ACTIVITY GUIDE

Illustration by David Hohn

AAC Children’s Theatre 2013-2014

ACTIVITY GUIDE

About this Guide This ACTIVITY GUIDE includes exercises that align with the Arkansas Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks and Common Core State Standards. The following icons provide an immediate recognition of the curriculum connections.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

LIBRARY MEDIA

MATH

MUSIC

PHYSICAL EDUCATION & HEALTH

SCIENCE

SOCIAL STUDIES

THEATRE

VISUAL ARTS

Enjoy!

“I’m not a magician! I’m a seventh-grader” About the Play Audiences will love this fun-filled rendition of a popular story about a thoroughly modern young girl on a magical journey. She meets a mysterious medieval sorcerer’s apprentice and learns that she has far more power than she ever believed. The play is written by Keith Smith and is based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

About the Original Story “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was written in German by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1797. The fourteen stanza poem begins with an old sorcerer who exits his workshop, leaving behind his apprentice to do chores. Tired of carrying in buckets of water, the apprentice decides to enchant a broom to do the work for him. The apprentice begins to use magic in which he is not fully trained... Have two legs and stand, And a head for you. Run, and in your hand Hold a bucket too. Joseph Karl Stieler (1781-1858) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1828) Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich

The mischievous apprentice gets more than he bargained for when he cannot stop the broom from carrying in multiple buckets of water. He attempts to split the broom with an axe, but the broom multiplies – increasing the amount of water already being carried into the room. Eventually, the sorcerer reappears and saves the day from his overzealous apprentice. The story has been retold countless times in various forms. It was made popular to a wide audience in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia.

Play Synopsis The play opens on a sorcerer and his assistant in London on October 31, 1613. The sorcerer departs from his chamber and leaves behind Wagner, his assistant, to clean up. Meanwhile, scenes of Halloween 2013 come alive. Like any other seventh-grader, Miranda doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere. She thinks her father and brother are freaks and the kids at school constantly laugh and tease her for being “different.” The fact that her father is the English teacher only makes matters worse. She refuses to attend the Halloween dance at the school—the very dance he is chaperoning—opting instead to take her younger brother, Leonard, trick-or-treating. Miranda receives a mysterious book that once belonged to Prospero, the Magician of Milan. She recognizes this great sorcerer as a character in one of her favorite stories—William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. She also receives an invitation from Madame Besom to meet at the creepy old house on the hill. An intrigued Miranda takes her brother and his friends trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, but insists on stopping at the old house. To Miranda’s surprise, Besom is an enchanted broom with human characteristics—transformed during a tragic magical accident occurring exactly 400 years ago. On that night in 1613, she was washed away in a river and all the sorcerer’s books, potions, and magical paraphernalia were drowned in the flood. Besom tells Miranda that only she has the power to turn her back into an ordinary broom, but they must travel back in time. After reading a magical phrase in the old book, the two are whisked away to 1613 London. Miranda meets Wagner who has taken advantage of his master’s absence by practicing uncontrolled magic. Knowing that she must seek the sorcerer’s help, Miranda ventures out into the streets of London and ends up at Blackfriar’s Playhouse for a performance of The Tempest. The sorcerer finally appears and tells the girl that only she has the power to reverse the spell, but must first learn to believe in herself. Miranda ultimately summons the courage needed to stand up to the bullies - realizing that she has more power than the words that others use.

Statement from the AAC Children’s Theatre

Keith Smith Associate Director & Playwright

There were any number of approaches we could have taken to bring The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to our stage. One might have been a strict following of the narrative line laid out in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1797 poem. This was the approach Disney took in the 1940 version that is probably most popular in our culture—the one we remember from our childhood or from introducing it to our own children. (I know that when my son was little we literally played the Fantasia VHS tape until it would play no more.) Indeed, in 1982 the Children’s Theatre produced an adaptation of the story that followed Goethe’s narrative quite closely. It was a dark, spooky, thickly atmospheric play that was great fun to create and to watch. This time, however, we’ve taken a different track. Rather than investing the lion's share of our energies in the story’s atmospheric potential, we have, instead, looked for an approach that is lighter and more whimsical—whacky, if you will—taking advantage of the fun side of Halloween. To do this, we have introduced a contemporary heroine, a middle-schooler named Miranda, who finds herself caught up in the watery chaos wrought by a bumbling, fumbling magician’s apprentice four hundred years in the past. And, adding a further twist to this twist, she makes this journey back in time by way of a dream. Borrowing the plot device of the “dream realm” from other children’s stories like Alice in Wonderland or Little Nemo in Slumberland or The Wizard of Oz (the Judy Garland film version, at least), we have taken the elements most significant to Miranda in her waking world— her family, her school, her love of reading, her love of Shakespeare (particularly The Tempest), and of course Halloween—and crafted them together into a fun and fast-paced musical romp through her dream world. In the end, Miranda must overcome a powerful magic spell in order to learn an even more powerful truth about herself.

BEFORE THE PLAY Review Theatre Etiquette 

Please turn off your cell phones so you can look at all the little things that make live theatre a great big experience.

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Save all food, gum, candy and drinks for after the performance. They are not allowed in the theater and can be used as a reward for good behavior!

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Sit like a grown up in your seat. That way you won’t miss a thing!

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Great theatre audiences listen, laugh when something is funny, and clap at just the right time. They never talk out loud during a performance.

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Keep your cameras tucked away and turned off. Photography is not permitted. Camera flashes blind the actors and can cause them to step off the stage.

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When the play is over, enjoy talking with your friends and grownups about all the details. See who can remember the most about the play. Start by sharing two things that an actor said that made you smile and two things that you remember about the stage set. Parents: What a great time to have a conversation about the difference between the theater, movies, and TV!

Read the Book In order to prepare for the play, read an English translation of the poem, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at http://germanstories.vcu.edu/goethe/zauber_dual.html. Think about how the author wrote the poem. What type of language did he use? How might the story be different if it were written in prose (ordinary language or writing that does not have the repeating rhythm used in poetry)? CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Library Media—Connection: Read; English Language Arts—Reading, Literature: Key Ideas and Details, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, Craft and Structure

About Adaptations The performance that you will see at the AAC Children’s Theatre is a variation of the original story, or an ADAPTATION. An adaptation is a change made in something so that it can fit a new use. This performance of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is an adaptation of a story (which is meant to be read or told) into a play (which is meant to be performed and viewed). Consider these questions for discussion before you attend the play:

? What kinds of things did the authors have to consider in writing a script of the story? ? What might the characters look like? ? What are some objects (props) that they might use to help tell the story? ? Draw a picture of one of the scenes in the story and imagine how it might appear on the stage. ? If you were to write an adaptation of this story into a play, what choices would you make? How would you act out the story? CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Library Media—Connection: Associate; Theatre Creating, Evaluating, Reading

Learn the Vocabulary Below is a list of words included in the play. Reviewing this list will help you gain new vocabulary and also help you better understand the performance. Try saying these words out loud so that you will know them when you hear the actors say them. Once you know how to say the words, read the definition and try using them in a sentence. Sorcerer (sore-surr-er) – a wizard or other person that practices magic or witchcraft Apprentice (uh-pren-tiss) – a person who is learning a trade by experience under a skilled worker Cauldron (kall-dron) – a large kettle or pot Anthropomorphized (an-thro-poh-mor-fized) – to give human form or personality to things not human Imitation (em-ih-tay-shun) – something produced as a copy Summoned (sum-und) – called or sent in order to meet; called into being Inanimate (in-an-uh-mut) – not having life Prank (praynk) – a playful or mischievous act Hoax (hohks) – an act intended to trick or deceive Ruse (rooz) – a trick; a clever way to fool someone Quest (kwest) – an act or instance of seeking; an adventurous journey Chaos (kay-oss) – complete confusion CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: English Language Arts—Reading, Foundational Skills: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition; Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Speak Like Shakespeare The AAC Children’s Theatre production of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is based on the original poem by Goethe, but also features characters from William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Shakespeare is perhaps the most famous playwright of all time. He authored many works including at least 38 plays, 154 sonnets (a poem of 14 lines, usually rhyming), and two long narrative poems. He was part-owner of a playing company known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men who later became known as the King’s Men. The Tempest was first performed in London in the early 1600s. One record suggests that the play was performed by the King’s Men for King James I and his royal court on November 1, 1611. Throughout the play, you may hear several words that seem unusual. For example, it is not often that one is asked “What dost thou seek?” Though this language is often associated with Shakespeare, he did not invent it. This form of speech, also known as “Elizabethan English”, was spoken in England in the 16th and 17th centuries (during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I). Throughout the play, you will hear several words of “Elizabethan English”. Study the list below and see how many words you can identify during the play.

W.H.W Bicknell (1860-1947) William Shakespeare, 1900 Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection

Examples:

Thee

You (objective)

I will give my candy to thee.

Thou

You (nominative)

Thou broke my pencil.

Thine

Your (with vowel)

Eat thine apple at lunch.

You (with consonant)

Thy ball is red.

Yourself

Keep the rest for thyself.

Anon

Soon

I will be there anon.

Wherefore

Why

Wherefore is it my turn?

Please

Pray have another cookie.

Goodbye

Fare-the-well my friend!

No

Nay, I did not study for the test.

Often

I oft go to the library.

In truth

Verily, I like your shirt.

Thy Thyself

Pray Fare-the-well Nay Oft

Verily

Verily, thou will learn to speak like me anon.

ACTIVITY Practice the vocabulary above by using the words in conversations with others. For even more fun, see how many ways you can work these words into your everyday language. Before long, you’ll definitely be speaking like Shakespeare! CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: English Language Arts—Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration; Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use; Fine Arts—Theater: Creating

DURING THE PLAY It wouldn’t be a play without you! Your part is to pretend that the play is real. Part of this includes accepting certain things:

You have an important role to play!

1. Actors tell the story with words (dialogue), actions (blocking), and songs. 2. Actors may sing songs that tell about the story or their feelings. 3. Actors may speak to the audience. 4. An actor may play several characters by changing their voice, costume, or posture. 5. Places are suggested by panels on the set and by props.

Here’s how to play our part: A play is different than television or a movie. The actors are right in front of you and can see your reactions, feel your attention, and hear your laughter and applause. Watch and listen carefully to understand the story. The story is told by the actors and comes to life through your imagination!

Thank you for being a great part of our audience and enjoy the show!

AFTER THE PLAY Review

Do you remember what you learned about adaptations? Now that you have seen the play, discuss these questions. Share your answers with friends or family that also saw the play and compare your experiences.

? In what ways was the setting of the play different than the original story? ? Were there any characters or events that were in the story but not in the play? Were any characters different? Why do you think these choices were made?

? What did the set look like? Did it match the picture that you drew before the play? What do you think the set and costume designers need to consider when bringing the book to stage?

? What objects (props) helped tell the story on stage? CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Library Media—Connection: Associate; Theatre—Creating, Evaluating, Reading

Critical Thinking Questions Read the following questions and either write your answers or tell someone in complete sentences. Make sure to use correct grammar and spelling.

? Why doesn’t Miranda want to go to the Halloween dance in the beginning of the play? ? This play is set in both 1613 and 2013. Imagine what it might like to live in 1613. How might your life be different? Imagine how you might spend your day.

? What do you think the phrase “mind over matter” means? ? What happens at the end of the play? Do you think this story was real or imaginary? Explain your answer. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: English Language Arts—Writing: Text Type and Purposes; Speaking & Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration; Language: Conventions of Standard English

Writing Exercise Write a brief answer to the following question. Make sure to write in complete sentences and use correct grammar, spelling, and organization. Has there ever been a time when you felt like you didn’t belong somewhere? Why did you feel this way? What did you do to overcome your fears? What advice would you give to someone that may be experiencing the same fears? CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: English Language Arts—Writing: Text Types and Purposes; Language: Conventions of Standard English

5 Hints About Halloween in America 1. In the early 1900s, many young women believed that on Halloween they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple peels, or mirrors. 2. In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-Treating is often referred to as Beggars Night. 3. The term “jack-o’-lantern” originally meant a night watchman, or man with a lantern, with the earliest known use in the mid-17th century. 4. One quarter of all candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween. 5. Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years.

Disguise Design What were some of the costumes worn in the play? Have you ever wondered why people dress up for Halloween? Halloween began as an ancient Celtic (kel-tik) festival known as Samhain (sah-win). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic (gay-lik) culture. The festival was a time to gather supplies and prepare for winter. People would light bonfires and wear costumes (mainly animal heads and skins) to ward off roaming ghosts. To scare away evil spirits and prevent them from entering homes, the Celts also wore scary masks since they believed this would trick the spirits and keep them from knowing people’s true identities. Remember some of the costumes worn in the play and think about how Halloween costumes have changes since the original Samhain festival.

ACTIVITY Design a mask that represents a person, creature, or thing. Use your imagination, but make sure to cut out two small holes for your eyes. Make the mask as colorful as you want and even include objects such as feathers, flowers, and pipe cleaners. When finished with your design cut out the mask and attach it to a long handle (such as a pencil, popsicle stick, or straw). Try out your mask and see if people can guess your costume!

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Social Studies—History; Fine Arts, Theatre—Creating; Fine Arts, Visual Arts—Creative Processes

Hocus Pocus Potion

The sorcerer’s spell book has been swept away and only one potion recipe remains. The problem is that no one can remember what the potion does! Is it a recipe for good luck, fame, or fortune? Will it cure a medical illness? There is one way to find out! Step into the role of the sorcerer’s apprentice by measuring and combing the following ingredients into a large bowl:

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1 13-oz. package lemon-lime Kool-Aid 1 cup sugar 8 cups water 1 can frozen orange juice concentrate 4 cups ginger ale 3 scoops orange sherbet

After mixing the ingredients of this potent potion there is only one step left – if you are brave enough. Take a sip of this potent potion and help the sorcerer remember its magical use.

ACTIVITY Create a name for the potion based on its use, design a label, and make sure to describe the side-effects. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Math—Measurement and Data; Fine Arts—Visual Arts: Creative Processes

The Sorcerer’s Studio

Step into a world of magic and sorcery with this art experiment. You’ll need only a few simple materials to create a magical display worthy of a sorcerer’s studio. Milk (2% or whole) Food coloring—red, yellow, blue Materials: Dish soap Container Toothpick Instructions: 1. Fill the container with milk until you have at least 1/2 inch of liquid covering the bottom of the container. 2. Add 3-4 drops of each color of food coloring into the center of the container. 3. Add a few drops of dish soap into the center of the food coloring and then sit back and watch the magic unfold! 4. After you have given the color time to spread, use a toothpick to draw across the top of the surface. Experiment by drawing circles, lines, and other shapes across the surface of the milk with the toothpick. Consider these questions:

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What happened when you added the food coloring? What happened when you added the dish soap? What colors did you begin with? What colors did you end with? Why do you think this happened?

Now for the science behind the art… Milk consists of a lot of different types of molecules, including fat, protein, sugars, vitamins, and minerals. When you introduce soap to the milk, several things happen at once. The soap lowers the surface tension of the liquid so that the food coloring is free to flow throughout the milk. The soap reacts with the protein in the milk, altering the shape of those molecules and setting them in motion. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Science—Nature of Science; Physical Science: Matter: Properties and Changes; Fine Arts, Visual Arts—Creative Processes

Time Travelers The Sorcerer’s Apprentice spans a time period of 400 years! In the play, Miranda travels from 2013 to 1613 London and back in just one night. Imagine how life might have been different in 1613. What sights might she have witnessed? In the chart below, you will be shown an image that represents life in 1613 London. For each category, draw an image that represents objects used for that purpose in 2013. Think about how the two objects appear and how their use is similar or different. In the third column, use your imagination to travel into the future and predict how people might communicate, dress, travel, play, and live in 2413.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Social Studies—History, Geography: Culture and Diversity; Fine Arts, Visual Arts—Creative Processes

Further Reading Journey by Aaron Becker (Ages 4-8) A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free.

Magic Tree House #35: Night of the New Magicians by Mary Pope Osborne (Ages 4-8) The great sorcerer Merlin sends Jack and Annie on a mysterious mission to Paris, France, over a hundred years ago. There they must find four magicians and give them an urgent message from Merlin himself. Join Jack and Annie on this adventure filled with history, magic, and amazing surprises!

Tales from Shakespeare by Marcia Williams (Ages 8+) With the help of the author’s signature comic-strip style, William Shakespeare’s 400-year-old masterworks become as relevant to young readers today as they were to theatergoers in the 17th century.

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows (Ages 8+) Miri is the non-twin child in a family with two sets of them – older brothers and younger sisters. The family has just moved to an old farmhouse in a new town, where the only good thing seems to be Miri’s ten-sided attic bedroom. But when she gets sent to her room after accidentally bashing her big brother on the head with a shovel, she finds herself in the same room . . . only not quite.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris (Ages 12+) Just before her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone-wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly soon-to-be stepmother and well-meaning father. The family's trip to Italy is a peace offering. When her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she ends up on an adventure in Renaissance Florence.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Library Media—Connection: Read

Visit your local library for more suggestions!

What Was Your Favorite Part of the Play? Did you know that the play you saw was the result of many people working together? There are many roles in the theatre department and each of the people in charge of these tasks must do their very best as a team in order to produce a great performance. Below is a list of some of these roles: The DIRECTOR is the person responsible for the overall artistic vision of a production.

The STAGE MANAGER is the person responsible for overseeing all the backstage elements of a production (scheduling, rehearsals, etc.)

The SET DESIGNER is the person responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of the stage setting.

The ACTOR is the one who performs a role or represents a character in a play.

The COSTUME DESIGNER is the person in charge of the clothing worn by the actors in a performance.

The CHOREOGRAPHER is the person who designs the dance steps to be used in a play.

The TECHNICAL DIRECTOR is the person in charge of the technical requirements of a production as well as the equipment.

The MUSIC DIRECTOR is the person responsible for the musical content of a production.

Which of these roles most closely matches your favorite part of the play?

WANT MORE INFORMATION? If you would like more information about the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre, visit our website at:

WWW.ARKANSASARTSCENTER.ORG or call

501-372-4000

We would love to hear from you! Write to us at::

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER CHILDREN’S THEATRE P.O. BOX 2137 LITTLE ROCK, AR 72203

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