ERIC ED381844: "The Very First Family": A Musical Play by Philip Hall, Based on Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Cue Sheet for Teachers.

10 Pages·1995·0.89 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CS 508 911
ED 381 844
Flynn, Rosalind
AUTHOR
"The Very First Family": A Musical Play by Philip
TITLE
Hall, Based on Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Cue Sheet
for Teachers.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
INSTITUTION
Washington, D.C.
Department of Education, Washington, DC.
SPONS AGENCY
PUB DATE
[95]
10p.; Project also funded by the Kennedy Center
NOTE
Corporate Fund and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz
Foundation. Shaded text may not reproduce clearly.
Teaching Guides (For
Guides
Classroom Use
PUB TYPE
Teacher)
(052)
MFOI/PC01 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Audiences; Class Activities; *Creative Activities;
DESCRIPTORS
Discussion (Teaching Technique); *Drama; Elementary
Education; *Enrichment Activities
*Drama in Education; Kipling (Rudyard); Musical;
IDENTIFIERS
Prehistoric Times; *Very First Family (The)
ABSTRACT
Designed to be used before and after attending a
performance of the musical play "The Very First Family" (in which a
Stone Age family and their neighbors bring three of Rudyard Kipling's
stories to life), this cue sheet for teachers presents information
about the performance and suggests classroom activities. The
activities in the cue sheet involve young people in creative
thinking, accommodating differing learning styles, and draw
connections to various parts of the curriculum. The cue sheet
discusses what the play is about, things to look for and listen for
during the performance, biographical information on Rudyard Kipling,
problems to solve, discussion questions, tips for being a good
audience member, and a letter to parents about the performance. The
(not included
cue sheet folds out into a large poster-sized play map
here because of size).
(RS)
Reproductions sepplied by EDW.:, are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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Welcome to Cuesheet, one of a
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series of performance guides
published by the Education
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Department of the John F.
t
Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts, Washington,
D.C. This Cuesheet is designed
to be used before and after
attending a performance of
.
.
The Very First Family. The
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activities involve young people
in creative thinking, accommo-
date differing learning styles,
and draw connections to vari-
ous parts of the curriculum.
While this Cuesheet has been
written for classmom use,
many parts of it are easily
adaptable for families.
contains:
This
Cuesheet
Activities and information
to share with young people
before and after the perfor-
mance
Three reproducible pages:
Use Your Imagination
Letter to Families
Going to the Theater
A poster-size play map
Pick and choose the ques-
tions and activities that best
suit your purposes and time
const mints.
Quotation i
.irks are used
in the activities to indicate one
()
way information and directions
\4
can be given to young people.
Fed t.ce to paraphrase the
. ,
infortna Lion.
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ACTIVITIES BEFORE AND AFTER THE
PERFORMANCE
This section of Cuesheet alerts
young people
GRADES K-6
to characters and events in the play, focuses
Adapting Kipling's
their attention on the story and major
events,
Stories for the Stage
dialogue, how theatrical problems
are solved,
and how props are used in the play.
FYI sec-
The Very First Family is
a
musi01 play
tions provide background information
about
based orjiree of Rudyard Kiplikg'sjust
people and ideas.
So
Storms, w ,ren together and
GRADES K-6
In a MU
calypso
*th
music
Synopsis
perfume
ee stories are:
individually on,
that Stamped"
Before the Performance
"How
together. The songs
e First Letter Was
Read this synopsis aloud to students
as you
Written"
provide
refer to the poster-size play
map on the back
"The Cat IWalked by
information, reveal
of Cuesimet.
Himself"
the inner thoughts
of characters, move
"
...I!,
Pit.
In adapt* and combkiing the
A
the action forward,
:4 /-
three stories into one play, play-
frN
;
and create mood.
e.
;id
wright Philip Hall made several
S hic VT
changes. Although the essential
6,4.0v.o..e.bIrtesd"rgy.40:',..16
CALYPSO MUSIC
intent of each story remains the
.,
ex,. ma eit,g4dcTug
a type of music
Ot
gags
4Golithie
same, some characters, settings,
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that originated in
,
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and circumstances have been
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the West Indies,
O vffneas9r,,fct
altered.
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,
especially in
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Trinidad. It usually
tell
Before the Performance
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has words that tell
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You may wish to read
one or more
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ater.ln
a story and a beat
of Kipling's three stories to
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stu-
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arsienko .4eatiieitd.
that makes you
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dents. If you read at least two of
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os
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want to tap your
en;AinsttiViiikksliviti4
'fish, but,
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n
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reg
the stories, ask them to predict
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how the playwright might connect
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hands. Some
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arrangertia ,t4
the stories to make a play.
es.at1 e
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calypso musicians
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For The Very First Family,
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play steel drums,
ti
playwright Philip Hall changed the
'She
which are
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characters and setting of "The
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expianOtubstAlP*aliti
instruments made
JOrtin4P-4,5"!
Butterfly that Stamped." Ask
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"drawing.
from oil barrels.
rawmg oes not c ear_roatp
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er nAss
young people to imagine how the
not
StrangerLMOnAties
deratmr'
story might change if the main character in
piciale, but be lect\f,'.0:44rki:1040014943114".
the story were a fish rather than
.
a butterfly.
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cave, thq-inother,4Maya`( r6ah), itaslallen
After the Performance
94teeitt.th `.6..
,
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.
'dreams af h4w.gtheiNvildAarse,.cowdowana
...r1kki'
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Discuss changes the students noticed between
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tamed
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to livelieacefully with,1:ArnatEoetrig...
the original stories and the play. Brainstorm
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with them for ideas about why the playwright
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rita*a at the. "I."
made the choices he did. Have them discuss
cave and showiicffr's,driavvin'fitco her Mafia thinks'tligt
whether they agree with and/or like those
,
,,.
.,,,
the ciraVing means that
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theAtoingen.44an has hurthei
changes.
husband and daughter.
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"Angry:and'A4i4ied, Maya
andit§tittOghborsAtinke
d
the Stranger-Man lead them
to ,t4.<,r,,familii:ikhen-iitey
find Taffy and her father unharmed,
Taffy ekplains:The
meaning of hedraveing.
Finally; they understand one.
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another, beconie friends, and
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175'''W
GRADES K-6
Look for These Things
tovas
This activity alerts young people to the use of
ere wag'ilitt
ror
objects (props) in the play, extending their
pl
understanding of visual aspects of theatrical
1thifikekhen'i4
experience.
Before the Performance
e
11,8
"In the play we're going to see the actors
use some objects, called props, which will help
us understand and enjoy the story."
Write on the chalkboard or a large piece of
paper:
pottery
piece of leather
In
animal skins
bamboo flute
songs
spears
magic ring
arrows
shark's tooth
reveal
"How do you think the actors might use
ughts
these objects in the play?"
. move
ward,
After the Performance
ood.
"Before we saw the play, we talked about
some objects (props) used in the play. Let's
SIC
look at our list again.
sic
sd in
"Which characters used the objects (props)?
es,
"Were you surprised by how any of the
objecis (props) looked or by how they were
wally
usec.1? Why?"
4,
at tell
boat
GRADES K-6
1.3;:i 4RA
ou
Listen for These Lines
tour
your
A.
"Which one of the interpretations we've
This activity familiarizes young people with
heard do you think is most effective? Why?"
some of the dialogue in the play.
trans
Before the Performance
"When we go to see The Very First Family,
gyms,
listen carefully for how the actors say the lines."
"A play is a story that is acted out in front
-
4.
of an audience. A person who writes plays is
made
called a playwright. A playwright writes lines
"Ftiri ?.Hove "Cafi we: harve tin
els.
r-
(dialogue) for actors to speak. Here are some
.Dorft y(itf see that tfiefiV*)tfc.fo-ao?tk
lines that playwright Philip Hall wrote for The
GIRD;
Very First Family." (You may want to read
FIS.O.
.
these aloud or write them on the chalkboard.)
you riot 't.tt$e y6iir Iirta AfiOn,"-
After reading the lines with students,
determine whether they are familiar with the
:":.
too ^Whitt noise!
meanings of the words and lines. Then ask:
,
'
I..*'f..bOlderftiatel"
"What are some different ways the ch?ac-
NARRATOR
ters might say each line?" (e.g., loudly, softly,
"She dreamed of wild animals..
impatiently, excitedly, matter-of-factly, etc.)
Choose one line from the list and have stu-
CAT
dents say it in as many different ways as pos-
"I-Issss! I am the cat vho walks by herself, and
sible. Then ask:
all plaee.g are aliketo me."
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
GRADES K-6
Problems to Solve
r/.
Good audience members are able to
;9:
appreciate creative solutions that
P'
.
playmakers invent to solve
j
,
theatrical problems. The following
.
e
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1
learning activity provides young
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people with opportunities to
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ideas on
f;.:
,
consider alternative solutions
large sheets
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to theatrical problems.
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of paper. Save
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students'
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Before the
responses for
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Performance
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comparison after the
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"People who put plays
performance.
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together have to be cre-
ative problem-solvers.
fKA
A character
"PROBLEM 1:
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Here are some problems
falls asleep and has a dream. That
is hi"
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that had to be solved for
character and others act out the
The Very First Family. How
dream. How can you show that the
would you solve them?
action on stage is a dream?
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"Remember that you must
2: A scene in the play takes
"PROBLEM
solve the problems by using
place at the bottom of the ocean. How
can you
show that the setting and characters
music, lights, sound effects, voices,
are under
water?
costumes, scenery, and objects (props). Be
careful. Your creative solutions must work on
A fish claims that she can
"PROBLEM 3:
the stage."
make an underwater palace and garden disap-
pear with a wiggle of her fin. How can you
make everything on the stage disappear and
then re-appear?
ve
bock.
EFYg The 41ei-
Six actors play 17 charac-
"PROBLEM 4:
ters in The Very First Family. (See FYI
An implicit understanding oetwee4 audi6nc.and.p... Amer
Theater Conventions) How can an actor
is the agreement to "suspend disbelief,"'fo.pi-efpnd
tog flier
show that he or she has become another
that the:acdovis real and is happening for the'rresttii41-.,
character quickly?"
.
.
nzi
.
This-agrpemeiajs oft..n maintained through tneuse of the-.
atrical ,C§Jiventions;(practices accepted
as-a part of play-
-
After the Performance
making)...
"Remember the problems we tried to solve
These theatrical conventions are evident in Zlie Very
before we went to see The Very First Family?
.First Family
(Restate problems 1-4 above.) We shared our
The uis,.,o,t,narratorg who tell the stories and interact
solutions before we went to the play. Now let's
witl4thetharactets
-
talk about how the playmakers solved each of
Drearrizeiinencesra Character's dream is acted
out by
the problems. How did our solutions compare
the dreamer arid cijierchar4ters
with theirs?"
Performers who4;p1aY:4`eparts of animals who speak,
moite, and thinklikeViiiians
Post the students' solutions and discuss
` The use of jnae,.(tellulig
a dory with gestures and
the similarities and differences between theirs
bodily actionsinsfeid'Of:.*ords)
and those of the playmakers.
Performers who
roles in the play, called
"doubling," in theater terminology
In this play, sikactors play 17 characters:
Actor 1
Actor 2
Actor 3
Actor 4
Actor 5
Actor 6
Narrator Tribeswoman
Aliya
Maya
Taffy
Stranger-Man
Chief
Cow
King
Girl Fish
Queen
Boy Fish
Dog
Woman
Cat
Horse
Baby
ler
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GRADES 2-6
GRADES K-6
Communicating
----zDiscussion Questions
tp(
Without Words
After the Performance
These questions help young people recall
This activity allows young people to
some of the major events in the play.
experience communicating through drawing,
an effort that iscentral to the Play.
"Now that we have seen The Very First
Family, let's discuss some parts of the play.
Before the Performance
"In one scene, the character Taffy draws a
"A conflict in a story happens when one
picture to communicate with a man vyno does
character wants to do something, but the.
not speak her language. She makes a drawing
other character doesn't want to do it. At
to tell him that she wants him to go to her
the start of the play, what.was the conflict
mother and get a spear. This is not easy."
between Taffy and her parents? How was
she finally able to get what she wanted?
.Ask students to try to communicate a
.
Have you known people who were able to
simple request through a cli-aging. Divide
get their parents to stop working and do
students into small:groups. ProVide each
something enjoyable with them? How did
group with a.simple message to illustrate. Do
they do it?
'4)0 let others overhear Or read a group's
message. Ask each group to make a drawing
"What was the conflict between the Boy
that tornmunicates its message..(No written
Fish and the Girl Fish? Why did she want
words allowed!)
to trick him? Have you ever played a trick
on someone and. gotten away with it? Why-
Here are some suggestions:
did you want to play a trick? How did you
Go to the principal's office and ask for
feel when yousucceeded?
some paper and pencils.
"What three things did the cat do to make
Ask the teacher next door for a filmstrip
herself a part of the family? Why do you
projector that our class can use.
think it was important to the cat that she
continue to say, 'I am the cat who walks by
Take this book back to the library.
herself, and all places are alike to me'?"
Ask the custodian for a broom to sweep
up some spilled popcorn.
GRADES K-6
Use Your Imagination
When the drawings are completed,
exchange them with other groups or individu-
Before the Performance
als. Ask students to try to interpret what each
Reproduce and distribute the Use Your
drawing means. Later, tell the interpreters the
Imagination activity. Read the direc-
original intent of the drawing.
to
tions with students and ask the
Discuss these questions:
draw what they imagine an underwa-
ter kingdom would look like.
"What parts of the drawing were
understood?"
GRADES K-6
"Which parts were misunderstood?"
Going to the Theater
"How would written language help
Letter to Families
communicate the idea?"
Before the Performance
"What worked best: words, pictures. or a
These two pages should be reproduced
combination of both?"
.:
(preferably back -to -hack) and sent home
with students. The letter provides fami-
lies with information about their chil-
dren's attendance at the performance of
The Very First Family and asks them to
3,
review Going to the Theater, the page on
1ZZ
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
theater etiquette, with their children.
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In the play The Very First Family, a king lives in a beautiful kingdom under the
Use your imagination!
sea. He has everything he wants, but he is still bored.
,,...
Draw a picture of a king and his queen who live at the bottom of the ocean in
include a palace, servants,
a magnificent garden of seaweed. You might want to
..
fish, and jewels.
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E T E
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When you go to the theater, YOU ARE THE AUDIENCE. The audience is
A
an important part of the performance.
-
Here are some tips for enjoying yourself:
"41.1.`
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BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE:
644
USHER will meet your class at the
entrance to the. theater and direct you to
your seats. BATH ROOMS are located
outside the theater. It is a good idea to use
them before the performance. If you must
go to the bathroom during the performance, be sure that you leave and return
quietly. The lights will dim or go out when the performance is about to begin.
At this time the audience becomes very QUIET.
0.
The performance has been created just for
DURING THE PERFORMANCE:
you. Everyone on stage speaks, moves, or sings for you. The audience
LISTENS AN D WATCH ES carefully. Talking to friends disturbs the
performers and other members of the audience. Performers like it when you
LAU6 H when something is funny, and CRY when something is sad. They
also like to hear you CLAP at the end of a performance when they BOW.
A
AFTER TH E BOWS, the audience STAYS SEATED until the lights in the
theater (house lights) come on. Follow the ushers' DI RECTION S for leaving
the theater.
ty
AV1
Actors. (lancers, and musicians like to hear from
AFTER THE PERFORMANCE:
their audiences. WRITE and let them know your th(iughts about the
performance. Write to: °fished:77u 1(.0. Firs/ Family, The Kennedy Center
Education I)cpartment, The Kennedy Center, Washington, I)C 20566.
9
AVAILABLE
BEST COPY
(1)
F
ifLEIES
M1111111111111111
The Kennedy Center
JAMES D. WOLFENSOHN. CHAIRMAN
LAWRENCE J. WILKER. PRESIDENT
DEREK E. GORDON. ASSOCIATE MANAGING
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Dear Family:
RESOURCES
Your child will be attending the Kennedy Center production
Rudyard Kipling, 0 Beloved Kids
at the
of The Very First Family on
by Elliot L. Gilbert. New York:
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1983.
Kennedy Center. This production is a musical play based on
Kipling, Storyteller of East and
Rudyard Kip ling's Just So Stories, woven together and
West by Gloria Kamen. New York:
Atheneum, 1985. This juvenile
expanded with calypso music and lyrics.
biography may be read by or to
students.
A Stone Age family and their neighbors bring
Just So Stories by Rudyard
Kip ling's stories "How the First Letter was Written," "The
Kipling, with woodcuts by David
Cat That Walked By Herself," and "The Butterfly That
Frampton. New York: Harper
Collins, 1991.
Stamped" to life. Audiences will experience a humorous mix
Just So Stories, a sound recording
of stories and music in this newly commissioned play,
narrated by Jack Nicholson.
Stanford, CA: Windham Hill, 1987.
produced by the Coterie Theatre of Kansas City, Mo., and
developed with the Kennedy Center.
NOTES FROM YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER:
Please read "Going to the Theater" (on the reverse of
this letter) with your child. After the performance, ask your
child about favorite stories, songs, costumes, characters, and
memorable moments.
We hope that your child enjoys the performance and
will share some thoughts with you about the play and the
trip to the Kennedy Center.
er.h.tn
EXECUTIVE EDITORS: IA MR:
and John C Carr CONTRIBUTING
WRITER: lio.:11:11:1 hh Mt DESIGN: P:1111
DUKet. Cnnmtnnrunnrn, SPECIAL
THANKS TO: Janet Starke
treio,, 11. tondvd in non I thi,..wh the t tipirq t
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The Ketmt.d%
the 1.ti I kat tment
n. 41.
1.1(hu
Derek E. Gordon
rt. and
lintel col polite Fund.
xi .,1
rikendIvn Calm/ Fnunrintl:1
Associate Managing Director for Education
WIN./ tol the
Nen/wd, L
)99:. Thriubn
PcrIolli114.! .Art
The John R Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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