EDUCATION RESOURCE PACK

Transcription

1 EDUCATION RESOURCE PACK 1

2 Introduction This resource pack accompanies Theatre by the Lake s Christmas 2016 production of The Emperor and the Nightingale. It contains drama, music, craft, art, writing, speaking and listening activities for school children aged The story Once upon a time there was a child Emperor called Wu. Wu ruled a land so vast that no-one could say where it began or where it ended but, because he has been told that the world outside is full of danger, Wu has never stepped beyond the palace walls. One day, he meets a young servant girl called Xiao, who tells him of white topped mountains and teaming waterfalls and lakes so blue you d think the sky had fallen into them. But she says that the most beautiful thing in the whole kingdom is the song of the nightingale. Desperate to discover this new world, Wu hatches a plan to escape from the palace. As he and Xiao embark on their journey into the mountains, an adventure unfolds that neither of them could ever predict... Our production: Cast Father / Dragon King / Monkey / Chorus Xiao / Chorus Nightingale / Chorus Peasant Woman / Servant / Chorus Chorus / Servant / Monkey Li-Si / Chorus Wu / Chorus Tiger King / Clockmaker / Monkey / Servant / Chorus Our production: Creative Team Director Set & Costume Designer Lighting Designer Composer and Musical Director Puppetry Director Movement Director Sound Designer Patrick Bridgman Sally Cheng Amy Gardyne Frances Marshall Ed Parry Joel Sams Martin Sarreal Silas Wyatt-Barke Ian Forrest Martin Johns Andrew J Lindsay Richard Atkinson Jimmy Grimes Bronya Deutsch Maura Guthrie 2

3 Drama and Music Use Extract 1 (p9) to explore the opening of the play In your classroom, hall or music room, give groups or individuals these roles / tasks: Chorus 1 two or three children to practise the three opening lines Magic small group to create a tableau (a still image made with their bodies ) Mystery small group to create a tableau Beauty small group to create a tableau Jealousy small group to create a tableau The Emperor two or three children to create a mimed scene The Nightingale two or three children to create a mimed scene Musicians four or five children to be tasked with creating sound effects 1. Read through the Extract 1 as a class give out the roles 2. Give the children minutes to practise 3. Perform the individual parts 4. Put it all together and practise it as a whole group piece If it goes well, perform it to another class or show it in an assembly. Practise and perform Extract 2 (p10-11): the Two Kings In groups of 4 to 8, give the children Extract 2 to practise. In the play, this follows directly after Extract 1. It is the first time we meet the two kings. 1. Practise the scene for 15 minutes invite the children to use tableaux, slow-motion, dance moves, facial expressions 2. Perform to the class 3. Discussion what might happen next? 4. Same groups create a set of six tableaux for what might happen next. Assign a narrator to speak a caption for each tableau 5. Perform to the class. 3

4 Writing and drawing The Tiger King and the Dragon King Here are some things you find out about two kings of China at the beginning of the play: The Tiger King A warrior Daring and fearless Famed throughout China Good at martial arts Doesn t like music Can get jealous The Dragon King More famed than the Tiger King Ruler of a kingdom containing the finest and most beautiful creations of mankind: o silk paintings of mountains, waterfalls and lakes so blue you d think the sky had fallen into them o books with pages soaked in dreams o music as joyful as the nightingale Can play the flute Use the information on the two kings to: 1. Draw a picture of one or both of them. It could be labelled. 2. Write a conversation between the two kings set it out like a story. 3. Write a short dialogue between the two kings set it out like a play. You could even practise it and perform it to the class. 4. Draw a set of cartoon frames with speech bubbles where the two kings meet. 5. Write a poem about one or both of the kings it may or may not rhyme. How about writing a haiku (a poem with three lines, where the number of syllables = 5, 7, 5). 4

5 Research and write Find out more The play is based on a fairy tale called The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen and is set in China. It was written in It was partly inspired by Jenny Lind, a Swedish opera singer who was nicknamed the Swedish nightingale. Find out from a library or the internet some information about: the life of Hans Christian Andersen other fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen modern China China in 1843 ancient China Jenny Lind Use the information you find to: 1. Write a fact file 2. Compose a short talk to give to the class 3. Create a drama scene which is pretending to be a TV news report Adapt a Hans Christian Andersen folktale Using any existing version of a Hans Christian Andersen tale, ask the children in groups or pairs to compose their own ideas for a script Decide which characters to use Decide how many scenes to have and the content of each one Could it be a modern version? Write one or two scenes or something longer Practise and perform to the class 5

6 Drawing and Craft The characters Either straight from the imagination or with the aid of a little research, find out about the characters who appear in the story 1. Draw a picture one or more characters 2. Design a costume with labels 3. Make a model In different versions of the story, other characters may appear, but here are the ones you will see in the Theatre by the Lake production: Peasant woman Servant Emperor Wu (male) Li Si (male) Xiao (female) Dragon King Tiger King Father Ambassador Monkey Clockmaker Nightingale Acrobat Street Vendor Juggler Chorus character 6

7 Speaking and listening Using the story You might not want to tell the children the story before seeing the play, but if you do, you can tell them that one exciting thing about any adaptation is that it will always tell the story in its own unique way. As a class, you might read or watch two different versions of the story and discuss how it has been told differently. You could use: 1. Hans Christian Andersen s Fairy Tales retold by Anna Milbourne (Usborne Illustrated) 2. The Emperor and the Nightingale illustrated by Graham Philpott (Usborne First Reading) 3. Search for and watch one of the animated versions on YouTube (Various publishers) 7

8 Workshops How about a workshop in your school? Dave Cryer is a former teacher of English & Drama and a published writer of literacy books. He has been running literature, drama and creative writing workshops around the UK for the past 12 years. In his role as Education Officer at Theatre by the Lake, we can now offer his workshops at a discounted rate. To complement your visit to The Emperor and the Nightingale why not have a workshop in your school? These can be delivered prior to or after your visit and will explore the show's characters, themes and plot, containing your desired mix of drama and literacy activities. Prices: 1-hour workshop = 60 2-hour workshop = hour workshop = 150 Full day of workshops = 200 If you are interested, contact Dave directly: davobarbus@aol.com Home: Mobile: Find out more details about Dave at In partnership with Dave, TBTL is also able to offer bespoke workshops on literature, drama and creative writing to all schools in Cumbria at the above prices. Again, contact Dave directly to discuss your requirements. 8

9 Extract 1 the opening of the play THE PLAY IS A FANTASY, SET IN ANCIENT CHINA. MUSIC, SET, COSTUMES SHOULD ALL GIVE A FEEL OF THIS. WHEREVER POSSIBLE MUSIC IS LIVE, PLAYED BY THE ACTORS. ACT 1 Chorus 1: Music. Shadowy light. Spotlight fades up on Chorus 1. She sings softly and gently. Listen Will you listen Will you listen to me Rest of chorus gradually appear and join in Chorus: Listen Will you listen Will you listen to my story A tale of magic, a tale of mystery A tale of beauty, a tale of jealousy The emperor and the nightingale Music gradually swells and picks up tempo. Lights fade up to full. Listen Will you listen Will you listen to me Listen Will you listen Will you listen to my story A tale of magic, a tale of mystery A tale of beauty, a tale of jealousy The emperor and the nightingale Song and music end. 9

10 Extract 2 the Two Kings Chorus 1: Chorus 2: Chorus 3: Chorus 4: Chorus 6: Chorus 5: Chorus 7: Chorus 2: Chorus 8: Imagine a land so vast that no-one can say where it begins or where it ends. A land so old that its beginnings are lost in the mists and tides of time. The name of this land is China. The people of China are ruled by two kings. (putting on a tiger head-dress and becoming the character) The Tiger King. (putting on a dragon head-dress and becoming the character) And the Dragon King. The Tiger King is a warrior. Daring and fearless. Famed throughout China. A few moments of hard clashing music in which we see the Tiger King in martial arts type action Chorus 1: Chorus 2: Yet the Dragon King is even more famed. In his kingdom can be found the finest and most beautiful creations of all mankind. Chorus reveal some of them. Chorus 7: Silk paintings - Chorus 4: of white-topped mountains, teeming waterfalls and lakes so blue you d think the sky had fallen into them. Chorus 3: Books - Chorus 1: their pages soaked in dreams. Chorus 2: And music - Chorus 8: as joyful as the song of the nightingale. The Dragon King produces a flute and begins to play. Chorus gather enthusiastically around him. Chorus 1: Travellers journey from every corner of the earth. 10

11 Chorus 2: Chorus 4: To look, to read, to listen. And to enjoy the treasures of the dragon kingdom. The Tiger King clearly doesn t like the music or the attention from the visitors. Chorus 7: But the Tiger King is jealous. 11