Mary Poppins - Deborah Hay Bert - Mark Uhre George Banks - Ben Carlson Ensemble - Jamie Murray Winifred Banks - Alexis Gordon Ensemble - Shakeil Rollock Mrs

Study Guide

Prepared by: Meghan O'Hara Education & Outreach Coordinator

Grandtheatre.com | 519.672.8800| 471 richmond street, London on | @thegrandlondon Who's Who? Creative Team Director - Megan Watson Musical Director - Craig Fair Choreographer - Stephen Cota Set Designer - Lorenzo Savoini Costume Designer - Dana Osborne Lighting Designer - Bonnie Beecher Projection Designer - Jamie Nesbitt Sound Designer - Brian Kenny Stage Manager - Kelly Luft Assistant Stage Manager - Jordan Guetter Assistant Stage Manager - Katerina Sokyrko Apprentice Stage Manager - Skye Monoghan

Cast Mary Poppins - Deborah Hay Bert - Mark Uhre George Banks - Ben Carlson Ensemble - Jamie Murray Winifred Banks - Alexis Gordon Ensemble - Shakeil Rollock Mrs. Corry - Christy Adamson Ensemble - Antonette Rudder Michael Banks - Hayden Baertsoen Ensemble - Michele Shuster Jane Banks - Abi Verhaeghe Ensemble - Josh Graetz Neleus - Jak Baradell Ensemble - Michael Cox Bird Woman/Miss Andrew - Jan Alexandra Smith Ensemble - Heather Kosik Robertson Ay - Giovanni Spina Ensemble - Sandy Winsby Mrs. Brill - Phoebe Hu Ensemble - Robert Yeretch

Director's Note As I dove into the magical and surprising world of this story—originally conceived by P.L. Travers—I realized that at its core it is about a family who has lost their way and need some support. I know that many of us can relate to this, and what is so beautiful about what Mary Poppins teaches us is that often we already have what we need; it is right there in front of us. Mary Poppins’ magic is that she asks us to see the world or our circumstances from a slightly different perspective—a perspective that always includes kindness, generosity, and fun! “Anything can happen Megan Watson, Director. Photo by Dahlia Katz. if you let it,” as Mary famously tells us. That spirit provided exactly the support the Banks family needed, and it is that message at its core that makes this work an enduring classic.

Months ago I re-watched 1964 Disney classic film for the first time since childhood and, to my surprise, as I watched I realized that I knew every word, every moment. I asked my mother why and she said it was one of her favourite movies growing up, so she shared it with me as soon as she could and from then it was on heavy rotation in our household. So many people have a very personal relationship with this story. It holds a special place in people’s hearts. It is also iconic. For those reasons we have taken great care in crafting this production to both reminisce and reinvent this story.

This wildly talented team of artists approached this production with a sense of child-like wonder. We asked ourselves what would happen if we reached beyond the stars, beyond what we thought was possible. I am excited to share our interpretation of this magical tale with you and your family.

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About the Author - P.L. Travers

Pamela Lyndon Travers. Source: Wikicommons.

P.L. Travers was born in Australia as Helen Lyndon Goff in 1899. When writing Mary Poppins, she drew on her own childhood; much like Mr. Banks, her father was a bank manager. He died when Travers was 7, and in the ensuing years her mother’s mental health suffered, leading Goff to leave home to live with her great- aunt, who Travers has stated was her inspiration for Mary.

Goff grew to become a budding artist—but such a career was difficult in Australia at the time, and she found herself unsatisfied with the opportunities available there. In 1924, she emigrated to England and changed her name to Pamela Lyndon Travers, adopting her late father’s first name as her surname. She began writing newspaper stories, as well as poetry, before working on Mary Poppins in 1933.

Travers' choice of subject matter—the relationship between a nanny and her charges—was a new topic and distinguished her from children’s authors who had come before, like J.M. Barrie and Lewis Carroll. Travers was nervous about sending the book out to publishers, but when it was released in 1934, it was a hit, earning the respect of literary giants like T.S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, and Sylvia Plath, as well as other notable people like Princess Illustration by Mary Shepherd from the Mary Poppinsbook series. Margaret. The book became a series, with the last being published in 1988.

Production History

1960, P.L. Travers gives Walt Disney the film rights to Mary Poppins

Book series, published from 1933-1988

2004, Cameron Mackintosh's Broadway production opens, combining well-known songs from the film with new songs. Photo credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

1964, Disney's Mary Poppinsis released Still from Disney film.

2018, Mary Poppins Returnsis released, a sequel to Disney's film Characters

Mary Poppins George Banks Northbrook

Age: unknown Age: 40-45 years old. Age: 30-40 years old.

Occupation: Nanny Occupation: Banker. Occupation: Businessman. Qualities: magical; Qualities: precise; strict; strange; "practically unemotional; serious; Qualities: honest; perfect in every way"; short-tempered; hardworking; stern; kind; exciting frustrated committed; earnest; determined

Exercise: Character Cards There are lots of characters in Mary Poppins! We've listed some of them below. Work as a class, in groups, or individually to create info cards for each of the characters. Think about characters at the start of the play and at the end—do their qualities stay the same, or do they change? Are there characters that might require two info cards? Create additional info cards for any characters that experience significant change over the course of the story, including those given above.

Expansion option Use your art skills! How do you imagine these characters look? How did they look in the Grand Theatre's production? Use the artistic medium of your choice to create an image of one of these characters.

Bert Mrs. Corry Von Hussler Jane Banks Neleus

Mrs. Brill Winifred Banks Michael Banks Admiral Boom

Robertson Ay Bird Woman Miss Andrew Mrs. Corry's Talking Shop Mary Poppins has a lot of words in it that may be new to students. We've given some examples of new vocabulary below. Work with students to look up the meaning of each word. Then turn your classroom into your school's very own Talking Shop by having students work in pairs to integrate one new word each into a short conversation. Have students trade conversation partners, and pick a new word for each new conversation.

PRECOCIOUS SOVEREIGN SCREEVER

BRIMSTONE & TREACLE DRUIDS IMPERTINENT

PARAGON SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS

When Mary Poppins and the Banks children visit Mrs. Corry's Talking Shop to buy a conversation, she only has letters left. So, they buy some letters and use them to create words.

What words can your class create using the letters below? First, try making existing words. Then, have your class create some new words of their own! Remember, you can use each letter more than once!

D L R X G I US OF EA P T C Let's go fly a Kite!

Kite-Building Instructions Exercise: Kite-Making • Fold the paper in half. Materials • On each side of the paper, draw two dots: one 3 inches in from the fold (Point A) and the second 1 • Sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper (colored paper inch in from the fold (Point B). Draw a line is fun) between Points A and B. • Wooden skewers • Fold the paper on these lines to make the wings. • Tail materials (e.g., paper, streamers, • Put tape over the center line. Tape on the wooden skewer and tail. ribbons) • Flip the kite so it rests on its top. Fold the flap • Scissors back and forth a couple of times until it stands • Hole punch straight up from the wings. • Punch a hole in the flap three inches from the • Tape smallest end of the flap. • Rulers • Tie one end of the string to the hole. You’re ready • Lightweight string to fly!

Most of the time, we don’t notice air. Have kids hold up their hands, keeping them still. Then have them 1 wave their hands back and forth. Ask kids what they feel when they move their hands. (They feel the air making contact with their hands.) Have them blow onto their hands and feel how forceful moving air can be. Show kids an open sheet of paper and another sheet crumpled into a ball. Point out that the two sheets of paper are identical, but that you made one into a ball. Before dropping each one, ask: How will the ball of paper fall when I drop it? (It will fall straight to the ground.) How about the flat sheet of paper? (It will drift to the ground.) What is the name of the force that pulls the paper down? (Gravity). Why did the pieces of paper act so differently when I dropped them? (Air is something! It is made of gas particles, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. The open sheet hits more of these particles, which slows it down.) Kites are heavier than air. How do they stay in the air? ( When there’s a wind, the air particles push on the kite, lifting it up.) What features help a kite fl y? (Key features include being lightweight to minimize the pull of gravity; big enough to catch a lot of air; strong enough to handle the wind; and flying at an angle so the air can push on the kite and lift it up.) Let's go Fly a Kite! 2 Make a sample kite and show it to the class. Point out the sail, crosspiece, tail, and string attachment point. Ask kids to predict how each part helps a kite to fl y. Record their ideas. (Air pushes on the sail. The crosspiece keeps the sail stiff when the air pushes on it. The tail and attachment point keep the sail at an angle so the push of the air lifts the kite up.)

Build your kites! Have students work in groups or individually to design and 3 create a kite. Have fun with decorating your kite!

4 Have students experiment with how fast they need to move to keep their kites flying. Challenge them to change one thing about their kites to make them fly better.

Bring the group back together. Ask: 5 • When air pushes on the bottom of the kite, how does the kite move? (Upwards) • How did you get air to push on the bottom of your kite? (By pulling it through the a ir) • What are some ways to improve how a kite flies? (You can increase the amount of air pushing on the kite by increasing the sail size or adjusting the flight angle. You can also minimize the effect of gravity by reducing weight.)

Exercise from PBS Kids: https://www-tc.pbskids.org/fetch/parentsteachers/activities/pdf/FETCH_GoFlyAKite_Notes.pdf

Illustration by Elah Feder. Source: https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/kite-engineering/ Statues

Illustration from Mary Poppins Opens the Door by Mary Shepherd. Statue in London U.K.'s Hyde Park, called When Mary Poppins takes the Banks children "Boy and Dolphin". This statue is often considered to be P.L. Travers' inspiration to the park, a statue named Neleus magically for Neleus. comes to life! Who was Neleus? In Greek mythology, Neleus was the son of Poseidon, the Exercise God of the Sea. Becoming Statues! 1.Choose a character from Mary Poppins. You will become a statue version of that character. Think about what shape, facial expression, pose, and gesture you can use to encapsulate that character. Taking turns, students will present their statue—holding the pose completely still for at least 30 seconds—and the rest of the class will observe and guess which character is being portrayed. 2. As a class, you will create a room full of statues. Beginning with one volunteer to start, students will one-by- one get up and assume a statue position. Students should consider variation in shapes, levels, and use of space in order to create a visually compelling scene. The statues must remain completely still during this exercise. The last student to join the scene will be the observer, the only person who is able to move. They will walk around the space, closely observing the statues, and searching for any sights of movement. If a statue moves, then they must fully come to life, and join the observer. This continues until all of the statues have come to life. "Look Past what you see" When Jane and Michael Banks first meet Bert, they are disgusted by how he looks, telling him "You can't come with us. You're too dirty." It is not until later that they learn to appreciate Bert for the good person he is. Similar, when the children first visit the park, they think it's boring—but they learn otherwise with Mary's help! Reflection Exercise - First Impressions Have students write their answers to the following questions, or discuss as a class.

What were your first impressions of the production of Mary Poppins?

Did your impressions change by the end of the play? If so, how?

What were your first impressions of the following characters? At the end of the play, what was your final opinion on them?

Mary Poppins Bert Jane & Michael Banks Mrs. Banks Mr. Banks If your opinion changed about these characters from the beginning of the play to the end, what changed it? Was there a particular moment that made you change your mind? Which moment and why do you think it changed your opinion?

What do think are these characters' first impressions of each other? Use your imagination, and take on the role of one of these characters. Describe your first impression and final opinion of each of the other characters, speaking as your chosen character.

Consider a time in your life when your first impression was incorrect. What happened? What was your first impression? What gave you that impression? What changed to make you change your opinion? What did you learn from the experience?

Still from Disney's film version of Mary Poppins. Stage Magic

Many magical things happen in Mary Poppins: statues and toys come to life, people fly, Mary's bag is seemingly bottomless, and a policeman's uniform is transformed in an instant. Exercise: "How do they do that?" As a class, make a list of all of the magical things you saw in the play.

How did seeing these magic things make you feel? Were they exciting? What made them exciting or not exciting?

What was your favourite moment of magic or illusion in the show? Why was it your favourite?

How did the magic affect your understanding of the characters? Did it change how you saw Mary, or Bert? If so, how?

Do you have any ideas about how the Grand created these magical moments? How did we do it?

Once you've made a list of all of the magic moments and the impressions they left on the students, have your class work in small groups to brainstorm ways that these magical feats might have been accomplished. What materials might have been used?

*HINT*: Just like a magician, we can't give away all of the secrets of our theatre magic. But keep in mind: more often than not, theatrical tricks are pulled off using very practical methods. Keep your ideas simple and practical!

The Grand Theatre's Spriet Stage. Photo by: Mallory Brown Stage Magic

Exercise: Making Theatre Every show produced by the Grand Theatre is created by a talented team of lighting, set, costume, and sound designers, as well as skilled craftspeople who build the sets, costumes, and props, and a team of directors who lead the process. Use the questions below to discuss your students' experiences at the theatre.

Name three things you noticed about the set. How did the set help tell the story? What would your set have looked like, if you were the designer?

What did you notice about the costumes? How did they help tell the story? What would your costumes have looked like, if you were the designer? Draw some costume sketches for characters in your favourite scene of the play.

What role did the lighting play in telling the story? How did the lights enhance the scenes?

What did you think of the performers? Were there moments where you forgot that you were watching a play?

Did you notice any actors playing multiple roles? What work do you think they had to do in order to play two different characters?

Expansion Exercise: Theatre History Mary Poppins is set in the Edwardian period, around the turn of the 20th century. Live theatre was incredibly popular during this time, before cinema took hold.

What would theatre have looked like during that time? How were stages lit during this time? How would they amplify sound? How would they accomplish theatrical illusions or "tricks"?

With your class, do some research about theatre during this period of history to answer the above questions. You can also explore what types of plays were popular during this time. Do they differ from the plays we watch today? What Happens next?

Creative Writing Exercise At the end of the play, Mary Poppins flies off, having helped the Banks family rediscover their love for each other, and re-establish the importance of their family relationships.

In this exercise, you will use your imagination to explore what happens to each of the characters listed below after the play has ended. Mary Poppins Bert Mr. & Mrs. Banks Jane & Michael Banks You are tasked with writing the next chapter in the lives of one or more of these characters. Consider the following questions:

Where does this character go to? Do they stay in the same place, or go somewhere different? If they go somewhere else, where do they go, and why?

What is this character's next story? What do they encounter? Do they meet new characters? What happens to them? How do they respond to the events they encounter?

Does the character continue on the upward path they're on at the end of the play? Or, do they regress back to how they were before? Do they have to relearn any lessons, or do they encounter new challenges and learn new lessons? If so, what are they? Expansion Exercise: "Anything Can Happen If You Let It" Write a brief paragraph about something you have always wanted to do, whether or not it's a realistic possibility. What are your biggest, wildest dreams? Write them down on a sheet of paper. Have students work on small groups, presenting what they've written to each other. In groups, discuss: What are the obstacles that have kept you from achieving that dream? What would have to happen in order for your dream to be fulfilled? What could you do today that would get you closer to achieving your dream? Start a Conversation! Use the questions below to start a class discussion about the play.

Have you seen the movie version of Mary Poppins? If so, what differences did you notice between the m ovie version and the play?

What were your expectations before seeing the play? Did the show meet your expectations? Did it exceed them? In what ways was the play similar to what you expected, and in what ways was it different?

Music often adds a lot of meaning to a story. What songs did you enjoy most? Did the songs help you understand the story and the characters better? How?

What do you think the main message or lesson of the play is?

Would you like to have someone like Mary Poppins in your life? Why or why not?

Which characters did you find yourself rooting for? Which characters did you sympathize with? Why do you think you found yourself connecting to certain characters over others?

In some ways, Mary Poppins is as strict as Miss Andrews, but everyone prefers Mary over Miss Andrews. How is Mary Poppins' approach to life different from Miss Andrews'?

Do you sympathize with George Banks? What are some of the pressures he faces? How does he deal with those pressures? How does his experience with Mary Poppins change his approach to life?

In the play, when the Banks children visit the Bank, Mr. Northbrook gives the children each a coin, and Michael says he knows its value: sixpence. Mr. Northbrook says, "No, that's its worth. Its value's in how you spend it." What does Mr. Northbrook mean? How is value different from worth? What things in life do you think have the most value? Further Reading

Peter Pan. By J.M. Barrie. The story of a mischievous little boy who can fly, and his adventures on the island of Neverland with Wendy Darling and her brothers, the fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, the Indian princess Tiger Lily, and the pirate Captain Hook.

Amelia Bedelia. By Peggy Parish. Amelia Bedelia is a housekeeper who also plays many other roles: teacher, student, political candidate, amateur rocket scientist, baseball player, babysitter, librarian, musician, doctor, camper, construction worker . . . and the list continues! She does exactly what you tell her to do --- so be careful what you say.

James and the Giant Peach. By Roald Dahl. An orphan, who lives with his two cruel aunts, befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City. James' happy life at the English seaside is rudely ended when his parents are killed by a rhinoceros and he goes to live with his two horrid aunts.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll Follow Alice down the Rabbit-Hole and into Wonderland, a fantasy world filled with peculiar characters, where the unexpected is to be expected. Further Reading

Pippi Longstocking. By Astrid Lundgren. Tommy and Annika have a new neighbor: red- haired, freckle-faced Pippi Longstocking, who has upside-down braids and no parents to tell her what to do. The three children have the most rollicking adventures on their own, with horses and monkeys, the circus, and more!

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. By C.S. Lewis Four adventurous siblings step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

Bed-Knob and Broomstick. By Mary Norton.

In The Magic Bedknob, Carey, Charles and Paul 6 find prim Miss Price injured by falling off her broomstick. For their silence, she bespells a bedknob to carry them where- ever and when-ever. In Bonfires and Broomsticks two years later, they bring necromancer Emelius Jones to visit. But his neighbors want to burn him at the stake for disappearing in the Great Fire of London.