Kenneth Grahame
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ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER CHILDREN’S THEATRE ON TOUR TOURING SEASON 2019-2020 Presented by © David Hohn Illustration ACTIVITY GUIDE 1 ABOUT THIS GUIDE STUDENTS: We’ve designed this guide with YOU in mind—our audience! The activities included are meant to be a fun challenge for you, as well as an introduction into the world of theatre and how we went about making this play for you! EDUCATORS & PARENTS: Look for the helpful symbols below to make curriculum connections, which are outlined on the last page! ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS LIBRARY MEDIA THEATRE SOCIAL SCIENCE SCIENCE CONTENTS 3. Welcome from Toad 10. It Takes a Team to Create 4. About the Author & Magic on Stage A Note from the Director 11. Recommended Reading 5. Read the Original Novel & 12. Wind in the Willows Movie Party Discuss What you Read 13. Stay in Touch & Get Social! 6. Get Ready for the Show 14. Educator Resources 7. Discuss What You Saw 15. Playbill Cover Page & Write to Toad 16. Crew 8. SCIENCE ACTIVITY: How to Spot a Toad 17. Cast 9. The Reluctant Dragon 18. Thank you To our Sponsors! Theatre & Writing Activity NOTE: Art is an ongoing process. Scripts are used as a road map but the final destination may change based on a variety of factors. Because the activity guides are based on the scripts, please note that the content of the educational materials may vary from the final version of the play. Content is the intellectual property of the Arkansas Arts Center. 2 To all my dear fans, followers, and fun-loving friends: Felicitations! I simply cannot express the thrill I feel looking forward to seeing each of you at our upcoming theatrical rendezvous—and what a rollicking good time it will be! If you like stories with car chases, heroic weasel battles, run-away trains, and daring prison breaks (with lots of laughs tossed in along the way) then this is the play for you! Be assured though, you can expect more than just hijinks and hilarity. When it comes right down to it, The Wind in the Willows is a story about friends taking care of friends. I am ashamed to confess that you will see me in the play at my very naughtiest—breaking rules and thinking only of myself—but, happily, I am rescued from my errant ways and brought back into civil society by the three most loyal and loving friends a Toad could know. But I mustn’t give away the whole story now. So on behalf of Mister Rat, Mister Mole, Mister Badger and myself let me just say that we await our approaching playtime with eager anticipation and extend to each of you our fondest wishes. Your very, very humble friend, The Magnificent Mister Toad! 3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR KENNETH GRAHAME... I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1859. He was a bright student, but his family couldn't afford for him to attend college. Instead, he went to work for the Bank of England and remained there for the duration of his career. Grahame also liked to write light stories on the side, many of which were published in London periodicals. He wrote multiple stories about the characters Toad, Rat, Mole, & Badger for his son Alastair. Some of these stories later became the book The Wind in the Willows, which was published in 1908. Another very popular tale of his is The Reluctant Dragon, which was published in 1898 in a collection of Grahame's stories entitled Dream Days. He died in 1932 in Pangbourne, England. NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR, KEITH SMITH: Through my years as a theatre artist, I’ve worked on three different stage adaptations of the Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows—once as a lighting designer, once as a director, and once as playwright and director. Now I come to the story again, but this time with a slightly different take. One of the most striking features of the novel is a sort of whimsical bi-polar structure that juxtaposes the broad comic rowdiness of Toad’s mad adventures with the more intimate, lyrical moments preferred by his friends. My past inclination as director and playwright has been to strike a balance between these two modes. This time around, however, I have chosen to go all out with Toad. While I have not abandoned the story’s tranquil sensibilities altogether, it is fair to say that this new stage adaptation is definitely Mister Toad’s play. To that end, it is devised as a nested story—a story told within a story. It opens with Toad beginning a 20 year jail sentence handed down for “stealing an expensive motorcar . furious driving to the public danger . cheekiness to authority . and reckless disregard for the English language” (bad poetry). Unwilling to deprive future generations of his “glorious” history, Toad resolves to write a prison memoire. However, this literary endeavor quickly turns theatrical as two incarcerated thespians and one bubbly jailor’s daughter jump into the play, helping Toad act out his hero’s journey right up to the moment of his hilarious prison break. Then things go even more whacky (if possible) as the nested story breaks out of 4 its nest and continues, free of all storytelling convention, all the way to “The End.” READ THE ORIGINAL NOVEL DISCUSS WHAT YOU READ WHO are the characters? Did you find them likable? Would you like to meet them? Why or why not? WHAT is the purpose of the story and is the purpose important or meaningful? WHEN does the story take place and how can you tell? WHERE does the story take place and how can you tell? WHY do you think it was important for the author to write this story? 5 HOW does the author make you care about these characters and what happens to them? This production of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS is a live play! Our troupe of just FOUR actors will pack up everything they need in our tour van, then travel to per- form in your community. Some things to consider before the show… How do you think 4 actors will play all 12 different characters? Why do you think directors have actors play multiple characters instead of hir- ing one actor for each? How might a live play be different for the audience than watching a movie or a television show? STUDENTS: Watch and listen carefully to under- stand the story. The story is told by the actors and comes to life through your imagination! PARENTS/TEACHERS: Please turn off your cell phones so you can enjoy the play along with your students! Bright screens can distract actors and other audience members. Save all food, gum, candy, and drinks for after the performance. They are not allowed during the perfor- mance but could be used as a reward for good behavior afterward! Keep your cameras tucked away and turned off. Photography and videography are NOT allowed. Camera flashes blind the actors and can cause distrac- tions or accidents. 6 Thank you for being a great part of our audience and enjoy the show! DISCUSS WHAT YOU SAW TODAY WHO are the characters? Are they any different than they were in the novel? Are there any char- acters you can think of that have been added or taken out? Why do you think this was? WHAT do you think the playwright wants the audience to remember about the story and why? WHEN does the story take place and how can you tell? Did the costumes, sets, or props help? WHERE does the story take place and how can you tell? Did the costumes, sets, or props help? WHY do you think the Children’s Theatre decided to produce this play and introduce this story to thousands of students across the state of Arkansas? HOW was watching the play different from reading the story? Dear friends, One of my favorite parts of telling a story on stage is inviting you, the audience, to help create the play by using your imaginations. In The Wind in the Willows we asked you to imagine the Weasels of the Wild Wood, and you did such a marvelous job of picturing them in your minds that I am dying to know what you saw. What did the Weasels look like? How did they act? Would you want one for a pet? Please, oh please, write me a letter and describe them to me. Or draw a picture. Or both! I do so love receiving letters from friends, and I look forward to yours with giddy eagerness. Your friend forever, Toad of Toad Hall. Note: Address found on page 13! 7 HOW TO SPOT A TOAD Have you ever wondered what the differences are between toads and frogs? There are actually many differences! Here are a few that will help you spot a toad (or frog!) in the wild! TOADS FROGS • Thick, dry, bumpy skin • Thin, wet, smooth skin • Stout body • Thin body • Short legs for hopping • Long legs for jumping • Lives mainly on land • Lives mainly in the water • Oval, inset eyes • Round, bulging eyes • Thin, wet, smooth skin • Usually Colorful • Usually Brown Can you spot which of these creatures are toads and which are frogs? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Note: Answers found on page 14 8 THE RELUCTANT DRAGON Another popular story of Kenneth Grahame’s is The Reluctant Dragon. Read this short story and then try your hand at adapting a story to a play! 1. Discuss what you read, including the characters, the story’s conflict and how it’s resolved.