Teacher Resource Guide and Lesson Plan Activities Featuring general information about our production along with some creative activities which will help you make connections to your classroom curriculum, before and after the show. The production and accompanying activities address North Carolina Essential Standards in Theatre Arts, Goal A.1: Analyze literary texts and performances. Look for this symbol throughout the resource guide for other curriculum connections. About the Play A Cinderella happy ending – just not the one you would expect. In this world premiere musical infused with the dance and fashions of the Roaring ‘20s, Ella’s new step- mother and sisters snap up the dazzling dresses she designs, but don’t think she’s worthy of their glamorous life. When the Duke proves them wrong, Ella must look inside to choose the right path for herself. About the Author Shirley Hughes is an accomplished author and illustrator who has written over 70 books including Dogger and the Alfie series. She has won the Other Award, the Eleanor Farjeon Award, and the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration twice, for Dogger in 1977 and for Ella’s Big Chance in 2003. She was awarded an OBE in 1999 for services to Children’s Literature. She lives near London. About the Playwright and Lyricist: Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz Age Cinderella Joan Cushing is a former school teacher and cabaret singer. In the Based on the book Ella’s Big Chance by Shirley Hughes 2000s, she began creating musical Adapted for the stage with book, music and lyrics by theater pieces adapted from children’s Joan Cushing books and has since adapted over 13 Directed by Adam Burke titles. According to Theatre for Young Audiences Magazine, Joan About Children’s Theatre of Charlotte Cushing is “the most produced play- Founded in 1948, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte has wright in children's theatre”. Children’s Theatre of Char- been opening young minds to the wonders of live theatre lotte premiered Ms. Cushing’s The Christmas Doll in for over half a century. Today it continues to be one of 2007, which won the National Youth Theatre Award for the most technically imaginative and resourceful theatres Outstanding Play/Musical. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte in the country. Annually it reaches nearly 300,000 young has also produced Junie B. Jones & a Little Monkey people and their families with multiple program areas: Business, Miss Nelson is Missing, Petite Rouge and Mainstage productions, a professional Touring Company 101 Dalmatians. Several other theatres have produced her and a full scope of Education classes for both schools work including Seattle Children’s Theatre, Imagination and the community. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte is Stage, Childsplay, Omaha Theatre Co., Dallas Children’s housed in ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center. Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Children's The facility is shared with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Theatre, First Stage Milwaukee and Stage One Louisville. Library: www.cmlibrary.org. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte • Teacher Resource Guide • www.ctcharlotte.org “I’m a dressmaker… not a princess.” - Ella, from Ella’s Big Chance Set in the roaring era of the 1920’s, a kind girl named Ella Cinders is learning the fine art of dress-making in her father’s well-respected London shop. Although both Ella and her father mourn the loss of Ella’s mother, the father/ daughter team rely on one another for both artistic inspiration as well as moral support. Along with Buttons - the shop’s delivery boy and Ella’s friend - life is humming along in this jazz-age story… that is, until Madame Renee steps into the shop with her daughters Pearl and Ruby, turning Ella’s world upside down. Mr. Cinders becomes enamored with Renee and marries her, turning a blind eye to the way Ella is treated by his evil new wife. When news arrives that the Duke of Arc is hosting a ball, Ella is hard at work sewing gowns for her stepmother and step- sisters and doesn’t have a chance to finish a dress for herself...which pleases the stepmother who doesn’t think Ella is worthy of attending anyway. Ella’s Fairy Godmother believes otherwise and magically finishes the gown, sending Ella in glamour to the ball. Like the traditional story, the Duke falls in love, the magic wears off at midnight and the Duke goes in search of the girl who fits the missing glass slipper. But when he shows up at Ella’s door and her foot fits the shoe, the story takes a twist: reminding Ella that dreams come true in unexpected ways. Cast of Characters and Setting Buttons - a delivery boy at Cinders Dress Shop Mr. Cinders - Ella’s father, proprietor of Cinders Dress Shop Ella Cinders - kind girl and talented dress-maker, daughter of Mr. Cinders Madame Renee - a glamorous but manipulative woman Ruby and Pearl - Madame Renee’s spoiled daughters The Duchess of Arc - a woman of royalty who hosts a ball for her son The Duke of Arc - son of the Duchess who falls in love with Ella Fairy Godmother - an elegant woman, wise and kind with a bit of magic Londoners/Customers/Guests at the Grand Ball Ella’s cat The story takes place in London beginning in 1918. Scenes occur on a London Street, inside Cinder’s Dress Shop, in the shop’s basement and in the Duchess of Arc’s Grand Ballroom. Vocabulary Enrichment elegant: adj, pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance chauffeur: n, a person who drives someone around iridescent: adj, shiny, pearly, shimmery with many colors grieving: v, being sad, esp. after someone has died flapper: n, a fashionable young woman in the 1920’s syncopation: n, in music when the beat has unusual accent insinuate: v, to suggest or hint notoriety: n. fame for doing something bad or negative glamorous: adj. full of excitement; fashionable; attractive wistful: adj, quietly sad; hopeful, thoughtful speakeasy: n, a “secret” nightclub or restaurant imposter: n, a person who pretends to be someone else frivolous: adj, foolish, carefree, not taken seriously humiliating: adj, feeling ashamed, foolish or embarrassed beguile: v, to charm or enchant someone swoon: v, being overwhelmed to the point of fainting Catch Phrases from the Play Guess the meaning of each phrase before reading the answer. “We’re in the clover” - to live luxuriously, derived from a cow being in field surrounded by clover (luxury for a cow!) “Cut a rug” - to dance very well and impress others, suggesting that you dance to the point that you rip up the carpet. “Stay ahead of the curve” - to be forward thinking, to anticipate or instigate something that is progressive. “The Bee’s Knees” - excellent, the highest quality, the very best; akin to “the cat’s pajamas”, “the ant’s pants” or “the gnat’s elbow” — all slang phrases from the 1920’s that have no explanation … just fun ways to say “great!”. Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy: SL.K-5.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple- meaning words and phrases. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte • Teacher Resource Guide • www.ctcharlotte.org Questions for Discussion 1. Ella’s full name is Ella Cinders. At what point during the course of the play did you recognize the comparison of her name to Cinderella? 2. When Ella felt overwhelmed in the shop, her father reminded her to finish “stitch by stitch.” Is this good advice? What are other ways we can remind ourselves to take things one piece at a time? 3. What are some of the ways that Madame Renee and the sisters treat Ella badly? Why do you think Mr. Cinders allows them to treat Ella that way? 4. The story explores physical appearances (how someone looks) and personality traits (how someone acts/behaves.) Which is more important: how you look or how you act? Was the Duke intrigued with Ella’s appearance or her sense of character? Mr. Cinder tells Ella that “beauty starts on the inside.” What does he mean by this? Do you agree? 5. Who would you say is the hero (or heroine) in the play? Why? 6. Which character in the play are you most similar to, and why? 7. Think about how Buttons feels when the Duke arrives at the shop Several dance styles were with the slipper. Was it surprising that Buttons was the person who featured in the play including suggested that Ella should try on the slipper? What might have The Bunny Hug, The Turkey happened if Buttons kept quiet? Trot and The Grizzly Bear. 8. Did the end of the story surprise you, or were you expecting the What do these dances have in play to end as it did? Explain any clues in the story that might common? Recreate the dances have led you to anticipate the ending. (as best as you can remember) comparing moves to the animals from which they are named. Adaptation Then, make up your own animal- Adaptation is the process of taking one story and transitioning it inspired dance! into another story or a different format. An author, playwright or screenwriter must get permission from the original author before writing an adaptation. If you could adapt a story into a play, which story would you choose? Describe the characters, costumes, set, lighting and special effects you would use to create your play. Theatre Corner Every play produced by Children's Theatre of Charlotte is created in the city of Charlotte by a talented team of designers, carpenters, stitchers, props masters and lighting technicians, not to mention the director and the actors.