Disney s My Son Pinocchio. Educational Materials

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1 Disney s My Son Pinocchio November 12-15, 2015 Disney s My Son Pinocchio Educational Materials O L D T O W N P L A Y H O U S E Y O U N G C O M P A N Y T H I S I S S U E C O N T A I N S : Source Material About the Authors Theatre Vocabulary words Curriculum Corner After the show Educational Materials for Disney s My Son Pinocchio are provided through a grant from the Worthington Family Foundation. We thank them for their support. S o u r c e M a t e r i a l In 1883, Italian writer Carlo Collodi published a children s novel called The Adventures of Pinocchio, about a mischievous puppet and his poor woodcarver father. The story began as a serial publication in 1881 and was later expanded into the completed book by February Unlike many of his nineteenth-century contemporaries, Collodi did not employ many of the fairytale devices with which readers had become accustomed. Instead, Collodi s Pinocchio is set in a non-traditional fairytale world, where hard realities of daily life are presented with serious themes. Collodi did not intend for Pinocchio to be a children s story; at the request of his editor, he made the story appropriate for children by expanding the role of the Blue Fairy to rescue Pinocchio from his many troubles. Written Florence, the story is set in the Tuscan countryside and features unique regional specificity. The story was translated into English after Collodi s death in 1892 and is embraced as a notable classic of children s literature. In 1937, during the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney Studios first feature-length animated film, Walt was introduced to Collodi s story. The tale sparked his interest, and plans began to animate it. Disney s Pinocchio is based loosely on Collodi s novel and features an expanded and now well-loved Jiminy Cricket, originally a minor role in the book. Due to the overwhelming success of Snow White, Walt Disney chose to hire famous voices for Pinocchio, including the child star Dickie Jones as Pinocchio. At the time of its release in 1940, Pinocchio was regarded for its realistic animation and won two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Original Song, for the now-classic When You Wish Upon a Star by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington. A b o u t t h e a u t h o r s Stephen Schwartz (Music and Lyrics) has contributed music and/or lyrics to Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker s Wife, Working, Rags, Children of Eden, My Fairytale and the current Broadway hit, Wicked. A book about his career, Defying Gravity, has recently been released by Applause Books. Mr. Schwartz has recently been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Other awards include three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and a tiny handful of tennis trophies. David I. Stern (Book) has written numerous movies including: Geppetto, Open Season 2 & 3. He has contributed to the writing of The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Tinkerbell 3 and The Hotel Transylvania. David Weinstein (Music Adaptation & Arrangements) has served as composer, orchestrator, arranger and producer for many of the MTI Broadway Junior series of musicals.

2 P a g e 2 D i s n e y s M y S o n P i n o c c h i o E d u c a t i o n a l M a t e r i a l s GLOSSARY OF THEATRE TERMS Act: 1) The process of Auditions: Tryouts held for Backstage: The area out of performing as a character. actors who want to view of the audience that 2) A main section of a play. perform in a show. Actors include the wings and Actor: A person who performs as a character in a play or musical. Antagonist: The opponent to the protagonist (or hero) of the story. An antagonist may sometimes be called the villain. Audience: The people who gather to watch the performance. The audience sits in the house. auditioning for a musical may be asked to sing and read a particular character s lines from a scene as well as learn a short dance sequence. Author: A writer of a play or musical, which is also known as a playwright. A musical s authors include the book writer, the composer and the lyricist. dressing rooms as well as the lounge area or green room. Blocking: The actors movement in a play or musical, not including the choreography. The director usually assigns blocking during rehearsals. More studies are finding what we already know in our hearts the arts DO make a Break a leg: A wish of good luck in the theatre, which comes from a superstition that saying good luck is actually bad luck! Cast: 1) noun The performers in a show, We have a great cast. 2) verb The act of the selection of an actor for a play, I hope I get cast in the next play. name in the script. An actor may play many characters in the same play. Choreographer: A person who creates the dance numbers in a musical or positive impact on Broadway: The theatre Character: A human (or combat sequences in an our youth! Individually. Socially. Academically. district in New York City that is home to 40 professional theatres and one of the world s great capitals of live theatre. animal) represented in a play. Each actor plays a character, even if that character doesn t have a adventure story. Climax: The height of the dramatic action in a play. Company: All of the people who make a show happen: actors, musicians, creative team, crew, producers, etc. Crew: A team of people who move scenery, operate lights and sound, handle props or work backstage during a production. Curtain Call: The entrance of the company at the end of the show to bow and acknowledge the audience s applause. Designers: The people who create the sets, costumes, lighting and sound for a production. Dialogue: A conversation between two or more characters. Diction: The articulation, or clearness of speech, while delivering one s lines. Also known as enunciation.

3 Director: A person who provides the artistic vision, coordinates the creative elements and stages the play. Dress Rehearsal: A run-through of the show that includes costumes, props and technical elements. Ensemble: 1) A group of people who work together to create a show. 2) The chorus, or members of the cast other than the leads. P a g e 3 Entrance: When a character steps onto the stage from the wings or other offstage area. Exit: When a character leaves the stage. Follow Spot: Large, movable light at the back of the house that follows an actor as he or she crosses the stage. Also called a spotlight. Front of House: Any part of theatres this break is called Matinee: A performance of a the theatre that is open to the audience, including the box office, lobby, restrooms and concession area. Improvisation: When an actor performs something not written in a script. the Interval. License: Permission, or the rights, to produce a play in exchange for a fee which covers script copies and royalties for the authors. Light Board: A computerized show held during the day. Mic: Short for microphone, a device that electronically amplifies the voices of the actors. Monologue: A large block of lines spoken by a single Independent studies show increased years of enrollment in arts courses are positively Intermission: A break between acts when the audience gets a snack or uses the restroom while the company changes the set board that controls all of the theatrical lights for a show. Lines: The dialogue spoken by the actors. character. When spoken alone onstage or directly to an audience, a monologue reveals the inner thoughts of a character. correlated with higher SAT verbal and math scores. and costumes. In European Offstage: Any area out of view of the audience. Onstage: Anything on the stage and within view of the audience is said to be onstage. Pantomime: To act something out without words. Performance: 1) A single showing of a production. 2) An actor s interpretation of a character in front of an audience. Play: A type of dramatic writing meant to be performed live on a stage. A musical is one kind of play. Plot: The chain of events that occur during the play. Producer: The person in charge of a production who oversees budget, calendar, marketing and the hiring of the creative team, cast and crew. Production: This term refers to everything about a show onstage and off, every given night of the run. A production includes the performing and technical aspects of the show, which means that each group that presents a show will have a unique production. Program: A booklet that lists the entire company of a production and may include other information about the play. Prop: Anything an actor holds or carries during a performance. Short for property. Proscenium: A type of theatre in which a large frame, or arch, divides the stage from the house.

4 P a g e 4 D i s n e y s M y S o n P i n o c c h i o E d u c a t i o n a l M a t e r i a l s GLOSSARY OF THEATRE TERMS, cont. Protagonist: The main character or hero of a story. Raked Stage: A stage that is raised slightly upstage so it slants towards the audience. Rehearsal: A meeting during which the cast learns and practices the show. Rights: Permission to perform a show that is obtained through a license and payment of a fee called royalties. Role: The character that an actor plays. Scene: A section of a play in one particular location and time. Script: 1) The written words that make up a show, including dialogue, stage directions and lyrics. 2) The book that contains those words. Set: The entire physical environment onstage, which may include backdrops, flats, furniture, props and projections. Set Change: A change in scenery, often between scenes or acts. Set Designer: A person who creates the scenery. Setting: The location, environment and time period of a play. Sound Board: An electronic board or computer that controls the mics, sound cues and any other audio in a production. Also called a sound console. Stage: The area where the actors perform in a theatre. Stage Business: Small actions performed by actors that make a play more realistic and believable. Stage Directions: Words in the script that describe the actions for the characters that are not part of the dialogue. Stage Left: The left side of the stage, from the actor s perspective. Stage Manager: A person responsible for keeping all rehearsals and performances organized and on schedule, and for calling sound and light cues during the show. Stage Right: The right side of the stage, from the actor s perspective. Strike: 1) To remove a prop or set piece from the stage. 2) To clean up the stage after closing. Tableau: A frozen image made up of actors, usually showing a specific mood or idea. Technical Director: A person who coordinates the construction and painting of the sets, the hanging of the lights and the setup of the sound system. Technical Rehearsal: A rehearsal when the crew begins adding sets, lights, sound etc., to the show once the performers know the lines, songs and blocking. Also called tech. Theatrical Lights: Lights that hang from the ceiling of a theatre or on poles, or booms above or on the side of the stage. These lights illuminate the actors and convey time of day

5 P a g e 5 Understudy: An actor who learns a character other than his own and is able to play that character if the other actor is sick. Upstage: The part of the stage furthest from the audience. Usher: A person who shows the audience to their seats and hands out programs. Warm-up: Exercises at the beginning of a rehearsal or before a performance that prepare actors voices and bodies. Wings: The area to the side of the stage just out of the audience s view. Types of Stages Arena: The audience is seated on all four sides of the performance space. Also called in the round. Proscenium: The audience is seated on one side, facing the stage. The arch or frame around the stage is called the proscenium arch. Stadium: The audience is seated on two opposite sides of the performance space. Thrust: The audience is seated on three sides of the performance space in a U-shape. The stage itself can be shallow or very deep. Theatre versus Theater: The word theatre can also be spelled theater and is defined in two ways. The first definition is the art of producing plays and musicals for a live audience. The second definition is the building or place in which a show is performed including stage, backstage and house. Often the word is spelled with an er when it describes a cinema or movie theater. For the purposes of this glossary, we are using the re spelling throughout to refer to both the practice of theatrical activity and the physical building in which it takes place. 6 Benefits Associated with the study of Arts Higher reading and language skills Improved math skills Developed thinking skills Increases social skills Positive school environment Motivation to learn When students have the opportunity to engage in a dramatic enactment of a story, their overall understanding of the story improved...drama can also be an effective method to develop the quality of a child s narrative writing.

6 P a g e 6 D i s n e y s M y S o n P i n o c c h i o E d u c a t i o n a l M a t e r i a l s Curriculum Corner The Curriculum Corner activities fulfill many of the standards set forth in the Common Core State Standards. Through these lessons students can: Demonstrate independence Build strong content knowledge Comprehend as well as critique Value evidence Come to understand other perspectives and cultures Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them PLANETARY PUPPETS SOCIAL STUDIES: Cultures of the World Use this lesson to: explore performance cultures and traditions around the world and to connect My Son Pinocchio, Jr. to your social studies curriculum. MATERIALS: Printed images of Balinese shadow puppets, Austrian string puppets, British Punch & Judy puppets, American protest puppets, Japanese Bunraku puppets and European marionettes Internet access and/or reference books Colored pencils and paper OBJECTIVES: Students can: Critically analyze and observe pieces of art from around the world Employ research skills to make sense of their observations Work in groups to reapply their learning in novel and creative ways Present ideas and findings to their peers Work individually to bridge research-based learning and original creative content My Son Pinocchio, Jr. is the story of a toy maker who becomes a father to a marionette. Puppets are pieces of art that can be found around the world and are used in many different ways. Let s explore the puppetry of the world. BEGIN: Break your students into small groups. Give one printed image of puppet to each group but don t identify type. Have groups discuss their observations. Side-coach with questions like: What is the puppet made of? What do you notice about its design style? How is it operated? Is it simple or elaborate? What do the colors tell you? What does its size tell you? Does it look serious, funny, artistic, or scary? NEXT: Provide access to internet or reference books and give students 15 minutes to identify and discover all they can about their type of puppet. Now that students have an understanding of the puppetry style they are investigating, distribute paper and colored pencils to each group and allow students to sketch a puppet inspired by their studies. PRESENT: At the end of the activity, have each group present and share their findings. REFLECT: Remind students that puppetry is a type of theatre. Using what they learned through their group work and their classmates presentations, instruct the students to write a short scene in which two styles of puppets interact. Use prompts to encourage deep reflection: What might a Balinese shadow puppet say or do to a Punch puppet? Etc.

7 P a g e 7 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: Voice and Perspective USE THIS LESSON TO: explore character, voice and perspective in expository writing to examine concepts of theme and to connect My Son Pinocchio Jr. to your English Language Arts curriculum TIME: 45 minutes MATERIALS: Index cards Fairy Tale Form worksheet (on following page) OBJECTIVES: Students can: Connect themes from My Son Pinocchio Jr. to their own lives. Collaborate with their peers to write an original story. Examine concepts of voice, character and perspective by telling a story from a different point of view. Connect concepts of perspective to their own lives. INTRODUCTION: My Son Pinocchio Jr. explores a classic story from a new and unexpected point of view. And it all starts when Geppetto wishes upon a star WARM-UP: Be Careful What You Wish For... (10 minutes) 1. Distribute index cards to your class. 2. Tell your class to think about something they might wish for if there was a chance their wish could come true. Inform students that they will be sharing these ideas. 3. Have the class write their wishes on their note cards. 4. Divide your class into small groups and instruct the students to share their wishes with the others in their group. 5. Ask each group to select one wish that they would like to explore further. HOOK: Fairy Tale Form (15 minutes) 1. With their wish selected, give each group a few minutes to document the pros and cons of their wish coming true. What are the potential repercussions of their wishes? What are the benefits? 2. Next, distribute the Fairy Tale Form worksheet. Working as a team, each group should complete the form with ideas based on their wish. 3. Allow the groups to share their stories with the class. MAIN ACTIVITY: Fractured Fairy Tale (15 minutes) 1. Collect the worksheets from the groups and redistribute them so that each group receives another group s story. 2. Tell the class to write the opening of a play or story told from another point of view. Who or what else in the original story might have a different take on things? 3. Allow the groups to brainstorm and to write their scenes/stories. 4. After the scenes/stories have been written, give the class time to share their work with the class. REFLECTION: When You Wish (5 minutes) Encourage the class to think back to their original wishes, and lead the students in a discussion using these prompts: What changed when you ad o weave your wish into a story? What was it like iving your story to another group? What was it like working on another group s story? Did you prefer the original tale or the new perspective? In life is there ever more than one version of an event?

8 P a g e 8 D i s n e y s M y S o n P i n o c c h i o E d u c a t i o n a l M a t e r i a l s CURRICULUM CORNER THEATRE GAMES Count to Ten Use this exercise to develop group cooperation and non-verbal communication. 1. Have students sit in a circle. Explain that they are going to count to ten. 2. Set the limitations: Only one person may say a number at a time. If more than one person says the same number simultaneously, the circle will need to start over at one. 3. Allow the students to try to count to ten. Generally, the first attempt will be unsuccessful. 4. Encourage the students to look each other in the eye and make it clear that they are about to make an entrance with a number. They should take deep breaths and focus on the energy in the circle. 5. For more of a challenge, have students count to a higher number or say the alphabet. For a real challenge, have the students close their eyes. This will force them to listen and feel the energy of the group without visual cues. FAIRY TALE FORM WORKSHEET Use in the Langueage Arts Exercise on previous page Directions: Work with your group to fill in the blanks and create an original story based on your wish. Once upon a time,, a, wished. (main character name) (main character description) (wish) When came true, was thrilled! But (wish) (main character) (secondary character) warned that. insisted that, (main character) (con) (main character) (pro) but sure enough, was right. tried, (secondary character) (main character) (potential solution) but it only made matters worse. Finally,. (moment of conflict) So decided to. (main character) (resolution) and realized that. (main character) (secondary character) (moral of the story)

9 D i s n e y s M y S o n P i n o c c h i o P a g e 9 SCIENCE: Anatomy and Life Science USE THIS LESSON TO: explore the skeletal, muscular, circulatory and nervous systems, and to connect My Son Pinocchio Jr. to your science curriculum TIME: 45 minutes MATERIALS: Internet access and/or reference books OBJECTIVES: Students can: Kinesthetically identify the ways in which the human body functions. Identify components to the skeletal, circulatory, muscular and nervous systems. Work in groups to research anatomy and present their research to their peers. Understand how science can be applied to the arts, and how the arts can be applied to science. INTRODUCTION: My Son Pinocchio Jr. is the story of a marionette and his father. Marionettes are built to resemble the human body; we are going to investigate the similarities and differences between marionettes and the human body. WARM-UP: I ve Got No Strings (10 minutes) Clear desks and furniture to make a wide-open space in your classroom. Have students stand in a neutral position throughout the room. Tell the class they are going to come to life as marionettes, one joint at a time. Use these prompts to explore joints with your students: Good news! The puppet master has finished your hip joint. You may move your hips only. The hips are a ball and socket joint. Identify components to the skeletal, circulatory, muscular and nervous systems. The puppet master has now finished your neck joint. This is a pivot joint, which allows you to turn your head from side to side. Your feet have been attached at your ankle joint. These gliding joints allow you to move your feet. He has also completed your knee joint. These hinge joints allow you to walk about the space. Remember, you are marionettes. How do the strings cause you to move differently than a real human? Prompt the students to find their way back to their starting place and neutral position. HOOK: Systems of Life (10 minutes) Engage the class in a discussion about the activity. What were the limitations of being a marionette? What do humans have that marionettes don t? Write students ideas on the board (ideas may include: bones, muscles, brains, blood, organs, skin etc.). Categorize the students ideas into these classifications: skeletal system, muscular system, circulatory system, nervous system etc. MAIN ACTIVITY: A Real Boy! (15 minutes) Break your class into four groups. Assign each group to investigate one of the primary systems identified in the previous discussion. Using the internet and reference books, prompt students to investigate their respective anatomical system. Have each group share its findings with the class. These are some of the systems Pinocchio would need to become a real boy! REFLECTION: Journal on Acting (5 minutes) Your students have explored life science through the lens of a piece of theatre. Have you students respond to one of these questions in their notebooks: Why might an actor playing Pinocchio investigate the skeletal, muscular, circulatory or nervous systems? Why might a scientist or doctor use a model similar in shape and function to a marionette to investigate the human body?

10 O L D T O W N P L A Y H O U S E Y O U N G C O M P A N Y 148 E. 8th Street Traverse City, MI Phone: Fax: mychelle@oldtownplayhouse.com Be Bright. Be Bold. Be Young. Show Glossary Arbitrary: determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason or principle; random Benissimo: the Italian word for very good Coffers: traditionally an antique chest used for storing valuable items Cud: partially digested food regurgitated from the first stomach of cattle to the mouth for a second chewing Delinquent: a person who neglects or fails to do what law or duty requires Dovetail: to follow or connect closely; a woodworking method for joining lumber without fasteners Eclat: praise and applause; brilliance or flashiness Felice: the Italian word for happy Gratis: free of charge; complimentary Jackass: a male donkey Kindling: easily ignited material, such as dry sticks of wood, used to start a fire Maestro: a master musician Marionette: a puppet manipulated from above by strings attached to its jointed limbs Miracolo: the Italian word for miracle or wonder Molto stupendo: an Italian phrase meaning very beautiful Parchesi: an ancient game of India similar to backgammon that uses cowrie shells instead of dice Pinochle: a game of cards played with a special deck of 48 cards Pistachio: an edible nut Professore: the Italian word for professor Roustabout: a circus laborer Signora: an Italian word used as a courtesy title for a married woman. Equivalent to Mrs. Signori: the plural of signor and signore Signor, signore: an Italian word meaning nobleman Tempus figit: a Latin expression meaning time flies