstory to him, but from the scene he is in, he shown to be adept and competent at his job.
ROADIE-WAN
ROADIE-WAN is a guitar technician, and does not appear in Star Wars lore. Guitar techs are responsible for testing, staging, and replacing equipment for bands.
Roadie-Wan’s name is a play on the name Obi-Wan, one of the more famous Jedis in the Star Wars franchise. When Lucas created Obi-Wan Kenobi, he based him off a character created by Akira Kurosawa. “Obi” in Japanese means “sash,” “ken” translates to “sword”, and “wan” is likely similar to the Japanese honorific “san.”
Roadies usually wear gloves, black t-shirt, shorts, a lanyard, and maybe a hat, though Obi-Wan usually wears a brown or beige robe.
A Note from the Dramaturg
A NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG
When Suehyla said she would be directing Wicket, I jokingly said, “If there was ever a show where I could do the dramaturgy, this would be it.” And she foolishly agreed with me. Doing dramaturgy for a Star Wars related show is like trying to define the human body. It’s a Sisyphean task, where there’s no clear beginning or end. There is so much information available that it can be hard to properly take it all in.
I tried to approach this task as if the reader had never seen a Star Wars film. Now, the idea of someone not having seen a Star Wars film seems improbable. But it’s very real. In fact, a classmate from high school posted on Facebook last month that she watched ANH for the first time. I really tried to define everything in this script. Some of the items to research I already had a base knowledge of (“Pfft, I already knew about the two made for TV movies”), but even as a fan of the franchise, there were some terms in this script that I had never heard of before (“…the fuck is a geejaw?”). If you can read this script and know every single reference, then friend, you’re a bigger nerd than I.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the Star Wars universe. I had a blast compiling this together, and adding my own humor to the mix. If I got something wrong, please don’t throw Ewok pellets at me. As I said, this is my first dramaturgical packet, so please, go easy on this padawan.
May the Force be With You, – Pat Young
