UNDERNEATH A MAGICAL MOON

overture.org /onstage

2018 19

OnStage Resource Guide

ABOUT OVERTURE CENTER

FOR THE ARTS

Overture Center for the Arts fills a city block in downtown Madison with world-class venues for the performing and visual arts. Made possible by an extraordinary gift from Madison businessman W. Jerome Frautschi, the center presents the highest-quality arts and entertainment programming in a wide variety of disciplines for diverse audiences. Offerings include performances by acclaimed classical, jazz, pop, and folk performers; touring Broadway musicals; quality children’s entertainment; and world-class ballet, modern and jazz dance. Overture Center’s extensive outreach and educational programs serve thousands of Madison-area residents annually, including youth, older adults, people with limited financial resources and people with disabilities. The center is also home to ten independent resident organizations.

RESIDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society Children's Theater of Madison

Forward Theater Company Kanopy Dance Company

Li Chiao-Ping Dance Company Madison Ballet

Madison Opera Madison Symphony Orchestra

Wisconsin Academy’s James Watrous Gallery Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

Internationally renowned architect Cesar Pelli designed the center to provide the best possible environment for artists and audiences, as well as to complement Madison’s urban environment. Performance spaces range from the spectacular 2,250-seat Overture Hall to the casual and intimate Rotunda Stage. The renovated Capitol Theater seats approximately 1,110, and The Playhouse seats 350. In addition, three multi-purpose spaces provide flexible performance, meeting and rehearsal facilities. Overture Center also features several art exhibit spaces. Overture Galleries I, II and III display works by Dane County artists. The Playhouse Gallery features regional artists with an emphasis on collaborations with local organizations. The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters’ Watrous Gallery displays works by Wisconsin artists, and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art offers works by national and international artists.

RESOURCE GUIDE CREDITS

Executive Editor Writer/Designer

Meri Rose Ekberg Danielle Dresden

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Dear Teachers,

In this resource guide you will find valuable information to help you apply academic goals to your students’ performance experience. We have included suggestions for activities which can help you prepare students to see this performance, ideas for follow-up activities, and additional resources you can access on the web. Along with these activities and resources, we’ve also included the applicable Wisconsin Academic Standards in order to help you align the experience with your curriculum requirements.

This Educator’s Resource Guide is designed to:

• Extend the scholastic impact of the performance by providing discussion ideas, activities and reading to promote learning across the curriculum;

• Promote arts literacy by expanding students’ knowledge of music, science, storytelling and theatre;

• Illustrate that the arts are a legacy reflecting the values, customs, beliefs, expressions and reflections of a culture;

• Use the arts to teach about the cultures of other people and to celebrate students’ own heritage through self-reflection;

• Maximize students’ enjoyment and appreciation of the performance.

We hope the performance and this resource guide will provide you and your students with opportunities to integrate art learning in your curricula, expanding it in new and enriching ways.

Enjoy the Show!

Arts

Table of Contents

About Underneath a Magical Moon .......... 2

Background on Peter Pan & Mike Kenny .... 3

Adaptation & tutti frutti productions ..........4

Discussion & Peter Pan resources ...............5

Post-Performance Activities ...................6-7

Learning Activity ..................................8-9

Academic Standards .............................. 10

About Live Performance .........................11Social Emotional Language Arts

Curriculum Categories

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About Underneath a Magical MoonImagine that Wendy Darling lives in the present day. She and her brothers are sleeping out in their yard one night, but a bright, full moon keeps them up, so Wendy begins telling the classic children’s tale of Peter Pan.

Under the light of that special moon, Wendy and her brothers are drawn into the story and create a fantastical world of adventure and imagination, creating Neverland in their own backyard. A cast of three actors/musicians flies, swims, fights battles, and brings the tale to life.

In a twist on the original, Wendy is interested in adventures of her own, too, and all the children wonder how they feel about growing up, who they’ll become, and what they’ll take with them from their childhoods.

Mike Kenny, the author of the play, describes it this way, “We thought we’d retell the story for now, for the times we live in, and for all the rest of us who have had to negotiate the awfully big adventure of growing up,

whether we’re just about to start that journey, or we’re at the other end of it.”

Underneath a Magical Moon was developed by tutti frutti productions and York Theatre Royal, two British theater companies. It is directed by Wendy Harris, the artistic director of tutti frutti productions, and features original music by Ivan Stott. The set design by Kate Bunce features plenty of sparkle and fairy dust, and choreographer/movement specialist Holly Irving staged pirate battles and more.

Less than an hour long, this re-imagined version captures the timeless appeal of the original Peter Pan, invoking a realm where time stands still and anything is possible if you believe.

The playwright explains how to enter the fun, exciting, and magical world of the play. “One word of advice,” he said. “Take the second left, then straight on till morning.”

Photo by Brian Slater

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Background on Peter Pan & Mike KennyBackground on Peter Pan

Peter Pan has had a long and varied life for a fictional character. His first appearance was in 1902, as an infant in The Little White Bird, a novel by J.M. Barrie. Peter had basically a bit part in this book for adults, but he was the main character in Barrie’s 1904 stage play, Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.

The enormously successful stage production introduced most of the characters we now associate with the story of Peter Pan, but the adaptations and changes kept coming. In 1911, Barrie turned the play into a children’s novel entitled Peter and Wendy.

Peter Pan’s story has been revised and adapted for the stage several times since the early 20th century, including a Tony award-winning musical version with Mary Martin in 1955, and a multi-award winning Peter and the Starcatcher in 2012, based on a book series by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry.

Many movies have re-told or expanded on the story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up, from the Disney animation of 1953 to Hook, a 1993 adaptation by Steven Spielberg.

Barrie gave the Great Ormond Street Hospital the rights to Peter Pan, so for many years this British hospital earned royalties any time a Peter Pan-related production was performed or created anywhere in the world. The copyright has expired in many parts of the world, but continues in the U.K.

Background on the Mike Kenny, the playwrightMike Kenny is one of the leading writers creating theater for young audiences in Great Britain today. Has won multiple awards for his work, including being listed as one of the Top 10 living playwrights in the UK by the Independent newspaper.

One of his goals in writing this adaptation of Peter Pan was to create a recognizable version of the story the audience remembers, and provide more options for Wendy, and her brothers. He loves the challenge of writing for young audiences, because it is not easy to keep their attention and they are not shy about expressing their boredom if they feel it. He believes that theater for children can be a lot of fun, and still tackle big issues.

“Art for children across the board, not just theatre, is a human right,” Kenny said. “The thing which makes us human is our imagination, our ability to conceive alternatives, to come together to sing, dance, and hear stories. It doesn’t make us better humans; it makes us more human. Our imagination got us into the chaotic state we’re in, but it stands the best chance of digging us out. Empathy is what theatre develops, and it does it in a social context.”

Cartoon image of Peter Pan

Playwright Mike Kenny

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What Is an Adaptation?

Merriam-Webster defines adaptation as “a composition rewritten into a new form.” Frequently, books are rewritten into movies, but this process of transformation can go in many directions. For example, many popular Broadway shows are based on movies and television shows have been based on comics. Try working the class to put together a list of adaptations.

Ask students to discuss the opportunities and challenges different form of presentation (books, comic books, movies, and stage plays) present for story-telling.

About tutti frutti productionsBased in the city of Leeds, in the North of England, tutti frutti productions, was originally founded as a dance company, Axis Dance, in 1991. Although the company now describes its mission as “to delight children with imaginative, visual, and meaningful story-based theatre,” an emphasis on physical style continues to this day.

tutti frutti productions makes a point of hiring theater artists devoted to creating art for young audiences and the shows they develop honor the intelligence and ability of young children.

The company first started working internationally in 2013. Since then, tutti frutti has toured to Hong Kong and Singapore, and performed at festivals in Italy, Australia, South Africa, Canada and the US. tutti frutti currently offers more than 250 performances a year, serving 250,000 children.

From tutti frutti productions

Statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, London, England

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Discussing Growing Up & Peter Pan ResourcesDiscussion About Growing UpGrowing up is a complicated process. No wonder Peter Pan and many real-life adults don’t want to do it. On the one hand, the prospect of eventual adulthood dangles independence, autonomy, and the chance to pursue one’s dreams. On the other, all those possibilities come with responsibility, increased expectations, change, loss, and more.

• To facilitate a class discussion on the topic, ask your students to:

• Describe what growing up means to them

• Discuss the aspects of growing up sound like fun

• Explain the parts of growing up that sound hard

• List different things they look forwarding to doing when they’re adults

• Note the things they’ll miss about being children

Peter Pan ResourcesAn e-book version of Peter Pan, available through Project Gutenberg

Background on Peter Pan

An article summarizing Peter Pan’s appearances

A review of more recent Peter Pan-inspired books

Analysis of what Peter Pan’s story tells us about neuroscience

Some background on the unfortunate racial stereotypes which have been used in some productions of Peter Pan

A look at the complex personality of J. M. Barrie

Growing up brings many changes...

Poster from a 1924 film version of Peter Pan

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Post-Performance Activities from tutti frutti productions1. Creating a story path as a class

Aim: Ordering key events in the story and responding to what they hear with relevant comments, questions and actions.

Mind-map the story of Underneath a Magical Moon with the whole class (or in smaller groups.) Draw a footpath on a long roll of paper to create the journey of the main characters. Start the roll with the opening of the story – the children in the garden settling down for the night and ask the children to recall key events that happen in the play. Draw these along the path finishing with the end of the story, back in the garden – suggest the following inclusions;

• Can you name all the characters in the story?• What did they do?• What were the exciting parts of the story?• What were the funny parts of the story?• How did the story end?

2. Meeting the Characters; If you could meet people in the play what would you like to ask them or say to them?

Aim: Encouraging children to come up with their own questions and find the answers by putting themselves in the shoes of the characters.

Hang a washing line up in the class room with props relating to the different characters pegged to the line. For example;

• A teddy for Michael• A torch(flashlight) for Wendy• A dressing gown (robe) for John• A garden tool, eye patch or golden necklace for Hook• Swimming hats for mermaids• Socks worn as bandanas for lost boys• Head scarfs for pirates• A small shiny light for tinker bell• A clock for the crocodile

Photo by Brian Slater

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Post-Performance Activities from tutti frutti productions (continued)Other props relating to the play could be sleeping bags, torches (flashlights), a cooler or picnic basket, plant pots, buckets , sheets, little bottle of “poison” and little bottle of “medicine.”

Ask one of the children to choose a prop and describe who in the play they think it might relate to. Then invite the other children to ask the character questions about their role in the play. Suggest the following

• What do they like?• Who do they live with?• What do they do in the story ?• Are they afraid of anything or anyone?• What’s important to them?• What do they like doing?• How would you describe them?

3. Creating a fantasy world based on a story

Aim: Sharing ideas and fantasies, working together. Creating a scene from a story.

In the play Wendy, Michael and John recreate Neverland, a place based on a story. Ask the children for ideas of what fantasy they could create in the classroom either based on Underneath a Magical Moon, a favorite book, or from their shared ideas.

Encourage them to think what elements their world will include and ask the children to bring in an item from home (their own world) to create this fantasy world/den in the classroom (see the build a den activity on the tutti frutti activities page). This activity could be combined with a pajama day and story telling in the “fantasy world.”

Photo from tutti frutti productions

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Learning Activity – Finding Captain Hook’s TreasureKrista Weiss, Gettysburg Elementary, Gettysburg, Ohio

Education World

Grades: K - 4

Purpose: Students will be motivated to use their map-reading skills to find Captain Hook’s treasure.

Objectives: Students will understand:

• How the directions on a map correspond with “real-life” directions

• How symbols on a map represent real things

Materials:

• Treasure, such as coin candy, enough for the class

• A box that locks with one key

• Keys, including the one for the box, in small envelopes (have enough keys for each pair of students)

• A treasure map of the school playground for each pair of students

• A note from Captain Hook, prepared in advance by the teacher (optional)

• A copy of the book Peter Pan (optional)

• A large compass rose made from poster board

Procedure: Prior to the Lesson

1. Hide the keys and the treasure chest around the playground.

2. Create and copy a map that shows the locations of the keys. Mark the location of the treasure chest with an X.

3. Include landmarks (such as swings, a tree) and a compass rose on the map.

4. Write a note from Captain Hook in which he explains that he has hidden a treasure chest and keys on the playground, but only one of the keys will open the box. Students are to use a treasure map to locate the keys and the treasure.

5. Tape the note to the last page of the book Peter Pan.

Note: This activity is a great way to reinforce map-reading skills and can be done without reading the book. Announce that you have found a mysterious letter and that the class is about to embark on a treasure hunt.

Captain Hook

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Learning Activity – Hook’s Treasure (continued)Begin the Lesson

1. Read aloud the book Peter Pan. As you finish reading the book, you find a note taped to its last page. Read the note to the class.

2. Group students into pairs, and give each pair a map of the playground. Explain that each pair of students will be responsible for finding an assigned key.

3. Discuss with students how directions (north, south, east, and west) are indicated on a map by finding the compass rose on the treasure map. You might instruct students to raise on their tiptoes while saying north, squat while saying south, move to the right while saying east, and move to the left while saying west. For older students, reinforce intermediate points on the compass – northwest or southeast, for example.

4. Take students outside and establish where north is on the playground. Help students determine where the large compass rose should be situated in order to match the directions on the students’ maps.

5. Have each pair of students take turns leading the class to the assigned key. Before each pair begins leading, the students must explain how they will get to the key. They must say in which direction(s) they will go (north, south, east, or west) and point in that direction. They should use landmarks identified on the map to help them.

6. Students are very excited at this point, and discipline is important; students should stay in a double-file line with their partners as the lead pair locates its assigned key. Once the pair finds the key, those students should go to the end of the line. After all pairs have found their keys, the class can decide which direction to go in to locate the treasure chest.

7. Return to the classroom with the treasure and the keys. Students take turns trying their key in the lock. When a key opens the box, everyone cheers and the treasure is divided equally among the class members. Review the activity by having students write or tell how they found the keys and the treasure using north, south, east, and west.

Assessment

Observe students’ ability to understand the map and directions during the activity and as they write or tell the steps taken to find the keys and treasure.

Sample Treasure Map

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Theatre

Standard 3 - Respond: Students will critically interpret intent and meaning in order to evaluate artistic work.

TP.R.4.i: Analysis - Identify separate elements in a theatrical work such as characters, plot, and performance elements.

TP.R.5.i: Reflection - Assess personal participation in a performance with examples from experiences.

TP.R.6.i: View Performance - Demonstrate developmentally appropriate audience etiquette.

Standard 4 - Connect: Students will relate prior knowledge and personal experience with theatre to cultural and historical contexts.

TP.Cn.5.i: Cultural Social Context - Explain how theatre relates to self, others, and the world.

TP.Cn.6.i: Research - Identify the “given circumstances,” environmental and situational conditions that influence a theatrical work.

TP.Cn.8.i: Cross Disciplinary - Identify how theatre connects to literature and social studies.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts - Reading Standards for Literature

Key Ideas and Details

1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

2. Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how theiractions contribute to the sequence of events.

Craft and Structure

4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

5.Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems 5. when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.

Academic Standards

Photo by Brian Slater

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About Live PerformanceUnlike movies or television, theater is a LIVE performance. This means that the action unfolds in front of an audience, and the performance is constantly evolving. The artists respond to the audience’s laughter, clapping, gasps and other reactions. Therefore, the audience is a critical part of the theater experience. In fact, without you in the audience, the artists would still be in rehearsal!

Remember, you are sharing this performance space with the artists and other audience members. Your considerate behavior allows everyone to enjoy a positive theater experience.

Prepare: Be sure to use the restroom before the show!

Find Your Seat: When the performance is about to begin, the lights will dim. This is a signal for the artists and the audience to top conversations. Settle into your seat and get ready to enjoy the show!

Look and Listen: There is a lot to hear (dialogue, music, sound effects) and a lot to see (costumes, props, set design, lighting) in this performance. Pay close attention to the artists onstage. Unlike videos, you cannot rewind if you miss something.

Energy and Focus: Artists use concentration to focus their energy during a performance. The audience gives energy to the artist, who use that energy to give life to the performance. Help the artists focus that energy. They can feel that you are with them!

Conversations: Talking to neighbors (even whispering) can easily distract the artists onstage. They approach their audiences with respect, and expect the same from you in return. Help the artists concentrate with your attention.

Laugh Out Loud: If something is funny, it’s good to laugh. If you like something a lot, applaud. Artists are thrilled when the audience is engaged and responsive. They want you to laugh, cheer, clap and enjoy your time at the theater.

Discover New Worlds: Attending a live performance is a time to sit back and look inward, and question what is being presented to you. Be curious about new worlds, experience new ideas, and discover people and lives previously unknown to you. An open mind, curiosity, and respect will allow a whole other world to unfold before your eyes!

Please, don’t feed the audience: Food is not allowed in the theater. Soda and snacks are noisy and distracting to both the artists and audience.

Unplug: Please turn off all obile phones and other electronics before the performance. Photographs and recording devices are prohibited.

201 State Street, Madison, WI 53703

Overture Center’s mission is to support and elevate our community’s creative culture,

economy and quality of life through the arts.

overture.org /onstage

Additional Funding provided by: Wahlin Foundation on behalf of Stoughton Trailers, and by contributions to Overture Center for the Arts.