Hobey Ford's Golden Rod Puppets | Animalia

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9/1/09

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Page 1

At the

, you are the

darrell m. ayers Vice President, Education

.

Theater at the Kennedy Center is presented with the generous support of Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.

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During the performance, suggest the children watch for: ● the ways the different animal puppets

move under water, on land, and in the air

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. You are in the same room with

● how animals behave with other

animals (including humans)

Stephen a. Schwarzman Chairman michael m. Kaiser President

Dear Grownups: The information on this page is designed to help you further the adventure of Animalia with children.

Look Out!

Cuesheet

A Good Audience

PerformanCe Guide

For Teachers and Parents

Hobey Ford’s Golden Rod Puppets

the

. They do best when you

● how puppets tell a story with no

words

additional support is provided by the u.S. department of education, Verizon foundation, mr. martin K. alloy and ms. daris m. Clifton, the estate of Joseph r. applegate, the Carter and melissa Cafritz Charitable Trust, The morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz foundation, The Clark Charitable foundation, Clark-Winchcole foundation, dC Commission on the arts and Humanities, fight for Children, dr. and mrs. ronald a. Paul, The President’s advisory Committee on the arts, national Committee for the Performing arts, and dr. deborah rose and dr. Jan a. J. Stolwijk.

● how Hobey sometimes uses both his

hands and feet to move the puppets

and

carefully.

like it when

● the different ways animals hunt

Excursions

the

Cuesheets are produced by arTSedGe, a program of the Kennedy Center education department. arTSedGe is a part of Thinkfinity.org, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning.

reacts to parts of the story

Here are some activities you may want to help children try after the performance: Retelling the Story There are many ways to tell a story. Hobey told the story of the life of a monarch butterfly without using any words. Now try retelling the butterfly’s story in your own way to a friend. You can use words, drawings, or even create your own puppets.

that are

,

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, or

. If you like

, show it by

Join us online at www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org

at the end.

A Closer Look To create Animalia, Hobey had to get to know the animals. He watched how real animals moved and learned where and how they lived. After the performance, choose the animal that looked the most like a real animal to you. Learn more about it, and share three new facts with a friend.

Add to the Adventure If you could add one animal to Hobey’s show, which one would it be? Why? How would it relate to the other animals? Write your ideas in a letter to Hobey Ford, and include a drawing of your animal puppet that shows where you would attach the rods. In your letter, tell Hobey one thing you learned about puppetry from his show.

5

for more about the performing arts and arts education, visit the Kennedy Center’s education department online at www.kennedy-center.org/education

The u.S. department of education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center education department. The contents of this document do not necessarily represent the policy of the u.S. department of education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal Government.

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Your Animalia

TRAI L LOG The World of Animalia

pages 2–3

Hobey Ford an d His Puppets

page 4

For Teachers an d Parents

page 5

Being a Good Audience

listen © 2009 The John f. Kennedy Center for the Performing arts

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Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!

page 6

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by

The World “peepers” as eyes.

Hobey creates an elephant with just two

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Your Animal Friends hat Happens in Animalia?

In Animalia (pronounced ah-nee-MALE-ya), you’ll see lots of animal puppets and one man, Hobey Ford. Together, they will show you about life in the animal world. You’ll observe how animals move, hunt, eat, and even goof off. But here’s the catch—you have to watch closely, because this story is told only through movement and music… there’s no speaking at all. After the performance, Hobey will talk to the audience.

It’s Scientific!

People who study living things sort them into groups to make it easier for us to learn about them. Hobey Ford named his show Animalia for the word scientists use to talk about the group that includes all animals.

You won’t see the whole animal kingdom in the performance. But, you will meet all kinds of animals, including an alligator, a bald eagle, a whale, a frog, a fish, a heron, a butterfly, a wolf, and an otter. See how quickly you can identify the animals when they appear on stage.

Imagination Going Wild Hobey performs on stage with only a dark curtain and a few objects like a large plant leaf and several rocks. That’s why your imagination is important. As you see the animals, you’ll need to imagine where they live.

It’s time to warm up your imagination.

Choose an animal and imagine its home.

What does the home look, sound, smell, and feel like? Share your ideas with a friend.

of The Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly

Telling Stories With Puppets People have used puppets to tell stories, entertain, or teach lessons for thousands of years. In Animalia, Hobey Ford uses puppets to teach about the world of animals. Sometimes, puppeteers—people who make and use puppets—hide during the performance.

But not Hobey! You’ll see him the whole time even though he’ll be wearing black clothing.

Puppets Come in Many Shapes and Sizes The main types of puppets include:

q q

After the performance, research other animals that go through metamorphosis, like a frog or a dragonfly. Draw a picture like the one above to show the changes

hand—one hand moves the puppet from inside (you can try this using a sock)

q

rod—named for the rods and sticks used to move them

q

string, or marionette—held up and moved by strings

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body—people-size or bigger, body puppets are often seen in parades

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shadow—where a light shines on a cut-out shape and creates a large shadow on a screen

Big Changes Like humans, animals change as they grow up. But some really change by becoming different animals altogether. During the performance, watch how a caterpillar grows and then goes into a protective sack. This is called chrysalis (kris-a-less). When the sack opens again—surprise!—it’s a monarch butterfly (you can tell because of the orange, black, and white markings). This sudden change is called metamorphosis (meh-tah-MORE-foh-sis).

finger—the puppet body fits on one finger

In Animalia, you will see mostly rod puppets.

Hobey Ford and His Puppets Making a Foamie

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Hobey has loved puppets since he was in 5th grade.

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He says, “I got into puppetry because I like making things.”

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Watching a caterpillar become a butterfly gave Hobey the idea for Animalia.

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It can take Hobey three weeks to make a puppet like this large white heron.

Many puppets are made from wood or cloth, but Hobey decided he wanted his puppets to look and move more like real animals. He created a new type of puppet called “foamies.” To make them, he uses electric scissors to cut the animal shape out of foam rubber, a thick but squishy material (like the padding in some couch cushions). To make the shapes look like animals, he paints them and sometimes sticks fur or feathers on the body. Finally, he attaches wooden rods to different parts of the puppet.

He uses these rods to show his puppets eating, walking, flying, playing, crawling, or swimming.

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During the show, Hobey sometimes uses his hands as a puppet. Try to make a snake, bird, fish, or spider using just your hands.

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Some Fun Facts about Hobey

After the show, choose your favorite puppet. Draw a picture of it and give it a name.

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For Teachers and Parents Dear Grownups: The information on this page is designed to help you further the adventure of Animalia with children.

Look Out! During the performance, suggest the children watch for:

q

the ways the different animal puppets move under water, on land, and in the air

q

how animals behave with other animals (including humans)

q

how puppets tell a story with no words

q

how Hobey uses both his hands and feet to move the puppets

q

the different ways animals hunt

Excursions Here are some activities you may want to help children try after the performance: Retelling the Story There are many ways to tell a story. Hobey told the story of the life of a monarch butterfly without using any words. Now try retelling the butterfly’s story in your own way to a friend. You can use words, drawings, or even create your own puppets.

A Closer Look To create Animalia, Hobey had to get to know the animals. He watched how real animals moved and learned where and how they lived. After the performance, choose the animal that looked the most like a real animal to you. Learn more about it, and share three new facts with a friend.

Add to the Adventure If you could add one animal to Hobey’s show, which one would it be? Why? How would it relate to the other animals? Write your ideas in a letter to Hobey Ford, and include a drawing of your animal puppet that shows where you would attach the rods. In your letter, tell Hobey one thing you learned about puppetry from his show.

A Good Audience

Resources You may want to go online: Hobey Ford— hobeyford.com Hobey Ford, on Puppetry— artsedge.org/content/3291 The Puppetry Home Page— sagecraft.com/puppetry

At the

, you are the

Monarch Butterflies Creature Feature— kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/ CreatureFeature/Monarch-butterflies

.

Or read: Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (New York, 1987).

This is different from

ing

or

Lade, Roger. The Most Excellent Book of How to Be a Puppeteer (Brookfield, CT, 1996) Shepherd, Nellie. My Puppet Art Class (New York, 2003).

a

. You are in the same room with

Stephen A. Schwarzman Chairman Michael M. Kaiser President

the

Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

. They do best when you

Animalia Written and performed by Hobey Ford

and

carefully.

the

like it when

reacts to parts of the story

that are

,

the

, or

. If you like

, show it by

at the end.

Cuesheets are funded in part through the support of the U.S. Department of Education; Verizon Foundation; Estate of Joseph R. Applegate; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Charitable Trust; Citi Foundation; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A.J. Stolwijk; Mr. Martin K. Alloy and Ms. Daris M. Clifton; the Harris Family Foundation; Newman’s Own Foundation; the Clark Winchcole Foundation; Chevy Chase Bank; The Clark Charitable Foundation, and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department.

Animalia Cuesheet Editorial and Art Director: Lisa Resnick Writer: Marcia Friedman Designer: Carla Badaracco For more information about the performing arts and arts education, visit us at www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Questions, comments? Write us at cuesheets@artsedge.kennedy-center.org

audience

watch

TV

movie

funny

performers

clapping

sad

performance

listen

happy

©2009, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department. The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.