This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, adapted by Warren Frost and dramatized for the Kennedy Center by Nick Olcott. It is in the form of a Director's Notebook--a scrapbook/journal of clippings, memos, lists, illustrations, notes, and other items--to show students how a director finds and develops ideas to make a playwright's script come to life on stage. The "Cuesheet" contains 10 sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) Locale and Origin of "The Pearl" (looking at the original folktale heard in Baja, California); (2) The Story and Characters of the Play; (3) Important Dialogue (with important lines from the play for discussion); (4) Social Background and Resources (looking at social and power relationships in the story, and listing resources for further exploration); (5) Design Problems To Solve (looking at set, sound and music, and costume design issues that contribute to the play's effectiveness); (6) Pearl Lore (with information about how pearls are formed, their value, where they are cultured, and beliefs about pearls); (7) Why a Theatre Audience Is Unique (discussing the important role of the audience in live theatre); and (8) About John Steinbeck. (SR)