The Wind in the Willows

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1 The Wind in the Willows Theatre Resource Education Guide Story by Kenneth Grahame Adapted for the stage by Joseph Baldwin Production Team: Bill Perron, Director Gina Bonina, Props Designer Stephanie Schmidt, Music Rod Sietsema, Technical Director Rod Sietsema, Lighting Design Shawn Boyd, Production Manager Lisa Wondra/Gina Bonin, Costumes Danette Olsen, Charge Artist Rod Sietsema/Bill Perron, Set Design 2 For Teachers 3 The Story: A Summary 4 Character Guide 5 From Book to Play 6 How We Did It: Staging the Story 7 The Part YOU Play 7 British Vocabulary/Discussion Questions 8 Post Show: Lessons Learned Danette Olsen, Executive Director Amy Klein/Shawn Boyd, Arts Education Pam Koch, Patron Services Shari Matz, Financial Manager Marilyn Mays, Development Associate Liz Reddy Marketing Coordinator Rod Sietsema, Technical Director

2 For Teachers 2 Hello, and welcome! This his theatre resource guide for The Wind in the Willows by Joseph Baldwin is designed to be used with students before and after attending the Festival Theatre production. The guide includes information and activities that will increase student understanding of this and other theatrical performances. In additions, a special postperformance guide will use examples from the play to highlight life lessons the characters learned to help students apply them to their lives. The mission of Festival Theatre is to make the arts welcoming to all people as an essential part of their well-being and for the vitality of the community. We believe the arts are vital in the education of children. Art has a job to do in the development of a creative, concerned, caring society and our children are the perfect place to start. Live theatre is an excellent way for students to experience the arts and all that they have to o er, both on stage and as part of the audience. You may reproduce any and all of the following pages. The information will help you make the most out of your visit to Festival Theatre. If you have questions or would like more information please contact us at , groups@festivaltheatre.org or P.O. Box 801 St. Croix Falls, WI Enjoy the show! Sincerely, Shawn Boyd & Amy Klein Arts Education Festival Theatre

The Story 3 The play you will see was adapted from the classic children s story The Wind in the Willows, a tale that follows the adventures of friends Rat, Mole, Badger, Toad and other woodland

3 The Story 3 The play you will see was adapted from the classic children s story The Wind in the Willows, a tale that follows the adventures of friends Rat, Mole, Badger, Toad and other woodland animals. As the story opens, we are introduced to the wealthy Toad, a proud and somewhat arrogant landowner with an obsession for motor cars. There is just one problem: he s a terribly reckless driver. When Toad s passion for driving threatens to hurt himself or others, his friends Mole, Rat, Badger step in to stop him. Just when his loyal friends think they have convinced him to give up motor cars forever, Toad is jailed for stealing a fancy roadster. To make matters worse, a wily band of weasels takes advantage of Toad s prison sentence and takes over Toad Hall, making it their own. Fortunately for Toad, Penelope, the jailer s daughter, takes pity on him, and helps him to escape his cell in time to retake Toad Hall with the help of his friends. His ancestral home restored, and his prison sentence revoked, Toad finally discovers the meaning of true friendship and resolves never to drive his dangerous motor cars again. Or does he?

The Characters 4 Toad: A wealthy but reckless gentleman with an obsession for motor cars Rat: Loyal friend to Toad; lives by the

him Mrs. Otter: Kind mother to Portly Otter Portly Otter: Mrs.

over Toad Hall Jen Weasel: Jack Weasel s wife Tilly, Ta y, and Tom Weasel: Jack Weasel s cousins Cookie, the Weasel Cook: Cooks for

Clancy: The policeman who arrests Toad for stealing the roadster Sgt.

4 The Characters 4 Toad: A wealthy but reckless gentleman with an obsession for motor cars Rat: Loyal friend to Toad; lives by the river bank Mole: A new friend to Toad who joins in to save the day Badger: A wise old friend to Toad who concocts a plan to save him Mrs. Otter: Kind mother to Portly Otter Portly Otter: Mrs. Otter s son; frequently wanders away, getting himself in trouble Jack Weasel: The sly leader of the Weasels who finds a way to take over Toad Hall Jen Weasel: Jack Weasel s wife Tilly, Ta y, and Tom Weasel: Jack Weasel s cousins Cookie, the Weasel Cook: Cooks for the weasels when they occupy Toad Hall Jeeves: His Lordship and Ladyships Chau eur who allows Toad to drive their roadster Sgt. Clancy: The policeman who arrests Toad for stealing the roadster Sgt. Locke: Jailer who manages the cellblock where Toad is to live The Jailbirds: Toad s unruly prison neighbors Penelope: The Jailer s daughter; helps Toad to escape prison Alf: Train conductor who helps in Toad s escape Bill: Alf s sidekick and coalmen of the locomotive

From Book to Play 5 About the Author: Kenneth Grahame Our play was adapted (see sidebar) from the beloved children s book, The Wind in the Willows which was published in 1908.

5 From Book to Play 5 About the Author: Kenneth Grahame Our play was adapted (see sidebar) from the beloved children s book, The Wind in the Willows which was published in It s author, Kenneth Grahame, was born on March 8, 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. For three years during his childhood, Grahame lived with his grandmother. She lived near the river Thames and Windsor Forest. He considered the time he lived beside the lovely river and forest the best years of his life. So, later, after he had grown and had a son of his own, those happy memories of such a beautiful place inspired him to write The Wind In The Willows. The book began as a series of stories Grahame wrote as gift for his partially blind and sickly son, Alistair. Alistair loved bedtime stories and was greatly upset when he found out that he was going to spend some time at the seaside without his father. Alistair simply didn t want to go to the beach without his imaginative bedtime stories. So, his father promised that he would send Alistair a chapter a day of the story he was telling him about an adventurous toad and his friends. He kept his promise, and Alistair looked forward to receiving those chapters in the mail. Alistair s nurse was also charmed by the stories and kept them all safe, sending them back to Grahame, who put them all together in a book called The Wind In the Willows. Over 100 years old, the book remains popular with both children and adults. Adapted means the playwright used the original book as a starting point from which to make a play that would be entertaining on stage. In the play we find some of the same characters, dialogue (what the characters say,) settings, and details as the book, but others that are di erent. If you ve read the book, what parts of the play came directly from the novel? What parts of the play did the playwright invent or change? Why do you think he did that? Directors and actors use their imaginations to bring a story to the stage or screen. What is different or the same about this play and the way you imagined it? Other plays or movies you ve seen? Harry Potter, for instance?

6 Staging the story When you attend a play, you agree to pretend. You agree to suspend disbelief, to pretend that the stage action and characters are real.

6 6 Staging the story When you attend a play, you agree to pretend. You agree to suspend disbelief, to pretend that the stage action and characters are real. To present a story on stage, actors and other theatre artists often rely on theatre customs. These customs, or conventions, are accepted ways of acting or doing something on stage. As you watch this play, watch for the following theatre conventions: Dialect is both the accent and the slang people of a particular place use. In this case, our actors are using a proper British dialect since our play takes place in England. Specific costume items are chosen to suggest important character qualities. Stage combat is a way of choreographing a fight that keeps the actors and audience safe. Character choices are the ways of moving, speaking, and behaving that make characters seem real. Set changes move furniture and set pieces to change locations between scenes. Solving Stage Problems To present a story on stage, actors and other theatre artists often have problems to solve. Here are some problems that had to be solved for The Wind in the Willows. How might you solve them? You may use lights, sound e ects, music, actors, costumes, and props (objects) in your solutions. Problem #1: How do you create a train and a car that both fit a stage and give the audience a sense of movement? Problem #2: How can young actors play the role of an animal or of a person who is much older than they? Problem #3: How can the same stage quickly show changes from woods, to homes, to railroads?

7 The part YOU play. 7 To create a great performance, our 24 actors memorized their lines, developed their characters (how they move, behave, and talk) practiced their movements (blocking), learned songs, and worked on a British dialect over a 6 week period. They worked with director Bill Perron, who helped them move about the stage, play their parts well and work together to bring the story of to life. A creative team worked to create costumes, props, and sets to give the sort of e ect they felt the play should project. The stage manager was ready to make sure everyone on stage and backstage does the right thing at the right time. All Festival Theatre needs now is YOU. YOU have a part to play in The Wind in the Willows. You are the audience. Your part requires you to listen carefully and watch closely. It s okay to laugh or applaud if you enjoy the play, but remember that you and the actors are in the same room. Talking or whispering to friends during the performance will distract the actors and other audience members. Help the actors play their parts well by playing YOUR part well. Resources: Lewis, Barbara What Do You Stand For? A Kid s Guide To Building Character, Free Spirit Publishing, British Words and Sayings portly: stout; chubby magistrate: English judge conveyance: way of getting around; transportation vagabond: one without a home; one who moves about row: noisy disturbance or quarrel eloquent: speaking well folly: foolish behavior horn bulb: car horn Mind your knittin mother! An expression Bill uses when he thinks Toad is an old woman. He is suggesting that she pay attention to her knitting--not his shoveling. gentry: members of the upper class; gentleman stoat: ermine (type of weasel) Discussion Questions Which characters did you admire most? What qualities did they have that made you like them? What lessons did the animals learn? How might those lessons help them in the future? What lessons did you learn? In the England we see in this play, class-- whether you are poor, rich (nobles), or in between- - really matters. Which characters were members of which of these classes? Did their class make them better people or did characters of any class still make mistakes? Toad s fatal flaw (part of his character that gets him in trouble) is his pride. Did other characters have fatal flaws and how does it a ect them? Character/dp/

8 P O S T P E R F O R M A N C E Determination and Belief What can even four of us do, against so many? --Mrs. Otter 8 There are many times in life where things seem impossible and where we begin to think that we may as well give up: Learning a new instrument, taking a test, drawing a picture that you just can t seem to get right. Yet just as we saw when five small animals defeated a band of weasels in The Wind and the Willows, you can conquer anything that seems impossible with determination and a belief in yourself. Believe me. You can do anything. Don t forget it. So, when something seems too hard or like you just can t win: Stop and encourage yourself: It may seem silly, but the first step to success is to tell yourself you can do it. Too often we tell ourselves what we can t do. Instead, tell yourself that you can. It can make all the di erence. Give yourself proof: Think back to something you never thought you could do and did. Think back to a time when you did something really well. Remind yourself that if you did those things, you can do this thing too. And you know what? You can! Take action: Do something about it. Give it a try. The only way to accomplish something is to take action. Just getting started can be hard. But once you do, you will get on a roll. The animals decided they would take back Toad Hall, and then they went for it in spite of their fears. Do the same. Celebrate the positives: You may not get it right the first time (and anything generally takes time to get good at), but you will get better each time. As you go along, look at what you are doing well or better than the last time. Give yourself a round of applause for it. You ll feel much better about the journey, and you ll want to continue. Self-criticism can make you want to quit. Self-a rmations (encouragement) make you want to keep going. Imagine yourself succeeding: See it in your head. Tell yourself you will get there and believe it. Now, think about something you really want to do, but don t think you can. Have that thing in your head? Use these suggestions and watch what happens!

9 P O S T P E R F O R M A N C E 9 Helping Those in Need In The Wind in the Willows many creatures and people get stuck in predicaments that they cannot get out of alone. Thankfully, they are rescued by kind friends, neighbors or strangers who come to their rescue: Portly is freed by his friends, Toad is freed by Penelope, and Toad is aided by Alf and Bill on the train. The thing is, we may want to, but we cannot do everything in life alone. We often need help from others. In turn, they sometimes need our help too. When you reach out to someone in need, you start a positive cycle that creates harmony and peace in your family, school, and community. Reaching out to others in need will not only feel good to them, it will feel incredible to you. And one day that kindness will come right back to you to when you need it the most. Exercises: Helping Those in Need Each day, look around you. Who looks like they could use a helping hand or a kind word? Reach out and be that supportive person. How does it make you feel? How about them? The next time you really need help, kindly ask someone if they are willing to assist. We often want to do everything ourselves, but part of the cycle of helping is to not only give help but to allow others to help you as well. Think of a time someone was kind to you. What did they do? How did it make you feel? Use what you learned from this experience to help someone else. Find news stories online, on TV, or in the newspapers in which people help people. Amid all of the reports of negative things are many, many positive ones. Begin to see the good people that are out there. Thank people who help you. Tell them what it meant to you. Too often we keep that to ourselves. Share it, and watch how much joy you give back. Think of people you admire most. What do they do to help those in need? There is an old saying: No one is an island. What does that mean in light of helping or receiving help? Do you think that is true? Why?

The Wind In The Willows Study Guide

The Wind In The Willows Study Guide Based on the classic book by Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame was born on March 8, 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. For three years during his childhood, Grahame lived with