Park Playhouse, in association with Albany Medical Center, is proud to bring the magic of live theatre to your students!

INFORMATION FOR EDUCATORS The principle goal of Park Playhouse’s scholastic touring program is to introduce young students to the performing arts as tool for discovery, learning and entertainment. This enrichment guide is intended as a tool to give your students a basic introduction to the themes and content of the play and some of the theatrical concepts that are the basic building blocks of putting on a play. More than anything, we encourage you to participate in some of the included activities or readings as a means of generating creativity in your classroom!

Few subjects continue to captivate the youthful heart, mind and spirit like the promise of space exploration. In FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON, the space race is on again! It is a funny, educational revue chronicling one of the most thrilling periods of history. From the delights of space food to the excitement of lift-off, from John Glenn’s momentous flight to Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon, this sparkling musical reminds young and old alike of the enormous power of the human imagination and human exploration. It’s fun & informative!

It is our hope that you will use the experience of seeing FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON with your students as a teaching tool. As educators, you know best the needs and abilities of your students. Use this guide to serve your children—pick and choose, or adapt, any of these suggestions for discussions or activities. We encourage you to take advantage of the enclosed student worksheets—please feel free to photocopy the sheets for your students, or the entire guide for the benefit of other teachers. Please do not hesitate to contact AshleySimone Kirchner, Director of Education, at [email protected] for additional suggestions or further assistance.

We look forward to bringing this fantastic production to you & your students soon!

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 ABOUT THE PLAY

It is the morning of July 16, 1969, and Apollo 11 is blasting off on its soon-to-be historic trip to the moon. Jenny, a young woman, narrates from the crowd on the beach at Cape Kennedy. Jenny remembers a day in 1957 – her grandmother just gave her a telescope as a present. She sits and stares through it in awe of what could be out there – what it must be like in space and beyond our tiny planet ("Up There”). The news comes on; Hugh Reynolds is reporting from NBS Headquarters. Mankind's first satellite, Russia's Sputnik, is successfully in orbit. Russia has beaten America in the race to space, and the President cannot be happy. He assembles his advisers to figure out what to do. They all point the blame at each other, but, in the end, the President demands that he wants a satellite in space ASAP ("Seeink Red")!

News flash: 1961, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagaran is the first man in space. America is still behind in the race. In a lab, a doctor for NASA has Ham, a trained chimpanzee, who will be America's first astronaut. They figured it was smart not to risk a human life this early in the game ("America's First Astronaut"). The mission is successful, and Ham makes it to space and back safely. The program is then taken up a notch, and the chimp is replaced by veteran pilot, Colonel John Glenn. Jenny watches this all on the news as her father bothers her to do her homework. She is consumed with the big news, though – John Glenn is launching into space the very next day!

On February 20, 1962, John Glenn launches into orbit. There are a few complications with his re-entry, but he successfully returns to earth. John Glenn is an American hero now – he meets with the President, has a ticker tape parade in New York and has tons of fan mail, all wondering about what space is like ("Dear John Glenn"). The scene jumps to Neil Armstrong on the phone with his mother. He is reporting to her excitedly that he has been chosen as an astronaut and will be going to space.

A number of people stand in an unemployment line, reading about President Kennedy's promise to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. He has said that it will take ten billion dollars to develop the space program. The unemployed wonder what they could do with ten billion dollars that would be more important than landing on the moon ("Ten Billion Dollars"). By 1965, the Gemini space flights have begun sending two astronauts at a time to practice many procedures that will be used on a moon mission. The struggle is tense now between Russia and America, but America is catching up in the race. In a doctor's office, Neil Armstrong is undergoing a number of extreme tests to see how he will handle various conditions in space. As Jenny – who is now Founder and President of The John F. Kennedy, Jr., High School Space Club – watches, Ed White takes the first ever space walk ("Floating").

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 ABOUT THE PLAY

Meanwhile, Neil is about to launch into space for his mission where he and another astronaut will attempt to hook up to an unmanned spacecraft. This is a major step before landing on the moon. As he prepares for takeoff, two characters appear to him in his mind; they are his sense of Caution and Adventure. They go through the fears and excitement about the mission that he is taking. Neil and his partner go on the mission and have some success, but not without problems.

We now see three workers building the rocket. They dream of what their contributions will mean to the world and to America. They may not be the famous astronauts, but, without them, nothing would happen ("Maybe I'm Not Famous"). Jenny and her Dad eat frozen TV dinners as they watch a special on space travel. The astronauts talk about the food that they eat in space ("Space Food Waltz”).

It is 1967 and three astronauts are aboard Apollo. There is a fire in the cockpit, and all three astronauts lose their lives. This is a major tragedy for America and a huge setback in the space program. The work continues, though, and the people keep dreaming of walking on the moon. The scene is now back where it began: a morning in 1969 as the world watches Apollo 11 launch on its now-famous journey to the moon.

BIG IDEAS IN Footprints on the Moon

Perseverance Teamwork & Collaboration

Goal Setting Achieving Your Dreams

BOOK & Lyrics by Arthur Perlman THE CREATORS MUSIC by Jeffrey Lunden

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035

THEATRE ETIQUETTE PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION

At the theatre, it is important to understand what it means to be a good audience. During Footprints on the Moon, we also want to get the most information from the show we can by actively listening, paying close attention and using our imagination! Be aware of your surroundings and use quiet voices before the show. Remember that live theatre differs greatly from watching television or movies or attending a sporting event. Live performers can hear and see you and are distracted by any talking or moving around in the audience. Even the smallest sounds can be heard throughout the theater, so it’s best to be quiet so that everyone can enjoy the performance.

When you take your seat in the audience, you accept the responsibility of a special agreement. Part of that agreement includes believing what happens is real. It is happening live, right before your eyes! Listen carefully and quietly. The audience has an important role in the theatre experience. Let the production unfold and enfold you. Respond honestly and sincerely. The actors are aware of your presence and your responses. When the lights go down, a performance especially for you begins. This special relationship only happens in live theatre. Remember that actors often feed off of audience responses - so feel free to laugh, clap and maybe even sing along! Applause is the best way to show your enthusiasm and appreciation!

During the show, actors will be portraying the characters - and each actor may play more than one role by changing their voice, posture, and walk or gestures to create different characters. You will need to use your imagination to identify who each character is and imagine them in different locations!

Take some time to practice being an audience member. Turn down the lights to darken the room. One student tell a story. When the speaker is done, the audience should applaud. How did the quiet listening and applause make the speaker feel? How did it make the audience feel?

How did the quiet listening and applause make the speaker feel?

How did it make the audience feel?

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035

CHARACTER EXPLORATION PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION

Actor is the word we use to describe a person who performs in plays and musicals or on television shows. Actors use their body, voice and imagination to bring a character in a story to life. In a musical like Footprints on the Moon, the actors need to be able to sing, dance, and say words thats the playwright has written for their characters. It is the actor’s job to help the audience understand the story by being believable in the role he or she plays. The imagination of the audience members is very important. The actors use their imaginations, and if the audience uses their imagination also, then the show is a success! CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY

NEIL ARMSTRONG: An astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission–the first man to walk on the moon. PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: The 35th President of the United States. He sent the order to get our astronauts into space, and helped to make it possible! JENNY: A young girl who loves space and is excited about astronauts going to the moon. IVAN:A Russian cosmonaut (what we call astronauts). The Russians were racing the US to get a man to space! JOHN GLENN:An astronaut who was the first man to orbit the Earth in space. DOC:A scientist who does experiments sending things to space. Did you know that we sent a chimpanzee into space before we ever sent a human?

THEATRE TERMS

Whether this is your first time seeing a play or not, reviewing these terms will help you to understand the process of putting on a show in the theatre and what the actors are doing to make the story come alive…

SET: The backdrop, structure and pieces on stage that provide a setting for the story. PROPS: Items actors hold in their hands to help make the show look real (for instance, a telephone is a prop) COSTUMES: The clothes that actors wear in the play to make them look like their characters. SCRIPT: The book on which the actors’ lines are listed. SCENE: Each individual section of the play is referred to as a scene. Multiple scenes, together, become a play! INTERMISSION: The break that is sometimes taken during the show. BACKSTAGE: The area where the actors store their props and costumes and prepare to go on stage.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035

MOON FACTS ACTIVITIES Footprints on the Moon takes place in the run up to the space race in the 1950’s and 60’s. While much of the play is set here on Earth as politicians plan and astronauts train, it all leads towards the ultimate goal of putting a man on the moon. Footprints offers a rare opportunity to connect the arts to science and exploration.

• The Moon is about 4.5 billion years old and is the only natural satellite in our Solar System. The moon formed about 30–50 million years after the Earth formed. The moon came about when a large object hit the Earth and blasted out rocks that all came together and orbited round the Earth. Eventually they all melted together like in a big heated pot, cooled down and became the Moon. For another 500 million years pieces of rock kept striking against the surface of the Moon.

• You can see the surface of the Moon by using a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The Moon’s surface shows the damage caused by these large pieces of rock hitting it billions of years ago. The surface is covered in craters, pits and scars.

• The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was Luna 1 in 1959 - a Soviet craft launched by the USSR. It didn’t land, but passed within 3,725 miles of the surface of the moon before going into orbit around the sun.

• In 1968 President John F. Kennedy sent out an American spacecraft that did a little whirl around the moon and came back again!

• The very first manned Moon landing was in 1969 - the famous NASA Apollo 11 mission.

• The Moon goes round Earth every 27.3 days.

• Gravity on Earth is much stronger than that on the Moon, which is why astronauts have to wear all that space gear as they can just float away.

• The Moon is much smaller than the Earth, and its diameter is just 2,159 miles. The Moon would fit into the Earth nearly 4 times! The Moon is airless & waterless.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035

READER’S THEATRE ACTIVITIES The following pages contain simple scenes to act out. Stand in the front of the room and speak the lines from the script. Voices should project loudly so everyone can hear the dialogue. Speak slowly and clearly so audiences can understand the story! Other actors can act out the dialogue.

EXPLORING SPACE WITH AN ASTRONAUT

Narrator Astronaut 1 Astronaut 2 Astronaut 3 Astronaut 4

Narrator: 3...2...1...Lift-off!

Astronaut 1: A space shuttle climbs high into the sky. Inside the shuttle, astronauts are on their way to learn more about space.

Narrator: What is an astronaut?

Astronaut 2: An astronaut is a person who goes into space. Astronauts fly on a space shuttle.

Astronaut 3: The space shuttle takes off like a rocket. It lands like an airplane.

Astronaut 4: Eileen Collins is an astronaut. She was the first woman to be a space shuttle pilot.

Astronaut 1: She was also the first woman to be the leader of a space shuttle trip. She and four other astronauts worked as a team.

Astronaut 2: Some astronauts flew the space shuttle. Others did experiments.

Narrator: How do astronauts live in space?

Astronaut 3: In the space shuttle, astronauts float everywhere. Sleeping bags are tied to walls. Toilets have a type of seat belt.

Astronaut 4: Astronauts exercise to stay strong. They take sponge baths to keep clean.

Narrator: Why do astronauts go into space?

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 Astronaut 1: Astronauts test ways to live and work in a world that is very different from Earth.

Astronaut 2: In space, there is no up and down, no air, and the sun always shines.

Astronaut 3: Astronauts do experiments. They look for problems and fix them.

Astronaut 4: This will make space travel safer.

Narrator: What tool do astronauts use?

Astronaut 1: A space shuttle is a giant tool box!

Astronaut 2: It holds tools, such as computers, that help fly the space shuttle. Astronauts use robot arms to move things and people outside the shuttle.

Astronaut 3: On space walks, space suits keep astronauts safe.

Astronaut 4: Eileen Collins and her crew had a special job to do. They took an X-ray telescope into space with them.

Astronaut 1: First, they tested the telescope. Next, they flipped some switches and let the telescope go into space. Then, the telescope used its rockets to fly higher into space.

Narrator: Did the astronauts do other jobs, too?

Astronaut 2: Yes. They did experiments with plants and exercise machines. They were studying life without gravity.

Astronaut 3: When there was some time to rest, the astronauts could look out their window. They saw Earth from many, many miles away!

Narrator: Would you like to fly into space?

Astronaut 4: Do you like math and science?

Astronaut 1: Do you like to visit new places?

Astronaut 2: Do you like fast roller coasters?

Astronauts 1, 2, 3, 4: Astronauts do, too!

Narrator: Maybe someday you will become an astronaut, just like Eileen Collins.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 YOUR CONSCIENCE IS YOUR INNER GUIDE

In Footprints on the Moon, Jenny thought exploring outer space was awesome. But what if Jenny looked inward to explore how her mind works? She’d find it pretty awesome, too!

Back when the first man stepped on the moon, computers were new and they took up whole rooms! Calculations for adjusting the path of the rocket and space capsule were done on earth and radioed up to the astronauts. So back then the astronauts had to use an external guidance system (at Mission Control) to get them to the moon and back.

What Guides Your Actions?

How do you know what you should do or shouldn’t do in every situation? Do you wait for someone to tell you what you should do all the time? Or do you have an internal guidance system that signals to you the correct path to follow? CONSCIENCE Your Conscience Guides You Toward Good Choices

Everyone has a Conscience. Yes, you do too! Your inner guidance system is called the Conscience. It’s your inner voice that tells you what you should and shouldn’t do. The benefit of letting your Conscience be your guide is that you make good choices. As a result, you feel better and you may make things better for others, too. The Lesson of Pinocchio

Do you remember the story of Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio’s Conscience?

Pinocchio was a wooden puppet who longed to be a real boy. The Blue Fairy created Jiminy Cricket to help Pinocchio on his journey. When Pinocchio lies to the Blue Fairy, his nose grows longer. But when Pinocchio listened to Jiminy Cricket and followed his guidance, he proves to the Blue Fairy that he is worthy and is brought back to life as a real boy.

The moral of the story: If you follow the guidance of Jiminy Cricket - your conscience - you will make good choices that make you a happier, healthier person.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 How the Mind Works

So... How do you follow the guidance of your Conscience so you know what you should and shouldn’t do? First, we need to understand the Conscience isn’t the only part of the mind that has a voice. There are actually four voices – four parts of the mind – that can influence our thinking.

We know one right off the bat – the Conscience! But what are the other three? Can you take any guesses?

The first part of the mind is the EGO. It has the strongest CONSCIENCE SENSES voice, the one you think is you! Your ego is the part of the mind that says “I want that” “what do you want from me?” and “that is mine.”

The second part of the mind is our SENSES. The senses help the ego find, touch, taste, see, hear and smell. We use our EGO UNCONSCIOUS senses - the skin, mouth, eyes, ears and nose - to figure out what we like and what we don’t like.

The third part of the mind is the UNCONSCIOUS. It is a very big part that we aren’t aware of most of the time. It is the part of the mind where we put away memories of things, pleasant and unpleasant, happy and sad, exciting and scary. Most of the time those memories are hidden away from our conscious mind and that is why it is called our unconscious mind. Usually we become aware of memories when something happens that triggers them, and shakes them out of our unconscious. We may suddenly react with emotions – anger, fear, joy – and may not even know why!

The Ego, Senses and Unconscious Mind Need Guidance... from the Conscience!

The ego, senses and unconscious mind give us information, but they have serious limitations. They lead us towards things that are fun, easy, tasty, nice, etc. But sometimes the things we “should do” are the opposite of what we would “like to do.” Sometimes the things that should be done are not pleasant to begin with, but are better for us in the long run. And sometimes the things that are really pleasant and fun are great in the beginning, but over time prove to be more unpleasant.

But remember, we have another area of the mind called the Conscience...

When you listen to the voice of the Conscience, it can tell you what is useful, and help you to make a decision based on all the information available, including the information from the ego, senses and unconscious mind.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035

IMAGINE THAT THE FOUR PARTS OF THE MIND ARE CONSCIENCE ACTIVITIES FRIENDS

The ego, senses, unconscious and Conscience are sitting at the lunch table in school eating. They are discussing whether or not they are going to skip doing their homework this evening so they can watch a special TV show together.

Which part of the mind do you think is the strongest and most loud? Which part of the mind do you think is strongly agreeing with the strongest one? Which parts seems to be quiet? [The ego is the strongest and the senses are agreeing strongly because they both love TV and don’t really like do the homework] [The unconscious is quiet and not saying anything but there is a sort of memory bubbling up about getting in trouble for not doing the homework in the past] [The Conscience is trying to get a word into the discussion but ego and senses are very loud. Conscience is the part of the mind that can look at this situation from all directions.] IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE JENNY WATCHING THE MOON LAUNCH

Remember back to the play, when Jenny is watching the news on TV about the astronaut John Glenn launching into space? Her father tells her she is supposed to be doing her homework, but she continues to watch TV instead of listening to her father. What part(s) of the mind do you think she listened to – the ego? The senses? The unconscious mind? Her Conscience? Would you make the same decision or a different one? Why? [Discuss...] IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

President Kennedy energized the entire country with setting a goal of one day landing a man on the moon. The enthusiasm was contagious, and Jenny got caught up in the excitement. But was spending ten billion dollars on going to the moon the right thing to do when there were hundreds of thousands of unemployed citizens who could use that money to feed their families? Do you think the President was listening to his Conscience? What about his ego? His senses? His unconscious mind? Would you make the same decision or a different one? Why? [Discuss...]

IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE NEIL ARMSTRONG PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF

When Neil Armstrong prepared for takeoff, he was driven by two things: Caution and Adventure. What was pushing him to undertake this risky mission? His ego? His senses? His unconscious mind? His Conscience? Would you make the same decision or a different one? Why? [Discuss...]

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 Footprints on the Moon is all about our country’s mission to win the space race! How many of the words in the list below can PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES you find? Do you know what they all mean?

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 The actors in Footprints on the Moon will use their imaginations to create characters and act out the story of Apollo 11. Use your imagination to color in this image of NASA astronauts.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 The actors in Footprints on the Moon will use their imaginations to create characters and act out the story of astronauts landing on the moon. Use your imagination to color in this satellite.

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035 WRITE TO US!

We would love to hear from you and your students! If your students write about the performance they saw or create artwork related to it, you are welcome to send it to us via email to [email protected] or through mail to:

AshleySimone Kirchner Director of Education Park Playhouse Inc. PO Box 525, Albany, NY 12201

PARK PLAYHOUSE - Scholastic Touring Series - www.parkplayhouse.com - 518-434-2035