Teacher Guide. emeraldcitytheatre.com

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1 Season In this guide: Sequential Thinking: Story Events Paper Chain Teacher Guide Sequential Thinking: When I Wake Up Order Exercise Science: Vaporous Volcano Experiment Language Arts: Interview with the Playwright History of Clowning Themes, Discussion Questions, and much more By Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond Adapted and Directed by Ernie Nolan Guide Prepared by Elizabeth Schmeski and Ernie Nolan emeraldcitytheatre.com

2 A Note from the Artistic and Education Directors Welcome to Emerald City Theatre and our production of We are thrilled that you have arranged to bring your group! We hope that this theatrical event creates a gateway for your students to the arts, inspiring not only a love of theatre but also showing how the arts can be a learning tool and fun, too! In addition to creating theatre of the highest standards, we at Emerald City are dedicated to providing the best educational and creative tools to enrich your experience. Please use this guide to prepare your class before the production, and help them continue their understanding of concepts after their visit, making your field trip more than just a one day experience. Developed with the Illinois School Standards in mind, the themes of this production are introduced and explored throughout our guide in (Discussion Questions), (Curriculum Connections), and (Educational Activities). Theatre and the arts are full of creative possibilities! We hope that this guide and production inspire some of your own for you and your students! Letter from Mouse...3 Audience Checklist...3 Summary...4 Adaptation...4 Playwright Bio...5 Playwright Interview...5 Author Bio...6 Illustrator Bio...6 Knowledge Nook: Clowning...7 Theme: Responsibility...8 Theme: Problem Solving...8 Knowledge Nook Story Order...9 Creative Corner: Paper Chain...9 Creative Corner: Sequence Steps...12 Knowledge Nook: Vaporous Volcano...13 Creative Corner: Postcard...14 Field Trip Info...15 Ernie Nolan Jacqueline Stone November 14- January 2 Page 2

3 .Hello there! This is Mouse, and I d like to welcome you to Emerald City Theatre s production of. I am so excited to share my special day at school with you! Just like how you have to follow directions at school, you also have to follow them at the theatre. Here are a couple of examples of rules to follow when you come see a play: Enter the building quickly and quietly so that you can hear instructions Be respectful of your seat and others around you If you have to use the restroom or leave the theatre once seated, do so with an adult No food or drink in the theatre Laugh at the funny parts, clap along to music and talk to the actors when they ask you questions, but please try not to talk loudly to your neighbor during the play Mouse [ ] Remember what the best ways to behave in the theatre are so that everyone can have a great time! Let s review by going through the Answer Yes or No to decide which of these are the best ways to behave in the theatre: 1. Should I clap or cheer when I see something that I think is funny and exciting? 2. Should I eat, drink, or chew gum while watching the play? 3. Should I talk loudly to the people sitting around me? 4. Should I leave the theatre without an adult? 5. Should I sing or answer questions if the characters ask me to participate? Answer Key 1. Yes, 2. No, 3. No, 4. No, 5. Yes Page 3

4 Today is no ordinary day. It s Science Day at school, and Mouse wants to come along with his best friend, Boy. But it s also time for progress reports, and if Boy has a positive report his Mom and Dad will reward him with The Ultimate Gamestation. Will Mouse ruin Boy s day at school and his video game dreams? From riding the bus, to doing science experiments, to writing a book, to playing soccer the day certainly becomes more than both ever expected as Mouse and Boy learn the importance of responsibility, following directions, and friendship. production of is a Emerald City Theatre s, meaning you are a part of the very first audiences in the entire world to see it! A premiere is a brand new play or movie that has never is a best selling book written by Laura Numeroff. Playwright Ernie Nolan took Numeroff s book and then created a way to make Mouse s adventure come to life onstage. This process is called, when a written work is changed into a new form, like a play, movie or video game. For example,, originally a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, was adapted into a Disney animated film, which was then adapted into a Broadway musical this year! Sometimes when the playwright is adapting a story into a play or movie, he or she has to pick and choose what parts are most important and make choices that present the play in a new and exciting way. Just like how Disney created friends for the Little Mermaid like Flounder and Sebastian that don t appear in the original story, in the play of Mouse, several new characters appear that aren t in the original story. been performed or broadcast in public before anywhere else in the world. This season at Emerald City Theatre, three of our plays are premieres, and we are excited that you are the very first audience to enjoy them! different text forms are used for different purposes. Demonstrate understanding that Page 4

5 Associate Artistic Director Ernie Nolan has directed,,,, and the Chicago professional of for Emerald City Theatre At the Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, Nolan directed and choreographed the of and in addition to choreographing Stephen Schwartz. He has also a number of books into plays, such as, and Ernie is an Ann Shaw Fellowship recipient and sits on the board of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. In an interview, Ernie answered a few questions about the adaptation process. That s a good question! Stories allow you to use your imagination. You have to put the pieces together in your mind. A play takes words on a page and makes them come alive. Writing a play is like thinking about a story in 3D. When you write a play you think not only of what the characters are going to say, but how they are going to move and appear to the audience. Well, the fact that it is alive and up on its feet makes it a lot different from the book. Instead of different, I like to think about it in terms of How will the audience be surprised? We of course follow the same wonderful story, but I think the audience will be surprised how we create Boy s day at school in the theatre. The audience will get to meet Boy s Mom, bus driver, teacher, friend, and coach. These characters aren t in the book, but add to the fun of seeing the play on stage. There are a lot of challenges when you adapt a play. Sometimes there is so much material, you really have to figure out what you are going to include. In the case of, it was almost the opposite. Since the book is short and very clear, the challenge became weaving all of the parts of the story together as well as creating what theatre people call dramatic stakes. What is at stake for Boy and Mouse? What conflict could add further excitement to seeing the characters come to life? What will keep the audience on the edge of their seats? arts (e.g., pattern, sequence and mood). Identify similarities in and among the Page 5

6 When she was a little girl, Laura Numeroff always knew she wanted to be a writer. She had a huge imagination and loved to tell stories. But when she was older, she decided to follow her sister s footsteps and study fashion. After her first year at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Numeroff took a class called Writing and Illustrating Children's Books. One day her homework was to write and illustrate her own children s book. Afterwards, Numeroff ended up selling that homework, and was published even before she graduated! That s when I realized that writing for children combined my three favorite things to do: writing stories, drawing, and reading, says Numeroff. Since then, she has continued to write stories for children, including and many others. Laura Numeroff is a recipient of a Parents Choice Award. An is another word for a writer. Some authors, like me write stories, but there are also other kinds of authors. For example, some authors write articles for newspapers and magazines. There are even authors who write the books you use in school! An is an artist who creates pictures for the events of a story. The pictures, or, can be drawings or paintings. They help readers to imagine what the different people and places in the story look like. Laura Felicia Growing up in New York and Texas, Felicia Bond knew when she was five years old that she wanted to be an artist one day. She always loved all of the art in the books that she read. Now as an adult, she has illustrated many children s books, such as and Bond has even written several books of her own, including and. Page 6

7 1. features a kind of performance that uses jokes, tricks, and the human body in lots of silly ways. An ancient form of physical comedy, clowning can be seen all over the world in different cultures. During Egypt s fifth dynasty, around 2500 B.C., a clown entertained the court Pharaoh Dadkeri-Assi. China can trace clown performances all the way back to 1818 B.C.Not all clowns wear white makeup and red noses like the ones at the circus. Some clowns entertain the audience without wearing makeup by involving them in the performance and using different techniques like mime, juggling, and acrobatics. Buster Keaton 2. Later in the 20 th century, Harlequin s slapstick would inspire the term used to describe a rowdy form of comedy that involved chases, falls, collisions and practical jokes. In the 1920s American used slapstick comedy in his silent films. He was known to perform stunts, such as jumping on and off moving train cars, slipping down stairs and driving a car with crooked wheels. also made slapstick silent films, in which he d miss his chair and fall on the floor or have a glass of water thrown in his face. Over four hundred years ago in Italy, clowns wore colorful masks and costumes. Harlequin, the most famous Commedia character, told jokes, did acrobatics, and carried a a club-like object composed of two wooden slats. When Harelquin wanted to show that he was funny, he would use the slapstick to make a big whack sound. 3. Charlie Chaplin Physical clowning can still be seen on television today. Raven Symone, the star of The Disney Channel s often puts on silly disguises and gets herself into messy comedic situations. s Miley dunking her face in a cream pie to hide her identity and her brother Jasckson s whoopee cushion antics can also be thought of as slapstick and clowning Raven Symone Harlequin Describe various ways the body, mind and voice are used with acting, scripting and staging processes to create or perform drama/theatre. Page 7 Investigate and explore elements of drama.

8 Because Mouse comes along to school, Boy has to take for Mouse s actions. He tries to show Mouse that there are rules and ways to do things, like catching the school bus on time, following directions, saying please and thank you, and not talking out of turn. Like Boy, you act responsibly when you take turns on the playground equipment so no one gets hurt or feed your pet so he or she doesn t get hungry. Thinking ahead is another part of being a responsible person. Boy fears that Mouse won t listen to the rules and he will have to face the consequences of Mouse s mischief. People who are understand that their choices can affect themselves or others in both good and bad ways. If a bad choice is made, a responsible person accepts punishment or blame without making an excuse. When Mouse starts getting into mischief at school, Boy has to think on his feet in order to keep himself out of the Principal s office. From covering up when Mouse speaks out of turn in class, to juggling all the gym equipment Mouse pulls out, to even giving him plenty of paper and pencils so Mouse can write his own novel Boy s hands are full every minute of his day. Being able to find quick, inventive solutions like Boy does makes a person a great creative problem solver, and can make the best out of tough situations. But keeping out of trouble isn t the only time when creative problem solving is useful. For example, you might or come up with a list of different ways to earn money to buy a gift for someone. You can also use creative problem solving to make a If two of your friends want to play two different games, you can compromise and decide to play one game first, and the other game second for the same amount of time. Sometimes just thinking out of the box a little bit helps to find new, positive approaches to a challenge. Respond to literary materials by connecting them to their own experience and communicate those responses to others. Identify and perform roles that contribute positively to one s classroom and family. Page 8

9 A story is made up of a series of events in a particular order. At the beginning of a story, something happens first. That event creates something else to happen second, which cause something else to happen third, and then go on and on until the story comes to an end. This is called and. A is an event that makes something else happen, and the is the result of the cause. For example, in, Goldilocks s hunger her to eat the porridge left by the Bears. The is that the Bears aren t too happy when they return home to see their food eaten and they chase her out of the house! All of the separate causes and effects are connected like links in a chain to form a complete story from the very first event in the beginning, to the last event at the end. Form your own paper chain for by connecting the events on pages 10 and 11 in order from beginning to end of the story. Scissors Glue stick Pencil First, read through all 10 of the events on pages 10 and 11 to decide what events happen first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth in the story. Next, put them in order by writing a number 1-10 next to each event. #1 will be the first event that happens in the story, and #10 will be the last. With the help of an adult, cut out the strips of paper following the dotted line. Now, take the strip with the event, or the #1 written on it, and overlap the ends to form a ring. Take your handy glue stick and glue the ends in place. Next, Take the strip of paper that has the event, or the #2 written on it, and pass it through the first ring, overlap the ends, and glue it in place. Continue connecting the rings until you have all10 events on the chain. Use concepts that include number recognition, sequence of numbers, one-to-one correspondence and ordinals. Understand parts of a story. Page 9

10 If you take a Mouse to school, he ll ask for you lunchbox. If you share your backpack with a mouse, he ll want to put his things in your locker and take a look around the classroom. If you give him your lunch box, he ll want a sandwich and a snack for later. If you give him a sandwich and a snack for later, he ll want to share your backpack. If he takes a look around the classroom, he might do a little math and spell a word Cut along the dotted line. See page 9 for instructions. Page 10

11 If he sees building blocks, he ll make a little mouse house and make some furniture out of clay. Then he ll need some books for his bookshelf. Once he s nice and clean, he ll be ready for lunch! But on the way to the lunchroom, he ll see some building blocks If he tries your science experiment, he ll get messy, so he ll need to wash up in the bathroom. If he needs a book for his shelf. He ll write one of his own. If you take a mouse to school, he ll try your science experiment Cut along the dotted line. See page 9 for instructions. Page 11

12 Let s practice steps in a sequence! On the lines below, list the the three most important things you do to get ready for school every day. In the boxes, use crayons and colored pencils to illustrate those steps. Use the words in the Word Bank for extra help writing about your morning routine! Breakfast Toothbrush Backpack Word Bank Pajamas Clothes Homework Lunchbox Snack Comb pictures, dictation, written words, and play. Represent stories through Page 12

13 It s Science Day at school, and Mouse can t wait to help his friend start his experiment, but he quickly learns there are step-by-step directions that must be followed when you do an experiment Let s practice following the directions, while also learning a thing or two about and in this project. To make your VAPOROUS VOLCANO, you ll need: A small, empty juice or water or soda bottle Some playdough or clay ½ cup of baking soda Some white vinegar Paper Towels for cleanup! To build your volcano, all you ll need is the empty bottle and some playdough or clay. Surround the bottle with the playdough, and shape it to look just like a volcano. It might be a good idea to put some paper towels underneath your volcano, so it doesn t get as messy as Mouse s. Before starting the experiment, take a look at the baking soda and the white vinegar. Both of these are samples of, a substance that takes up space and can be identified by your 5 senses. Matter is all around, and comes in three forms: a and. A, such as a block of wood, has a definite shape and size. A, such as water, can flow and spread, changing its shape depending on where it is. A, like air, doesn t have a definite shape and is constantly moving. With the help of an adult, measure out ½ cup of baking soda and pour it into the top of your volcano. Then, keeping your head away from the top of the bottle, start pouring the vinegar into the bottle and watch your volcano fizz and bubble! When the liquid vinegar is added to the solid baking soda, a chemical reaction occurs. The bubbles and foam that you see are from the different particles in the vinegar and baking soda mixing together to create carbon dioxide- a gas. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it flows out almost like water when it overflows the container. Describe and explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases. Recognize and demonstrate the reasons for rules. Page 13

14 We love to hear from our audiences! In the postcard provided below, draw a picture or write about your favorite moment or character from the play. You could also write to the director or the designers. We ll make sure that your letter gets to the right person and we ll write you back! Please send your drawings and letters to Emerald City Theatre, Administrative Offices, Attn: Ernie Nolan, 2936 N. Southport Ave- 3 rd Floor, Chicago, IL Page 14

15 For drop off and pick up, the buses should be facing SOUTH on Lincoln Ave. From Lake Shore Drive exit at Fullerton Ave, travel west. Turn right on Halsted, left on Wrightwood, and left on Lincoln (hard left at a six-corner intersection). From I-90/94 exit at Fullerton Ave. and travel east. Turn left on Seminary, right on Wrightwood, and right on Lincoln (soft left at a six-corner intersection). The theater is just past the el-track on the west side of the street. Please do not pull into the driveway, instead pull up along the curb next to the Apollo Theater. The best place for buses to park is near Graceland Cemetery at Irving Park Road and Clark. Continue south on Lincoln, turn left on Halsted, left on Clark, and continue on to Irving Park Road. Park between the train tracks and Clark. 9:45am - Arrive at the theater 10:15am - Performance begins 11:15am - Performance ends 11:20am - Buses pick up students 11:30am - Arrive at the theater 12:00noon - Performance begins 1:00pm - Performance ends 1:05pm - Buses Pick up students Please make all checks payable and mail to: Emerald City Theatre 2936 N. Southport Ave. Chicago, IL (773) x 10 Performances take place at The Apollo Theater 2540 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL Please notify Emerald City in advance if any special assistance is needed. In order to seat your students with the youngest ones in the front of your reserved section, we ask that you please have them enter the theater first. After the show, please remain in your seats until the group has been dismissed by the house manager. We will dismiss in the order the buses arrive. For problems of questions on show day contact the Manager on Duty: (312) Page 15

16 A Gateway to the Arts for You and Your Students! The True Story of the Three Little Pigs On Tour!Oct May 2010 At the Apollo Peter Oct 2009 and Jan- Apr 2010 Theater Pan At the Apollo Theater At the Apollo Theater A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas Nov Jan 2010 On Tour! Feb Jun 2010 Mar Jun 2010 Page 16