TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE Based on the poem by LEWIS CARROLL By DAKOTAH BROWN, NOAH MOODY & CHAD SHOHET Directed by LISA ORTENZI Classics On Tour
TEACHER PREPARATION GUIDE T C Dear Educator... A Note to Students: What to Expect at the Theater. GLT: Our History, Our Future.. Director s Note by Lisa Ortenzi..... Co-Author s Note by Noah Moody. About Lewis Carroll. Wonderland: The World of the Jabberwocky.. The Jabberwocky (original poem).... 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 Worksheets: Draw the Jabberwocky. Portmanteaus.... Vocabulary.... Word Search.. Lewis Carroll, Inventor.... 12 13 15 16 17 Activities: Move Like a Jabberwocky.. Move Like a Silly Beast.. Defeat the Jabberwocky... One Big Silly Beast.. How to Write a Review.... Think Like a Critic!..... Common Core..... Generous Support.... About Great Lakes Theater.. 18 18 19 19 20 21 22 23 24
Welcome to Great Lakes Theater s CLASSICS ON TOUR! Since 1990, GLT has been bringing the classics to the community, each spring presenting a professional touring production that visits venues throughout northeast Ohio. Past tours have featured one act plays from Arthur Miller, George Bernard Shaw, and Anton Chekhov, adaptations of work from Lorraine Hansberry, Sholem Aleichem, and Agatha Christie, as well as original plays from such notable Northeast Ohio playwrights as Eric Coble, Sarah Morton, and Michael Oatman. For 2017 we are proud to present the Midwestern premiere of a new work designed for elementary school audiences, inspired by Lewis Carroll s classic poem The Jabberwocky. This touring production is created by the same professional designers who create our main stage productions, directed by members of GLT s education staff, and performed by local, professional actors. Over the years, the GLT outreach touring program has continued to evolve by incorporating input from audiences who have experienced the tour first hand. This Teacher Resource Guide was created to provide our partnering teachers greater insight into the production. Features of this resource guide include: Original reference material, relevant to this production Costume design renderings Worksheets for use in the classroom Suggested classroom activities Clearly stated examples of how the outreach tour correlates to new Common Core Standards. We hope you find this guide to be a valuable resource, and that you and your students enjoy the show! Sincerely, David Hansen Education Outreach Associate dhansen@greatlakestheater.org Many thanks to the Idaho Theater for Youth a program of the Idaho Shakespeare Fes val, and to Luke Bre, GLT School Residency Program Actor Teacher for their contribu ons to this teacher resource guide.
A N S : W E E P You may or may not have attended a live theater performance before. To increase your enjoyment, it might be helpful to look at the unique qualities of this art form because it is so different from movies or video. The live theatrical performance not only involves the actors on the stage; it is meant to involve you, the audience, in ways that film and television cannot. In truth, although you are sitting in an auditorium and the actors are on stage, there is very little separating the audience from the performers. How you react to the play deeply affects the actors. Something as seemingly trivial as whispering or playing with your program can distract them and disrupt the mood and tone of their performance. Due to the important relationship between actors and audience members, there are certain, perhaps obvious, provisions of live theater we wish to call to your attention. During the performance, it is important to know that the taking of pictures, either with or without a flash, is strictly prohibited. Also, it is essential that all electronic equipment, including cell phones, music players (even with headphones), tablets, etc., be completely powered off once you have entered the theatre. Our goal is to provide every person in the audience with the best possible theatrical experience, so we appreciate your respectful cooperation during the performance. Other differences live theater provides: in film or video, the camera and editing define what we will see. In the theater, however, each of us works as a camera and editor, choosing his or her personal points of focus. And for this touring production, you should know that often we do not use microphones. As audience members you'll need to actively listen and "tune in" to the sound of the unamplified human voice. As for our scenery and costumes, it might surprise you to know that these are not necessarily meant to be realistic. In this production, for example, there are design elements that are abstract or metaphorical. The theater's ability to focus on human experience distilled through the dialogue and behavior of people on stage and enhanced by the scenery, costumes, music and dance is a centuries-old tradition. Being part of the communal magic when performer and audience connect whether at a baseball game, music concert or theater performance cannot be duplicated. The performance you will see produced by Great Lakes Theater will happen only once. It is unique and personal. Though this play will be performed more than two dozen times, the performance you see belongs only to you. We hope you enjoy it, and we'd like you to share your response with us. T P G: T J 4
GLT: O H, O F Tom Hanks and fellow company member Bert Goldstein. Since 1962, Great Lakes Theater (GLT) has brought the world s greatest plays to life for all of Cleveland. In 1961, the Lakewood Board of Education president persuaded a Shakespeare troupe, led by Arthur Lithgow, to make Lakewood Civic Auditorium its home. The theater that opened its doors on July 11, 1962 as Great Lakes Shakespeare presented six Shakespeare plays in rotating repertory. In exchange for free rent, the company provided student matinee productions. The repertory was expanded in 1965 to include non- Shakespearean classics as a result of an exchange of productions with Princeton s McCarter Theater. The Company outgrew its original home at Lakewood Civic Auditorium and, in 1982, made the move to the Ohio Theatre in PlayhouseSquare, launching the revitalization of downtown Cleveland s Theatre District. In 2001 the Company was searching for a new Producing Artistic Director, and the Board sought a candidate with well-established business skills as well as artistic leadership. Charles Fee was selected for his commitment to Shakespeare and his reputation for building Idaho Shakespeare Festival into a highly successful regional theater. GLT recommitted itself to its founding core values: Shakespeare, rotating repertory and an acting company of the highest caliber. During Fee s tenure, the company has been recognized for its artistic excellence, winning the Northern Ohio Live Magazine Award for excellence in Theater in 2005 after three years of being a finalist, as well as The Free Times Reader s Choice Award for Best Performing Arts Group in 2006, and for eliminating the inherited accumulated net deficit of over one million dollars. The Company has also been a revolutionary producing model unlike any other in America to create cost efficiency and enhance our artistic product. We now exchange our repertory productions with Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF) in Boise, Idaho and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (LTSF) in Nevada. The beau fully renovated Hanna Theatre This deep collaboration between independent producing organizations is a first in American theater. With this visionary model now fully in place, GLT, ISF, and LTSF are able to deepen the artistic quality of the work on our stages, share our production costs, maximize our resources, and provide nearly year-round employment to our resident company of artists. Now, GLT has entered into a new phase, making the historic Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square the home of the Company. The renovation of the Hanna Theatre, as well as the creation of GLT s first endowment fund, is part of our Re-Imagine A Classic Campaign to ensure GLT s future. Our new home in the Hanna features a hydraulically operated thrust stage, a first for this region, and innovative and intimate seating where no seat is farther than eleven rows from the stage. We believe that this extraordinary theater experience will revolutionize the way Northern Ohio experiences classic theater. Great Lakes Theater is one of only a handful of American theaters that have stayed the course as a classic theater. With a plucky history of bucking economic trends to strive for and nurture the highest artistic quality, it remains a distinctive and significant cultural resource in an extraordinary American city. T P G: T J 5
Director s Note by Lisa Ortenzi I have always had a love of literature. I grew up in a house where everyone loved books and encouraged reading. My parents were o en found with a book during leisure me and as a kid I looked forward to those long summer days when I could sit on the porch and read book a er book, immersed in another world. My mother was an English teacher and always had a classic piece of literature to recommend. One of those books included Lewis Carroll s Alice s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I remember my dad reading the whole book to my brother and me every night un l we finished both stories. And when it was over I found the poem Jabberwocky had le its imprint upon me. Since that me, the Jabberwocky has followed me throughout the years. He has been a companion on my journey through my imagina on. He teased me through high school, rode beside me through college, went on tour with me a er college, played with me at theater camp and has managed to find his way back to me once again at Great Lakes Theater (GLT). A few years ago, my colleague Kelly and I took a trip to Idaho Shakespeare Fes val, a sister company of GLT. We were treated to a performance of the world premiere tour of The Jabberwocky. Somehow, that clever Jabberwocky caught a ride back to Cleveland, and here we are for the debut of GLT s new outreach program for children, Classics on Tour. We are thrilled to share with you our produc on of The Jabberwocky, based on Lewis Carroll s classic poem. We are also eager to tackle a tough topic, and one of growing concern in our schools today bullying. The great thing I learned about classic literature growing up is that it o en addresses universal issues and allows us to study the human condi on. We can examine the world around us while discovering the world of our imagina on. The classics let us play, ponder, ques on, create, and in the case of the Jabberwocky, to find the courage to be the child we truly are or the child we keep within. Enjoy! Lisa Ortenzi directs and trains young professional actors for the Great Lakes Theater School Residency Program. Lisa also coordinates the English Speaking Union Shakespeare Compeon, creates lesson plans for the school outreach programs, develops special educa onal programming and teaches workshops. In the summer, Lisa coordinates and teaches in the Camp Theater! Program. Lisa s Outreach Tour direc ng credits include: Ten in One, The Decameron, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick), Seven Ages and The Secret Adversary. Lisa is GLT Director of Educa onal Programming Mishmash Rendering by Alison Garrigan, Costume Designer T P G: T J 6
CO-AUTHOR S NOTE BY NOAH MOODY This is not a play about bullying. While bullying is the reason it was wri en, bullies inspired it, and there are bullies in it, it is not what this play is about. When I was a child, my parents read The Jabberwocky to my sisters and me as a bed me story. I have had it memorized since I was 5 years old. In sixth grade, my reading Rendering by Terry Mar n, Set Designer teacher had us open our text books to a certain page where we found Lewis Carroll's famous nonsense poem The Jabberwocky. "Who would like to try to read this out loud?" she said. I shot my hand up in the air and nearly fell out of my seat, praying she would call on me. "All right, Noah, give it a try." I slammed my book shut, stood up from my desk, and drama cally recited the poem verba m. This was not the beginning of my being bullied at school, but it was definitely when it became worse. I was teased on the playground, had things thrown at me, was spat at, and received prank calls at home in the evening. Despite these goings on, I found refuge in one thing: playing. Being by myself a lot, I could play pretend in my room and in the backyard making up my own stories and games as I went along and to me it was wonderful. I was happy. But at school, when I couldn't be by myself, the one thing I looked forward to every year (where I got to see not just others play, but grownups as well!) was Idaho Theater for Youth (ITY). Every me they showed up I found myself thinking: "This is what I want to do." Years later, at age 20, my dream came true and I was cast in ITY's touring produc on of The Boxcar Children. I would go on to be in four more shows. In the midst of it all, I developed a taste for wri ng and began to entertain the idea of one day wri ng a show of my own. The Jabberwocky sprang to mind instantly, but for years it was merely a fantasy I had dancing around in the back of my mind. If it wasn't for Dakotah Brown, this idea may never have been put down on paper in the first place. Dakotah and I met as touring actors for Idaho Shakespeare Fes val, but were in separate shows. I was performing in an adapta on of Aesop's Fables and he was playing the lead in the Shakespearience s Othello, but we became friends almost instantly. One morning over coffee, we were throwing ideas back and forth about things we wanted to write someday and I men oned doing a children's play based on The Jabberwocky. The next day T P G: T J 7
I woke up to a call from Dakotah, who wanted to discuss some ideas for the play. It was then our monster was conceived. One year and many loose leaf notebooks later, we recruited the talents of Chad Shohet without whom ISF never would have known the fruits of our labor. Chad and I met 10 years ago through The School of Theater while performing in Five Short Plays by David Ives. The three of us then developed a skeletal outline of our play, each took three to five scenes to write on our own, combined, tweaked, and ghtened them; another year later we had a full script as well as the privilege of performing a staged reading through Chad's company Homegrown Theatre. At that me Chad took our script to Renee Vomocil, at that me Director of Educa on for ISF, and a er yet one more year of nkering with this monster of ours, the next big dream came true: having The Jabberwocky selected to be the Idaho Theater for Youth tour of 2014. We didn't write this play because we were all bullied. We wrote it because even now, as adults, we love to play. Through our friendship and ridiculous, over ac ve imagina ons, we created something together as friends. We found friendship through playing pretend and the desire to share how we think a world with monsters and haunted libraries looks. Playing pretend isn't retalia on to the bullies that may ridicule you for it; it's a refuge and a medium for you to create and let your mind grow and maybe, just maybe, others will want to join you in the end. Bullying is a reason this play was wri en and I thank those bullies, from the bo om of my heart, for helping me find an imagina on that I may never have discovered without them. Thank you for helping our monstrous dream come to life. Noah Moody Rendering by Terry Mar n, Set Designer T P G: T J 8
ABOUT LEWIS CARROLL Lewis Carroll whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born January 27, 1832, in Daresbury, a small town in Cheshire, England. His family was very involved in The Church of England; many of his ancestors were clergy officials. The Dodgson children were homeschooled star ng at a young age and given mostly religious texts to study. One of eleven children, he enjoyed entertaining himself and others by singing and playing charades. Carroll started wri ng poetry and short stories early in life, later becoming skilled in photography, art, and math. When he was 12, Carroll was sent to Richmond Grammar School. From some of his early journal wri ngs, he doesn t seem to have liked school very much the fact that he (and most of his siblings) had a stammer may have contributed to his dislike of the school social structure. Carroll also faced health challenges that resulted in deafness in one ear and chronic chest coughs. The majority of Carroll s academic achievements were math related. He received many awards for his studies in mathema cs. Though he was very gi ed at academics, Carroll also acknowledged that he had trouble staying focused and pu ng in the effort required for serious study, which eventually resulted in him losing out on an important scholarship. During his me at Christ Church, where he went to college, Carroll focused much of his energies on crea ve wri ng. Pen Name Of all of his wri ngs, Lewis Carroll is best known for Alice s Adventures in Wonderland and it s Many authors use a different name to publish their sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What wri ngs. Known as a pen name, these fake idenes Alice Found There; they featured his unique can be as simple as a shortened name, the writers wri ng style made up of invented nonsense ini als, or a nickname. Some, like Lewis Carroll, are more complex. words, which matched the dreamlike se ng of Wonderland. The main character, Alice, is To create his pen name, Charles Dodgson translated his first two names into La n (Charles = Carolus; Lutwidge = supposedly based on a real life girl of the same Lodovicus), and then flip flopped their order and name, a friend of Carroll s and the daughter of a shortened the names. dean at the college where Carroll taught. Do you know of any other authors with a pen name? Though the majority of Carroll s publica ons If you had a pen name, what would it be? How would you were math related, his imagina ve wri ngs come up with it? generated the most success. They were popular across social classes (Alice s Adventures in Wonderland has been translated into over 97 languages!) and made him very wealthy, though he never le his posi on teaching at Christ College. T P G: T J 9
Wonderland: The World of the Jabberwocky Readers were first transported to Wonderland in 1865 when a young girl Alice follows a talking rabbit down a hole and into a magical land. Alice s Adventures in Wonderland tells the story of the trouble, creatures, and fun she encountered there. Alice has tea with the Mad Ha er, plays croquet with the Red Queen, and a ends the trial of the Knave of Hearts. At the end of the story, just as her life is threatened by the Red Queen, Alice wakes up and believes her adventures were simply a very vivid dream. In Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Alice revisits Wonderland through a mirror in her house. Once stepping through the mirror, she finds a book wri en in mirror wri ng and when holding it up to a mirror, Alice can read the reflected poem The Jabberwocky. When she ventures out into Wonderland again, Alice crosses paths with Humpty Dumpty who also tells her a version of the poem before falling off his wall. Alice con nues on a new set of adventures, though she never meets the infamous Jabberwocky described in the poem. Since it s publica on there have been many adapta ons into theater, film, and television. The most recent film detailing Alice s adventures in the magical land was directed by Tim Burton and released in 2010. The film combined storylines from the two Carroll novels and centered around Alice s des ny to slay the Jabberwocky. More recently, the ABC network produced Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which features Alice s return to Wonderland to save a genie she fell in love with there. Have you seen any of these other adapta ons? JABBERWOCKY. In the Great Lakes Theater produc on of The Jabberwocky, two students, Dodgson and Steve are thrown together a er being bullied by classmates. To avoid their tormenters, the two follow a secret map through the special selec on area in their school library and are transported to the Tulgey Wood. Once there, they meet a crazy king who assumes Dodgson is the The book that transports Alice back to Wonderland was wri en in Prince he sent for and bids the duo to save mirror wri ng so she could only read it while looking at it s his people from the evil Jabberwocky that reflec on. Since it looks unreadable to the naked eye, it s a good terrorizes the land. method for wri ng in code. Use mirror wri ng or create a code Just like in previous adapta ons, all of the with a classmate to share notes! creatures Dodgson and Steve meet mirror characters they know outside of the Tulgey Wood. On their quest they meet the famed Cheshire Cat, the JubJub bird, a Bandersnatch, and a family of Momeraths who help contribute to their journey (and some mes complicate it as well). In order to successfully save the kingdom, the two must work together to find the courage to defeat the Jabberwocky and in the process learn to face their bullies back home. T P G: T J 10
THE JABBERWOCKY original poem 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long me the manxome foe he sought So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! and through and through The vorpal blade went snicker snack! He le it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy. Renderings by Alison Garrigan, Costume & Puppet Designer 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. T P G: T J 11
Draw the Jabberwocky Worksheet The original illustra on of the Jabberwocky was drawn by Englishman Sir John Tenniel in 1871. At that me, England was under the rule of Queen Victoria. The Victorian Era was a me of growing popularity in the sciences, like paleontology and geology; in contrast, popular literature introduced the Gothic Tale, which typically featured mys cism, monsters, and magic. Tenniel s depic on of the imaginary beast combines both real and fic onal creatures. What creatures do you imagine went into crea ng Tenniel s version of the Jabberwocky? Based on the poem, what would the Jabberwocky look like to you? Draw your own version of the Jabberwocky below. T P G: T J 12
Portmanteau Worksheet A er reading the original poem The Jabberwocky you may, like Alice, no ce that some of the words are a li le out of the ordinary. Make a list of words in the poem that are not familiar to you. Share your answers with classmates to see if there are any other new words you can add to your list. Were any of the words you wrote down not in the dic onary? i.e. chortle: verb; noun a combina on of chuckle and snort The word chortle is a portmanteau word. Lewis Carroll used this term for his made up words because they collapsed on each other like items in a suitcase. They are a combina on of two words, crea ng a new word that embodies the meaning of the two joined words. Below are examples of common portmanteau words. What are the two words that make up the words below? 1. carjack = + 2. emo con = + 3. jorts = + 4. spork = + 5. tofurkey = + Can you think of any other portmanteau words? Answers: 1. car + hijack; 2. emo on + icon; 3. jean + shorts; 4. spoon + fork; 5. tofu + turkey T P G: T J 13
Worksheet Create your own portmanteau words! Combine two words to create a new one with it s own meaning. 1. + = 2. + = 3. + = T P G: T J 14
Word Decorum Swi Hieroglyphics Lurk Squire Relinquish Remedy Moxie Foe Gibberish Vocabulary Defini on Knowledge on how to be fancy or polite Fast A wri ng system used in ancient Egypt To wait and stay hidden A servant for a knight To give up ownership of something A solu on or a cure A brave a tude Enemy A made up language that makes no sense Worksheet For these following sentences, fill in the blank with the vocabulary word that will make the most sense 1. I don't think they were using real words, it sounded like to me! 2. He faced his fears, and to do that, you have to have 3. The only for being red is a good night's sleep. 4. No one saw the sneaky spy, so he con nued to 5. We don't have much me, so we have to be 6. He makes me madder than anyone, so he is my worst 7. The great tales of ancient Egypt are wri en with 8. I wore my top hat and bowed before I danced, so everyone knew I had 9. I let you borrow my book, but now that you're done reading, you must it. 10. No knight would ever go into ba le without his loyal at his side! T P G: T J 15
Worksheet Word Search Find the list of characters and vocabulary words in the word search below: C W G C R C B U A E T N A M T R O P Y J Q A B X U H R A M A S U A V B U E D A H M X R T T O Z I N N R J K H J S O B B T L S F R H R T N I D R K Y W N B B K Y A I V I M O T K C O H E L K E M E H Y W R I F G C S L K S R C Z R S E R V V C N E T U J M I E L V T D I N S W W M I G O M V C K Q R T F N K E O X O N Y Q K O S O G C V Q P A S K X N V C E U A W K O G M C F Q H A A K Y L A K E M L F T R I D P T O R X L D U Z M Y G O T H I C C I O Z Y N Z S E E X S E C N G U U Z K R H D I D R Y M O Y W T I Y F V U U R B P Z H S H E D F N Y G G B F C V D Y J W Y S K W Q R W X T Q S A U A W V Q Y A V Q I R L D W F U O U D C H C D T V F W I A A L V Y F G O L H S I M A E B U Z G R A S Z E T Z E A O F V E M Q J J U J K U C D O E L Q N D G K C H E S H I R E L L Q M Y X O D V T Y V Z M M P Y A T O E F Z V S V BANDERSNATCH BEAMISH CARROLL CHESHIRE CHORTLE DODGSON EMBODY GOTHIC JABBERWOCKY LEXICON MOMERATH MYSTICISM NONSENSE PALEONTOLOGY PORTMANTEAU RUTH SNICKER STEVE T P G: T J 16
Worksheet Lewis Carroll was also an inventor! His inven ons, ranging from physical products to mathema cal rules included: The Wonderland Postage Stamp Case a cloth folder to carry an assortment of stamps that could be carried in a purse or pocket. The nyctograph a tablet for wri ng in the dark, using symbols and squares instead of le ers A steering device for a tricycle An early version of double sided tape for sealing envelopes A device to help handicapped and bed ridden individuals read a book placed sideways expanding the activity In small groups, have students collaborate on adver sing their new inven on. They can use one that was invented by a student or create their own group inven on! Ask the groups to create a two to three minute commercial for their product. The commercial should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and contain informa on about what their product is called, what it does, how to use it, and anything else they d like! Once each group has had enough me to rehearse, they can perform their skits for the rest of the class! Some of Carroll s inven ons made everyday tasks easier and some were just for entertainment. What would your inven on be? Would it be something to be used everyday? Just for fun? Describe or draw it below and share its size, use, color, and other details! T P G: T J 17
Activities The following exercises are a way to engage students in both the world of Lewis Carroll's poem The Jabberwocky, as well as in this play adapta on. Teachers are encouraged to tweak and change any exercise however they see fit, using their knowledge of the students, the space they will be in, and any me constraints. Move Like a Jabberwocky Present the students with a few, or all, of these movement words: gyre, gimble, whiffle, burble, galumph Put students in a line together on one side of the room. Pick a word, then ask everyone to think about how to move like the word sounds. For example, ask everyone in line come up with a movement for galumph, then watch the en re line use their own different galumphs to galumph across the room. As a line, do the exercise with as many of the words as you like. Choose one student and have them pick one of the words in secret. Ask them to move across the room the way they believe the word sounds while the rest of the class watches. See if the rest of the class can guess which word the student is doing! Are they galumphing? Burbling? Or is that a gimble? A er everyone gets a chance to guess or vote, ask the student to reveal which word they chose. Repeat this process with as many different students as you like, depending on who would wants share their movements! Move Like a Silly Beast Ask everyone to spread out and find their own spot in the room. Now that they've learned how to move like a jabberwocky, ask them to create a new movement word of their very own! It can sound like anything, but remind them to move how it sounds. Once everyone has come up with their word and movement, ask a student to share this new movement as they travel across the room while saying the new word they made. Ask the en re class to repeat each movement in a line, just like they did with galumph or whiffle. Give everyone the chance to teach the class their new word and movement! Dodgson Renderings by Alison Garrigan, Costume Designer T P G: T J 18
Activities Defeat the Jabberwocky The jabberwocky represents big fears. Ask the students for things they think everyone their age is afraid of. Examples: Failing a test, ge ng yelled at, big storms, too much homework, etc. Choose a fear and ask the class, If this fear were a creature, what would it sound like? Ask the class use the crea ve skills they worked on with their silly beast movements to come up with a noise that the fear makes. For example, failing a test might sound like billyung, billyung, billyung! Ask the class make the noise together. The bigger, the be er! Remember, the jabberwocky can be silly, but it should be big and loud and fun! Once you have the noise for that fear and the whole room has prac ced it, ask the class what they can do in life to make that fear less scary. (If I'm afraid of failing a test, I can study! Prac ce! Ask for help!) Take the first answer you get and tell the students to pretend that answer is now their sword! Coach everyone on how to mime drawing their sword and holding it high, like it's the most powerful sword in the world! Ask everyone what noise the sword should make as they draw it. (If the answer was, asking for help, ask, what would asking for help sound like if it was a sword? ) Once you've got the noise, ask the whole class draw their swords together! Now match the fear with what makes it less scary and defeat the jabberwocky! Ask the class to go back to making the noise a fear makes. Ask one student to look scared, then draw their sword and make its noise! As soon as the rest of the class watches the sword get drawn, they stop and make big drama c noises. The fear dies! Repeat with different fears and different swords Ruth/Jub Jub Rendering by Alison Garrigan, Costume Designer One Big Silly Beast Ask students to use their bodies to make a group sculpture of the jabberwocky. Remember, the jabberwocky is a silly beast, so it can have as many tails, heads, or wings as the class wants! Coach the class on how to make the sculpture move around the room. Everyone can be doing something different as long as the sculpture is s ll moving as one. What are the jabberwocky's heads doing while it walks? Does it have a s nger? Do its wings go up and down? Choose one of the original movement words. Once the jabberwocky gets from one side of the room to the other, ask everyone shout the word in a mighty roar! (GAA LUUMMPH!!) T P G: T J 19
H W A R S 4-5 MORE HOW AND LESS WHAT A theater review is not a book review, you do not need to summarize what happens. Provide the necessary background so the reader knows the name of the play and the basics of what kind of play it is, and then move into your commentary. You do not need to explain WHAT the play is, instead write about HOW successfully it was presented. THE ACTOR NOT THE CHARACTER You can disapprove of the decisions a character makes, but how well did the ACTOR perform the role? Was their behavior appropriate to the part as written? Feel free to share your opinions, comparing or contrasting their work with other actors with whom you are familiar. WHAT IS DIRECTION? Maybe you have heard of a director in theater or film, but do you know what they do? It is not a director s job to tell the actors how to say every line, but they are the person responsible for creating the general mood and concept for the production. What was your impression of the production as a whole? Was it too funny for a serious play? Or not amusing enough for a comic play? Use words to reflect back to the director how successful the production is as a whole. DON T FORGET THE DESIGN The set you see and the sounds you hear are also unique to this one production of this play. Describe what you see and hear, but also be sure to make clear how successful these designs are in telling the story of the play. IN CONCLUSION While it is not necessary to give a thumbs up or thumbs down your concluding sentence should summarize you impression of the production as a whole. THEATER REVIEWS IN THE NEW MEDIA Reviews in news websites may be 1000 words, they may be as brief as 300 words. Can you write a one-page review? Can you write a 100 word review, to post on Facebook? Do you think you could create a 140-character review that sums up the production for posting on Twitter? Great Lakes Theater A n: Educa on Department 1501 Euclid Ave. ste 300 Cleveland, OH 44115 David Hansen, Education Outreach Associate Mail your reviews to the Educa on Department at Great Lakes Theater CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. T P G: T J 20
T L C! S K-3 This is your students opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions about the performance of The Jabberwocky that they just saw! Invite them to think about their experience and answer the following ques ons: 1. What is the name of your school? 2. Have you ever seen a play before? 3. Would you recommend this play to your friends? 4. Do you think it is important for people to see plays? Why or why not? 5. Was the story of The Jabberwocky clear to you? 6. Did you learn something from this play that you did not expect to learn? 7. What was your favorite part of the performance? What did you like about it? 8. Did you have a least favorite part of the performance? Why? 9. Were there any addi onal aspects of the show that stood out to you (i.e. music, costumes, jokes, etc.)? What did you like most about those aspects of the show? 10. Would you like for Great Lakes Theater to perform at your school again next year? Squire Steve Rendering by Alison Garrigan, Costume Designer Great Lakes Theater A n: Educa on Department 1501 Euclid Ave. ste 300 Cleveland, OH 44115 Mail your reviews to the Educa on Department at Great Lakes Theater expanding the activity Have your students pretend that they are reviewers for a major newspaper. They can name the newspaper, format their article, add headlines and photographs, and display their publications around the classroom! T P G: T J 21
C C C B O T C C S KIND OF ACTIVITY KIND OF LEARNING STANDARDS Discussion Collabora ve learning Cri cal thinking Reasoning Intellectual openness Communica ng orally English Language Arts Standards Speaking and Listening CCSS ELA Literacy.SL 9 10.1 2 (Comprehension and Collabora on and Presenta on of Knowledge and Ideas) English Language Arts Standards Language CCSS ELA Literacy. L 9 10.3 (Knowledge of Language) and CCSS ELA Literacy. L 9 10.4 (Vocabulary Acquisi on and Use) English Language Arts Standards College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading CCSS ELA Literacy. CCRA.R.7 8 (Integra on of Knowledge and Ideas) Ohio Drama/Theatre Standards: Responding/Reflec ng (RE) Wri ng exercises Communica ng in wri ng Synthesizing and applying knowledge Cri cal thinking Reasoning English Language Arts Standards College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading CCSS ELA Literacy. CCRA.R.7 8 (Integra on of Knowledge and Ideas) English Language Arts Standards College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Wri ng CCSS ELA Literacy CCRA W.1 6 (Text Types and Purposes and Produc on and Distribu on of Wri ng) Ohio Drama/Theatre Standards: Responding/Reflec ng (RE) Movement exercises Collabora ve learning Team building Prac cal applica on of learning Pa ern recogni on English Language Arts Standards Speaking and Listening CCSS ELA Literacy.SL 9 10.1 (Comprehension and Collabora on) Ohio Drama/Theatre Standards: Producing/Performing (PR) T P G: T J 22
GREAT LAKES THEATER The mission of Great Lakes Theater, through its main stage productions and its education programs, is to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience in Northern Ohio. Since its inception in 1962, programming has been rooted in Shakespeare, but the company s commitment to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures, forms of theater, and time periods, including the 20th century. GLT s commitment to classic theater is magnified in the education programs that surround its productions, its matinees for student audiences and its in-school residency program developed to explore classic drama from the theatrical point of view. A not-for-profit theater company led by Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee that performs six productions annually, including A Christmas Carol, GLT currently performs in the Hanna and Ohio Theatres. Classics on Tour SUPPORTERS The Community Foundation of Lorain County In 1979 and 1980, crea on of a community founda on to serve the needs of the Lorain County area became a prime concern of the Trustees of the Nordson Corpora on Founda on: Evan W. Nord, Eric T. Nord, and William D. Ginn. They were convinced that a local, public founda on could make certain kinds of charitable giving easier and more produc ve for both donors and the community at large. They convened a group of community leaders to turn this dream into a reality. It is the mission of the Community Founda on of Lorain County to connect people who care with causes that ma er. The Founda on stewards more than 550 endowed Funds that will forever carry out the charitable dreams of their donors. As an organiza on deeply anchored in Lorain County we work relessly, with our partners, to make our community the best and strongest it can be. The Community Founda on of Lorain County supports Great Lakes Theater s educa on programs in Lorain County, including the Student Ma nee Program, the School Residency Program, and the Outreach Touring Produc on. The GAR Foundation The GAR Founda on was born out of the financial success and growth of Roadway Express, Inc. and its chairman and major shareholder, Galen J. Roush, in 1967. The name GAR Founda on is an acronym for Galen and Ruth. Currently, the GAR Founda on is the largest founda on in Summit County and one of the largest in Northeast Ohio. Charitable priori es include educa on, the arts, social services and ac vi es that are judged for the general good of the community. The GAR Founda on supports Great Lakes Theater s educa on programs for Summit County schools, including the Student Ma nee Program, the School Residency Program, and the Outreach Touring Produc on. SURROUND PROGRAMMING IS ALSO PRESENTED THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF: The George Gund Foundation T P G: T J 23
ABOUT GREAT LAKES THEATER Charles Fee, Producing Ar s c Director The mission of Great Lakes Theater, through its main stage produc ons and its educa on programs, is to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience. Since the company's incep on in 1962, programming has been rooted in Shakespeare, but the company's commitment to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures, forms of theater and me periods including the 20th century, and provides for the occasional moun ng of new works that complement the classical repertoire. Classic theater holds the capacity to illuminate truth and enduring values, celebrate and challenge human nature and ac ons, revel in eloquent language, preserve the tradi ons of diverse cultures and generate communal spirit. On its mainstage and through its educa on program, the company seeks to create visceral, immediate experiences for par cipants, asser ng theater's historic role as a vehicle for advancing the common good, and helping people make the most joyful and meaningful connec ons between classic plays and their own lives. This Cleveland theater company wishes to share such vibrant experiences with people across all age groups, creeds, racial and ethnic groups and socio economic backgrounds. The company's commitment to classic theater is magnified in the educa onal programs (for both adults and students) that surround its produc ons. Great Lakes Theater has a strong presence in area schools, offering an annual series of student ma nees and, for over 30 years, an acclaimed school residency program led by teams of specially trained actor teachers. 1501 Euclid Avenue, Suite 300 Cleveland, Ohio 44115 Tel. (216) 241 5490 greatlakestheater.org Renderings by Alison Garrigan, Costume Designer