PERFORMANCE GUIDE
Cuesheet
s e v L y l i m E e c n u o to B PAT C H T H E AT R E , A U S T RA L I A
HELLO teachers an d parents! Please see page 5 for informa tion and activit ies.
Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by
Can two very different children become great friends? Maybe…with a little help from Emily.
Making Stuff Up WELCOME TO THE SHOW, MATES Ready to make some new friends—or mates (as they like to say in Australia, the country the performers come from)? Well, you’ve picked the right show. At the performance, you’ll get to know Henry. He likes exploring, jumping, and falling—you never know what he’s going to do next. And you’ll meet Amy. She likes putting things away neatly and staying organized. Both children like to use their imaginations to make stuff up. And then, of course, there’s Emily. She’s an important character, too. Who is Emily? You’ll soon see!
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SHOW Watch as Henry and Amy meet, play games together, and become friends. Along the way, they’ll surprise one another (a lot!) and teach each other many things. All this happens on stage right before your eyes with the help of two actors playing Henry and Amy, two musicians, special lighting, and lots of boxes and balls.
LITTLE TALK, LOTS OF ACTION Henry and Amy talk, but they’d much rather play, move, and sing. But don’t be fooled. Even though they don’t say much, they are communicating a lot with each other and with you. Watch how they use movements and looks on their faces (in theater this is called mime) to show what they are doing and feeling.
2
Making Theater IMAGINATION STRAIGHT OUT OF A BOX Sometimes theater performances have objects on stage that tell you exactly where the action happens, like a bed and toys for a child’s bedroom. In this performance, you’ll see a lot of…boxes. But hold on. By using their imaginations, Henry and Amy have lots of fun using boxes and balls. With a little imagination of your own, you’ll be seeing castles, oceans, secret hiding places, flying ships, and more.
PLAYING WITH SHADOWS During the performance, Henry and Amy play with puppets and shadows, and this is called —you guessed it—shadow puppetry. This art form has been around for thousands of years as a way to tell stories. Performers use puppets and a strong source of light to create shadows on a screen. (You can even do this at home with a flashlight!) What story about Henry and Amy do the puppets tell you?
SPEAKING OF AUSTRALIA You’ll notice that the performers talk a little differently than most people in the United States. That’s called an accent—an Australian accent to be exact. They mostly use the same words, but here a few different ones you’ll hear:
• • •
“mum” for “mom” “bathers” for “swimsuits” “tele” (pronounced TELL-ee) for “TV”
A SPIKY
WHAT?
Listen up for when Henry talks about an Australian animal called a spiky echinda (AH-kin-dah). If you’re thinking it’s like a porcupine with a body covered in quills, you are correct!
3
Making Music HEAR THAT? You might be tapping your toes at this performance because there’s lots of singing, humming, and music created on musical instruments. Watch and listen for these instruments:
• • •
the violin and cello, wooden string instruments played using a bow (a stick of wood with a tight ribbon of horsehair). The cello is much larger than the violin and because of its size, musicians play it with the bottom of the instrument resting on the floor.
bow
ukulele accordion
the ukulele (yoo-kuh-LEY-lee), another wooden string instrument, but a very small one—it looks like a baby guitar. It’s played just with the fingers to pluck the strings. the accordion, a box-shaped instrument that the player moves together and apart while pressing keys (similar to piano keys) and buttons—it takes lots of practice to play the accordion well!
cello
violin
JOYFUL SOUNDS When you see lots of little balls on stage, you’ll hear music called “Ode to Joy.” Many people think the man who wrote it, Ludwig von Beethoven (LOOD-vig VAHN BAY-toh-vin), is one of the greatest composers (people who write music) of all time. Here are some words if you’d like to think of them silently during the music or sing them afterward. Happy voices! Hear them singing This song to the sky above As we walk the earth will ring A million voices sing of love! When the world seems cold and lonely No place for a girl or boy Think back to our happy friendship As we sing this ode to joy!
4
For Teachers and Parents DEAR GROWNUPS: Welcome to the Emily Loves to Bounce Cuesheet. This guide is designed to help children prepare to see and appreciate the performance. Please help your young theatergoers read and understand the information. Here’s more background information for you and some activity ideas designed to add to the children’s experience.
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE PERFORMANCE
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
Australia’s Patch Theatre created this performance using ideas from three books by Australian author and illustrator Stephen Michael King—Emily Loves to Bounce, Patricia, and Henry and Amy. The latter book inspired the characters for the stage show, which explores their different personalities through play with boxes and balls.
Before or after the performance, think of five things a box could be (besides a box) and five things a ball could be. Share your ideas with a friend. Remember, with your imagination, something can be anything.
HENRY & AMY, BALLS & BOXES Balls represent Henry’s unstructured and spontaneous approach to the world, whereas boxes represent Amy’s logical and orderly ways of dealing with things. After the performance, help children explore these and other themes further. Possible questions include:
• • • • • •
5
How are Henry and Amy different? The same? Why do you think the people who created the show mainly used boxes and balls? Which one of the children is more like a box? A ball? Why? Why do you think Amy tries to put Henry and Emily in a box? Do you think you are more like a box or a ball? Why? How can children who are very different help each other and become friends?
Boxes, Balls, and Beyond
Paper Mate During the performance, Henry creates three things with a single sheet of paper. Find a sheet of paper and try to create two things out of it. See whether a friend can guess what you’ve created; to give clues, “act out” with movement and sound effects using your paper object.
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
Michael M. Kaiser President
WATCH FOR…
• • • •
the differences in how Henry and Amy move and play. how lighting creates patterns on the floor of the stage. what happens when Henry describes all his amazing ideas.
all the things boxes can be in the song “We Are Boxes”—after the performance, can you name two of them? how the violin sounds compared with the cello and ukulele—which sounds the highest and which the lowest? (Hint: the smaller the instrument, the higher the sound.) three things Amy and Henry say they like (or love)—what would you say about yourself?
THINK ABOUT…
• • •
Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
how Amy reacts to meeting Emily.
LISTEN FOR…
• • •
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; the Park Foundation, Inc.; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; the U.S. Department of Education; the Verizon Foundation; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Major support for the Kennedy Center’s educational programs is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
why the performers chose “Ode to Joy” to end the performance. what Henry and Amy learn from each other, and from Emily. what you liked best about the performance, and why.
www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge
AND REMEMBER…
Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning.
A good audience—
Learn more about Education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedycenter.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
6
AND, EMILY SAYS, “HAVE FUN!”
Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!