Study Guide for Educators

PRESENTS Study Guide for Educators A play by RICK ELICE Based on the novel by DAVE BARRY and RIDLEY PEARSON Marian Theatre: Feb. 12 – Mar. 1, 2015 Solvang Festival Theater: Aug. 21 – Sept, 13, 2015 Music by WAYNE BARKER PCPA – Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts Table of Contents Welcome to the PCPA / Theater Etiquette....................................................... 1 How to Use This Study Guide......................................................................................2 Production Team and Cast............................................................................................3 Elements of Story Story Synopsis.................................................................................................. 4 Themes..............................................................................................................8 Key Words........................................................................................................ 9 Elements of Production Design Concept.................................................................................................10 About the Authors.............................................................................................11 Context of the Play........................................................................................... 12 Activities Discussion Questions........................................................................................13 Student Activities..............................................................................................14 Key Words Quiz............................................................................................... 15 Quiz Answer Key..............................................................................................16 Peter and the Starcatcher Study Guide – page 1 Welcome to the PCPA A NOTE TO THE TEACHER Thank you for bringing your students to the PCPA at Allan Hancock College. Here are some helpful hints for your visit to the Marian Theatre. The top priority of our staff is to provide an enjoyable day of live theater for you and your students. We offer you this study guide as a tool to prepare your students prior to the performance, and to prompt discussion, critical thought, and creativity after the performance. SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDENT ETIQUETTE Notable behavior is a vital part of theater for youth. Going to the theater is not a casual event. It is a special occasion. If students are prepared properly, it will be a memorable, educational experience they will remember for years. 1. Have students enter the theater in a single file. Chaperones should be one adult for every ten students. Our ushers will assist you with locating your seats. Please wait until the usher has seated your party before any rearranging of seats to avoid injury and confusion. While seated, teachers should space themselves so they are visible, between every group of ten students. Teachers and adults must remain with their group during the entire performance. 2. Once seated in the theater, students may go to the bathroom in small groups with the teacher's permission. Please chaperone younger students. Once the show is over, please remain seated until the House Manager dismisses your school. 3. Please remind your students that we do not permit: ✴ food, gum, drinks, smoking, hats, backpacks, or large purses ✴ disruptive talking ✴ disorderly and inappropriate behavior (stepping on/over seats, throwing objects, etc.) ✴ cameras, iPods, cell phones, beepers, tape recorders, handheld video games ✴ (Adults are asked to put any beepers or cell phones on silent or vibrate) In cases of disorderly behavior, groups may be asked to leave the theater without ticket refunds. 4. Teachers should take time to remind students before attending the show of the following about a live performance: Sometimes we forget when we come into a theater that we are one of the most important parts of the production. Without an audience there would be no performance. Your contribution of laughter, quiet attention, and applause is part of the play. When we watch movies or television we are watching images on a screen, and what we say or do cannot affect them. In the theater the actors are real people who are present and creating an experience with us at that very moment. They see and hear us and are sensitive to our response. They know how we feel about the play by how we watch and listen. An invisible bond is formed between actors and a good audience, and it enables the actors to do their best for you. A good audience helps make a good performance. The PCPA welcomes you as a partner in the live theater experience from the moment you take your seats. We hope that your visit will be a highlight of your school year. Peter and the Starcatcher Study Guide – page 2 HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE This study guide is a companion piece designed to explore many ideas depicted in the stage production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Although the guide’s intent is to enhance the student’s theatrical experience, it can also be used as an introduction to the elements of a play and the production elements involved in the play’s presentation. While many students are familiar with the story of Peter Pan, this specific stage adaptation answers many questions about the origins of Peter Pan and Captain Hook, in addition to presenting a wealth of new questions for this generation to answer. The guide has been organized into three major sections: Elements of Story Elements of Production Activities Teachers and group leaders will want to select portions of the guide for their specific usage. Discussion questions are meant to provoke a line of thought about a particular topic. The answers to the discussion questions in many instances will initiate the process of exploration and discovery of varied interpretations by everyone involved. This can be as rewarding as the wonderful experience of sight and sound that Peter and the Starcatcher creates onstage. It is recommended that the play and one of the following films or books be used in conjunction with discussion of the theatrical elements of the production: Films: • Peter Pan (1953), the animated film produced by Walt Disney. Rated G. There are references to this animated film in the play Peter and the Starcatcher. • Peter Pan (2003), the live action film directed by P. J. Hogan. Rated PG. This version is considered more faithful to J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan than Walt Disney’s animated film. Play: • Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, first published in 1904. This is the original play that started it all! Books: • Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie, published in 1911. This is the novel version of the play Peter Pan. This book is in the public domain, and is available online for free. • Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, published in 2004. This is the novel that the play Peter and the Starcatcher was based on. PCPA Peter and the Starcatcher Study Guide – page 3 A play by RICK ELICE Based on the novel by DAVE BARRY and RIDLEY PEARSON Music by WAYNE BARKER CREATIVE TEAM Director Brad Carroll Musical Director Matthew R. Meckes Scenic Designer Heidi Hoffer Costume Designer Cathie McClellan Lighting Designer Jennifer ‘Z’ Zornow Sound Designer Andrew Mark Wilhelm Dialect/Vocal Coach Kitty Balay Production Stage Manager Jahana Azodi* CAST OF CHARACTERS Molly Jillian Osborne Boy Cody Wittlinger Black Stache Matt Koenig Lord Aster Andrew Philpot* Smee / Greggors Michael Jenkinson* Prentiss Mike Fiore Ted Chad Patterson Mrs. Bumbrake / Teacher Galen Schloming Alf Nathaniel Andalis Captain Scott Peter S. Hadres* Slank / Hawking Clam George Walker Fighting Prawn / Grempkin / Mack / Sanchez Leo Cortez * Member, Actors’ Equity Association Elements of Story Peter and the Starcatcher Study Guide – page 4 Story Synopsis (page 1 of 4) Note: Characters appearing in the play are emphasized in bold. Act One Mrs. Bumbrake, to Rundoon on a named Alf become smitten with Molly and her father, Lord safer route aboard a merchant ship each other. Molly meets three Aster are traveling to the distant called the Neverland. Lord Aster orphan boys: the intelligent kingdom of Rundoon on an gives Molly a magic amulet that Prentiss, the food-obsessed Ted, important, top secret mission for matches one he wears; they can use and a quiet but perceptive Boy Queen Victoria of England. The these special amulets to without a name. These three orphan royal mission: Lord Aster must communicate with each other. boys were put on the Neverland by destroy the mysterious contents of a Before the two ships leave, the their abusive schoolmaster trunk. Lord Aster takes the wicked captain of the Neverland, Grempkin, to be sold as snake food Queen’s trunk onboard the fastest Bill Slank, sneaks the Queen’s for the pet snake of the evil King ship in the sea, the Wasp, captained trunk off of the Wasp and hides it in Zarboff of Rundoon. by Robert Falcon Scott. Also his cabin aboard the Neverland, Meanwhile, on the Wasp, joining Lord Aster aboard the Wasp Slank leaves an identical trunk full Lieutenant Greggors corners Lord is a group of British Navy seamen, sand in its place. Aster. Greggors reveals that he is led by Lieutenant Greggors. Lord While on the Neverland, Mrs. actually Smee the pirate! Captain Aster sends Molly and her nanny, Bumbrake and an old seaman Scott and his crew have been tied Andrew Philpot* as Lord Aster, Cody Wittlinger as the Boy (Peter), Jillian Osborne as Molly Elements of Story Peter and the Starcatcher Study Guide –

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