Education Pack 2018
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Education Pack for our production of Jack and the Beanstalk presented by
Derby LIVE and Little Wolf Entertainment.
Together we have created this pack to extend the exciting experience of a pantomime back into the classroom.
You will find within its pages a wealth of information covering many
aspects of pantomime, and lots of fun activities that link with many
classroom subjects.
We hope that you thoroughly enjoy Jack and the
Beanstalk at The Derby arena, as well as your
own adventures into the magical world of
pantomime!
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 2 CONTENTS
INFORMATION
Jack and the Beanstalk – Our Version
Traditional Pantomime Characters
Behind the Scenes
Putting on a Pantomime
ACTIVITIES
Writing Activities
Storyboard – Telling a Story
Write a Review
Drama Activities
Set and Costume Design Activities
Maths Activities
Music Activities
Colouring In Pages and Competition
APPENDIX
A Potted History of Pantomime
The Origins of the Story
LINKS/RESOURCES
Other Versions of Jack - Reading List
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 3 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK – OUR VERSION
In the village of Dappy Darley on the Derwent, Jack Trott lives with his mother, Dame Trott and his brother, Simple Simon.
The village is being terrorised by the evil Giant Bogey who lives in a castle in the clouds.
The King comes to the village and announces that due to the economic downturn there is to be a new lottery held each month and the winner will receive a golden egg, laid by the King’s magical hen, Edwina.
Dame Trott wins the lottery and it looks like their troubles are over, when suddenly there is a flash of lightning and Cesspit, the Giant’s evil henchman appears. On the Giant’s orders he steals the golden egg, as well as the magical hen, and the golden harp. Everyone is distraught and go off in search of Cesspit.
Jack runs into the princess and they begin to fall in love, but the King interrupts their musical courtship.
Back at Trott’s Dairy, times are very hard. To cheer themselves up Dame Trott and Simple Simon try baking a cake, but it doesn’t work, and they just end up getting very messy indeed! Dame Trott decides that the time has come and they have no choice but to sell their beloved cow, Pat.
Jack is told to take the cow to market, but on the way he meets Cesspit, disguised as a local yokel, who plays a trick on Jack. Cesspit says he will buy Pat for gold pieces, but after showing them to Jack he sneakily swaps them for a handful of beans.. After Jack has left Cesspit meets the Princess, who he kidnaps and takes back to the Giant’s castle, so she can become Giant Bogey’s bride!
Back at home with the Trotts Jack shows the gold to his mother, but when they discover it is only beans, she is furious and in disgust flushes the beans down the toilet. Dejected they all headto bed.
During the night, Fairy Story appears and conjures a huge spell that makes a gigantic beanstalk grow right out of the toilet!
In the morning, no one can believe their eyes,. Jack realises that he must climb the beanstalk, face the Giant and save the princess. Fairy Story arms him with a magic sword and he begins to ascend into the clouds!
Up in Cloudland, Jack, now accompanied by Simple Simon, Dame Trott and the King, goes off in search of the Giant.
Inside the castle, Cesspit is holding the princess captive, waiting for the Giant to return. When Cesspit leaves the room, Jack and his friends sneak in and are about to rescue the princess, when there is a huge booming noise and in comes Giant Bogey!
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 4 He calls for Cesspit, who in turn summons his Cesspets, and Jack and his friends are captured. Suddenly the princess escapes her guards and grabs a sword, she bravely fights and manages to defeat Cesspit, whose assistants flee as soon as he is beaten. Jack then takes his turn toface adversity, taking up his magic sword; he faces down the huge Giant single handedly, allowing his friends to escape with the harp, hen and golden eggs.
Jack fights the Giant, but just when things look like they could go wrong, the Fairy appearsagain and helps Jack distract the Giant long enough to escape.
After a frantic chase back down the beanstalk, including far too many toilet stops for Dame Trott, they are finally all back home, but the Giant chases them down the beanstalk. Jack bravely grabs an axe, chops down the beanstalk and so the Giant falls to his doom.
Jack and Princess Jill are married, Dame Trott marries the King and even Simple Simon ends up marrying Fairy Story.
After which they all live happily ever after!
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 5 TRADITIONAL PANTOMIME CHARACTERS
Modern pantomime characters can be traced back to the 16th and 17th Century when the Italians improvised comic drama called Commedia dell’arte.
One of the central characters of a commedia pantomime was Harlequin, who was a clown that usually narrated the story. Harlequin became so popular that harlequinade became a genre of it’s own.
Just like the Commedia dell ‘Arte and the traditional fairy tales with which your class will be familiar, pantomimes always contain stock characters. These include...
The Dame – Played by a man dressed up as a woman is the focus of the pantomime’s humour. She may be the cook or the mother/nurse of a central character and is often hoping for romance and money. In slapstick scenes she tells lots of jokes and encourages audience participation.
The Principal Boy – Sometimes played by a woman, the principal boy is the hero of the story and his name often appears in the title, as in Aladdin, or Jack and the Beanstalk! He is handsome and brave, triumphing over evil or misfortune to claim the love of the principal girl.
The Principal Girl – Whether a princess or a peasant, the principal girl is usually threatened by an evil curse or injustice but ends up happily in the arms of the principal boy.
The Baddie – This can be a male or female character but always has an evil scheme in mind i.e. the theft of a fortune, the conquering of a kingdom or marrying the principal girl against her wishes. The baddie has magic on their side but is always defeated in the end.
The Fairy – Adding an element of magic, the Fairy holds the story together and is often around to help defeat the baddie and offer words of wisdom. She may act as a surrogate mother figure for the orphaned or lonely principal character.
The Pantomime Animal - Whether a cow, goose, cat, camel or horse, the pantomime animal is a humorous novelty character. It consists of one or two people dressed up to look like an animal, often with a couple making up its front and rear ends. The animal is usually a loyal sidekick to the hero or heroine.
Fact: An actor playing an animal is called a skin performer. This is because they wear an animal outfit like a second skin. Charlie Chaplin started his career as the back end of a pantomime horse!
The Young Company and the Chorus - Members of the young company and the chorus take part in the crowd scenes and the song and dance routines. In the late 19th century, pantomimes employed hundreds of actors as members of the chorus all dressed in extravagant costumes. This year young people from all over the Charnwood area are part of our young company!
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 6 BEHIND THE SCENES
Derby has a long tradition of pantomime. Here is a list of some of the people involved and what they do...
The Production Company (Little Wolf Entertainment) is the specialist pantomime company who work together with the Derby LIVE team to create all aspects of the pantomime.
The Playwright is commissioned by the production company to write the script. The playwright has to come up with a new twist on a favourite tale and include lots of topical jokes!
The Director has a varied role making decisions on everything from the script to lighting and design. During rehearsals the director has overall responsibility for putting the whole production together.
The Choreographer comes up with all of the dance routines and teaches them to the actors. He or she also makes sure that the dancing looks precise and energetic (and that everyone on stage is getting it right!)
The Actors have to audition to show that they are suitable to be in the pantomime. Not only do they have to be able to play a character, they must also have strong singing and dancing skills - plus the stamina to perform up to 12 shows per week!
The Musical Director chooses the music, teaches it all to the cast and writes musical arrangements and orchestrations.
The Designer creates exciting sets and costumes, starting with drawings, then creating a model of the set, which is given to the construction department to build.
The Lighting Designer creates lighting effects for the show to add to the mood.
The Stage Manager and Technical Crew make sure that the performances run smoothly, all effects are working and everything is where it should be on stage.
Marketing make sure that everyone knows about the show and how exciting it is going to be!
The Box Office is responsible for taking bookings and selling tickets.
The Front of House Staff are responsible for selling programmes and refreshments and for showing you to your seat.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 7 PUTTING ON A PANTOMIME
The process of putting on a pantomime is a long one, taking almost a year from beginning to end. As one pantomime draws to a close, our team will already be planning the next year’s show.
The Script is written and it can take a several drafts from the playwright before everyone is entirely happy with it. There may even be some changes made once the actors and director start to rehearse as they come up with jokes and witty lines to include.
Design and Music are discussed at meetings throughout the year, once the script is ready. The musical director, lighting, set and costume designers then have time to begin their research and to work out their ideas before preparations for the production really get going in the autumn.
Auditions for the principle characters are held in the summer, usually in London. Local auditions are held later at the theatre, for the kids ensemble who appear in the production. The children have to have special licenses from the local authority to allow them to perform and there are often two different casts of children as the number of hours that a child can work is strictly limited.
Choreography for the dance numbers is also planned during the summer before rehearsals start. The director and choreographer get together to discuss how the routines will fit in with the rest of the show.
Construction of the set and the costumes begins in the summer. All of the costumes have to be made to the right size for the cast and the production team meets to make sure that all of the scene changes run smoothly and that everything works as it should.
Rehearsals begin in November, when everything really gets going! The cast rehearses hard - six days a week for over two weeks to learn the moves, the songs and the script.
Production Week is when everything comes together including the set, music, sound, lights, choreography, costumes and, of course, the acting! Production week is very hard work but everyone has to keep a little bit of energy in reserve for....
Dress Rehearsal This is the moment of truth! By this time all of the problems should be ironed out and everyone should be ready for the opening night!
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 8 WRITING ACTIVITIES Learning Objectives: To write in a variety of styles and to imagine alternative versions of the story
Below are a variety of creative writing tasks you can adapt for your class.
Task 1 Jack and the Beanstalk is a timeless tale of courage and family and taking control of your own destiny.
Write your own story with the moral of “The future is what you make of it” using the storyhill template on the following page.
Remember to include: Setting and character description, Build up, Dilemma Resolution
Task 2 Jack and the Beanstalk ends with Jack rescuing Princess Jill from the Giant & his evil assistant Cesspit and then living happily ever after with her. If you were writing the story what would the ending be? Try writing an alternative ending for Jack & the Beanstalk starting from the point when Jack climbs up the magic beanstalk.
Task 3 Adaptations of existing stories are the most common tales we see on stage. Choose your favourite fairytale story and turn it into a play.
Task 4 We know Jack’s family is poor which is why he sells Pat the Cow, but what about the background of the Giant’s evil assistant Cesspit? Tell the back-story of Cesspit about why he became so mean and nasty.
Task 5 Newspapers tell us facts about events and incidents that have happened recently. Newspapers usually have:
Bold headlines to catch your eye. Pictures to help tell the story. Writing in short paragraphs. Writing in columns. Quotes/comments from eye witnesses.
Look at the headline of ‘The Daily News’ and write a short article to go with it imagining that you are reporting on Princess Jill being captured by the Giant.
Draw a picture to go with the headline. The newspaper outline is on the next page but one. Alternatively design your own newspaper layout on a computer.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 9 TR ELN CIIY-SOYHL TEMPLATE HILL STORY - ACTIVITY TELLING STORY erigOjcie opo h e vnsfo akadteBeanstalk the and Jack from events key the plot To Objective: Learning Opening: ul Up: Build Climax/Conflict: Resolution: Ending:
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 10 DAPPY DARLEY ON THE DERWENT'S FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 11 STORY BOARD – TELLING A STORY Learning Objective: To retell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk
A storyboard is a way of telling a story through pictures and a few words. Film makers often use storyboards to show the action planned in a film.
1) Choose one of the following scenes:
▪ Jack selling Pat the Cow to Cesspit for Beans ▪ Jack, Simon and Dame Trott discovering the magic beanstalk in the garden ▪ Everyone climbing the beanstalk to rescue the Princess ▪ Everybody stealing back the harp and hen who lays the golden eggs from the Giant ▪ Jack fighting the Giant ▪ Jack chopping down the beanstalk
2) Decide upon the main parts of the scene.
3) Use the storyboard template on the following page to draw the main points of your scene in the film reel style boxes.
4) Describe what is happening in the space next to each box.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 12 STORY BOARD TEMPLATE
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 13 WRITING A REVIEW Objective – To form opinions and transfer them to written form
Theatre critics write reviews of productions they have seen to tell their readers about what’s on and how good it is. Theatres rely on critics coming to see the show (and liking it!) to spread the word and encourage more people to come and see the show.
We would really like to know what you thought of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Why not ask each child to write a review of the production and send them to us.
Letter writing by hand or on the computer
Formal letter writing - plan of points to cover with your class: There are two ways of writing a letter. There is the traditional version and the modern word-processed version.
Traditional ▪ Their address, or in this case the class number and address of the school, should go on the right hand-side of the page.
▪ Underneath the address should be the date they are writing the letter.
▪ Underneath this should be the greeting. If they: a) do not know the name of the person they are writing to the address should be “Dear Sir or Madam,” b) know the name of the person they are writing to but do not know them personally the greeting should be formal i.e. Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Dr etc + the person’s family or surname.
▪ Indenting the first line, underneath the greeting, the main body of the letter starts. The first sentence should explain why they are writing.
▪ Next move onto some observations about the production – what did they enjoy? Who was their favourite character and why? etc – try to encourage the use of pantomime vocabulary.
▪ Lastly conclude the letter with thanks and a closing thought i.e. I hope to come back to the pantomime next year or I hope to audition for the Pantomime in the future.
▪ The letter should be signed off formally. If they do not know the name of the person, the letter should end “Yours Faithfully”. If they do know the name of the person i.e. dear Miss Dickson, the letter should end, “Yours Sincerely”, then they should sign their name with a flourish (!) and print underneath. If typing the letter, they should signtheir name in ink next to their printed name.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 14 Word processed letters are different in two ways. The address should go on the left hand-side of the page and paragraphs are not indented. Instead, a line is left between paragraphs.
The best way to write a review is imagine that you are telling a friend about the performance you have seen. Read it out loud and see if it sounds like you. It must reflect your opinions and what you think. The essence of good reviewing is getting the facts correct and putting things in perspective. This involves observing, describing, understanding and honesty. To achieve this you need 4 things:
1. Basic facts. Name of show, where it is, who’s in it, what is it about? When it is on? 2. What was your personal opinion of it? 3. Background knowledge. Where does the production sit in comparison to previous versions of it or in comparison to other, different productions/events by the same performers? 4. How did the audience react to it?
Other Points to include in a review:
▪ A closing thought ▪ Would they recommend going to see the show? ▪ Ask the class to think of other pantomimes they’ve seen. How do they compare to Derby’s Jack and the Beanstalk? ▪ Remember to include a headline to grab the reader’s attention!
If you follow these principles, you should also be able to create a fair review, which is not necessarily the same as a good review.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 15 DRAMA ACTIVITIES Learning Objectives: To explore Jack and the Beanstalk using drama techniques
Behind the Scenes... Before your visit - Look at the list of people involved in putting on a pantomime on a previous page of this work pack. Divide the class into small groups and give each group one person/team to think about when they are visiting the theatre i.e. Marketing. Ask them to come up with a list of things that this person/these people might have to do to put on the pantomime i.e. design the poster, distribute flyers, invite the local press to come and watch the showetc.
At the theatre - Encourage each group to observe these people or look out for their contributions to the show when they visit i.e. spot the publicity posters in the foyer, look out for adverts on the way, have a look at a programme. If groups are looking at the choreographer or musical director encourage them to watch the acting or singing closely and report back.
Back at School - Discuss your visit to the pantomime. Ask each group to report back on what they saw and noticed about the show and how it was put together. Talk about the show itself, what did they enjoy most? Were they asked to join in at any point? Did they spot any slapstick?
In the Classroom... ‘Yes and...’ Storytelling
Clear tables and chairs to the sides of your classroom and ask your pupils to sit in a circle on the floor. They are about to create their very own fairy tale from scratch together!
You, the teacher, should start with an opening line i.e. ‘once upon a time in a castle on top of a huge hill there lived a witch.’ Then turn to face the pupil on your right. They take over and add on another line starting with the words ‘yes, and...’ i.e. ‘yes, and this witch was bright green with a horrible wart on her nose and a particular dislike for children.’
Carry on around the circle with each pupil adding a new line to the story. When everyone has taken a turn, you should finish the story with a suitable closing line i.e. ‘and they lived happily everafter.’
Encourage pupils to use their imagination and listen carefully to the person before them to make sure the story makes sense!
Radio Beanstalk Divide your class into small groups. Ask them to come up with a radio advert for a holiday in the land of the Giant! Encourage them to consider, travel arrangements i.e. climbing the Beanstalk to get there, accommodation i.e. everything being giant sized, the sights and attractions i.e. the hen that lays the golden eggs, and any other quirky things they can think of. Also encourage them to make up jingles and use lots of persuasive language to really sell their holiday! Record the adverts and play them back to the pupils for a giggle!
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 16 Panto in Pictures
Photocopy the summary sentences of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk below, cut them up and put them in a hat. Divide your class into small groups and ask them to draw out two or three sentences each (don’t let the other groups see!).
Ask pupils to come up with a still image, a frozen picture, to depict the sentence. Give them about 10 minutes to do this. Bring the class back together. You have another set of the summary sentences laid out for pupils to see or photocopied onto acetate. Ask each group in turn to come to the front and adopt their first still image. Ask the rest of the class to guess which summary sentence matches the picture. Continue until all the still images have been seen and as you go along arrange the summary sentences into order so that by the end you have a complete storyline for Jack and the Beanstalk!
Jack and Dame Trott are very poor. They live in a small house with their cow Pat.
They live in terror of a huge Giant who lives in the clouds above their village.
Dame Trott sends Jack off to market to sell Pat to raise money to pay to the Giant so that he won’t eat them!
On the way to market Jack meets a mysterious stranger who buys Pat from him for a handful of beans.
Jack returns home and shows Dame Trott the beans.
Dame Trott is furious! She scolds Jack and throws the beans down the toilet
The beans sprout into a huge beanstalk. Villagers come to gaze at it.
Jack climbs the beanstalk and enters the Giant’s house. He sees a fantastic hen laying golden eggs!
Jack sees the Giant and his henchman approaching and hides in a big cooking pan!
Jack jumps out of the cooking pan, surprises the Giant and snatches his gold and the hen!
Jack runs away from the Giant’s house with the Giant and his Henchman giving chase!
Jack climbs down the beanstalk and gives the gold to Dame Trott.
Jack grabs an axe and chops down the Beanstalk before the Giant can climb down too.
Jack is a hero! The hen lays a giant golden egg and Jack and Dame Trott live happily ever after.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 17 Further Objectives:
To speak in front of the class. To work as part of a team
Character Work 1) Explain to students that when an actor plays a part he/she will often change the way they move and talk so they are more like that character.
2) Get students to walk around the space and call out various characters from Jack and the Beanstalk for them to walk like. Prompt students with reminders about the characters:
Simple Simon – young, a bit silly not very bright. Jack – a hero, confident. Princess – pretty and girly. Pat – a cow, sweet and friendly. King – royal, self-important, old gentleman. Dame Trott – big, bouncy, over the top. Cesspit – evil, nasty, devious. Giant – huge, slow, scary. Fairy- kind, good, magical.
Periodically ask the students to ‘freeze’ in character before continuing around the space.
3) Ask the students to choose one character from the play and to walk around the space like them.
4) While they are walking ask the students to come up with one phrase which that character might say. Ask them to say it out loud to themselves in the voice of that character.
5) Ask the students to go up and greet each other with that phrase.
6) When they have all met ask the students to walk near to another character that they think their character likes.
7) Then ask the students to pick another character they dislike and ask them to walk away from them.
8) Finally ask students to try and walk as close as possible to the character they like and keep that character between themselves and the character they dislike.
9) Discuss the reasons for choosing certain characters and for liking and disliking other characters. Did anyone struggle to stay away from the character they disliked, or couldn’t get near the character they did? It’s this conflict between characters that creates the drama onstage.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 18 Improvising 1) Discuss with the students the idea of ‘Cloudland’. What do they think the land might look like? Who might live there? What sort of things might happen there? Encourage the students to think about characters that are not seen in Jack and the Beanstalk.
2) Ask the students to improvise (make up and act out) a short story about Cloudland in groups of about 4 or 5. Give the students 15 - 20 minutes to do this and then share their work.
3) Repeat with the idea of the Enchanted Castle, considering who or what else might live there that we do not see in the pantomime e.g. monsters, elves, fairies etc...
Devising
1) Discuss with the class what elements are needed to create a pantomime:
• Comedy e.g. slap stick, improvisation, puns • Audience interaction. • Cross-dressing. • Stock characters. • Stock plots.
2) In small groups imagine that you work for a tourist board. You need to make a video which explains what pantomime is to a tourist who has never heard of panto.
Perhaps you can interview a dame, act out short scenes from panto, or write a song to encourage visitors to come over and enjoy the spectacle!
3) Perform the scenes back to each other and decide if you would visit these places and pantomimes.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 19 SET AND COSTUME DESIGN Learning Objective: To give reasons for choices
Our Panto Set and Costume Designer is Morgan Brind. His job is to design the world that the story takes place in. He has to design everthing from the cloths that fly in and out and the trucks that roll on and off, to the many costumes worn by all the characters.
Using the script, and discussions with the Director as a starting point, he starts to design the beautiful set and costume that you see onstage.
1) We associate different meanings with different colours. Fill in the table below with one word that you associate with each colour.
Colour Meaning Red Danger Black White Yellow Green Blue Orange Purple
2) Choose 1 character from Jack & the Beanstalk.
3) Write down 5 words to describe that character.
1. ______
2.______
3.______
4.______
5.______
4) Is your character a goodie or a baddie?
5) Pick 3 colours that describe your character.
1. ______
2.______
3.______
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 20 6) Use the colours you have chosen to design a costume for your character.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 21 Set and Costume Design (Continued)
Learning Objectives: To design set and costumes based upon a brief
Task 1
Imagine that you are the pantomime set designer. The Director wants you to design the Giant’s home. You need think about the following things:
The Giant lives in a castle
The castle is in the clouds
How to make the castle seem like it houses a Giant.
Think about scale. Use the picture of the stage on the following page.
Task 2
In our pantomime the Giant is a big puppet. Design your own Giant puppet. Remember the Giant is very big and scary. You also have to think about how an actor will control your puppet, make it move around, and make it speak.
Task 3
Design a dress for Dame Trott.
The Director would like the dress to be:
• Influenced by the dairy where she works
• Silly
• Colourful
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 22 Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 23 MATHS ACTIVITIES (Show your working out)
1. Jack sold the cow for £5.00. He spent £4.00 on beans. How much did he have left?
2. The beanstalk began to grow. It grew 20 centimetres an hour. How many centimetres did it grow in 5 hours?
3. Jack climbed the beanstalk. He counted the leaves as he climbed. He counted by fives. Fill in the missing numbers.
5, 10, 15, 20, ___, 30, 35, ___, 45, ___, ___, 60
4. It took Jack 2 hours to climb the beanstalk. He started climbing at 11:00 a.m. What time did he get to the top?
5. The giant was 4.2 metres tall! How many centimetres is that?
6. The giant ate an odd number of eggs for breakfast. He ate more than eight, but less than a dozen. The number has two digits. How many eggs did he eat?
7. Jack found some gold pieces. Each piece had 4 sides. The sides were all the same length. What shape were the pieces of gold?
8. Jack climbed down the beanstalk. He counted backwards as he climbed. What are the missing numbers?
22, ___, 20, 19, ___, ___, 16, ___, 14, ___, 12, ___
9. Jack used some of the gold to buy a new bike. His mother bought him a helmet for £5.50 and a horn for £3.00. How much did his mother spend?
10. Jack's mother was so happy! She let Jack have a pizza party. Three friends will come. Today is Tuesday, October 5th. The party will be on Friday. What will be the date of the party?
Answers 1) £1 2) 100 centimetres 3) 25, 40, 50, 55 4) 1 p.m. 5) 420 centimetres 6) 11 eggs 7) square 8) 21, 18, 17, 15, 13, 11 9) £8.50 10) October 8th
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 24 MUSIC WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES Learning Objectives: To use music to explore Jack and the Beanstalk
Music plays a huge part in creating the spectacle of the pantomime.
Task Play the class short excerpts of a variety of types of music. Ask the class to close their eyes while listening and try to think of a colour, place and type of person that they associate with that type of music. Discuss ideas with the class after each piece of music.
All choose one of the characters you have thought about in response to one of the pieces of music. Create a short devised performance using those characters. How would they meet? Would they like each other? Write a short story in response to one of the pieces of music.
Task Pantomimes always have a big audience sing-along. Ask the class to write their own song in small groups to be taught by Simple Simon to the audience. It needs to be short and simple with lots of repetition. To make it easier pupils could write the song to the tune of a well- known nursery rhyme or song.
Task Pantomimes often parody pop songs. Ask the class to adapt a pop song of their choice into a song about Jack and the Beanstalk, or about a character from the show, or to be sung by one character about another. Why not try a duet between the Fairy & Cesspit?
Task Each character traditionally has a musical motif that signals their entrance to the audience. In small groups ask the class to create 10 second long motifs for Jack, Simple Simon, the Fairy, Dame Trott, the Giant & Cesspit.
Task There are a lot of exciting locations in Jack and the Beanstalk. As a class come up with a list of the different locations. Choose one location from the list and each come up with a sound for the location chosen using your voice or your body (clapping, clicking, tapping etc.) The teacher can then act as the conductor, asking the class to get louder, or quieter, pausing certain sounds and building them back in later.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 25 COLOURING IN SHEETS
On the next three pages you will find costume design templates for Fairy Story, Jack Trott and Pat the Cow, but we’ve forgotten to colour them in!
We want you to colour them in!
Lets get creative! Use whatever colours and designs you like, to make them as imaginative and exciting as possible.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 26 FAIRY STORY
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 27 JACK TROTT
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 28 A H COW THE PAT
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 29 A POTTED HISTORY OF PANTOMIME
Pantomime can trace its origin to a form of ritual theatre staged around the winter solstice.
Originally a silent form of mime, it has grown over the years into the shape we know and love today, with comedy, songs and plenty of audience interaction.
The stories are generally well-known, drawing from popular folk-tales and are populated with stock characters, including a principal boy - often played by a young lady, giving an added edge to the inevitable romance - the heroine and a dame (played by a man as an exaggeration of a lewd, middle- aged lady).
In British theatre, pantomime is traditionally a Christmas or New Year entertainment. The name ‘pantomime’ comes from the Latin word pantomimus, which means the player of many parts. During Roman times pantomimes were stories told through dance, with no words at all.
The form of Panto we know today in the UK dates back to the middle ages, and blends the traditions of the Italian Commedia dell’Arte and British Music Hall.
Commedia dell’Arte was a type of travelling street entertainment that came from Italy in the 16th century and incorporated dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and buffoonery in a highly physical form of theatre. Commedia dell'Arte touring troupes had a repertoire of stories that they performed in fairgrounds and market places. Often the troupes were made up of family members who would inherit their characters, costumes, masks and stories from their parents or grandparents. The actors generally improvised their way through a plot involving characters such as Arlecchino alsonamed Harlequin, and his true love, Columbina (or Columbine). Comic chases and tricks, or ‘slapstick’, were also employed to full effect.
Commedia dell’Arte spread across Europe from Italy to France and by the middle of the 17th century began to be popular in England. The Commedia dell’Arte characters first began to appear in English plays circa 1660. Such was its success in England that intense rivalries sprang up between the theatres producing it. However, most scholars conclude that the English theatrical pantomime actually began in the season of 1716-17 when John Rich produced the first Lun pantomimes at Lincoln’s Inn Fields and John Weaver brought out two entertainments in imitation of the Roman pantomime at Drury Lane. It is believed that these performances were put together from elements drawn from English opera and masque, English folk farce, late seventeenth-century English adaptations of the Commedia dell’Arte, and theatrical song and dance.
Typically, pantomimes display the following common themes:
• The testing of a hero or heroin • A conflict between good and evil • A magical or supernatural element • A happy ending for the hero or heroine – usually a reversal of fortune • Traditional songs • Stock expressions: "He's behind you!", "Oh, yes it is! ... Oh, no it isn't!" or booing the villain.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 30 Many of the panto plots are based on folk tales collected and retold by the French writer Charles Perrault. His book Mother Goose’s Fairy Tales published in 1697 included classic stories like Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty.
As pantomimes used classic fairy tales more and more the role of Harlequin diminished until he disappeared. New elements were added to the mix, such as slapstick and double entendre. Popular songs, topical humour and satire found their way into the script from the influence of British Music Hall as did audience participation and guest appearances by popular entertainers of the day.
Pantomimes today always include certain elements:
•A man dressed as a woman to play the dame. •A woman dressed as a man to play the principal boy •A theme of good conquering evil. •A slapstick scene which gets very messy! •Audience participation. •Colourful sets and costumes.
Did you know that good characters traditionally enter from stage right and evil characters enter from stage left?
This tradition of evil entering from stage left goes back to the mystery plays. The trap doors in the stage floor (through which the demon used to appear in a puff of smoke) can always be found in the downstage left position. This tradition also seems to echo medieval times, when the entrances to heaven and hell were placed on these sides.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 31 THE ORIGINS OF THE STORY
Jack and the Beanstalk is an English folktale.
The tale is also close with the tale of Jack and the Giant Killer, and with a number of versions. Benjamin Tabart's moralized version of 1807 is the first appearance in print. Many more versions have appeared since, including ones by folklorists Joseph Jacobs English Fairy Tales (1890) and Andrew Lang. In some, Jack is portrayed as an amoral trickster who does not hesitate resorting to lies, robbery, and murder. In others, he is given more altruistic motives for his behaviour.
The symbolic beanstalk is reminiscent of the ancient Northern European belief in a world tree connecting Earth to heaven. A late addition to the medieval catalog of Aesop's Fables of putative Persian origins The Gourd and the Palm-tree uses the emblematic trope of a fast-growing gourd vine sprouted from seed that outgrows an older mature tree yet perishes in the frost to instruct on the folly of intemperance. Also, in some ancient writings there can be found references to mystical structures, ladders and trees that provide passage to the upper world. Among these are the Old Testament tales of the Tower of Babel and Jacob’s Ladder reaching to heaven. The legends of several Northwest Native American tribes have a rope of arrows connecting the earth and sun.
Most early Indo-European cultures had tales of wondrous trees. The World Tree of ancient England held up the sky. In Nordic legend the Yggdrasil is a gigantic ash tree whose branches reach to heaven, while Buddhism has a giant bodhi tree. Giants are associated in other world cultures. Among these are the Gigants of ancient Greece who were the children of Gaia, Mother Earth; the Bagadjimbiri brothers, of Aboriginal Australia, who made mankind; and Kenya’s Mwooka, the creator of mountains and rivers.
The giant's "Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum! was included in William Shakespeare's King Lear.
Jack the Giant Killer
British legend tells of Jack, a farmer’s son who lived in Cornwall, close to Land’s End.
A Giant terrorised the area, stealing cattle and carrying them away. Jack devised a trap, whereby he dug a pit, covered it with sticks, and lured the Giant to his doom - he did this by blowing his horn to attract him. After defeating this Giant, he went on to do many heroic deeds throughout Cornwall, and on occasion in Wales.
The setting for “Jack The Giant Killer” is often in the era of the legendary King Arthur, and this story possibly derived from tales dating back to the Vikings and the Norsemen. The Giant is sometimes referred to as The Giant of Mount Cornwall, or as Cormoran. The legend continues Jack’s adventures as he fights another Giant, and gains for himself a coat that made him invisible, and “Seven League Boots” that gave him incredible speed. He often has a magic sword. The Beanstalk does not feature in this legend - the addition of the magic beans, the hen that lays golden eggs and the singing harp were yet to be created.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 32 Jack and the Beanstalk On Stage:
The first play on the subject was produced by David Garrick in 1773 at Drury Lane, takingits theme from an early eighteenth century folktale. The first Pantomime version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'was in 1819, which also marked the appearance of the first ever female 'Principal Boy', Eliza Povey, in the role of Jack.
The hero, Jack, is a typical folklore hero, lazy, unscrupulous but with a heart of gold. In the Pantomime Jack is sent by his mother, usually called Dame Trott, or Dame Durden to sell their favourite, and only cow 'Daisy' or in our case, ‘Pat’.
'Pat' the cow is one of the most endearing of the 'Skin Parts', a name given to animal impersonation in Pantomime. The part involves pathos, comedy and two actors who spend a long time inside an often heavy and uncomfortable 'Skin'. The comedy scene involving the Dame milking the cow is a pantomime classic.
Jack, having taken the unwilling Pat the Cow to market is tricked out of his money, and returns home with a handful of beans. These beans, when thrown out of the window by the disgusted Dame, are in fact 'Magic' beans, and a giant beanstalk grows on stage. Usually Act One ends with the hero, Jack starting to climb the beanstalk.
The scenic effects for Act Two are often the reason 'Jack' is not done as often as other pantomimes. Giant sized furniture has to be constructed, and the giant Bogey (or blunderbore as he is sometimes known) himself is often portrayed by an actor on stilts, a giant hand, or as seen in the E&B productions pantomime, an incredible creation that fills the stage, worked by hydraulics, a giant that can pickup the Principal boy with one hand. The Giant's cry of 'Fee-Fi- Fo-Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!' is known to every child in the audience before it is uttered.
Recent additions have included a witch, often the Giant's mother, and Fleshcreep (or in our case, Cesspit) a sinister toady who, being more agile than the giant, can do most of his bidding. The Pantomime ends with Jack, now in possession of the Giants treasure, chops down the beanstalk, having slain the giant with his magic sword.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2018 - Education Pack - Page 33 OTHER JACKS AND ALTERNATIVE BEANSTALKS: READING LIST
Picture Books (Old Favourite Tales), Audrey Daly and Martin Salisbury
, Albert Lorenz and Joy Schleh
(A Lift-The-Flap Fairy Tale), Nick Sharratt and Stephen Tucker
Teaching Versions (A Pelican big book for shared reading sessions), Stan Cullimore
(Walker Story Plays) Vivian French and Harry Horse (A play version written for four voices with colour bands to show who is speaking)
, Peter Stevenson (Comes complete with a finger puppet theatre for children to re-enact the story)
Alternative versions of the story , Alvin Granowsky
, Raymond Briggs (Jim takes care of a now elderly infirm Giant!)
, Mary Osbourne and Giselle Potter (Featuring a heroine instead of a hero and a surprise twist to the ending!)
, Donna Jo Napoli (A dark extension of Jack’s tale and suitable for reading and discussion at upper KS2)
Poems by James Whitcomb Riley Jack and the Beanstalk Roald Dahl, in Revolting Rhymes
Film , Directed by Brian Henson (suitable for KS2)
Websites http://surlalunefairytales.com/jackbeanstalk (Numerous versions of the tale, details on the history of the story and links to purchase copies of the text)
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