denver children s theatre Denver Children s Theatre Educational Resource Packet mizel arts and culture center 350 s dahlia st, denver co 80246 303.316.6360 maccjcc.org
About the Mizel Arts and Culture Center (MACC) The MACC is a multidisciplinary arts center whose mission is to illuminate the human experience through creative and cultural programs in the performing, visual, and literary arts for the Jewish community and the community at large. Programs: The Denver Children s Theatre In School Arts Integration Workshops, The Wolf Theatre Academy Youth and Adult Art Academy The JAAMM Festival (Jewish Authors Artists Movies and Music) The Denver Jewish Film Festival To learn more visit: maccjcc.org/workshops Or email Education Director, Emily MacIntyre, emacintyre@jccdenver.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS From the Director of Education 2 Colorado Academic Standards 2 Before Your Visit 3 Reminders for Teachers 3 The Role of the Audience 3 About the Play 4 Synopsis 4 Meet the Characters 4 The Playwright: Thatcher Hurd 4 Context and Meaning Making 5 Vanished Masterpieces How and Why People Steal Art 5 Saving the Mona Lisa 6 Street Art vs Graffiti 7 Try This! Activities, Prompts and Projects 8 Questions to Explore 8 Practice Theatre Etiquette 8 You Become the Artist 8 Wax Museum 9 A Day in the Life: Narrative Pantomime 9 Worksheets 10 Write Mona Lisa a Letter 10 Squiggle Drawing 10 Art Dog Comic Strip 10 Booklists 10 Theatrical Process and Vocabulary 11
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Thank you for brining your students to Denver Children s Theatre s production of The Jungle Book. We believe that providing pre and post show resources enhances students enjoyment of the play and allows a deeper understanding of the play s themes. The materials in this guide were developed broadly to connect with the curriculum for students in grades 1 5. Please adapt and share these cross-curricular activities with fellow teachers, and feel free to reach out to us with feedback and questions. Warm Regards, Emily MacIntyre Director of Education, Mizel Arts and Culture Center emacintyre@jccdenver.org COLORADO ACADEMIC STANDARDS Through attending the production and exploring this guide, students will have experienced learning opportunities that contribute to achieving the standards and academic expectations outlined below. Themes and Concepts Family, Coming of Age, Man vs. Beast, Weighing Risk and Reward 21st Century skills Perseverance, Creative and Critical Thinking, Collaboration Standards and Prepared Graduate Expectations Addressed: Drama and Theatre Arts 1.Create PG: Employ drama and theatre skills, and articulate the aesthetics of a variety of characters and roles 3. Critically Respond PG: Make informed, critical evaluations of theatrical performance from an audience member and a participant point of view, and develop a framework for making informed theatrical choices Social Studies 2. Geography: PG: Provide students with an understanding of spatial perspectives and technologies for spatial analysis, awareness of interdependence of world regions and resources and how places are connected on local, national and global scales. 4. Civics PG: teaches students the complexity of the origins, structure, and functions, of governments; the rights, roles and responsibilities of ethical citizenship; the importance of law; and the skills necessary to participate in all levels of government. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1. Oral Expression and Listening PG: Use language appropriate for purpose and audience 3. Writing and Comprehension PG: Write with a clear focus, coherent organization, sufficient elaboration, and detail PG: Apply standard English conventions to effectively communicate with written language 4. Research and Reasoning PG: Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions. I
Before Your Visit Reminders for Teachers Arrive at theatre 15-30 minutes prior to when the play is scheduled to begin. Teachers and adult chaperones should be seated interspersed within their group of students rather than only at the aisles or behind. We discourage infant children to accompany parent chaperones on the fieldtrip. If attending Encore, lunches will be stored outside the theatre. The Role of the Audience Theatre is different than TV, the Circus or Sports events! The performers are live, and the performance is a unique one-time only event that can never be exactly duplicated. Unlike entertainment on film, television or the computer, the energy of the audience can either enhance or detract from the quality of the performance. Actors give their best performances for the best audiences because they are fueled by the active connection between good listeners and good storytellers. We encourage laughing and clapping at appropriate places in the show. We remind our audience to turn off all digital devices. No text messaging during the show. As a courtesy to other theatergoers, we ask that teachers or guardians escort children who are crying, talking excessively, or otherwise behaving inappropriately into the lobby until they are ready to return to the theatre. No food or drink is allowed in theatre. The taking of any photographs (flash or non-flash) and the use of recording equipment are strictly prohibited. About the Play Synopsis After killing Mowgli s parents, Shere Khan is chasing baby Mowgli through the jungle. When the baby wanders into a Wolf den, the injured tiger is met by Mother and Father Wolf, who are determined to protect the helpless child. Mother and Father Wolf adopt Mowgli into their family and defend him to the Wolf Pack. As Mowgli, the Man Cub grows older, Bagheera the black panther and Baloo the bear are charged with his training. They teach him the ways of the jungle and the language of the animals. Mowgli s adventures take him to visit with the monkeys, who promise to make him their king. Since they have fingers too, Mowgli is talked into running away with the monkeys who take him deep into the jungle. Baloo and Bagheera, enlist the help of Kaa, the snake to track him down. Meanwhile, Mowgli finds himself trapped in a pit by the monkeys, who did not keep their promise. He uses the language of the jungle to enlist the help of the vultures to carry a message to Baloo and Bagheera. Baloo, Bagheera and Kaa finally find the monkey city and begin the battle to save Mowgli. The chaos almost ends in Kaa accidently eating Bagheera, but Mowgli stops her in time. Ten years pass. As Mowgli grows up running with his brothers in the Wolf Pack, Shere Kahn continues to track him and wait for the opportunity to claim Mowgli as his dinner. When a drought hits the jungle, the tiger begins to turn the Wolf Pack against the Man Cub. In desperation Baloo and Bagheera send Mowgli to the village for fire, the one thing that Shere Kahn is afraid of. By the time Shere Kahn challenges the Wolf Pack once more to give up Mowgli, the Pack has been gripped by fear by the rumors spread by Shere Kahn. When the Pack votes against Mowgli, he produces the fire to keep Shere Kahn from killing him. In the struggle, Shere Kahn steps off a cliff and falls to his death. His heart broken by the Pack s betrayal, Mowgli decides to return to where he belongs in the village with other men. He bids goodbye to those who love him, to begin a new life. 2
Meet the Characters Mowgli: The child whose parents were killed by Shere Khan. He is adopted by the Wolf Pack and raised by Baloo and Bagheera. Shere Kahn: The injured tiger that hunts Mowgli Mother Wolf: The She-Wolf who adopts Mowgli as her son Father Wolf: The He-Wolf who adopts Mowgli as his son Baloo: The bear in charge of teaching all wolf cubs the rules of the forest. He is put in charge of Mowgli s education. Bagheera: A black panther who stands up for Mowgli at the Wolf Council and is tasked with caring for Mowgli and keeping him safe. Kaa: A python, enemy of the monkeys, who helps rescue Mowgli Monkeys: Carefree, mischievous monkeys who wish to be like men. Vultures: Birds of the forest to whom Mowgli appeals for help. The Playwright: Greg Banks Greg Banks' studied theatre at Dartington College of Arts. His work as an actor, writer and director has taken him all over the world from Singapore to Seattle via the Arctic Circle. In the 1980 s Greg was the co-founder of a hugely successful company called Dr Fosters Travelling Theatre. He has written over 20 plays and directed over 100 productions. His plays are highly physical and most include live music on stage with the actors. Greg s plays include Tir Na N og (Travelling Light/West End, Broadway,Touring/ Winner of Samuel Beckett Award/TMA nominee for best play for young people 1998), Huck Finn, Pinnochio, Robin Hood, and Antigone (Minneapolis Children's Theatre). He has directed for many companies including The Bristol Old Vic, The Unicorn Children's Theatre London, Minneapolis Children's Theatre, Vedogon Theatre, Moscow, American Drama Group, The Birmingham Stage Company,Seattle Children's Theatre and The New York State Theatre and many others. Adapted From: The Jungle Book The Author: Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay on December 30, 1865 to John Lockwood Kipling, an artist and teacher of architectural sculpture, and his wife Alice. At the age of five, Kipling was sent to England to be fostered and schooled. He returned to India at the age of 16, to work at the Civil and Military Gazette. In his spare time he wrote poetry and short-stories that would become his early work. In 1889 he returned to England, and two years later married Carrie Balestier and moved to Vermont, USA. Here he wrote The Jungle Book for his daughter Josephine. They moved back to England in 1896 after a family quarrel and raised three children, only one of which, Elsie, survived. Josephine died young and John in World War I. Kipling became the People s Laureate and the poet of the Empire. In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Kipling published an enormous canon of adult material and children s poems and books. His more famous works include Jungle Book, Just So Stories, Kim, Captains Courageous and Something of Myself. Other Books by Kipling: Just So Stories, Jungle Book 2 and Kim 3
Context and Meaning Making The Jungle as Civilization or Allegory The Jungle has laws and if Mowgli is to live there, he must learn them. The laws pertain to hunting, respecting each other s territory, and a bond of community. The words that Mowgli is taught by Baloo, We be of one blood, ye and I, are to be spoken in times of trouble. Mowgli is required to learn them in all the different languages of the jungle. They serve to remind everyone when they are in need, that the Jungle is community and all must get along to survive. The only breakers of this law are the monkeys. Because they cannot obey the law, they live in the ruined city instead of the civilizations of the jungle or the village. The two worlds, the Jungle and the Village exist side by side as different civilizations. Mowgli goes from one to the other as he grows up. Literary critics delving into Kipling s full stories about Mowgli, point out that the two civilizations represent a Coming of Age. The Jungle is childhood, carefree and filled with learning and adventure. The Village is growing up and represents work, identity and relationships. Our story ends with Mowgli being cast out of the jungle because man is a danger to the jungle; he must go where he belongs. He bids goodbye to his childhood and embraces his future. But in the complete Jungle Book stories, Mowgli returns to the Jungle, unable to adapt to man s civilization. It is only when he falls in love that he returns to the Village for good. We are asked to embrace the concept that growing up is not without it s setbacks and longings to return to childhood. Sources: http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk Social Studies: Geography and Civics 4
The Real Animals of the Jungle Book Kipling was born in India, raised in England and returned to India at the age of 16. However he never lived in the Seeonee (Seoni) Jungle, the home of Mowgli and his friends. However, he had pictures and books as reference. One of the books he used, Beast and Man in India, was written by his father, who also provided the original illustrations for The Jungle Book. The real animals of the story are still in existence today, but are sitting on the Endangered List. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard these animals habitats. India now hosts over 515 wildlife sanctuaries, 18 biosphere reserves, and 26 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention. Royal Bengal Tiger: Shere Kahn is a Royal Bengal Tiger. With a coat of yellow to light orange, with stripes ranging from dark brown to black, the Bengal Tiger is the second largest subspecies of tiger. However the last census put the Bengal Tiger population of India at around 2000, putting them on the Endangered List. At the time the Jungle Book was written, there were an estimated 40,000 of these tigers in India. Shere Kahn is a man-eater, but it should be noted that tigers only turn man-eater when they are injured and can no longer catch other prey. Sloth Bear: Baloo is thought to be modeled after the Sloth Bear. With his description of sleepy as well as the illustrations of the day, this bear is the closest match to the beloved character. However, Sloth Bears prefer a diet of insects, while the Asian bear tends to be a lover of nuts and honey as Baloo was. Both bears are black in color, although the Sloth bear can sometimes appear as a rust color, which could pass for Kipling s sleepy old brown bear. The sloth bear is not yet endangered, but is listed as Vulnerable. Indian Vulture: Several kinds of vultures live in India, but at the time the Jungle Book was written, they were all lumped into a category called the Long-billed vulture. They have a bald head, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It is considered a small vulture, usually weighing 12 14 lbs. with a 6.4 to 7.8 ft wing span. These birds are recovering from a population crisis created by a pain medication for livestock. The vultures were poisoned when they ingested the dead flesh of animals that had been given this medication. This medication has since been banned and the vulture population is slowly increasing. India Rock Python: This 9 foot snake is non-venemous and consumes its prey by coiling around it to shut off it s air supply. The prey go limp and then are consumed head first. The pythons jaws are not hinged together, allowing it to consume large prey. The color pattern is whitish or yellowish with the blotched patterns varying from shades of tan to dark brown. Unlike other snakes, the python can move quickly and in a straight line. This species is on the Near Threatened list. Black Panther: Bagheera, the black panther is actually an Indian Leapord. These panthers have a melanistic color variant that makes their fur black. But up close or in the sun, the Leapord spots can still be seen, this effect is known as ghost striping. These animals are also listed as Vulnerable. Indian Wolf: The Indian Wolf is smaller than it s European counterparts, and has shorter fur, except for the longer ridge on it s back. The fur is generally greyish-red to reddish-white with grey tones. It too sits on the Endangered list with it s population around 2,000. The legends of child stealing came from a very real danger. These wolves have a history of attacking human children. Kipling shows us the opposite of this stereotype with the kind, benevolent Mother Wolf who raises Mowgli as her own. The Bandar-log: In Hindi, Bandar-log means Monkey-people. There are several species of monkeys that live in India. Kipling does not give these monkeys a particular physical description, so we are free to use our imaginations. Discussion: Why are animals an important part of our Eco system? Why is it important to care for them and protect them from becoming extinct? Sources: National Geographic, How Much Do You Know About the real Jungle Book Animals; Wikipedia Colorado Academic Standards: Reading, Writing, Communicating; Research and Reasoning Social Studies: Geography, Civics 5
Try This! Activities, Prompts and Projects Practice Theatre Etiquette Ask students to show you with their body and face, a frozen image of what they look like when they: watch TV, cheer for a sporting team, rock out at a concert, and attend a play. Compare and contrast the actions of audience members attending each of the above events. Share with students your expectations of their behavior when you attend the play (remember that laughing and applause are encouraged). Questions to Explore Pre Show Have you ever been lost? How did you get home? What does it feel like to be a stranger in a new place or community? Do others include you? How do you make new friends? How can we make others feel welcome when they are new? Post Show The wolves, Baloo and Bagheera become Mowgli s family. Can a friend become a part of your family? What does family mean to you? Make a list of people you consider family. The jungle has laws that all must obey to live in peace. What are the laws of our communities? Eventually, Mowgli must leave the Animals who love him to move on to the next chapter of his life in the Village. It is an extremely difficult decision, but in the end will be better for him. What hard decisions have you had to make that turned out to be for the best? How do we embrace courage when faced with a hard choice? Colorado Academic Standards: Reading, Writing, Communicating; Oral Expression and Listening, Writing and Comprehension, Research and Reasoning Social Studies: Geography, Civics Talk to the Animals The legends of wolf-children were common in the India that Kipling loved. Tales of wolves stealing children and raising them as their own were part of the culture. But these children, when rescued, were unable to adapt to society having no speech, social skills or empathy. Kipling s version of a wolf child is quite different. Mowgli is rescued by the wolves rather than stolen, and unlike the wolf children of legend he learns to speak the language of all the species of the Jungle. In many stories of talking animals, the animals are speaking human language. In the case of the Jungle Book, Mowgli speaks the language of the animals. But for the purpose of telling the story, we hear this language as English. The animals of the jungle have been given human characteristics and emotions. This is called personification. Start with a discussion of the personalities of the animals found in Jungle Book. Do the students have other favorite stories about animals who have been personified? How do their personalities reflect our impression of that animal? Ex: Sly fox, messy pig, nervous bird, slow turtle? Writing: Ask the students to pick either their favorite animal or even their household pet. Have them brainstorm on paper their animal s personalities, likes, dislikes, etc Group Work: Put students in groups of three or four to discuss how their very different animals might live together and interact. If they speak different languages, how can they communicate? Optional Acting Exercise: Ask the students to move about like their animal and combine their animal movement with human personification. As they move about the space, ask them to interact with other animals using both human and animal characteristics. Colorado Academic Standards Cross Curriculum: Reading, Writing, Communicating; Oral Expression, Writing and Comprehension, Research and Reasoning Drama and Theatre: Create, Critically Respond 6
Jungle Concert Objective: Create a soundscape of jungle noises using body, voice and imagination. How to Play: 1. Ask the students to be silent and listen to the sounds around them. Even in a quiet classroom, there is sound; breathing, HVAC, ticking clock, etc 2. Have them choose a location from the play; the wolves cave, the monkey city, council rock, the open jungle. 3. Ask them to pick an object or creature in that area and re-create it with their body. Ex: A student might say tree. 4. After they create the tree with their body, ask them what sound it might make. Ex: wind rustling through leaves, creaking branch. 5. One by one, ask each student to join the scene, until you have created a soundscape. 6. To turn your soundscape into a concert, you will need a conductor. This can be either a teacher or another student. 7. The conductor mimicking the motions of an orchestra conductor, can lift their hands for louder, lower them for softer, point out one instrument or section to be louder or softer. 8. If more than one student wishes to be the conductor, encourage students to trade in and out of being in the orchestra and conducting. Adapted from The Rose Performing Arts, Jungle Book Class Show Guide Colorado Academic Standards Cross Curriculum: Reading, Writing, Communicating; Oral Expression and Listening Social Studies: Geography Drama and Theatre: Create, Critically Respond I Wanna Be Like You Objective: For students to experience both being a leader, mimic movement, and work as a team. How to play: 1. Ask students to discuss why the monkeys want to be like Mowgli? Why do they kidnap him instead of just becoming his friend? 2. Have the students all stand facing the teacher. As the teacher makes slow movements or facial expression, the students should copy them as if they are a reflection in the mirror. 3. Have the students pair up and choose an A and a B. Instruct A to be the leader first with B as the follower. After a few minutes, instruct them to switch. 4. Encourage them to make slow movements and maintain eye contact, they are a team not competition. 5. Change it up by placing the students in triangle formation behind a leader. The leader (facing forward) will make movements that can seen by the group. The loss of eye contact changes the game and the triangle must move as a group or flock of birds. Try traveling around a space as a flock. Adapted from The Rose Performing Arts, Jungle Book Class Show Guide Colorado Academic Standards Cross Curriculum: Reading, Writing, Communicating; Oral Expression and Listening Drama and Theatre: Create, Critically Respond 7
Worksheets Vocabulary Crossword WORD BANK: TRIBE, TRAMPLE, STALK, RUINED, PREY, PACK, HYPNOTIZED, DESPICABLE, DARED, CUB, CREEPERS, COUNCIL 8
Write Mowgli a letter Mowgli has been living in the jungle and must now adapt to life in a human village. He will face enormous challenges like learning to use a knife and fork, sleep in bed, brush his teeth, etc. What advice and encouragement can you give him about how to adapt to human civilization? Date: Dear, Warmly, (Signature/YourName) 9
Lost Habitat Imagine if you were lost in the desert, the jungle or an island in the middle of the ocean. In the space below, draw a picture of what your life would look like. What would you eat? What kind of shelter could you build from found materials? What kinds of animals might become your friends? 10
Theatrical Process and Vocabulary As magical as theatre seems, it takes hard work and long hours by many creative people to bring it to life. How does the play get from the page to the stage? Theatrical Process: How is a theatrical production created? 1. Auditions: Many actors try out for parts. 2. Callbacks: Readings from the script by a select few actors from the original audition. 3. Casting: The director picks actors for the roles. 4. Read Thru: The first reading of the play by the cast. 5. Rehearsals: The time frame the director uses to block and work the acting of they play. 6. Run-Thru: A run of the play without stopping. 7. Dry Tech: A technical rehearsal without actors. 8. Tech Rehearsal (Wet Tech): Technical elements are added for the first time with actors. 9. Dress Rehearsals: All technical elements are added to a run-thru. 10. Opening Performance: The first official performance of the play. Other General Theatre Terms Setting: The surroundings (place, scenery, time) in which the action of the play develops. Blocking: The director s arrangement of the actor's movements on stage with respect to each other and the stage space. Curtain Call: The bows at the end of a performance. House: The part of the theatre where the audience sits. Improvisation (sometimes shortened to IMPROV): A spontaneous scene or episode created by an actor or actors without a script. Intermission: The break between the acts of a performance. Places: The instruction to the actors and theatre personnel to get ready for the performance to begin. Set Change: The movement of the setting between scenes or acts. Set changes can be done by the actors or the stage crew. Theatre: The word theatre can denote either a) the theatre building or space, b) a theatre production or c) the entire discipline or genre of theatre. The discipline or genre of theatre generally includes all areas of work and study surrounding the creation and execution of scripted performance works by live actors for an audience. While spelling theater with a final er is acceptable, the re spelling is generally preferred among theatre professionals. The Places and Things of the Theatre Backstage: Usually the entire stage portion of the theatre building that is not accessible to the audience. Apron: The part of the stage that extends toward the audience in front of the curtain line. Dressing rooms: The rooms, often located near the stage where the actors put on their costumes and make-up before a performance. Fly Space: The area of the theatre above the stage. Usually this is where scenery and backdrops are raised so the audience cannot see them. Light Board: The machine that operates all of the lighting equipment that illuminates the stage. Most light boards are small computers that are capable of recording hundreds of cues. Off Stage: All parts of the actual stage floor that are not visible to the audience (usually the area behind the set). On Stage: The part of the stage enclosed by the setting that is visible to the audience in any particular scene. Props: (short for "properties") everything required during the action of a play, which does not count as furniture, costume, or scenery. Prop Table: Tables placed offstage on which props are placed so actors can have easy access to them. Proscenium Arch: The picture frame through which an audience watches the play in a proscenium stage theatre. Proscenium Stage: A theatre with the audience on one side. Sound Board: The machine that operates all of the sound equipment that plays music, sound effects and amplifies the actor s voices. Wings: The offstage space at the right and left of the acting areas. Wings can also refer to the curtains that hang at the right and left of the stage to mask actors waiting for entrances from the audience. The People of the Theatre Director: The person responsible for the casting of actors, setting the rehearsal schedule, blocking, running rehearsals, taking notes and focusing the thematic and design concepts for the production of a single play. Actor: One who performs a role or represents a character in a play. The term is used for both men and women. Board Operators: The person operating the lighting board that controls the lights, AND the person operating the sound board that controls the sound effects and recorded music for a production. Designers: The people who design and sometimes build the different elements of the production: the sets, costumes, lights, makeup, masks, sound, props and special effects. Fight Choreographer: The person who designs, stages and teaches all of the stage combat for a production. House Manager: The person responsible for making sure that the audience gets safely in and out of the theatre and over sees all of the ushers. Patrons: The people who come to watch the performance. The audience. Stage Manager: The person responsible for the organization of a production. This can include making cast lists and contact sheets, distributing schedules and other materials, writing down the director's blocking, letting the actors know how much time they have to get ready, checking with the House Manager before starting the show, and letting board operators know when to perform their tasks. Technical Director: The person who coordinates the activities of all of the technical personnel for a theatre. This can include the hiring and scheduling of designers and builders and the overseeing of general theatre maintenance. Usher: The person responsible for taking tickets and sometimes showing patrons to their seats. ii
*The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) resulted from the 1988 initiative in which Denver voters awarded a one-tenth of one percent sales tax for the direct funding of non-profit cultural organizations within the six metro counties. Over the last 20 years, hundreds of non-profit arts and science organizations have received funding from SCFD, supporting thousands of programs and events that have been enjoyed by millions of people. Quality programming like the production you are attending is made possible through the continued support of you, the taxpayers. For more information, please visit the SCFD website at www.scfd.org. It should be noted that as a Tier II organization of SCFD, the Mizel Arts and Culture Center (of which the Denver Children s Theatre is a division) is able to participate in several education programs that allow underprivileged students increased opportunities to experience cultural activities. The Denver Children s Theatre participates in several of these programs. Under the Scientific and Cultural Collaborative, the SCFD provides assistance to schools in transportation and reduced priced tickets. macc THE G GR REA ATEST T S SU UMMER R A ADV DV D VENTU URE U RE A AW WA TS W TS Art ACADEMY W olf THEATRE ACADEMY 2017 academies WHERE YOUNG ARTISTS Develop their craft. R E G I S T R AT I O N N O W O P E N! 303.316.6360 jccdenver.org/camps Mizel Arts and Culture Center at the J 350 South Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80246
mizel arts and culture center 350 s dahlia st, denver co 80246 303.316.6360 maccjcc.org e