Study Guide Contents 3.) Education Page 4.) Production Page 5.) Synopsis 6.) History of Matilda the Book 7.) Character Descriptions 9.) Bullying 10.) Make Your Own Bruce Bogtrotter Cake 11.) Newts! 12.) Your Local Library 13.) What Do You Think? 14.) Elements of Drama 15.) Elements of Design 16.) References
Robert M. Hupp Artistic Director Syracuse Stage Melissa Crespo Associate Artistic Director Syracuse Stage Jill Anderson Managing Director Syracuse Stage
Director of Community Engagement & Education Joann Yarrow (315) 443-1150
Assistant Director of Education Kate Laissle (315) 442-7755
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Dear Educator, The best way of learning is learning while you’re having fun. Theatre provides the opportunity for us to connect with more than just our own story, it allows us to find ourselves in other people’s lives and grow beyond our own boundaries. While times are different, we still are excited to share with you new theatrical pieces through live and/or pre-recorded means. We’re the only species on the planet who makes stories. It is the stories that we leave behind that define us. Giving students the power to watch stories and create their own is part of our lasting impact on the world. And the stories we choose to hear and learn from now are even more vital. Stories bring us together, even when we must stay apart. Stories are our connection to the world and each other. We invite you and your students to engage with the stories we tell as a starting point for you and them to create their own. Sincerely, Joann Yarrow, Kate Laissle, and Theorri London Community Engagement and Education Team
2021/2022 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SPONSORS
Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that explore and examine what it is to be human. Research shows that children who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and improved ability to plan and work toward a future goal. Many students in our community have their first taste of live theatre through Syracuse Stage’s outreach programs. Last season more than 15,500 students from across New York State attended or participated in the Bank of America Children’s Tour, artsEmerging, the Young Playwrights Festival, Backstory, Young Adult Council, and/or our Student Matinee Program. We gratefully acknowledge the corporations and foundations who support our commitment to in-depth arts education for our community.
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DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
SEASON SPONSORS
PRESENT
Roald Dahl's
MEDIA SPONSORS BOOK
MUSIC AND LYRICS
Dennis Kelly
Tim Minchin
DIRECTED BY
Donna Drake MUSIC DIRECTOR
CHOREOGRAPHER
Brian Cimmet
Andrea Leigh-Smith
SCENIC DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
SOUND DESIGN
Czerton Lim
Ryan J Moller
Thomas C. Hase
Jacqueline R. Herter
PROJECTION DESIGN
WIG DESIGN
MOVEMENT COACH
DIALECT COACH
Brian McMullen
Jason Kyle Estrada
Stephen Cross
Celia Madeoy
ASSOCIATE
ORCHESTRATIONS AND
MUSIC DIRECTOR
ADDITIONAL MUSIC
CASTING
STAGE MANAGER
Jacob Stebly
Chris Nightingale
Bass/Valle Casting
Laura Jane Collins*
Robert Hupp
Jill A. Anderson
Melissa Crespo
Kyle Bass
Holly Thuma
Artistic Director
Managing Director
Associate Artistic Director
Resident Playwright
Interim Chair, Department of Drama
Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, New York, NY. Tel: 212-541-4684. Fax: 212-397-4684. www. MTIShows.com. Matilda was first commissioned and produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered at The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, England on 9 November 2010. It transferred to the Cambridge Theatre in the West End of London on 25 October 2011 and received its US premiere at the Shubert Theatre, Broadway, USA on 4 March 2013. The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. November 19, 2021 - January 2, 2022
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Synopsis Based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, Matilda The Musical follows 5-year-old Matilda, who loves reading and has the gift of telekinesis. Matilda is the daughter of Mrs. Wormwood, a self-obsessed amateur ballroom dancer, and Mr. Wormwood, a used-car salesman who dismissed his newborn daughter as ugly. Despite living unhappily with her parents and older brother, Michael, who all abuse and mock her, Matilda learned to read by the age of 5 and was reading several books each week. Her only retreat from her unhappy home life is through reading books. She takes trips to her local library, where she befriends and tells stories to the librarian, Mrs. Phelps. Soon Matilda starts school at Crunchem Hall where she’s taught by Miss Honey, a compassionate teacher who recognizes Matilda’s intelligence and believes Matilda should be placed in a class with older children. The school’s cruel headmistress Miss Trunchbull, who is known for punishing disobedient children through means like locking them in a small cupboard filled with sharp objects (called the Chokey), dismisses Miss Honey’s idea. When Miss Honey tries to tell Matilda’s parents about their child’s gifts, they too dismiss Miss Honey. Now, in addition to Matilda’s intelligence, she is also known to dish out her own form of justice. When her father destroys one of her books, she retaliates by adding glue to his hat. And after Miss Trunchbull catches Matilda’s classmate Bruce Bogtrotter stealing a slice of cake and subsequently forces him to eat the entire cake in front of the whole class, Matilda vows to put an end to Miss Trunchbull’s cruelty. Later at school, as Miss Trunchbull puts Matilda’s class through a gruelling physical education class, Miss Trunchbull discovers a newt in her water. When she starts to punish an innocent student, Matilda discovers she can move things with her mind. She tips the water over, with the newt landing on Miss Trunchbull and scaring her away. Things escalate during a spelling test when the class rebels by misspelling simple words, thinking that Miss Trunchbull can’t send them all to the Chokey. After realizing that Miss Trunchbull has many Chokeys, Matilda uses her abilities to move some chalk, making Miss Trunchbull believe she is being haunted, resulting in Miss Trunchbull running from the school terrified. After Miss Honey becomes the new headmistress, she asks the Wormwoods, who are now on the run from the Russian mafia, if she can adopt Matilda. After Matilda’s abilities so impress the head of the mafia that he agrees not to harm the Wormwoods, Mr. Wormwood agrees to let Matilda live with Miss Honey.
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History of Matilda the Book Before Matilda was a musical or a movie, it was a book! Learn more about Matilda the book below!
Matilda was originally published in 1988, two years before author Roald Dahl died, making it one of his last works. Prior to Matilda, Dahl had written numerous children’s books, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The BFG. While Matilda won the Children’s Book Award shortly after it was published, Dahl’s daughter Lucy said it was one of the most difficult books for him to write due to a genuine fear that books were going to go away. Early drafts of Matilda were very different from the one that was made into a film in 1996 with Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson. Dahl wrote most of his books from his garden, writing in pencil on yellow legal paper while sitting in a small hut, what Lucy called his sacred place. In a letter to Lucy, Dahl said he had to throw out three months of work as he tried to find the proper second half of the story to tie into his tale of a small girl who can move things with her mind and a terrible headmistress. In fact, an early draft of the story saw Matilda as wicked, who wound up using her powers to help her teacher solve financial problems by fixing a horse race. This early version also saw Dahl’s rebellious heroine die at the end of the book. All told, it took Dahl two years to write and rewrite Matilda.
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Meet the Characters Matilda
Mrs. Trunchbull
Clever and wise beyond her years, Matilda is an imaginative girl who has an unquenchable thirst for learning.
Miss Trunchbull is a tyrannical headmistress who despises children.
Ms. Honey Matilda’s kindhearted teacher who is tired of living in fear under Miss Trunchbull.
Costume Design and Renderings by Ryan J. Moller Syracuse Stage 7
Michael Matilda’s older brother and favorite of Matilda’s parents, though he’s not very bright.
Mr. Wormwood Matilda’s father and a greedy used-car salesman.
Mrs. Wormwood An amateur ballroom dancer and Matilda’s self-absorbed, negligent mother.
Mrs. Phelps A nice librarian
Costume Design and Renderings by Ryan J. Moller Syracuse Stage 8
Bullying Bullying is one of the darker themes in Matilda The Musical, and a theme that remains an issue for schools, students, and teachers. The scars from bullying can last for years, and many times the effects of being bullied can be permanent. Through Matilda The Musical, the bullying comes primarily from adults, be that Mr. Wormwood belittling Matilda’s interest in books and learning or the torments of Miss Trunchbull. The musical highlights how bullies use intimidation techniques to physically and psychologically torture their victims. Research has shown that when adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message that it’s not acceptable, which can stop bullying behavior over time. Bullying can threaten a student’s physical and emotional safety at school, which in turn can negatively impact their ability to learn. School staff and students should be trained to prevent and address bullying, which can help sustain bullying prevention efforts over time. There are many things students can do when faced with bullying as well. Importantly, students should talk to an adult they trust rather than keeping their feelings inside. This can both help students feel less alone and help to create a plan to stop the bullying. It’s also important to take steps to protect yourself and others from cyberbullying by not sharing anything that could hurt or embarrass anyone, thinking carefully about who sees what you post online, and keeping parents or a trusted adult in the loop about any messages online that make you sad or scared. If you witness bullying, there are safe things you can do to make it stop. You can talk to a parent, teacher, or another trusted adult so they can step in and help. And you can also exercise kindness toward the person being bullied, showing them that you care by sitting with them, talking with them, or inviting them to do something. Additionally, it is important to treat everyone with respect. If you find yourself feeling like being mean to someone, stop and think and then find something else to do. If you have bullied someone in the past, apologize. Overall, it’s important to talk about bullying. Not saying anything could make things worse for everyone. As Matilda The Musical shows, help from caring and kind people can help those being bullied escape from the grasp of an abusive person.
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Make Your Own Bruce Bogtrotter Cake Scan the QR codes below and find recipes for cakes inspired by the chocolate cake in Matilda The Musical!
Allergen Free Cake
Allergen Free Frosting
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Newts! Fun Facts about Newts! Newts can regenerate limbs and organs.
Newts hibernate in winter under logs, stones, and piles of rubble.
There are over 60 species of newts.
Eastern Newts are native to NY and can be found in Onondaga County.
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Your Local Library Matilda loved her local library. What do you know about your local library system? Learn more about your local library system below. Onondaga County Public Libraries is the local library system in Onondaga County. There are 32 locations across the county. Find your local location below.
The library has a ton of fun events throughout the year, including book clubs, drawing clubs, arts & crafts, and movie nights. Check out the calendar of events below.
Want to know what Matilda was reading? Check out her reading list below.
Want your own library card to check out books? If you are 13 years or older, you can start your library card application online. Find more information below.
Want to read the same books as Matilda? Check out the library’s online catalog below to see if the books are available for checkout.
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What Do You Think? In Matilda the Musical, all of the children in the play follow unfair rules. Is it important to follow all rules, even the ones that are unfair? Do you know any examples of people who broke the rules because they were unfair?
In the show, kids sing about what their life will be like when they are grownups. What do you look forward to when you grow up? What does it mean to be a grown up? What are the benefits of being a kid?
Matilda’s family is very mean to her and does not treat her with respect. Ms. Honey nurtures Matilda’s interests and treats her with kindness. What is family? Does it always mean people who are related to you?
Mrs. Trunchbull insists that television is much more important than reading. Is that true? Are they equally important, or is one more important than the other?
Matilda chooses to enact revenge on all of the adults who treat her poorly in the show. Do you think taking revenge is a good choice to make? Does revenge really make you feel better in the long run?
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elements of drama PLOT
What is the story line? What happened before the play started? What does each character want? What do they do to achieve their goals? What do they stand to gain/lose? THEME
What ideas are wrestled with in the play? What questions does the play pose? Does it present an opinion? CHARACTER
Who are the people in the story? What are their relationships? Why do they do what they do? How does age/status/etc. affect them?
Any piece of theatre comprises multiple art forms. As you explore this production with your students, examine the use of:
WRITING VISUAL ART/DESIGN MUSIC/SOUND DANCE/MOVEMENT
INQUIRY
How are each of these art forms used in this production? Why are they used? How do they help to tell the story?
LANGUAGE
What do the characters say? How do they say it? When do they say it? MUSIC
How do music and sound help to tell the story? SPECTACLE
How do the elements come together to create the whole performance?
Other Elements: Conflict/Resolution, Action, Improvisation, Non-verbal communication, Staging, Humor, Realism and other styles, Metaphor, Language, Tone, Pattern & Repetition, Emotion, Point-of-View.
ACTIVITY
At its core, drama is about characters working toward goals and overcoming obstacles. Ask students to use their bodies and voices to create characters who are: very old, very young, very strong, very weak, very tired, very energetic, very cold, very warm. Have their characters interact with others. Give them an objective to fulfill despite environmental obstacles. Later, recap by asking how these obstacles affected their characters and the pursuit of their objectives.
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elements of design LINE can have length, width, texture, direction and
curve. There are 5 basic varieties: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, zig-zag, and curved.
SHAPE is two-dimensional and encloses space.
It can be geometric (e.g. squares and circles), man-made, or free-form.
FORM is three-dimensional. It encloses space
and fills space. It can be geometric (e.g. cubes and cylinders), man-made, or free-form.
COLOR has three basic properties:
HUE is the name of the color (e.g. red, blue, green), INTENSITY is the strength of the color (bright or dull), VALUE is the range of lightness to darkness.
TEXTURE refers to the “feel” of an
object’s surface. It can be smooth, rough, soft, etc. Textures may be ACTUAL (able to be felt) or IMPLIED (suggested visually through the artist’s technique).
SPACE is defined and determined
by shapes and forms. Positive space is enclosed by shapes and forms, while negative space exists around them.
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References “7 Things You May Not Know About ‘Matilda’ | Mental Floss.” Mental Floss, 10 Apr. 2015, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62948/7-things-youmay-not-know-about-matilda. Biography.com Editors. “Roald Dahl Biography.” The Biography.Com Website, A&E Television Networks, 4 Jan. 2021, https://www.biography.com/writer/roald-dahl. Cole, Laura. “Themes of Bullying in Matilda The Musical – Broadway Educators.” Broadway Educators – Theatre Resources for Students and Educators, http://broadwayeducators.com/themes-of-bullying-in-matilda-the-musical/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021. “Matilda - Roald Dahl.” The Official Roald Dahl Website, https://www.roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/stories/k-o/matilda. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021. “Matilda - Roald Dahl - Guide to Musical Theatre.” Guide to Musical Theatre, http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_m/Matilda.html. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021. Mroczka, Paul. “Matilda The Musical Bullying and Positive Messages for Girls – Broadway Educators.” Broadway Educators – Theatre Resources for Students and Educators, https://broadwayeducators.com/bullying-in-broadway-bound-musical-matilda/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021. “Prevention at School | StopBullying.Gov.” StopBullying.Gov, 24 Sept. 2019, https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/at-school. “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical | Music Theatre International.” Music Theatre International, 28 June 2021, https://www.mtishows.com/roald-dahlsmatilda-the-musical. Staff, NPR. “Roald Dahl Wanted His Magical ‘Matilda’ to Keep Books Alive.” NPR, NPR, 14 Nov. 2013, https://www.npr.org/2013/11/14/245222230/ roald-dahl-wanted-his-magical-matilda-to-keep-books-alive. “What Kids Can Do | StopBullying.Gov.” StopBullying.Gov, 24 Sept. 2019, https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/kids.
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