passport to culture The Little Prince Bristol Riverside Theatre arts SchoolTime Teacher s Guide njpac.org The Little Prince 1

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1 passport SchoolTime to culture Teacher s Guide The Little Prince Bristol Riverside Theatre arts education@ NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Generous support for SchoolTime provided, in part, by njpac.org The Little Prince 1

2 arts NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER contents On Stage 3 A timeless tale from France Meet the Artists 4 Translating Prince for theater Did You Know? 5 Puppetry across the globe In the Classroom 6 Related activities and resources Kid Power! Through energy efficiency and conservation, kids can help preserve our planet s rich natural resources and promote a healthy environment. TIP OF THE DAY Royal guard Since 1942, the Little Prince has tended his planet, despite its harsh conditions. Litter is a problem right here on Earth. Protect the ecosystem by picking up trash when you see it, or perhaps recycle it. Recycling a single can of soda saves enough energy to keep a bulb lit for half a day. Made possible through the generosity of the PSEG Foundation. Students in Dancing Classrooms TM New Jersey, an NJPAC In-School Residency Program The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Arts Education Department presents the 16 th season of the Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. Teacher s Resource Guide This guide will help you prepare your class for an enriching experience at our SchoolTime Passport to Culture Performance. We provide discussion ideas, activities and reading resources that promote arts literacy in your classroom and link to New Jersey s Core Curriculum Content Standards. You can find additional resources online at artsed.njpac.org. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this guide to any class attending a SchoolTime performance (all other rights reserved). NJPAC Arts Education At NJPAC, our mission is to join with parents, teachers and community to cultivate an appreciation of the arts for all children in all schools. We believe the arts provide an effective means of knowing and learning that helps children find the self-esteem, poise and confidence they need to succeed in every facet of life. Our innovative programs are designed to engage the artist in every child. In-School Residencies NJPAC brings the joy of dance, music and theater directly into your classroom with In-School Residencies. Our teaching artists create stimulating performing arts experiences that engage students imaginations and encourage self-expression. Residencies are customized to meet the curricular goals of the classroom teacher. Each residency ends with a performance that teaches students to work together and believe in themselves. SchoolTime and Family Performances Open a world of culture to your students through performances of music, dance, storytelling, theater, and puppetry through professional stage productions by local, national and international artists. Performances are enriched by teacher resource guides as well as Q&A sessions with the artists. Arts Training Programs Students interested in acting, dance, musical theater, vocal or instrumental music will find an artistic home at NJPAC where creative expression and solid technique serve as cornerstones of the Arts Training programs. Teaching Artists with exceptional professional experience guide students at all levels of arts learning (beginner, intermediate and advanced) to greater creative understanding and self-confidence. visit artsed.njpac.org Find additional resources by clicking on SchoolTime Performances 2 The Little Prince njpac.org

3 on stage Prince charming The title character of The Little Prince marvels that his Rose is unlike all others. By Michael Redmond It s a modest little tale that has been translated into more than 250 languages and voted the best book of the 20 th century in France. More than 200 million copies have been sold worldwide. The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince, 1943), by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, has been adapted for radio, television, the stage, musical theater, opera, ballet, even a symphony. Now this timeless classic is a puppet show, thanks to Bristol Riverside Theatre, based in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Writer, poet, illustrator, trail-blazing aviator and war hero, Saint-Exupéry, who was born June 29, 1900, in Lyon, France, packed a lot of life into only 44 years. In 1935 he crash-landed in the Sahara Desert trying to break the speed record for Paris- Vietnam air travel, and was rescued, near death, four days later. In The Little Prince, the story opens following a pilot s crash in the Sahara, where he encounters the title character. Saint-Exupéry wrote and illustrated The Little Prince in 1942 in New York City and Asharocken, Long Island. He was in exile from France, which had fallen to Nazi Germany; he came to the United States, where he was already a well-known author, to advocate for quick action to liberate his country. On July 31, 1944, Saint-Exupéry died when his plane went missing during a photo-reconnaissance mission for the Allies. Thought too old for active service, he had relentlessly campaigned for permission to join the war effort. The wreckage of his plane was discovered in May 2000, south of Marseille, France, in the Mediterranean Sea. The Little Prince is a fable for adults, disguised as a children s story. As such, it speaks to everybody s experience of life and human nature. It sends many messages, but perhaps the most famous comes from the Fox, who tells the Little Prince, This is my secret. It s very simple. It s only with the heart that one can see clearly. What s most important is invisible to the eyes. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Michael Redmond has written for The Star-Ledger, The Princeton Packet and numerous other publications. He is a winner of the Distinguished Service to the Arts Award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. njpac.org The Little Prince 3

4 MEET THE ARTISTS The version of The Little Prince that Bristol Riverside Theatre (BRT) adapted for puppets originated some 30 years ago with a musical theater treatment, which features a score by Rick Cummins and a script by the late John Scoullar. The Cummins- Scoullar version basically streamlines and tightens Antoine de Saint-Exupéry s story by eliminating some characters and changing the order of events. The musical received its world premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. Following the premiere, many people wanted to do it as a play, not a musical, so Rick (Cummins) and John (Scoullar) were happy to go along with that, says Amy Kaissar, BRT s managing director. They were both in love with the story. They ve adapted it many times. Three years ago, BRT decided to create a puppet version of The Little Prince, and Rick and John just lit up, says Kaissar. They said they had always imagined it done with puppets, and they set about adapting the show again, working with a staging by puppeteer Scott Hitz. BRT s production is directed by Susan D. Atkinson. About 60 minutes long, The Little Prince calls for four actor-puppeteers who play a range of characters, including the Little Prince, the Rose, the Desert Flower, and the Fox, and an actor who doubles as the Aviator and the Snake. The puppeteers need to be proficient in a range of puppetry techniques, including bunraku, shadow, hand, and rod. The puppets were created by awardwinning designer Michael Schupbach of Jim Henson s Muppet Workshops, and puppet builders Monkey Boys Productions, whose Broadway work includes Avenue Q and Little Shop of Horrors. Our directions were clear, Schupbach says. We very much wanted the puppets to look familiar to those who know the book, so they would feel like you were seeing a fair and accurate representation. We wanted to treat the book reverently, but put our own stamp on the characters. The writers helped us to stay true. 4 The Little Prince njpac.org From page BRT s production uses a recorded sound design by Cummins (there are no songs); a set consisting of two circles (one on the floor, the other behind a video screen); and special lighting effects. So many things happen in the book that you just can t do, Kaissar says. But puppets offer their own special advantages. When (The book s) heart is about love, how to see the world, how to do what s right. Amy Kaissar to stage Award-winning puppeteer Michael Schupbach shares the stage with characters from The Little Prince. the Rose comes onstage, she s a rose; when she blooms, she actually blooms. When people play these roles, it limits what you can do. It makes sense to do these roles with puppets. When BRT introduced its production, The Little Prince played for cross-generational audiences on the theater s main stage. I always thought of this story as a kid s thing. But what an incredibly meaningful book this is, Kaissar says. Its heart is about love, how to see the world, how to do what s right. The adults who have seen it love it, too. M.J.

5 The global art of By Patricia Petrey Dees DID YOU KNOW? puppetry Puppetry, an ancient art form, incorporates the visual, theatrical, musical, and literary arts into one holistic structure. It is a marriage of sculpture and painting with choreography, mime, acting, and language that demands multidisciplinary excellence from its creators. Nearly every culture in the world has a puppetry tradition in its present or past. With its roots in ritual, puppetry allowed ancient civilizations to revere their gods, celebrate their heroes and transport spirits. As puppetry spread around the world, its applications varied and flourished according to the needs of society. Weddings, funerals, births, folklore, political satire, and entertainment have all used puppetry as an exploratory medium. Five main styles developed over the centuries: shadow, hand, string/marionette, rod, and body. Here are highlights of these styles. A close-up shows how a puppeteer brings the Fox to life in The Little Prince. Shadow puppets In India and Southeast Asia, shadow puppetry is considered the oldest form of puppetry and is believed to date to prehistoric times. It has its roots in shamanistic rituals and funerary rites. In Indonesia, puppetry is woven into culture as a means of education, entertainment and ritual. Shadow puppet plays, or wayang purwa, play a significant role in festivals, rites of passage and religious observances. The plays provide entertainment while instructing audiences in morality, social interactions and values. In a shadow performance, the puppeteer, known as the dalang, sits behind a translucent fabric screen and uses rods to manipulate flat leather figures, known as wayang kulit. The screen is lit by an oil lamp or firelight. Often 100 to 500 puppets are used in a single performance. A gamelan orchestra accompanies the dalang. The performance may last from sunset to sunrise. Hand/glove puppets China has a history of glove puppetry dating back nearly 2,000 years. Brave warriors, historical battles and stories of love or ghosts are all common themes of Chinese puppet theater. Punch and Judy, associated with Victorian England and used to satirize society, had its beginnings in France and Italy. In Germany, Punch is called Kasper and Judy is Grete; in Italy Punch is Pulcinello (with Pulcinella as the female part); and in France, Punch is known as Le guignol. Marionettes (string puppets) In 5th century BCE, the Greek historian Herodotus wrote of string puppets used in the Festival of Osiris in Egypt. Chinese string puppets are manipulated from above with a minimum of eight strings, but may have up to 40 strings controlled by two people. The term marionette originated from the use of string puppets to enact the Nativity over 500 years ago in France. The figures were referred to as Little Marys or marionettes. Rod puppets In Mali, West Africa, rod puppets are used during the agricultural festival of Chekko. Mobile stages made of cloth and wood allow the performers to engage and move throughout the audience. Performances are accompanied by musicians. Rod puppets of Mali represent villagers, animals of the bush and spirits. Rod puppetry reached its peak in Japan with bunraku, a traditional Japanese art form in which puppets are life-sized and operated from behind by a hooded puppeteer dressed in black. The puppets are two to four feet high and manipulated by three puppeteers. The master puppeteer operates the head and right arm, while one assistant is at the left arm and the other at the feet. Body puppets The Bambara people of Mali perform a dance with body puppets to promote a bountiful growing season. Performers depicting a male and female dance in pairs, imitating the leaps of the antelope. Carved antelope masks cover their heads and their bodies are clothed in long vegetable fibers. Big Bird, from the TV show Sesame Street, is a body puppet. The performer must extend his right hand over his head to operate the head and neck of the puppet. njpac.org The Little Prince 5

6 In the classroom Before the Performance 1. To introduce students to the upcoming performance, read Antoine de Saint- Exupéry s The Little Prince in class. Identify and discuss themes of the book (friendship, loyalty, innocence, etc.). Next, identify and describe the main characters from the story. How are the characters similar or different? Which of the six planets visited by the prince is their favorite? Why? Discuss how illustrations assist in the visualization of a story both in books and on stage. (1.1, 1.4) * 2. One of the inspirations for The Little Prince came from Antoine de Saint- Exupéry s experience as a pilot in World War II and his skills as a celestial navigator (navigating one s way by observing celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon and stars). Explain to students that the Little Prince travels through space visiting different planets similar to an astronaut. Ask students to imagine the future of space travel for astronauts real or imaginary. Go to Verizon s Thinkfinity.org web page Literacy Activities on Astronauts and Space Travel (thinkfinity.org/groups/ literacy/blog/2012/08/26/literacy-activities-on-astronauts-and-space-travel). Scroll down to the last activity on the page, How Will Future Astronauts Travel to Outer Space? and click on the link. Once on the partner site, Wonderopolis.org, click on the Try It Out tab for a great arts, literacy and science lesson all in one. (1.1, 1.2) After the Performance 1. Using a Venn diagram, compare the similarities and differences between Saint-Exupéry s book and the NJPAC performance of The Little Prince. Teachers can draw a Venn diagram on the classroom whiteboard or download a copy from eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/venn. pdf. Next, ask students which version of The Little Prince they prefer. Why? Divide the students into groups to debate the pros and cons of both versions. (1.4) 2. Bristol Riverside Theatre s production of The Little Prince utilized shadow puppets to bring several characters to life. Have students create their own shadow puppet play to retell the story in the classroom. You can access a comprehensive materials list to full instructions on how to make a shadow screen from simple materials at hvanrossum.com/howto.html#screen. Next, download a playwriting outline at the Kennedy Center s ARTSEDGE website (artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/ lessons/grade-6-8/~/media/3ca7371bd6c 84375BB59DB2CB2FC85EE.ashx). Once all materials are gathered, divide students into groups of three (one shadow screen per group). Assign particular scenes of the story or performance to each group. Once completed, use the shadow theaters to create a visual timeline of the story. (1.1, 1.3) * Numbers indicate the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard(s) supported by the activity. More Resources Books for Students Bryant, Jill and Catherine Heard. Making Shadow Puppets (Kids Can Do It). Kids Can Press, Dorison, Guillaume. The Planet of Wind 01 (The Little Prince). Graphic Universe, Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. The Little Prince. Mariner Books, Books for Teachers Adachi, Barbara C. Backstage at Bunraku: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Japan s Traditional Puppet Theatre. Weatherhill, Cate, Curtis. Antoine De Saint-Exupéry: His Life and Times. Athena, Exner, Carol R. Practical Puppetry A-Z: A Guide for Librarians and Teachers. MacFarland & Company, DVDs The Little Prince (Clay Classics). Billy Budd Films, The Little Prince. Paramount Pictures, Rated G. Websites Thinkfinity.org Verizon Foundation website for classroom educational material. brtstage.org Bristol Riverside Theatre. puppet.org Center for Puppetry Arts. thelittleprince.com The Little Prince official website. Videos Interview with the creators of The Little Prince. youtube.com/ watch?v=pyswp-diyhy 6 The Little Prince njpac.org

7 Teaching Science Through Theater (Grades 3 6) By Lorna Staples, Ph.D. The NJ Core Curriculum Science Standards state that students will gain an understanding of the structure, dynamics and physical systems of the Earth. The following examples will demonstrate how theater can be extremely helpful in reinforcing the understanding of these concepts. Following an in-depth investigation of the Earth s layers and the subsequent formation of volcanoes (reminding the class of the volcanoes in The Little Prince), have students draw a sequence of pictures depicting the various stages of a volcano erupting. These should range from a dormant volcano or stately mountain in a peaceful setting, to the colliding of the tectonic plates in the Earth s crust and subsequent rumblings detected by a seismometer, to a violent eruption. The final scene should show the volcano again dormant but existing in an environment of total destruction. Have students arrange the scenes in the correct sequence and then write a detailed script for each scene. With the script and scenes coordinated, select a narrator to read the script for each scene as other students act out what the scene represents. Other students may be stagehands, moving the pictures behind the actors as the narrator reads. Students should select a title for their presentation, such as A Volcano s Life or The Little Prince and His Volcanoes. Such a culminating activity for a science unit can be very exciting for students. It utilizes a number of the students multiple intelligences and allows them to demonstrate what they have learned in a creative manner. Studying the water cycle and learning about evaporation, condensation and precipitation are central to students understanding the weather. After drawing and labeling a picture of the water cycle, have students act out the role of molecules in the water cycle and how they change states from being a liquid to a gas (evaporation and water vapor), back to a liquid (condensation and cloud formation), and finally a liquid and/or a solid (precipitation). Such role-playing is especially effective with bilingual students who understand the terms and concepts but have difficulty expressing their knowledge in English. Teaching Science Through the Arts is made possible through the generous support of Roche. visit artsed.njpac.org Find additional resources by clicking on SchoolTime Performances The Little Prince vocabulary list adaptation taking a story in one form, such as a book, and changing it to another form. The stage production of The Little Prince is an adaptation of Antoine de Saint- Exupéry s book of the same title. baobab a short tree with a thick trunk and large fruit. black light ultraviolet light that causes something, such as puppets or scenery coated with fluorescent paint, to glow in the dark. bunraku a traditional Japanese puppet art form dating to the 17th century. All the puppets are life-sized and operated from behind by a puppeteer dressed in black who is visible to the audience. composer a person who creates original music for the scenes in a production. Sometimes the composer writes both the music and words (or lyrics) of a song, and sometimes he or she will work with a lyricist, who writes the words. dialogue conversation in a play, usually between two or more characters; monologue is a speech of one character. director the person who conceives of an overall concept for a production, supervises all its elements and guides the actors in their performances. gesture a direct movement of the body, hand or arm intended to express a specific meaning or emotion. inconsequential of little or no importance. props items used on stage to help create a sense of place, such as a photograph or map; the belongings used by a character on stage, such as a purse or sandwich. puppet (Old French poupette, a diminutive of poupée, doll) an inanimate object controlled by wire, hand, body, or other means to represent a person, idea or figure. puppeteers people who make and/or manipulate puppets. The puppeteer may be visible to the audience or hidden from view. remorse deep and painful regret after doing something wrong. scenery painted canvas mounted on wooden frames, drops, cutouts, etc., used in a theater to represent the location or environment where the action takes place. sound effects sounds characteristic of humans, animals, objects, and forces of nature, e.g., wind, rain, that can be performed live or pre-recorded. stratagem a plan to beat an opponent. vanity thinking too highly of one s appearance, talents or accomplishments. njpac.org The Little Prince 7

8 Generous support for SchoolTime provided, in part, by Acknowledgments as of 8/10/12 arts NJPAC Arts Education programs are made possible by the generosity of: Automatic Data Processing, Bank of America, The Arts Education Endowment Fund in Honor of Raymond G. Chambers, Leon & Toby Cooperman, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, McCrane Foundation, Merck Company Foundation, Albert & Katharine Merck, The Prudential Foundation, PSEG Foundation, Marian & David Rocker, The Sagner Family Foundation, The Star-Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Verizon, Victoria Foundation, Wells Fargo, John & Suzanne Willian / Goldman Sachs Gives and The Women s Association of NJPAC. Additional support is provided by: Advance Realty, Anonymous, C.R. Bard Foundation, BD, The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, Berkeley College, Allen & Joan Bildner, Bloomberg, Ann and Stan Borowiec, Jennifer Chalsty, The Johnny Mercer Foundation, Chase, Edison Properties, Veronica Goldberg Foundation, Meg & Howard Jacobs, Johnson & Johnson, The MCJ Amelior Foundation, The New Jersey Cultural Trust, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Novo Nordisk, Panasonic Corporation of North America, Pechter Foundation, PNC Foundation on behalf of the PNC Grow Up Great program, The Provident Bank Foundation, E. Franklin Robbins Charitable Trust, Roche, TD Charitable Foundation, Turrell Fund, and The Blanche M. & George L. Watts Mountainside Community Foundation. NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER One Center Street Newark, New Jersey Administration: Arts Education Hotline: schooltime@njpac.org Writer: Michael Redmond Curriculum Consultant: Patricia Petrey Dees Editor: Linda Fowler Designer: Bonnie Felt NJPAC Guest Reader: Debra Volz NJPAC Teacher s Guide Review Committee: Laura Ingoglia Judith Israel Mary Lou Johnston Amy Tenzer Photo on page 2 by Yasmeen Anderson Copyright 2013 New Jersey Performing Arts Center All Rights Reserved New Jersey Performing Arts Center William J. Marino... Chairman John Schreiber... President & CEO Sandra Bowie... Vice President of Arts Education Sanaz Hojreh... Assistant Vice President of Arts Education Verushka Spirito... Associate Director of Performances Caitlin Evans Jones... Director of In-School Programs Faye Competello... Director of Arts Training Linda Fowler... Editor of Teacher s Resource Guides visit artsed.njpac.org Find additional resources by clicking on SchoolTime Performances or scan the QR code displayed here. For even more arts integration resources, please go to Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation s signature digital learning platform, designed to improve educational and literacy achievement. Coming to NJPAC SchoolTime passport to culture Teacher s Guide Cinderella State Ballet Theatre of Russia arts education@ NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Cinderella February 1 State Ballet Theatre of Russia presents a lavish staging, crowned with stunning costumes and full corps de ballet. For grades 4-8. Call (973) The Little Prince njpac.org