Welcome to Childsplays Resource Guide

for Teachers and Parents

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

WHERE EDUCATION AND IMAGINATION

TAKE FLIGHT

We hope you find this guide helpful in preparing your

children for an enjoyable and educational theatrical ex-
perience. Included youll find things to talk about before
and after seeing the performance, resource materials and
classroom activities connected to curriculum and a full
by Allison Gregory lesson plan.
Music Composition by Hummie Mann
Lyrics by Allison Gregory and Hummie Mann The Story:
Adapted from the story and music by Sergei Prokofiev The story takes place at Grandfathers house, behind
which there is a beautiful lush meadow, a sparkling pond
Directed by David P. Saar and beyond that a dense forest. Overlooking the meadow
there is a large, sturdy tree and a high stone wall. Grand-
Scenic Design by Jeff Lemire
father warns Peter not to go into the meadow, for, even
Costume & Puppet Design by Connie Furr-Soloman though it is tempting, it is dangerous. There is a wolf that
prowls through the meadow and forest. However, Peter is
Lighting Design by Jennifer Setlow a curious young man and goes into the meadow as soon
Musical Direction by Alan Ruch as Grandfathers back is turned. The duck, who lives in
their yard, is grateful to Peter for opening the gate to the
Choreography by Molly Lajoie meadow, for he loves to swim and flap his wings in the
pond. Grandfather sees Peter in the meadow and quickly
Sound Design by Robertson Witmer
hauls him back to the yard closing the gate behind him.
Stage Manager: Sam Ries Meanwhile a little bird flies in to investigate the duck.
While the two argue over the merits of swimming versus
The Cast: flying, they are oblivious to the cat creeping towards
Cat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelsi Zahl them. Not wanting the small feathered friend to become
Duck/Huntsman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrs Alcal lunch for the cat, Peter advises the bird to fly into the tree.
Peter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Powell Distracted by the cat circling the tree, the bird flying fran-
Bird. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle Cunneen
tically and the duck flapping around the pond, none of
Grandfather/Wolf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jon Gentry
them notices the wolf slinking into the meadow. In a sin-
January 30 to March 14, 2010 gle moment, the wolf has swallowed the duck whole. Pe-
Tempe Center for the Arts ter decides he must do something about the wolf! He
quickly finds some rope, climbs the tree alongside the cat
This production is supported in part by: and bird and starts to tell them of his plan. Before Peter
can finish, the hunters arrive, and a chase ensues. Finally
American Express the wolf hides from the hunters. Peter senses the still pre-
Arizona Commission on the Arts sent danger and with the help of the bird distracting the
Hearst Foundation
Macys Foundation
wolf, Peter catches the wolf and ties him to the tree. The
Tempe Municipal Arts Commission hunters return for their prey, but Peter talks them into not
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust killing the wolf but taking him to a nearby zoo. A mini-
Wells Fargo parade follows with Peter and the wolf, the hunters, the
cat, the bird, the duck and a very proud Grandfather.

Themes/Curriculum Ties:
listening to parents puppetry classical music scale/
perspective animals physical comedy food chain
storytelling score to stage folktales
 About Childsplay:
Childsplay is a professional non-profit theatre company of adult actors, performing for young
audiences and families.

Our Mission is to create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills
in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagina-
tion and wonder, those hallmarks of childhood that are the keys to the future.

What We Do:
In addition to our weekend public performances, we also offer three theatre experiences for our school audiences:
Field Trips, School Tours and Artist in Residence Programs. Field trip performances, where students come to the
theatre and see a production, can be booked by contacting Beth Olson at 480-921-5757. School Tour Perform-
ances, where we come to your school or other location and perform, can be booked by contacting Jaime Fox at
480-921-5751. Artist in Residence Programs, which can be individually designed to meet the needs of your
school or can be based on one of our many existing formats (page to stage, creating original work, use of drama to
teach curriculum), can be booked by contacting Patricia Black at 480-921-5750.

Our Home:
The Sybil B. Harrington Campus of Imagination and Wonder
at Mitchell Park (formerly Mitchell School) is where youll
find our administrative offices, costume shop, prop shop, re-
hearsal spaces, and Academy classrooms. We love to hear
from our audiences. Send your letters and reviews to:

Address: 900 S. Mitchell, Tempe, AZ 85281

Phone: 480-921-5700
Email: [email protected] Web: www.childsplayaz.org

We perform at the Tempe Center for the Arts

700 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Tempe, AZ 85281

Theater Etiquette:
Its helpful to review the rules of theater etiquette before seeing a
show, especially since this may be the first live theater experi-
ence for some of your students. Please take a moment to discuss
the following pointers prior to seeing the performance:
Use the restroom before seeing the show as we do not have in-
termission during our school performances.
Stay seated during the performance.
Be respectful to the performers and other people in the audi-
ence by not talking during the performance. Remember, the actors can see and hear the audience just like the audi-
ence can see and hear them.
Appropriate responses such as applause or laughter are always welcome.
Food, candy, gum and beverages will not be allowed in the theater/during the performance.
Use of cell phones (including text messaging), cameras or any other recording device is not allowed in the thea-
tre/during the performance at any time.
Following the performance (time permitting) there will be a brief question/answer session where audience mem-
bers will have an opportunity to ask the actors questions about the production.
About the Symphony and Prokofiev: Questions to Ask Before Seeing the Production:
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a Russian composer
who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be 1) What kinds of warnings do your parents or grandpar-
admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th cen- ents give you and why do you think its important to lis-
tury. Commissioned by the Moscow Central Children's ten to them?
Theater not long after Prokofiev returned to Russia after 2) Conflict between man and animal is one of the themes
years of living and composing in America and Europe, in the play. Do you ever have conflicts with the animals
Peter and the Wolf was written over four days in 1936 in your life? How about conflicts with other people
shortly after Stalin established a repressive "Composers (siblings, parents, friends)? How do you resolve your
Union" that determined what kind of music was accept- conflicts?
able for the masses. The intent in writing Peter and the 3) The music is based on Prokofievs classical music.
Wolf was to cultivate musical tastes in children from the What other styles of music are there and what kinds do
first years of school and to introduce children to various you like?
instruments in an orchestra. Peter and the Wolf is scored 4) Grandpa is trying to keep Peter safe and out of harm's
for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 3 horns, trumpet, trom- way. What kind of things do your parents do to keep you
bone, timpani, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, castanets, safe?
snare drum, bass drum and strings. Each character in the 5) What is the food chain in nature? What do wolves,
story has a particular instrument and a musical theme, or ducks, cats and birds eat?
leitmotif: Bird = Flute; Duck = Oboe; Cat = Clarinet; 6) All of the characters in Prokofiev's version of Peter
Grandfather = Bassoon; Wolf = 3 French Horns; Hunters and the Wolf have a theme instrument that lets the audi-
(gunshots) = Timpani and Bass Drums (the hunters' ence know which character is on stage and helps in defin-
theme is actually introduced by the woodwinds); Peter = ing the character's traits and movements. If you could
Strings have a theme instrument, what would it be and why?

About Wolves: Questions to Ask After Seeing the Production:

Wolves are not the vicious crea-
tures portrayed in fairytales. They 1) All plays have three Ps: People in a Place with a
are actually smart and social beasts Problem. Where does the play take place (setting)? Who
who live in packs and have quite are the people (or characters)? What are the problems
the social hierarchy. Before the (conflicts)? What happens at the beginning of the play?
arrival of European settlers in The middle? The end?
North America, the land belonged 2) There are many design elements in the show
to the wolves. Hundreds of thou- (costumes, lights, scenery, etc) which ones did you like
sands of the skilled predators best and why?
roamed the continent, feeding pri- 3) How was the music in the show Peter and the Wolf
marily on such large wild animals different from the Sergei Prokofiev version? Did you like
as deer, moose, and elk. As the it better or not as much? Why?
human population increased, however, numbers of the 4) If you could play any character in the play, which char-
wolves' natural prey decreased, and many people became acter would you want to play and why?
convinced that their livestock was in danger from the car- 5) Peter is always looking out for his friends to keep them
nivorous mammals. Determined to eradicate wolves from out of harms way. Do your friends ever help you to stay
the continent, people instituted legally sanctioned wolf safe? When and how?
hunts, and eventually the animals were hunted and poi- 6) How did the director show us Peter and Grandpa and
soned nearly to extinction. In recent years, however, a the hunter traveling long distances? What tools did he use
number of recovery plans have been developed, with the to make them seem further away? (Perspective and size)
goal of returning wolves to their natural habitats and ulti- 7) The wolf says thats just what us wolfies do How is
mately removing them from the endangered and threat- behavior predetermined by who or what we are? For ex-
ened species lists. ~Linda Starr, Education World ample, we expect the wolf to eat smaller creatures
8) What did the actors do to show/suggest their animal
Wolves are very playful! Did you know that wolves characters?
actually play tag? One wolf will chase another and 9) Do you think the wolf will ever change? Is he capable
nip it in the behind and that wolf will in turn chase of change or is he just who he is?
another wolf and tag it. Just like kids!
Classroom and Homework Activities Connected to Arizona Education Standards:
Minute Activities: Minute Activities: Minute Activities:
5 1) Think about adjectives
that describe the characters
15 1) The Wolf is put on trial
to decide what his punish-
30 1) In the play, Peters
grandfather tells him not to
in the play. Move around the room ment should be. Divide into two go into the meadow. What sorts of
in a way that suggests the follow- groups, one in favor of sending him dangers do your parents and grand-
ing: to the zoo and one in favor of re- parents warn you about? Come up
Free and easy spirit of Peter; flut- leasing him to the wild, and have a with a short commercial (sixty sec-
tering bird; swimming and wad- debate to decide the fate of the onds or less) that teaches about an
dling duck; creeping hunters; wolf. Each group should write element of safety. Write your ideas
slinky cat; sly, trickster, wolf; gen- down a list of reasons to share. Try down, rehearse the commercial and
tle, old grandfather. Theatre: Be- to convince the other group to take then share it with your class. If you
ginning: S1: C1: PO101, imagine your side! After the two sides are can, record them and then watch
and describe characters presented, have a vote to decide the them all. Theatre: Beginning: S1:
outcome. C2: PO102, scene work
2) Ask the students to choose a Writing: G3: S3: C4: PO1, per-
partner. One student will be the suasive writing 2) After seeing the show or listen-
sculptor the other the clay. The ing to Sergei Prokofievs composi-
sculptor will sculpt the clay 2) Start by getting six glass bottles tion, create character puppets. Use
into a frozen statue of each of the of the same size. Fill each bottle simple materials such as paper
following characters in the moment with different amounts of water. bags, paper plates or socks. Review
that they are being chased by the Mark your bottles carefully at the the story, making sure to touch on
Wolf and are most scared: Duck, water level with a permanent the major plot points. Then, as a
Cat, Bird, Peter. After each statue marker. Number your bottles 1, 2, class or in small groups, re-create
is created, the teacher should take a 3, 4, 5 & 6 and arrange them in the the story using your puppets. Use
moment to reflect on the choices order above (1 on your left and 6 bits of Prokofievs music or create
the actors have made with their on your right). Gently tap the mid- your own. Rehearse your play and
bodies and faces to create their dle of the bottle with a metal then share it with an audience.
characters. Change roles of sculp- spoon. Youll notice that more Creating a puppet production, from
tor and clay after each statue. water produces a lower pitch and concept to performance, develops
Theatre: Beginning: S1: C1: PO less water produces a higher pitch. creative writing skills, constructive
102, cooperate in the dramatic Can you play a song on the xylo- expression, cooperation, and builds
process phone? self-esteem. Theatre: Intermedi-
3) At one point in the play the Cat Music: G3: S1: PO 1, improvise ate: S1: C1: PO 201/202, collabo-
and Bird, using pantomime and Pig simple melodic phrases rate to design and create a script
Latin, try to warn Peter that the and informal performance
Wolf is hiding behind the wall. In 3) Prokofievs Peter and the Wolf
pairs, have the students use these was originally written to tell a story 3) As a class, read other stories that
techniques (pantomime first) to using music. Try listening to other have wolves in them (Red Riding
communicate the following sen- pieces of classical music written to Hood and The Three Little Pigs for
tences: tell a specific story, such as; Fire- example). Talk about ways that you
Look behind the bird Suite, The Fairies Kiss, the could turn those stories into plays.
wall (pantomime) or ook-lay Nutcracker or The Sorcerers Talk about what styles of music
ehind-bay the all-way (Pig Latin) Apprentice. Discuss and then write you would add to the story. Try and
Wolf: Wont you join me for down different story ideas that add the convention of narrator to
lunch? could evolve from the music. Write your project. Is there a way you
Grandfather: If a wolf should stories or draw illustrations that could combine two or three wolf
come out of the forest and you could fit these pieces of music. stories into one? Write down and
were all alone, what would you Music: G2: P01, drawing a pic- rehearse your piece and then share
do? Theatre: Beginning: S1: C1: ture that is inspired by listening it with an audience. Writing: G3:
PO 103, collaborate to come to a to a specific piece of music S3: C1: PO 1 & 2, expressive
consensus in the dramatic proc- writing
ess
LESSON PLAN FOR PETER AND THE WOLF mal characters with human traits. As the teacher counts to
three, the students become different animals from the play;
LESSON OVERVIEW
cat, bird, duck and wolf. Ask the following questions to
The purpose of this lesson is to extend and enrich the stu-
help the students be specific in their choices:
dents' experience of the play. It is intended to be used after
How does this animal move through space? Directly or
the play and for the activities to be modified as needed for
indirectly? Heavily or lightly? Quickly or slowly?
the age and grade level of the students. This lesson is struc-
tured so that the teacher may do as many or as few activi- Where does the character carry his/her weight and how
ties as time allows. Questions that address the main themes does that affect the characters movement? How do you use
and ideas of the play will be explored through discussion your whole body to portray this specific animal?
and creative drama activities. Formal elements of theatre Ask the students to decide what animal they would chose
will be discussed, followed by improvisational activities to be if they were to become an animal. Ask the students to
that allow the students to explore acting skills such as show their choice through movement and then explain to
movement, pantomime, character and dialogue. the class (or a partner) why they have made this choice.

LENGTH OF LESSON: 50 minutes TARGET ACTIVITIES

Arizona State Standards: Tableau: (tableaux is the plural) is the term given to a still
Theatre: Intermediate: S1: C1: PO 204, Collaborate in picture created with live actors. Tableau is easy to adapt for
informal performances. curricular purposes including:
Theatre: Beginning: S1: C2: PO101, Imagine and De- Demonstrating a story's beginning, middle, and end
scribe Characters, their relationship, what they want and Discussing visual composition - focus and balance
why (e.g., through variations of movement and gesture, Opening discussion of characters' thoughts and feelings
vocal pitch, volume, and tempo). Exploring relationships amongst characters
Examining a moment from history and/or everyday life
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
Envisioning life or stories as a series of pictorial events
The student will:
Review the story by analyzing the formal elements of Tableaux can be built quickly and effectively using the fol-
plot: exposition, inciting incident, crisis/conflict, and reso- lowing as a general guideline: First Player sets the focus; s/
lution. (Or for younger children simply review the 3 Ps: he is the central character of the tableau. S/he establishes
people, place, problem) the tableau's location and theme. Second Player supports
Analyze an actors job by discussing how the actors used the first player by introducing an action that supports First
their imaginations, voices and bodies to become animal Player's location and theme, becoming the second impor-
characters tant character in the tableau. Third Player supports the pre-
Be able to describe how the props and costumes were vious players' work while establishing the problem within
used to further develop the characters the location and theme. Subsequent Players provide addi-
Be able to define perspective and describe how the scen- tional details without changing the central character(s) fo-
ery and the use of puppets helped to create the illusion of cus or the problem. In addition to representing people,
distance players may also represent objects, architecture, surfaces,
Describe how music was used to introduce the characters animals and other elements of detail. Facial expressions,
and support action and mood. use of the whole body (animation-shape and level- place-
Use their bodies and voices to try on different characters ment) and a sense of symmetry (balance) are criteria of
and actions from the play successful tableau work. Choose specific moments from
the play to use as the topic of various tableaux.
SUPPLIES:
All that is needed is an Actors Instrument: voice, body, Suggested Tableux Scenes:
imagination The wolf trying to reach Cat and Bird with Peter (who is
holding a rope) sneaking up behind the wolf
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN A hunter peering into the distance looking for the wolf
with the wolf behind the hunter peering over the hunters
Warm-up: shoulder, and Peter behind the wolf, peering over the
The intent of a warm-up is to warm the instrument (the wolfs shoulder
voice/body), the thinking tools that we will use, and to in- Duck in the safety of his pond with Cat on one side and
troduce aspects of the learning experience that will follow. the wolf on the other, both thinking about eating Duck
Peter has caught the wolf in the rope with Cat, Bird and
Character Movement: Duck all holding onto the rope behind Peter
In this play, the actors must use their bodies to become ani-
Narrative Pantomime: disagree:
The play contains a fun chase scene which can be created Duck and Bird- which is the better kind of bird
through narrative pantomime. In addition to describing Cat and Wolf- Cat tries to convince the wolf not to eat
action, narrative pantomime can relate sensory experi- her
ences and reveal feelings and emotions. In pairs, have one Peter and Grandfather- why Peter should or shouldnt be
student be Duck and the other be the wolf. The teacher allowed to play in the meadow
reads the stage directions while the two students use pan-
tomime and movement to enact the scene. Throughout the ASSESSMENT:
scene the teacher calls out: go, fast, slow, high, Can the students successfully define the word plot?
low. Duck and Wolf comply with each direction. Are the students able to identify parts of the play that
Teacher Narrates: Duck is running (in place); Wolf runs relate to each component of the plot?
after (also running in place), then overtakes and surpasses Can the students describe how the actors used their bod-
Duck, who drops back and is now chasing Wolf. They ies to create their animal characters with human traits?
both realize what has happened and they both stop and Ask the students to offer examples of good character
play a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Duck wins, movement from observing their classmates creations of
shakes Wolfs hand (good game) and runs offstage. animal characters. Ask the students to articulate why they
think the example they have chosen was successful.
Interview and Leader in Role: Review some of the formal elements of theatre by asking
The teacher will be in role as an interviewer (for the local the students to describe how the use of costumes and mu-
newspaper or television station) and will interact with the sic helped with character development. How did scenery
entire classroom. Moving around the room, the teacher and puppets help create different locations and the sense
randomly and spontaneously chooses a student to inter- of distance?
view. By asking the first question, the teacher establishes
the role the student will be playing. The student will then
EXTENSIONS
answer the question pulling from the play to inform his/ Music: Each character in the play, and in the original mu-
her answers. Suggested questions:
sic by Sergei Prokofiev, is represented by a specific musi-
Grandfather, why did you want Peter to stay away from
cal instrument and musical motif that helps us gain insight
the meadow?
into the character. Ask each student to select a musical
Mr. Wolf, where were you being taken at the end of the
instrument, a musical style (i.e. rock, jazz, hip hop) and a
play and why didnt you escape when you had the
musical artist that they think could serve as representation
chance?
of their own character and personality. Ask the student to
Peter, why did you keep going to the meadow even
analyze their choice.
though your Grandfather told you not to?
Bird, even though you are afraid of Cat, you worked
Visual Art: Define perspective for your students:
with him to try to catch the wolf with the rope. Why did
a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships
you do that?
on a flat surface. Use the following pictures to analyze the
Duck, why do you find Bird so irritating? artists use of perspective:
Experts: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, by George Seurat (www.
This is a game in which several children serve as a panel artic.edu)
of experts on a specific subject. In this case, they will ex- Christinas World, by Andrew Wyeth (www.moma.org)
plain a variety of techniques that are most effective for Now refer back to Peter and the Wolf. Discuss the use of
catching wolves. They should make reference to the com- perspective in the scenery and puppet designs.
plicated machine that Peter invents to catch the wolf and
then develop their own inventions to accomplish the task. Design: Peter describes an elaborate machine that he has
The rest of the class serves as the audience who may ask envisioned for catching the wolf. Ask each student to
the experts questions. Another panel topic might be: Child draw a picture of a machine that they design for the same
Rearing Experts giving advice to Grandparents on the best purpose. Giving them the challenge of using disparate ob-
way to deal with grandchildren jects or categories of objects (i.e. kitchen utensils and ap-
pliances) might make the design process more challeng-
Persuasive Dialogue: ing.
Have the students get into pairs. Each person will try to
persuade their partner to agree with them. They may end SOURCES: Heinig, Ruth Beall. Improvisation with Fa-
the dialogue by coming to an agreement or by agreeing to vorite Tales, Heinemann, 1992
Books to Check Out:
Prepared with the help of Tim Wadham,
Member, National Board, Association for Library
Service to Children
Peter and the Wolf illustrated by Vladimir Vagin
Peter and the Wolf illustrated by Selina Hastings
Classical Music
The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine
Meet the Orchestra by Ann Hayes
The Philharmonic Gets Dressed by Karla Kuskin
The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak
Animals
Why Am I A Bird? By Greg Pyers
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Across the Stream by Mirra Ginsburg
Three Stories You Can Read to Your Cat by Sara Swan Miller
Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child
Little Wolfs Book of Badness by Ian Whybrow
Food Chain
Predator! By Bruce Brooks
Wolves by Jim Arnosky
Wolves by Seymour Simon
Puppetry
On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids by Lisa Bany-Winters
Mozart the Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts by Diane Stanley
The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper
Physical Comedy
Mercy Watson Fights Crime by Kate DiCamillo
Storytelling
Three Up a Tree by James Marshall
Three by the Sea by Edward Marshall
Four on the Shore by Edward Marshall
Folktales
Silly and Sillier: Read Aloud Tales From Around the World by Judy Sierra
Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World by George Shannon
More True Lies: 18 Tales for You to Judge by George Shannon
All materials are available through your local library. Check it out!

Interesting Internet Links:

www.prokofiev.org/index.cfm
~a site FULL of information about Sergei Prokofiev complete with photos and interviews
www.classicsforkids.com
~a great site on classical music, complete with interactive games
www.mudcat.org/kids
~this site offers ideas for making your own musical instruments
www.wolfhaven.org/education.php,
~Wolf Haven is a wolf sanctuary in Washington State and their site is FULL of information about wolves
Using crayon, draw a line from each word to its matching picture. Now, using a different color, draw a line
that matches the animal with the musical instrument that represents it in the symphony Peter and the Wolf.

Cat

Flute

Bird

Wolf

French Horn

Oboe
Duck

WORD SEARCH!
Find the hidden words in the puzzle to the
right. Words can be backwards, diagonal, S U C B Y H W R H S
across, up or down!
J T I O U L O E D C

P R H N S J L T A E
BIRD CAT
D R T G Q T F E C N
COSTUME DUCK
HUNTER LIGHTS
C E O A I I U P S E
MUSIC PETER
PROPS PUPPET R B U P C L W M N R
SCENERY SOUND
WOLF Y Q Z I S J X I E Y

K U S K C U D V G X

A U I Q T E P P U P
Clarinet=cat
Flute=bird
Oboe=duck
French horn=wolf
matching game:
instrument
animal/
Answers to

M I Z S O U N D T K
Wolves have families just like ours! Did you know that wolves live in packs of around 6 to 10 members who
are blood relatives and that they eat, sleep and play together? Color the wolf!