Danville Schools Spotlights The Four Artistic Processes: Creating, Performing, Responding and Connecting! Students watching the performance and engaging in the content covered in this performance guide are covering accountability standards in the arts. This is evidence towards Proficiency in Program Reviews in the Arts for all students. Go to the KY Combined Curriculum document, http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/instructional+resources/curriculum+documents+and+resources/teaching+tools/c ombined+curriculum+documents/ for specifics on standards by arts discipline and grade level. The activities in this guide also reflect ELA standards. The Story and Guide Playwright Charlotte Chorpenning adapted the well-known story by Lewis Carroll of Alice s Adventures in Wonderland for the stage! Join Alice as she tumbles down the rabbit hole and meets up with the wonderful, curious, and sometimes strange creatures in Wonderland, including the King of Hearts, Red Queen, White Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, White Rabbit and
others. This guide will help you imagine Wonderland and give you the opportunity to see how others have imagined it since the story was first told in 1862! Alice The Beginnings Happy Birthday to Alice in Wonderland! Did you know that there was an actual Alice? One hundred and fifty years ago, July 4 th, 1862, the author of Alice in Wonderland, Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll went on a picnic with a group of friend s including three young sisters, Edith (8 years old), Alice (10 years old) and Lorina (13 years old). The story goes that during the boat ride up the river Thames from Oxford to the town of Godstow, Dodgson spun the story of a whimsical world full of fantastical characters to entertain the three sisters. He named the protagonist Alice. The real Alice begged him to write down the story and soon after that he wrote the manuscript Alice s Adventures Underground. That manuscript was read by others who encouraged Carroll to revise the manuscript for publication which he did, changing the title to Alice s Adventures in Wonderland. He added scenes including the Mad Hatter s tea party that you ll see in today s play. In 1865 the book was published, three years after the initial story was told with illustrations, not by Lewis Carroll, but by John Tenniel. View the Illustrations on the next 2 pages. Then envision and draw your own Wonderland. See the instruction box on the 2 nd page of images.
A page from Lewis Carroll s original manuscript. It took three years from the time the story was first told until the first Alice was published. Look at the pictures to the left and below, and think about the differences in Lewis Carroll s initial drawings and John Tenniel s. There were changes in the story as well. In the images you ll see art work representing Alice from different artists. Why do you think it s different when it reflects the same story? John Tenniel s original drawing of Alice. There have been many versions of Alice in Wonderland in film, television and illustrations since Carroll s original manuscript and Tenniel s drawings in the first published book. 1951 Disney Animated Alice in Wonderland.
Disney s 2010 Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton There was a 1933 film version starring Cary Grant, W. C. Fields and Charlotte Henry (10 minute clip), http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xu99h_alice-in-wonderland-1933-1_fun and even a Hello Kitty version, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6tllkg8flk. Salvador Dali did woodcuts and etchings that became a book, and in 1959 the Finnish artist Tove Jansson was commissioned to illustrate a Swedish edition of Alice s Adventures in Wonderland. TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: Alice in Wonderland has been interpreted in many different ways and the version you see onstage in Gravely Hall will be another, different interpretation. Danville High School s version is set under a Parisian skyline with costumes that bring to mind the mid-20 th century. Just imagine for a moment what would your Wonderland look like? What types of people or creatures exist in your Wonderland? It could be a planet made of spaghetti, a castle filled with talking marshmallows, an underwater kingdom with talking sea creatures whatever you want! Take a moment to think of this place and follow the directions below.
Now that you ve imagined your own Wonderland let s play Words of Imagination! Adapt this as appropriate for the grade level. For younger students you might brainstorm a class idea of Wonderland and have everyone go around the circle saying a word that relates to the class idea. Go around the circle and each person says one word that relates to the idea of Wonderland you each have. For example, I might say spaghetti or castle or meatballs or s mores. Only the person sharing their words speaks and everyone else listens without commenting. What you say only needs to make sense to you. Try to think of your own descriptive words. If you can t think of anything or don t feel like sharing, you can say Wonderland. After you ve gone around the circle a couple of times saying words that draw a picture of your Wonderland and Alice or one of the other characters, the White Rabbit, the March Hare, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Red Queen or the White Queen, the Duchess, the Cook or one of the other characters. Compare your drawing to the images of Alice in Wonderland in this guide or the one you see onstage in the Gravely Hall Performing Arts Center. Explain your Wonderland and the character or characters that live there. Making Sense Out of Words and Phrases? Alice in Wonderland is filled with riddles, answers to questions that aren t really answers, and nonsense words and phrases! For example you ll meet a Jabberwocky that gyres and gimbles in the wabe according to a poem that Alice is able to read because she figures out that it s looking-glass writing. When Alice asks the Rabbit where she is he answers, That all depends on what s going on inside you. Use the following words and phrases to write your own poem below. Like the Jabberwocky poem it may seem to be nonsense, but remember that first you choose an idea and then like Alice try to make sense out of nonsense! Read your poems aloud to your classmates with expression! Remember how Alice sounded when she was reading the poem! IDEAS CURIOSITY WONDER NONSENSE ADVENTURE SURPRISE PHRASES WORDS We re all mad here It s always six o clock here Mad Watch It s always tea time We did it Croquet Clever Who are YOU? Off with his head Rabbit-hole Tarts I shall be late! Take 9 from 8 Somewhere Mallet Down, down, down What remains Strange Subtraction All mimsy were the borogroves Falling Trial Oh my whiskers Garden Contrariwise Why not? Take a bone from a dog Time It might be a beginning Looking-Glass Write the idea word you have selected:
Write one phrase from the list: Write three words from the list: Write one phrase from the list: Write one word from the list: Now read your poem aloud with expression! Responding to the Arts Note to Teachers: Responding to the arts is one of the four processes in dance, drama, music and visual art. (The others are creating, performing and connecting). Evidence of responses, both to their own works of art and to others works of art in all four disciplines, are essential pieces of the new accountability for the Arts Program Review. Whether your response is written or a discussion, it can also be used as evidence of best practices for the Writing Program Review. Seeing live theatre is a great opportunity for your students to respond to the arts! Here are a few suggestions: Use the KET Arts Toolkit in Theatre Responding to the Arts section. Each school has at least one in their school library. These can be done as individual assignments, as a group discussion or as a group written response. Have the student choose a favorite character and write a diary entry from that character s viewpoint about something that happens in the story. Before attending the play ask your students to look closely at the scenery, lighting, costumes and props. Remind them that these visual elements help tell the story.
Discuss or write what student s observed about these technical elements and how they added to their understanding of the story. In small groups or in the whole class. Write a character s name at the top of a sheet of paper or on the board. Make five columns with the following headings: Movement, Vocal Expression, Projection/Diction, Gesture, Facial Expression and Acting. The students should give an example of how the actor used these Performance Elements to portray their character. Use the template below. Character: MOVEMENT VOCAL PROJECTION GESTURE FACIAL ACTING EXPRESSION /DICTION EXPRESSION Performance Elements Definitions: Movement: stage blocking or movements of the actors onstage. Vocal Expression: how an actor uses his or her voice to convey character. Projection/Diction: directing the voice out of the body to be heard clearly at a distance and clarity of pronunciation (speaking clearly). Gesture: any movement of the actor s head, shoulder, arm, hand, leg, or foot to convey meaning. Facial Expression: how the actor uses his or her face to convey character and meaning. Acting: the actor using his body, voice and imagination to portray a character onstage that is believable and entertaining.