Lost Girl Resource Guide Description: This guide provides post-show discussion questions, writing prompts and activities to spark conversation and reflection surrounding several themes from the play Lost Girl. The guide provides suggestions for group dialogue in addition to individual, written reflection, but facilitators can choose how to frame the prompts based on the classroom community, maturity of the group, etc.
English/Language Arts TEKS Addressed: Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama Writing/Literary Texts Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions Listening and Speaking/Speaking Listening and Speaking/Teamwork
About the Show: Kimberly Belflower’s Lost Girl shares what became of Wendy Darling in the years following her adventures with Peter Pan in Neverland. An exploration of love, loss, identity and magic, Lost Girl continues the story of J.M. Barrie’s beloved character – the girl who had to grow up. Long after she last saw Peter fly through her bedroom window, Wendy decides that she must find him in order to reclaim her kiss and move on with her life. Along the way, she encounters other girls who went to Neverland and learns she is not alone. Lost Girl is about standing in the center of your own story instead of in the shadow of someone else’s.
Post-Show Discussion Questions and Writing Prompts ❖
Peter Pan is a household story told to many of us as children. If you read the story as a child, what do you remember experiencing? How has that perception changed after seeing Lost Girl, if it all? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(26) Listening and Speaking/Speaking)
❖
What purpose do you think the chorus serves in the play? Who are they? How do they help tell the story and create the world of the play? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama)
❖
Describe Wendy’s relationship with the Lost Boys. In what ways has their relationship changed since Peter Pan and in what ways has it remained the same? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama)
❖
Throughout the play, Wendy cannot stop thinking about the possibility of Peter’s return. How does this affect her relationships with her family, friends and romantic interests? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama) 1
❖
Wendy feels misunderstood by almost everyone around her, even those that want to help her. If you were one of the characters in the play, what advice or support might you offer her? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(26) Listening and Speaking/Speaking) ➢ Individual writing exercise: Reflect on a time when you’ve felt misunderstood. Who did you reach out to and how did they help you through the experience? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(17) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions)
❖
One of the lines in the play is “Shadows are tricky. All the things you hold onto...they stick around.” What does a shadow represent in Lost Girl? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama) ➢ Individual writing exercise: Create a word cloud of some things that might make up your shadow. This can include words and phrases of memories, emotions, people and places. (TEKS: §110.31(b)(17) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions)
❖
Throughout the play, Wendy tries to get her “kiss” back from Peter. What does the kiss mean to her and why does she so desperately want it returned? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama) ➢ Individual writing exercise: Write about a time when you gave a part of yourself away and wished you could get it back. Perhaps this was a physical object or personal quality such as integrity or affection. (TEKS: §110.31(b)(17) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions)
❖
Do you think Wendy receives closure at the end of the play? If so, how can you tell? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama)
❖
Do you think Wendy “grows up” by the end of the play? Why or why not? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama) ➢ What does it mean to “grow up?” (TEKS: §110.31(b)(26) Listening and Speaking/Speaking) ➢ In what ways has growing up been enjoyable and exciting for you? In what ways has it been challenging? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(26) Listening and Speaking/Speaking)
❖
Lost Girl is inspired by Peter Pan, but playwright Kimberly Belflower chooses to focus on Wendy’s story instead of Peter’s. Why do you think she made this choice? How might the impact of the play be different if it focused on Peter as a young adult? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(2) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre) ➢ Individual writing exercise: Think of one of your favorite stories or a novel you’re reading in class. Consider another character in the story that is not a main character. Write a short monologue from that character’s point of view. How might they experience the story differently from the main character? (TEKS: §110.31(b)(14) Writing/Literary Texts)
2
Post-Show Activities ❖
Activity: Character arc sketch (TEKS: §110.31(b)(25) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork) ➢ A “character arc” describes a character’s inner journey throughout a story. With a pencil, draw a line that represents Wendy’s character arc throughout the play. ➢ Turn to a partner and discuss the line you drew. What are the major shifts in Wendy’s journey?
❖
Activity: Role in the wall (TEKS: §110.31(b)(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama) ➢ Throughout Lost Girl, Wendy is very conflicted as she waits for Peter. She wavers back and forth between hoping for his return and wanting to forget him. Other characters in the play also try to influence her decision. ➢ Draw an outline of a person on a large piece of chart paper or on the board. This is an outline of Wendy. ➢ Ask students: What emotions does Wendy feel while waiting for Peter? Write these near the heart area of the outline. ➢ Ask students: What are some things Wendy might say to convince herself to keep waiting for Peter? What might Wendy say to convince herself to move on from him? Write these on the head area of the outline. ➢ Ask students: What might the other characters say to persuade Wendy to keep waiting? What are some things they might say to persuade her to let him go? Write these on the outside of the outline. ➢ Processing questions: ■ What do you notice about Wendy? ■ What information have you learned about her? ■ What challenges does Wendy face throughout the play? ■ What might you say to Wendy to help her make her decision?
3