EGG-tion HERO

EGG-tion HERO Performed by dance/theater company Maas from the Netherlands

Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences.

What To Egg-spect When you arrive at EGG-tion HERO, you might have a question: Where’s the stage? The answer: You’re standing on it.

A guard fears that harm might come to the museum’s prized egg-xhibit.

Audience members are part of the set. Really—no yolk! You’ll feel like you’re sitting on the floor of a museum, looking at an installation of abstract art. There’s one piece in particular that you’ll be viewing: an egg.

Two guards will usher you to your seats on the floor. They’ll interact with you, but they’re also busy protecting the egg. Though the show is egg-citing, make sure you stay seated—after all, the egg is very egg-spensive and very fragile, and it would be a shame if anybody poached it….

Time to Pantomime The EGG-tion HERO actors’ costumes give us information about their roles as museum attendants as well as their performance style: their white gloves, black-framed glasses, and black clothing are characteristic of what mimes traditionally wear.

You might notice the similarity between the word “mime” and “pantomime,” which is the type of performance movement that mimes use. They are, in a sense, playing a complex game of pretend: with hand and body motions as well as with facial expressions, they create the impression that they are engaging in actions and interacting with (often invisible) props.

EGG-tion HERO uses physical comedy to dramatize the guards’ interactions.

The actors in this show are frequently silent, relying on their motions and gestures to convey meaning, just as mimes express themselves non-verbally—in other word, without words. Now it’s your mime time: Try having a “conversation” with a friend without any words only using gestures and facial expressions. Remember: No talking, please!

Real Heroes This show’s title is EGG-tion HERO, a play on “action hero.” What is an action hero? Perhaps you’ve seen Hollywood films where “the good guy” tries to “save the day” and stop the villain, or “bad guy,” from causing trouble. There are often action scenes, complete with chases, close calls, and high stakes hijinks. EGG-tion HERO, too, has these qualities, with the danger coming from the risk that the central character, a fragile, valuable egg, will break.

Heroes don’t have to wear capes. They can be seemingly ordinary people who work hard to do the right thing. In EGG-tion HERO, the guards are heroes, working selflessly to protect the egg.

Who are your real-life heroes? Reflect on how they “do good.” Then, draw a picture of your hero in action in the box below.

What to Think About…

■ Reflect on the ways the guards keep themselves occupied while stationed near the egg. At the start of the show, they, standing—and the audience, sitting—must be patient. Observe what else the guards do to occupy themselves.

What do you do when you have to wait in silence?

Choose and role-play a scenario that requires patience. Use mime. Can your family and friends tell what you’re waiting for?

Two guards alternate the task of focusing on the egg.

What to Look and Listen for…

The guards use minimal sets and props, allowing you to interpret scenes with the aid of your imagination.

■ Watch how the actors pantomime daily activities. For example, we see one guard take a break to prepare a hot drink. Note the other activities that they mime. Mimic these movements—and others—in your own pantomime play. Then use pantomime to act out the series of steps in your own morning routine.

■ EGG-tion HERO takes the fantasy to a whole new level when the egg starts moving. Keep an eye on the egg. When you first see the egg, what are your expectations for it? As the show continues, does the egg break (pun intended!) any of those expectations?

■ List ways that the guards establish the high stakes early in the show. For example, they state that the egg is “very expensive” and “very fragile.” For that reason, “No one is allowed to touch it.” Identify other elements that get the audience invested in caring about the egg. Recall the moments in the show when you felt nervous.

Express what concerned you.

■ Reflect on one of the show’s central questions: What is art? The guards may ask your group this question at the beginning of the show.

For millennia, adults and children, artists and audiences alike, have asked the same question.

Now that you’ve seen this show, describe how you define art.

The guards scramble to protect the egg.

Additional support for EGG-tion HERO is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

International programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

Additional support for EGG-tion HERO is provided by Dutch Performing Arts.

The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. © 2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts