About THREE MONKS. About CHINA NATIONAL THEATRE FOR CHILDREN

Transcription

1 Three Monks

2 About THREE MONKS On top of the mountain, in a small temple, live an old monk master and his three students. They live together in peace, but things haven t always been so easy As each of the monks reflects on the how they came together, they will take the audience on a heartwarming journey of laughter, anger and everything in between. Adapted from an ancient Chinese legend, this beautiful production integrates traditional Chinese opera, martial arts and many other classic elements of Chinese culture, charming audiences with its philosophy of unity and cooperation. Creatives Producer: General Producer: Artistic Producer: Executive Producer: Scriptwriter: Director: Stage Designer: Cast Master: Little Monk: Fat Monk: Thin Monk: Yin Xiaodong Lei Xining Feng Li, Shan Zenghong, Li Xiaogang Yang Fan Mu Xing Mao Ernan Yang Juntao Liu Xiaoming Tang Yan Hu Jingbo Wu Zijing About CHINA NATIONAL THEATRE FOR CHILDREN Founded in 1956, China National Theatre for Children (CNTC) is the only national children's art troupe directly subordinated to the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. In the past 60 years, CNTC has produced and staged a great number of exquisite works, from ancient to modern, in China and abroad. Though Beijing-based, the performance footprints of CNTC were spread all over China, even Hong Kong and Taiwan. Besides, CNTC has been to abroad many times for culture and drama communicating, such as Japan, Australia, America, Canada, Germany, France, Finland, Thailand and Malta, etc. All for Children is the persistent pursuit of CNTC. More information on China National Theatre for Children can be found here. Supporting Partner

3 Theatre Etiquette WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A THEATRE AUDIENCE? It s all about respect: Respect for the performers on stage, the crew backstage and your fellow audience members. TOP 5 TIPS 1. ARRIVE EARLY Aim to arrive 30 minutes before the show. This will ensure everyone has time to visit the bathroom before the show begins. Sometimes there are lock outs on shows. This means if you are late you will not be able to enter the auditorium until a suitable break in the performance. You don t want to miss a thing, so arrive early. 2. NO PHONES Turn off your phones and leave your ipads at school. You don t need them in the theatre. Do not take photographs in the performance. Save your selfies and Snapchat opportunities for the foyers before or after the show. 3. NO FOOD OR DRINKS Do not bring food or drinks into the auditorium. You can have morning tea or lunch in our foyers or outside on the lawn. 4. TAKE YOUR SEAT An usher will show you to your seat. Make sure you follow their directions. Teachers should sit with their students and ensure appropriate levels of supervision at all times. Please stay in your designated seat for the entire performance. 5. REMEMBER THEATRE IS LIVE! The performers are right there, in front of you, live they can hear you and sometimes even see you! Please do not chat with friends during the show it is distracting for the performers and other audience members. BUT. You can laugh if you find something funny or gasp if something scares you. Responding to the show is absolutely fine, and the performers love it! At the end of the show, you should applaud the performers. This is how we thank the performers, the director, the crew and everyone involved in making the show happen!

4 Learning Activities PRE-SHOW THINKING ABOUT THEATRE ETIQUETTE Class / Small Group Discussion Ask students if they have ever been to the theatre before. What did they see? What was it like? Explain that watching a live performance is different to watching TV at home, or even going to the movies. Brainstorm with the class (or in small groups and report back) the similarities and differences between watching a live performance and TV / Cinema. With this in mind, ask student to consider: - What is theatre etiquette? - Why is it important? Make Your Own Top 5 Tips Read through the Theatre Etiquette information (on the previous page) with the class. In pairs or small groups, ask students to create their own version of the Top 5 Tips for a visit to the theatre. What is Theatre Etiquette? Use Appendix 1 Theatre Etiquette Y-Chart. In pairs or individually, ask students to complete the chart Theatre etiquette looks like / feels like / sounds like Share responses and create a whole class version. THINKING ABOUT THREE MONKS Making Predictions Ask students to make predictions about the performance. Start with the title tell the class that they are going to see a performance called Three Monks from the China National Theatre for Children. Prompt questions for prediction could include; What do they think this production might be? What could it be about? What might it look like?

5 Once students make their initial predictions, show them the image for the show (see Appendix 2 Three Monks marketing and publicity image). With this extra information, what do they predict now? What do they see in this image? Does anything grab their attention or stand out? What clues might this image give us about the show? Share the synopsis of the show with the class as below: On top of the mountain, in a small temple, lives an old monk master and his three students. They live together in peace, but things haven t always been so easy As each of the monks reflect on how they came together, they will take the audience on a heart-warming journey of laughter, anger and everything in between. Adapted from an ancient Chinese legend, this non-verbal production integrates traditional Chinese opera, martial arts and many other classic elements of Chinese culture, charming audiences with its philosophy of unity and cooperation. The synopsis or blurb gives us a lot more information. What do they predict or expect to see now? What words do they recognise? What words don t they know? What could they mean? What sort of performance do they expect? Finally, show students the trailer for the show. This is available to watch via YouTube Again, ask students to make further predictions based on the moving images. What elements hadn t they predicted? What clues does the music give us? What stands out in the trailer? After students see the performance, revisit these predictions. Compare what they thought / predicted they may see with what they actually saw. How close were they? What did they find

6 Learning Activities PROVERBS Three Monks is inspired by an ancient Chinese proverb One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch the water. It is also written as Three monks have no water to drink. Or, simply Three monks, no water. Ask students to consider what this means. Brainstorm their ideas and responses on the board. If you have seen the performance, ask students to consider the proverb in relation to the show How was the meaning of this proverb presented / shown / evident in the performance? This ancient Chinese proverb encourages us to understand that unity is strength it is about cooperation and shared responsibility. What are proverbs? Proverbs are pieces of ancient wisdom, handed down from generation to generation. Many different countries have their own proverbs reflecting the culture of that place. Proverbs are popular sayings that contain advice, lessons and shared values. China is well known for its proverbs, many of which come from legendary philosophers like Confucius and Laozi. Read and share some proverbs with the class. Appendix 3 Proverbs may be useful for this exercise.

7 Discuss and explore some of the language features of a proverb: Metaphorical in nature Example - Don t count your chickens before they hatch. (From England) Alliteration Example Many a mickle (little) makes a muckle (a lot). (From Scotland) Rhyme Example - Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. (From the United States of America) Repetition of key words or phrases Example - Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. (From Sweden) Strong imagery Example - The rain has gone, the sky brightens. (From China) The Significance of Proverbs Ask students to collect proverbs from friends and family. Report back to the class, or in small groups, the proverbs they discovered. Which proverbs were common to most lists? Which proverbs were unique? Are any of the proverbs significant to your family? In what way? Do any of the proverbs collected have cultural significance? Identify the language features of the proverbs. Choose a proverb from your list and explain it s meaning in relation to your own life. Using Appendix 4 Proverbs from China, ask students to consider the meanings of the proverbs and if they can think of any proverbs from different cultures that share a similar meaning. Who was Confucius? You may like to use proverbs as a starting point to a larger research project / inquiry task about famous thinkers and philosophers. Of course this will have to include Confucius.

8 Ask the class if they are aware of, or have ever heard the name, Confucius. Explain to students that Confucius was a famous thinker in ancient China. He lived thousands of years ago but his words still provide wisdom to people today. Confucius focused on the importance of values as a way for people to live good lives. Present students with the famous Confucius proverb: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others This is also known as the Golden Rule. Discuss: Have you heard this proverb before? How? When? What does it mean? Is this a proverb we should follow? Why? Ask students to research and discover proverbs from Confucius (or, you may like to provide your own). Share these with the class. Consider: What values does Confucius share in these proverbs? What sort of character traits or behaviours do these proverbs ask us to present? Create a list of the values, character traits and behaviours from the proverbs. Words like courage, kindness and respect should definitely appear on the class list. Ask students to choose one of the words from the class list: Create your own proverb using this word as inspiration (e.g. a proverb about being kind) Find a proverb from Confucius that matches the character trait. Create a poster for the classroom that uses the proverb and reminds us of the importance of this value. Creative Writing (Narrative). Write a paragraph or short story in which a character presents the traits of this action.

9 Learning Activities LEGENDS, FOLKTALES AND STORIES Proverbs are very important elements to the legends and folktales of ancient China. Three Monks, for example, is a proverb but it is also a much longer story about cooperation and unity. Explain to students how storytelling was a popular part of Chinese culture. Like many ancient cultures, most of the population did not read or write and so the oral tradition of storytelling was particularly important. Proverbs were used to introduce, advance and summarise common wisdom contained within the stories. In the Sui ( ) and early T ang ( ) dynasties, Buddhist monks became storytellers. They would recount stories about famous figures of Chinese history and legend. In their stories, the monks would emphasis traditional morals and values through the use of proverbs. Explore Ancient China through Stories Find, share and read ancient Chinese legends and folktales with the class. Discuss the proverb or message of the story. Discuss and identify the key features of legends and folktales. Ingredients of a folktale: All folktales originally began as stories told by word of mouth. Folktales have a moral (proverb) or teach a lesson. Characters in folktales are usually animals or people. Usually a character in a folktale must face an obstacle or impossible test. Many folktales contain the Rule of Three. Characters and events seem to happen in threes. Ingredients of a legend: Legends have an element of historical truth. The characters are human and heroic. Often, the hero is a famous historic character. An element of realism about things that could, potentially, happen (i.e. no magic) Heroes are strong and / or intelligent. They use these elements to perform great deeds. Often an element of exaggeration.

10 Consider Three Monks is this an example of a folktale or a legend? Why? Three Monks There are different versions of this story available for the class to explore: Three Monks Chinese animated short film (1980) Three Monks, No Water Picture book by Ting-xing Ye Write a Folktale Using one of the Chinese proverbs from the last section or an existing folktale for inspiration, guide students through the process of writing their own story. This online guide from Scholastic is an excellent resource for teaching the art of folktale writing Perform Explain that folktales were spoken, out loud to the listening audience. Discuss: How is telling a story different from reading a story? What is special about listening to a story told by a storyteller? Model best practice to the students and tell them a story in which you present: Eye contact Gestures and body language Facial expressions Clear and well projected Changes to tone, pitch and pace to create mood, atmosphere and character Create a rubric with the class that highlights the qualities expected in a good storyteller. There is an example in the Appendix (Appendix 6 Storytelling) to assist you. Students may perform their original folktales to the class and invited guests. NB: Arts Centre Melbourne s teacher resources for A Sonatina (2016) provide some excellent materials for storytelling. These resources are downloadable for free from our website. Check out the RESOURCES section.

11 Learning Activities COOPERATION Three Monks teaches the audience about cooperation. The performance could be used as a starting point into important class discussions about cooperation; what it looks like in the classroom, school and wider community. Cooperation Games These games can be great warm-ups to a lesson about cooperation. After the game, or activity, ask students how they cooperated. Why was cooperation important in this activity? What did cooperation look like? What did it feel like? LINE-UPS Ask the group to line up in height order without any verbal communication (no whispering!). Second challenge ask students to line up oldest to youngest. Again, no verbal communication allowed. COUNTDOWN Explain to the class that they need to count from 1 to 20 (or 10, depending on the size and age of the class) BUT if two people call out at the same time, the count starts all over again! There is to be no preplanning before the activity. Another option, POPCORN, see students crouch low on the ground. They jump up and shout POP but if two people POP at the same time, the activity starts all over again. KNOTS Explain to students: To form the knot, you need to stand in a circle, shoulder-to-shoulder, and place your hands in the centre. Now everybody grab a couple of hands. Do not hold hands of the person standing next to you or the same hands of one person. Now untie it. See if the group can get back into their original circle. RED HANDED Form a circle and put the it in the middle with their eyes closed. Give someone a small object they can pass without being seen. They need to pass it to the person next to them and continue backwards and forwards without it catching them.

12 BALLOON BOP Students stand in a circle holding hands. A balloon is dropped into the circle and players see how many times they can tap the balloon into the air without losing connection (everyone in the circle must continue holding hands). This will require that the circle move and players work cooperatively to keep the balloon in the air. Players may contact the balloon with hands, arms, heads, shoulders, chests, or knees but not feet. If the balloon falls to the ground or is touched by feet, start the count over. This can also work as a pair. Once they are successful at keeping their balloon in the air without dropping their partner s hands, slowly increase the group size. What is cooperation? Think, Pair, Share Activity Ask students to consider what cooperation means and why it is so important. Give students time to think and respond to the question individually. Then, they can move into pairs and discuss their idea with a partner. Finally, the pairs should share their ideas with the larger group. Discuss: What is cooperation? What does cooperation look like? How can you be a cooperative person? Students can use their ideas to respond to the theme of cooperation through designing / creating posters for the school. Discuss: How did the Three Monks use cooperation? What did it look like? What did they learn?

13 Learning Activities CHINESE THEATRE Three Monks uses elements of Chinese Opera and martial arts to bring the story to life. The Elements of Chinese Opera Chinese Opera is one of the oldest dramatic art forms in the world. It is considered total theatre because it encompasses so many aspects of performances music, movement, voice, costume, lighting and so on. The main elements of Chinese Opera are: Acting Dancing Acrobatics Mime Music Singing Costume and Make-Up What elements from Chinese Opera were used in Three Monks? How and where were they used? Chinese Opera does not rely on props and sets / scenery to help tell the story. Instead, scenes are brought to life by the gestures, movement and mime of the performer. Symbolic performance is a very important, underlying principle of Chinese Opera such a performance style can take an audience anywhere! Discuss: Did you notice this element in Three Monks? Where did the performers take you? How? Activity: I am walking This is a drama activity for the whole class. Explain to students: you will all be performing at the same time BUT this is an individual activity. No touching or communicating with anyone else. Students are asked to move around the room as if they are moving / walking through a particular location / place or mood / atmosphere. Examples: I am walking through mud I am walking in quicksand I am walking barefoot on hot sand

14 I am walking to the Principal s Office I am walking to my birthday party Because the staging is minimal, the performers and the audience have to use their imagination. Actors in Chinese Opera, need to be very skilled in the use of mime. Actors push open invisible windows and close doors ; they lift their feet to enter a house, they point at temples to show shyness, or they walk in circles to take long journeys. If two characters holding flags are flanking another, we know the middle one is riding in a sedan chair; if the flags are waving, he s been caught in a storm. More active characters show running down mountains by turning somersaults off three stacked tables; others whirl, leap and dive across the floor to indicate the ocean. And if someone steps off a chair and exits the stage, he has just thrown himself down a well. (TimeOut, Beijing) Discuss: Did you see any mime in Three Monks? What did the performers do? Activity: Mime and Movement Explain to students this is a non-verbal activity what does non-verbal mean? WARM-UP: Ask students to move around the room and lead with different parts of their body: imagine you have string attached to your nose and it is pulling you around the room. How does your movement change? Explore how it feels to be led by the nose. Now that string is pulling you along by the top of you head / your big toe / your hips / your shoulders. Ask students to notice where the weight is in the body. Does the movement make you think of any type of character or mood? EXAGGERATION AND ENERGY: You will need a large, open space for this. Before you begin, remind students this is a SOLO, NON-VERBAL activity. Work with a scale of 0 to 10: 0 being no movement and 10 being highly exaggerated, energetic and big so big that students have no where else to go but back to 0 (stillness). Experiment with this scale. Teacher should shout out the numbers 0 through 10 as students move around the space. How much bigger, faster, more exaggerated can the movement get before you reach 10? Give student some context in which to explore this idea of exaggerated movement / action. You will need to side-coach students through the mimed scenarios. Again, this is solo. It is worth reiterating this to students so they do not feel uncomfortable and

15 embarrassed about performing everyone is doing it at the same time and should be completely focused on their own work. Miming scenario 1 use the scale of 0 10 and work students through the scenario: You prick your finger on a pin. It is barely noticeable (1). Look at the pin prick (2). Rub the finger (3). This doesn t help - shake your finger and your hand (4). The pain is getting worse (5). Double over in pain (6). Dance around (7). Show me the pain in your face (8), your whole body should be doubled over (9). You have to drop to the ground it is so bad (10). You are losing air... end (0) Miming scenario 2 waiting for the dentist and feeling really, really terrified. Which gets worse and worse (levels 0 to 10) Miming scenario 3 being forced to eat something for dinner you really, really don t like (level 0 to 10). Some students may feel confident in presenting their mime to the class. GROUP ACTIVITIES: Play with ideas of space, focus, weight, shape, timing and imagination. Skipping Rope in groups of 3, 2 students take an imaginary jump-rope, and one stands in the middle to jump. How can you work as a team to make it look as if there is a real rope there? How can you play with timing? Pace? Add more people into jump rope. Finally, have the whole class try and jump the imaginary rope together. Move in pairs, ask students to pick up an imaginary container full of water. They need to move the heavy container from one side of the room to the other without spilling a drop of water. Increase the size of the group and change the weight or shape or the object being moved. Play Ball in pairs (or small groups) throw an imaginary rubber, bouncy ball to each other. How does the object move? How can you show the audience (and your group) where it is? How do you use your body to catch it and throw it? Change the type of ball and discuss how the change in weight and shape effects the movement. Try a beach ball, a tennis ball, a balloon, a bowling ball Consider the skills a performer needs for mime. Discuss what was challenging about these activities and why. Discuss the role mime can play in performance why is it an important element in Chinese Opera? In Chinese Opera actors are also dancers and acrobats. They act their roles with exaggerated movement, facial expressions and even elaborate stunts. The performance style isn t realistic like you may see in a traditional play or in movies. Actions are very important.

16 The characters of Chinese Opera: There are four different role types including the sheng (male), dan (female), jing (enemies, spirits, animals), and chou (clown). The sheng (male) roles can be laosheng (old or middle-aged men with beards), xiaosheng (young men), wensheng (scholars and officials) wusheng (warriors and acrobats), and the sometime wawasheng (children). The chou (comic, clown) roles are funny and likeable. The performers work very hard in these roles and are trained in acrobatic, martial arts and mime. Discuss: Could you see any of these character types in Three Monks? Who? What character would you like to play in a Chinese Opera? Why? Research: Find out more about the characters and performance styles of Chinese Opera. Design costumes for the specific characters of Chinese Opera. Martial Arts and Acrobatics Training to become a performer in Chinese Opera starts very young. Students can view these videos to witness some of the young students training - Martial Arts Training at Beijing Opera School - Training at China Opera School - Discuss: How was martial arts used in Three Monks? How did it help tell the story? Does anyone do martial arts? What type? You may like to invite a professional instructor in to work with the students, or work with Physical Education teacher to look at the basic skills and learning of martial arts and acrobatics. Research: Find out more about the importance of martial arts in Chinese culture. Investigate famous Chinese actors and performers

17 Learning Activities POST SHOW After seeing Three Monks, it is valuable for students to have an opportunity to reflect on the performance. Respond and Interpret Discuss with students (or in small groups): What did you enjoy about the performance? What was unexpected or surprising about the performance? What would you have liked to have seen more of? How would you describe the performance to a friend? For older students - you may like to link the performance to the Element of Drama and discuss with them the elements they could identify. Where and how? Consider the stagecraft and technical elements of the performance. How did the set, sound / music and costume help tell the story? What did you notice about these elements? See Appendices 5, 6 and 7 for helpful worksheets to encourage students to respond to the performance. Other Ideas: You may like students to write a review about the performance and publish some of these in the school newsletter. Resources in Appendix 8 can assist with this.

18 Resources The following picture books may be provide interest links for teachers looking to extend the use of Three Monks back in the classroom - Stone Soup by Jon J Muth Takes the traditional form of the Stone Soup story and sets it in China with three monks; Hok, Lok and Siew. Zen Socks by Jon J Muth Stories about compassion, kindness and generosity tinged with the wisdom of Zen. The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin The young gardener learns that regardless of appearances, everything has its own beauty and purpose. The Littlest Emperor by David Seow A magical tale about finding happiness in the most unexpected of places. Three Monks, No Water by Ting-xing Ye A retelling of the Chinese legend about the importance of cooperation. Chinese Folktales Chinese Culture (from US but adaptable) Music of China Chinese Opera

19 Behind the scenes at a Chinese Opera School Proverbs proverbs/ Three Monks Videos Performance stills from performance in Canada Trailer Cartoon Three Monks Bilingual video storytelling in Chinese Three Monks song in Chinese Three Monks cartoon in Chinese Chinese Listening Story - Three Monks

20 This visit by the China National Children s Theatre to Melbourne in 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People s Republic of China. Arts Centre Melbourne gratefully acknowledges the support of the Australia-China Council through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. About the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade s (DFAT) purpose is to make Australia stronger, safer and more prosperous by promoting and protecting our interests internationally and contributing to global stability and economic growth. The department provides foreign, trade and development policy advice to the Government, and works with other government agencies to ensure that Australia s pursuit of its global, regional and bilateral interests is coordinated effectively. DFAT is the lead agency managing Australia s international presence, with a network of 100 overseas posts in five continents and over 6,000 staff located in Canberra, state and territory offices, and overseas. DFAT staff are highly skilled at their work which includes developing and implementing foreign, trade and development policy, negotiating international agreements, delivering an effective aid program, and providing high quality consular assistance often conducted in one of the 29 foreign languages in which DFAT staff are proficient. Bilateral Relations Foundations, Councils & Institutes Over the past 40 years the Australian Government has established cultural councils supporting people-to-people links underpinning our key bilateral and regional relationships. Eminent Australian business and community leaders are appointed to the boards, providing a range of expertise and input to Australia s foreign policy and economic diplomacy goals. Programs support the Government's foreign policy and economic diplomacy interests, project a positive contemporary image of Australia internationally, and facilitate professional, community and institutional linkages between Australia and its international partners on contemporary issues of shared interest including business, education, innovation, science, technology, the arts, media and sport.

21 About the Australia China-Council STRENGTHENING FOUNDATIONS AND DEVELOPING NEW FRONTIERS OF AUSTRALIA-CHINA PARTNERSHIP Established by the Australian Government in 1978 to promote mutual understanding and foster people-to-people relations between Australia and China, The Australia China-Council (ACC) is the Australian Government s advisory and funding body dedicated to strengthening cultural, artistic, educational, business and more broadly, people-to-people links between Australia and China. In 2018 the ACC will celebrate its 40 th anniversary. The ACC provides policy advice to the government, and promotes bilateral relations among its network of stakeholders in the strategic priority areas of Economic Diplomacy, Education, Arts and Culture. Strategic Priorities o Education: Support practical and effective solutions to enhance China literacy, business and cultural capabilities of Australian institutions and people to effectively engage with China, and promote education, science and innovation connectivity between Australia and China o Economic Diplomacy: Promote diversity, growth and innovation of Australia's trade and investment relationship with China o Arts and Culture: Showcase Australian arts and creative industries to Chinese audiences and build closer and broader cultural and artistic partnerships o Australian Studies in China: Consolidate and strengthen the Australian Studies in China Program Guiding Principles o Creativity and Innovation: The Council funds projects that generate new ideas and identify new areas of contact o Sustainability: Projects deliver medium to longer-term outcomes, strengthen networks and linkages and, over time, become self-sustaining o Partnerships: Projects are developed and delivered in partnership with Australian and Chinese organisations, promote complementarities and avoid duplication with similar programs o Equality and Diversity: Projects promote and encourage gender equality, cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity, and facilitate engagement between Australian and Chinese regions and areas outside major capital cities and business hubs o Accountability: Projects have clear key performance indicators and comply with the Australian government s financial and other reporting requirements

22 Appendix Appendix 1 Theatre Etiquette Appendix 2 Three Monks marketing and publicity image Appendix 3 Proverbs Appendix 4 Proverbs from China Appendix 5 / 5a Respond and Interpret (F-2) Appendix 6 Respond and Interpret (3-4) Appendix 7 Respond and Interpret (5-6) Appendix 8 Write a Review

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25 PROVERBS Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The early bird gets the worm. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A stitch in time saves nine. A penny saved is a penny earned. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. A friend in need is a friend indeed. A drop of honey catches more flies than a hogshead of vinegar. A fool and his money are soon parted. Birds of a feather flock together. Don t count your chickens before they ve hatched. One today is worth two tomorrows. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Two wrongs don t make a right. Actions speak louder than words. You can t judge a book by its cover.

26 Proverbs from China If you don t enter the tiger s den, how will you get the tiger s cub? A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. A book holds a house of gold. A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. Dig the well before you are thirsty. When one door closes another opens. Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it. Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself. Be the first to the field and the last to the couch. When you drink the water, remember the spring.

27 I went to the theatre I saw I liked I laughed when I was surprised when I learnt

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31 Writing a Review TITLE Write a snappy, fun and attention grabbing title for your review. INTRODUCTION Include what did you see (Three Monks), where did you see it (Arts Centre Melbourne), when did you see it (the date) and who made the show (China National Theatre for Children). PLOT SUMMARY - Give a brief description of the story. What happens? What are the themes?

32 PERFORMANCE Describe the characters of the play. Evaluate the performance of one or two of the actors. What did you notice about their performance? What did you like about their acting? DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Discuss how effectively the production used set, lighting, sound / music and costumes. You don t have to include everything, just the elements that stood out to you. For example, in Three Monks, maybe you really enjoyed how music helped created the mood and atmosphere so you may like to focus on that.

33 REACTION Did you enjoy the performance? Would you recommend it to others?

34 Theatre Review by Date Title of Show PLOT: What happened? Did you enjoy the story? CHARACTERS: Who were the characters? Who was your favourite character? Why? STAGING: What did the show look like? How did it sound? YOUR OPINION: Did you like the play? What was your favourite moment? W ould you recommend others see it? STAR RATING