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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SYNOPSIS

WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM – THEATER ETIQUETTE

STATE LEARNING STANDARDS

Writer, Musician, Trash Collector – Paul Fleischman

A Chat with Sonja Parks – Actor

About the Set Design – From Jorge Cousineau, Set Designer

About the Costume Design – From Sonya Berlovitz, Costume Designer

From a Seed, a Neighborhood

get growing! start your own garden

Expect the Unexpected – Actions and Consequences

Coming Together in the Garden – Community Gardening

we All Come from Somewhere – Immigration

words and phrases that might be new to you

SCHOOL CHILDREN ACCESS PROGRAM SPONSORS

jump start - give this a try

drama in action - learn by doing

activity pages

booklist Nordstrom

US Bank

Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund

share your thoughts return to table of *contents? Click on the article to link to page

2 be warned: this is complete synopsis of the play, so it is full of spoilers

synopsis

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eedfolks begins with actress Sonja Parks welcoming the audience to the theater and asking if anyone knows where Cleveland, Ohio is located. She then begins to tell the story of Cleveland’s forgotten neighborhood.

This synopsis was provided by Children’s Theatre Company and is used with their permission.

Music and video transition Sonja and the audience into the story’s first character, Kim. Kim is a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who lives in an apartment building on Gibb Street in Cleveland, next to a derelict vacant lot. It’s dawn and she’s standing before an altar for her father, who passed away before she was born. She takes a spoon from the kitchen, fills her thermos with water, and makes her way to the vacant lot. Navigating through trash, she digs six holes and plants six seeds. They are lima beans in honor of her father, whose spirit she hopes will see her planting the seeds and recognize her as his daughter. He was a farmer in Vietnam. The story shifts to the next character, Ana. Ana is an elderly woman who watches the changing neighborhood through her apartment window. She moved to Gibb Street in 1919, when she was four, and has seen the cultural make-up of the neighborhood change throughout the years. She notices Kim outside in the vacant lot and assumes she’s up to no good. She takes a butter knife and makes her way to the vacant lot and begins to dig up what Kim has buried. Realizing they are seeds, she feels guilty for what she’s done. return to table of contents?

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3 She calls up Wendell, a school janitor, to help re-plant the seeds. Wendell grew up on a farm in Kentucky and applies his knowhow to helping Ana save Kim’s seeds. As Wendell is clearing trash from the vacant lot, he decides he wants to plant something too. He borrows a shovel from work and begins digging. The story shifts to introduce Gonzalo, a teenage boy, who tells us he learned English from watching cartoons. He lives with his mother, Consuelo, and his uncle, Tio Juan, who cannot speak English. As the most fluent English speaker, he does a lot of communicating on behalf of his family. His uncle wanders away frequently and Gonzalo has to go out in the neighborhood to find him. He finds him in the vacant lot, admiring the few plants poking up through the dirt. Seeing him light up at this, Gonzalo recognizes that his uncle is not as aimless as he appeared to be. Leona is the next character to be introduced. She is a fourth-grade teacher with two kids in high school who understands how tough the neighborhood can be. She decides to contact the City about removing the trash in the vacant lot. However, after a full day on the telephone with no results, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She fills a garbage bag with trash from the vacant lot and brings it to the Public Health Department.

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4 We are then introduced to 12-yearold Ginny and her father Philippe. Ginny has big dreams of going to college, but knows that it will cost a lot of money. Her father is a cab driver and gets an idea when he sees some neighbors planting in the vacant lot. He decides that they should grow as much lettuce as possible, the plan being to sell it to local restaurants, using his cab to make the deliveries. He and Ginny take several plots in the vacant lot. When Leona asks why, Philippe tells them he’s reserving space for his relatives in Haiti, which Ginny knows is a lie. The lettuce begins to wilt and die, and Ginny wonders what it will take to save the plants. Sam is the next character on Gibb Street. He is an older, white Jewish man who worked for 36 years for World Peace. He makes a point of speaking to everyone he meets. He wants to have a plot in the vacant lot, but is 78 and doesn’t have the strength. He hires a Puerto Rican teenager to help him, but the teenager wants to plant marijuana in order to make money. Sam convinces him that pumpkins are a better alternative, and they get to work. Sam is encouraged by the garden, but notices that everyone is segregating themselves. He is disappointed that people are not mingling more with each other. The next Gibb street resident we encounter is Sae Young, an older woman from Korea who has trouble leaving her apartment since she was mugged at her family-owned dry cleaning business. She sees the garden and decides to investigate and is warmed by it and gets involved. She talks about how Sam return to table of contents?


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gave the kids a challenge to solve the watering issue. If any kid under 12 could come up with an affordable solution to watering the garden, he would give them $20. Sae Young is proud to see the community participating in this challenge and feels safe around people again. Curtis is the next resident, a teenager who is very serious about fitness. The only thing he cares about more than muscle-building is a girl named Lateesha. She won’t give him the time of day, so he decides to get her attention by planting tomatoes in the community garden. He knows tomatoes are her favorite. Even though the neighborhood kids poke fun at him for doting over these tomatoes, he continues his labor of love. He notices people are stealing his tomatoes when he’s not there, so he enlists the help of a troubled

teen named Royce to help guard the plants. Amir is from India and manages a fabric store. He says the major difference he sees in America is that everyone keeps to themselves. He notices the action in the garden and decides to plant eggplants, carrots, onions and cauliflower. Others in the garden come to marvel at his vegetables and he’s surprised at how friendly everyone is. One night, the gardeners hear a woman scream and see a man running with her purse. They all pursue him, including Royce with his pitchfork, and Amir is impressed that they all united to catch a criminal. He is especially impressed with Royce, whom the neighborhood had ignored until he started helping out with the garden. return to table of contents?

At the end of the season, the gardeners host a harvest festival, just like the ones that Amir remembers from India. They try Sae Young’s hot peppers, and a few gardeners begin to dance. Amir tells Ana how lovely the scene is and asks if she remembers calling him a “dirty foreigner” once at his store. She apologizes to him and replies, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” The play closes with an elderly African-American resident of Gibb Street named Florence. Her family came to Cleveland from Mississippi in 1931. She’s too old to be directly involved with the garden, but is grateful for the positive effect it has had on her and on the neighborhood. Although winter has buried the little garden, she is confident it will be back with the spring.

6 we are all on the same team:

Theatre etiquette The fantastic thing about going to see live theater is that it is a shared community event where everyone plays an important part. You hear pre-show announcements about theater etiquette every time you come to SCT. Happily, the vast majority of our audience members help us make the theatergoing experience better for everyone by complying with the requests. But if you or the kids in your life have ever wondered why we ask the things we do, here are some explanations:

Please completely turn off all electronic devices including cell phones, cameras and video recorders. Why turn them completely off? So they won’t get used. Airplane mode will stop incoming calls and messages, but it won’t stop people from using their devices to take pictures, record audio or video, read books or play games during the show. Phone calls and texting are a distraction to the audience and performers, and can pose a safety hazard as well as interfere with our sound system.

STAGE

The distraction factor is an easy one to explain. It is very difficult for people to ignore a lit screen. Walk through a room where a TV is on and you are going to at least glance at it. In a darkened theater, eyes are drawn to the light. Everyone sitting anywhere behind someone looking at a lit phone will turn their attention to that phone. And the actors on stage can see the screen lighting up the holder’s face. A ringing phone or text message alert takes everyone in the theater, on stage and off, out of the moment. How does this create a safety hazard?

DOORS TO LOBBY

TO EXIT DURING SHOW

DOOR TO QUIET ROOM return to table of contents?

Q UIET ROOM continued on next page...

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Distraction can be a problem for actors and crew whose focus needs to stay on doing their work safely, especially when working on, with or around moving scenic pieces or as scenery is being lowered to the stage. Do electronics in the audience really interfere with the sound system? Yes. You would not notice it over the speaker system in the house, but our crew is on wireless headsets, and electronic devices in the audience can cause interference. If crew can’t hear cues and communicate with each other, they can’t do their job safely or efficiently.

it is actually a violation of contract, and of trust between the artists and the audience.

Please keep in mind that although it is called the “quiet room” it is not completely soundproof.

You are welcome to take pictures in the lobby, of family and friends in their seats before or after the show, or when talking to the actors at autographs after the show, with their permission. If you are not sure if a photograph is permitted, please ask.

If you need to exit during the performance, please use one of the four upstairs doors.

Also, taking pictures or video is not allowed.

If you are with someone who becomes noisy or restless, please be kind to your neighbors and use our quiet room, which is located in the back of the theater over your right shoulder.

We are fortunate to work with very talented performers, designers, playwrights and directors at SCT. One of our responsibilities to these artists is to help protect their work from illegal distribution or piracy. Contractually, the use of images of their designs and recordings of their work is very specifically controlled. We appreciate that people want to capture a memory to enjoy later, but

We love our audiences and want them to express themselves during the show—laughing, clapping, shouting in amazement. It’s part of the community experience. But everyone has moments when they just don’t want to be where they are. And sometimes they express this quite loudly. The quiet room offers a place to see and hear the show, while having a chance to settle in private. return to table of contents?

We’re pretty sure no one wants to become part of the show if they need to run out of the theater to use the restroom or get a drink of water. Using the upstairs doors is less distracting for everyone. Actors often use the areas near the lower doors for entrances and exits.

Thank you for being part of the SCT family. If you have any questions about what to expect when you come to the theatre, go here* or contact us at [email protected] *All active links can be found on the interactive AAG, at sct.org under the “For Educators” tab.

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state learning standards WASHINGTON STATE K-12 LEARNING STANDARDS

THEATRE

ENVIORNMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Exact standards depend upon grade level.

1. The student understands and applies arts knowledge and skills. 1.1 Understands arts concepts and vocabulary. 1.2 Develops arts skills and techniques. 1.4 Understands and applies audience conventions in a variety of settings and performances of theatre. 2. The student uses the artistic processes of creating/ performing, presenting and responding to demonstrate thinking skills. 2.1 Applies a creative process to the arts. 2.3 Applies a responding process to an arts performance and/or presentation. 3. The student communicates through the arts (dance, music, theatre and visual arts). 3.1 Uses the arts to express feelings and present ideas. 4. The student makes connections within and across the arts to other disciplines, life, cultures and work. 4.1 Demonstrates and analyzes the connections among the arts disciplines. 4.2 Demonstrates and analyzes connections among the arts and between the arts and other disciplines. 4.3 Understands how the arts impact and reflect personal choices throughout life. 4.4 Understands how the arts influence and reflect cultures/civilization, place, and time. 4.5 Understands how arts knowledge and skills are used in the world of work, including careers in the arts.

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eedfolks touches on many themes and ideas. Here are a few we believe would make good Discussion Topics: City Neighborhoods, Gardening and Empathy. We believe that seeing the show and using our Active Audience Guide can help you meet the following State Standards and address these 21stCentury Skills:

•GROWTH MINDSET (belief that your intelligence &

ability can increase with effort)

•PERSEVERANCE •CREATIVE THINKING •CRITICAL THINKING •COMMUNICATION •COLLABORATION

ESE STANDARD 1: Ecological, Social, and Economic Systems. Students develop knowledge of the interconnections and interdependency of ecological, social, and economic systems. They demonstrate understanding of how the health of these systems determines the sustainability of natural and human communities at local, regional, national, and global levels. ESE STANDARD 2: The Natural and Built Environment. Students engage in inquiry and systems thinking and use information gained through learning experiences in, about, and for the environment to understand the structure, components, and processes of natural and human-built environments. ESE STANDARD 3: Sustainability and Civic Responsibility. Students develop and apply the knowledge, perspective, vision, skills, and habits of mind necessary to make personal and collective decisions and take actions that promote sustainability.



9 COMMON CORE STANDARDS Exact standards depend upon grade level. CCSS.ELA - RL.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA - RL.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. CCSS.ELA - RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words or actions). CCSS.ELA - RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text. CCSS.ELA - RL.6 Compare and contrast the points of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. CCSS.ELA - RL.7 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text. CCSS.ELA - RL.10 Read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grade appropriate text complexity band proficiently.

CCSS.ELA - SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade appropriate topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA - SL.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. CCSS.ELA - L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade appropriate reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS

WRITING READING:

CCSS.ELA - RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

SPEAKING & LISTENING

CCSS.ELA - RI.1 Refer to details in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA - RI.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details, summarize the text. CCSS.ELA - RI.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas or concepts in a historical, scientific or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. CCSS.ELA - RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade appropriate topic or subject area. CCSS.ELA - RI.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. CCSS.ELA - RI.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. CCSS.ELA - RI.10 Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grade appropriate complexity band proficiently.

LANGUAGE

READING:

INFORMATIONAL TEXT

READING:

LITERATURE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

CCSS.ELA - RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CCSS.ELA - W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. CCSS.ELA - W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.


10 writer, musician, trash collector

paul fleischman

IN HIS OWN WORDS What could be more exciting when the writing is going well and things are falling into place? It’s just like riding a fabulous wave for a surfer. There’s no better place to be. Whole cities shut down, but the garden just keeps going. Plants don’t run on electricity or clock time, and none of nature does. Nature runs on sunlight and rain and the seasons, and I am part of that system. My body is part of nature...This system is much stronger than the other. It isn’t some disgrace to be a part of it. It is an honor.

P

aul Fleischman, the son of the well-known writer Sid Fleischman, grew up surrounded by the sound of language. His father regularly read chapters of his work to the family, and the family gave him suggestions about what should happen next in the story. From this experience, Paul Fleischman says, “We grew up knowing that words felt good in the ears and on the tongue, that they were as much fun to play with as toys.” Music was also an important part of the Fleischman household. Fleischman and his mother played the piano, his sisters played the flute, and his father played the guitar. As an adult, Fleischman learned to play the recorder, and he even toured with a recorder group. Fleischman’s love for both music and language has shaped his writing. His books I Am Phoenix, Joyful Noise, and Big Talk are poems for two or four voices to read aloud, like different voices in a choir or instruments in an orchestra. Even in his novels and nonfiction books, Fleischman pays careful attention to the rhythm of his sentences and the sounds of the words he puts together. He has received many awards for his books, including the Newbury Medal in 1989 for Joyful Noise. As children, Paul Fleischman and his sisters often biked around the streets and alleys of their hometown, Monterey, California, collecting thrown-out items from other people’s trash cans. Fleischman still does this in a way, gathering together forgotten bits of history and quirky facts he learns from old books as he crafts a new piece of writing. return to table of contents?

“Write what you know” is common advice for writers. In fact, I’m not much of a gardener. I studied up on soil and pests and fertilizers, but it soon became clear that the focus of the book was people. To experience some of what my characters were going through, I planted a long row of bush beans in my yard midway through the writing. Suddenly, I understood. I felt pulled out of bed to check on them every morning and gave them a last look every night. Every milestone felt worthy of celebration: the first cracks in the earth, the first sprouts poking through like bird beaks, the first flower, the first bean. I picked off bugs with fierce maternal vigilance and cursed the local pillaging rabbits. Truly, as Nora says, a garden is a soap opera growing out of the ground.


11 QUESTIONS FOR PAUL FLEISCHMAN ABOUT SEEDFOLKS Where did the idea for Seedfolks come from? In a place where many of my books have started: the newspaper. I spotted an article about a local psychologist who used gardening as a therapy for her clients. I’d been looking for a setting that would bring a varied cast together. Suddenly, I realized I’d found one—not the garden in the article, but a community garden. Are parts of the book autobiographical? My parents were true plant people, gradually replacing the front lawn with fruit trees and even a cornfield. My mother had also volunteered in a garden at a veterans’ hospital, teaching shell-shocked soldiers how to raise plants. There’s a little of her in Nora, the nurse, and a little of me in Sam. Like him, I like to bring people together. I’m also in Kim, since my mother had recently died and I was wishing she could read the books I was writing—especially this one. How did you choose the title? Seedfolks is an old word for ancestors. I’d come across it somewhere in my reading and had planned to use it for a very different book—interviews with first-generation immigrants who’d planted their families in the United States. It’s a subject close to me, having two sons adopted from Mexico. What research did you have to do?

EXCERPTED FROM * : HOUGHTON MIFFLIN READING: Meet the Author – Paul Fleischman HARPER COLLINS: A Guide to Reading Paul Fleischman’s Seedfolks *All active links can be found on the interactive AAG, at sct.org under the “For Educators” tab.

I’ve never lived in Cleveland and have never had a plot in a community garden. So I visited gardens, took notes, asked questions. I read books on Cleveland, recent immigrants, and gardening. I remembered the melting pot neighborhoods I’d lived in, in Berkeley, Omaha and Albuquerque. Writers learn how to find out what they need to know. Why did you tell the story from many characters’ points of view? I seem to have been born with a multitrack mind and wanted to write music rather than books when I was young. Before Seedfolks, I’d written two collections of poems for two speakers. Then came Bull Run, an account of the Civil War battle from 16 characters’ points of view, my attempt at something symphonic. That work was the first use of the form in novels for children as far as I know. It’s now commonplace because of its many advantages: writers get to write in different voices, can show events from different perspectives, and get to present an unpredictable, kaleidoscopic surface to their readers. return to table of contents?

12 a chat with

sonja parks, actor

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lease tell us about your working process as an actor. As an actor, my job is to give the character(s) the playwright has written on the page a physical life— to make them real. The playwright creates the world and the people in it; the set, light, and costume designers bring the world to the stage, and the director makes certain it all works the way it’s supposed to. Actors help bring the people to life. I have to determine how they walk, talk, look, how they feel, how they might react in certain circumstances, and how they feel about the other characters in the play. Sometimes, the playwright gives clues or spells these things out for you; but sometimes, it’s open to interpretation. My job is to make sure those things are clear and that they help to tell the story. So the first thing I do when I start working is to read, re-read, and then, re-re-read the script. The first time through, I just want to enjoy the story! But the second time—and every time after—I’m taking notes and paying attention to what my character says and does. I’m getting to know them as a person. The more I get to know them—to understand them—the more I’m able to embody them and show who they are to the audience. Sometimes, I need to do research on a character to understand their background or culture. For instance, in Seedfolks, several characters are from different countries and speak different languages. It was necessary

for me to research the culture of each country to understand and honor their traditions, to work with a dialect coach every day getting each accent correct and, in some cases, to learn my lines in another language. All of this is vital to make each character a unique being. Developing a physical life for the character is also very important. How are they alike or unlike me physically? How do they move or gesture? Are they younger or older; taller or shorter; thinner or stouter? I need to answer all of these questions for myself and put the answers in my body so that the character begins to live. Then I need to determine how many things I have in common with my character’s personality—good or bad. That’s important, because no one is all one or the other. We all have parts of ourselves that we’re not especially proud of or that we’re working to change, learn and grow from. That’s what makes us human. I’m responsible for incorporating those things into the character. But if I’m unwilling to examine those aspects of myself that are less than pretty, then I can’t empathize if my character does or says something less than pretty. That means I can’t really portray them honestly. If I’m not being honest about myself as a person—faults and all—I can’t be honest about my character as a person who has faults, too. Instead, I’m giving a very one-dimensional representation of them and then I’m not doing my job. Theater teaches us to empathize with one return to table of contents?

another. We’re all in the same space together watching other human beings navigate their problems and challenges. My job is to make my characters so human that, hopefully, the audience can see in them a bit of themselves and we can all learn from each other. What is a particularly interesting or unusual challenge on this project and how did you set out to solve it? With Seedfolks, the biggest challenge is the sheer number of characters that I need to play (a friend told me she counted about 21, with all the minor characters included) and how vastly different they all are from one another; coupled by the fact that some of them not only talk to each other, but interact with each other. For example, there are scenes where different characters dance with one another, where two characters are arguing with each other, and a scene where two or more characters are all working together in the garden at the same time. And every single one of those characters…is me! So, one of the biggest challenges has been portraying them all and having continued on next page...

13 those interactions seem genuine and real—as though you’re watching two or more people interact. The way that we’ve gone about that is to make each character as distinct, individual and as “fleshed-out” as possible. For instance, if Curtis is talking to Lateesha, you recognize Curtis by his particular mannerisms, body language, vocal cadence and pitch, all of which are completely different from Lateesha’s. It’s been important to be as specific as possible in developing each character’s physicality so that if/when they show up again, you recognize them and know exactly who is speaking to whom. A little added bonus is that I never have to go to the gym when I’m doing this show. I get a completely full workout onstage!

little happy party! One of the earliest memories I have is being a little girl at my baby brother’s birthday party and the Jackson 5’s ABC started playing. I jumped up on the coffee table, pulled my little brother up with me and we started singing, dancing and acting out the song. I remember everyone clapping, laughing and singing along—enjoying us enjoying ourselves—and I guess that’s when the bug bit! I loved that it was possible to spread the joy I felt from that song throughout the room, that a group of people could, potentially, feel the same thing together at the same time was wondrous to me. I was also fascinated by movies. I always got in trouble as a child because I would sneak out of bed— way past my bedtime—and watch old movies on TV, my face about three inches from the screen. It fascinated me to see the same actors portraying all these different people. I guess, somewhere in my mind it occurred to me that the question every child

gets asked over and over again: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” didn’t necessarily have to have only one answer. I could be a psychiatrist, a ballerina, a talkshow host, a reporter, a nun and a fire-breathing dragon if I wanted to! Being an actor meant I could be anything…and everything. Plus, there was the added bonus of sharing my feelings with people and having them reciprocate. From that moment on, it was kind of “full steam ahead.” I told anyone who would listen I wanted to be an actor. My mother signed me up for dance and performance classes; in high school, I joined the Drama Club and participated in school plays and competitions, receiving several college scholarships; and after college, I moved to New York where I continued my training while working in Off-Broadway productions. There’s a saying that goes: “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” So, even though I’ve put in a lot of time, energy and effort becoming an actor, I’ve loved every minute of it!

Sonja in performance in the original production of Seedfolks at Children’s Theatre Company

Sonja is an actor, writer, director and educator who is an avid cyclist and has never met an enchilada she doesn’t like. She’s spent a good portion of her life happily walking in someone else’s shoes including those of Sleeping Beauty, Antigone, Eurydice, Roxanne in Cyrano de Bergerac and Isabella in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. She regularly practices sleeping at 30,000 feet by teaching and performing both nationally and internationally, including naps that led to waking up in NYC, Los Angeles, Iceland, Nigeria, Ghana and Cuba. Seedfolks is the third time she’s been in a production where she’s surrounded by an entire world of people who, strangely, look just like her.

What in your childhood got you to where you are today? I loved the Jackson 5. Whenever one of their songs came on, I would sing, dance, clap, run around the room—just basically host my own


14 ABOUT THE SET DESIGN FROM

JORGE cOUSINEAU, SET DESIGNER

T

he scenic design for Seedfolks came out of a conversation between the director Peter Brosius and myself when we first approached the play with the idea that it would be performed by only one actor.

Sketch of the apartment buildings surrounding the empty lot where the garden will be

We discussed the possibility of using projection screens and I immediately imagined them being able to transport the audience inside the neighborhood of the play and to help locate the homes of the different characters. The idea grew more elaborate and evolved into a neighborhood designed in a virtual 3D environment—much like a video game environment, but instead of a single camera leading the viewer through the world, this play would use three virtual cameras that were arranged in a similar orientation as the projection screens onstage .

Virtual models of the buildings on the left side of the lot…

…and the building on the right side



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Sketch of the set showing how the three screens (the blue sections of the walls) are set in the same configuration as the buildings around the lot

Simulations of the set and projections were used to explore how the images would look to the audience in different locations of the theater at Children’s Theater Company.



16 I had never done anything so complicated, and the next step was to test the general concept. I used animation software and created a very simple version of the area around the empty lot, basically a number of flat cutout houses with windows, and tested what it would look like to rig three virtual cameras, animate them flying around the houses, create a video stream for each, and finally play them back simultaneously. At that point I had already taken the hand-drawn sketches for the set and converted them into a virtual model (using a different kind of 3D software). Once that model was created, I could show the director on the computer what the set would look like from different seats in the theater and what the video streams from the cameras would look like on the screens and we confirmed that the idea was going to work. From there it took long hours constructing the houses of the neighborhood and adding all the texture and details that you can see in the show. It really made me appreciate how much work it is putting together animated movies where basically every little object has to be either found or created and placed in the right spot. Then the right kind of lighting is added and finally the cameras need to get animated to move exactly where you want them.

Sonja Parks as Ginny playing hopscotch, with the screen behind her showing a portion of Gibb Street

Once the neighborhood of Seedfolks was constructed and all the elements were put together there was a process called “rendering,” where the video streams get created of what each camera sees throughout the whole journey. We tested all sorts of settings until we found a decent enough video quality that seemed doable within our time limits. In Minneapolis we set up a little render factory made up of a few computers and created all the video used now in the show over a continuous two-day period.

Sketch of the set with video of Kim’s apartment on the screens



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Storyboards, a series of drawings that show the planned sequence of events and camera movement in a film, help the designer and director plot the action. These storyboards show how the video content will move from Kim’s apartment to Ana’s…

…then from Ana’s to Wendell’s as those characters are introduced, to help the audience visualize where they all live in relation to each other. The audience will only see the portion of the images inside the frames of the screens. What you see outside the frame in the first storyboard, for instance, is there to show how the full image of Kim’s apartment will eventually look on the screens as the camera zooms out before it moves over to zoom in on Ana’s apartment.


18 aBOUT THE COSTUME DESIGN FROM

sONYA BERLOVITZ, COSTUME DESIGNER

T

he costume silhouette for Seedfolks really came out of a workshop I participated in a couple of months before the show’s opening. Watching Sonja Parks work through all of the characters, each one very fleshed out, made me want her costume to be somehow a reflection of each of those characters. In textile terms, I really thought of it as weaving or quilting a story together. I also looked at various textiles from the cultures of some of the different characters in the show to create a really rich and multi-layered costume. The coloration emphasized their earthiness. The blue hoodie was added as an urban relic.

Weaving and quilting research images

Looking at textiles and clothing from character’s homelands was valuable research, even if those fabrics didn’t end up in the final design. These are swatches of Guatemalan textiles in bold colors and patterns. Gonzalo and Consuelo are from Guatemala.

Kim, who plants the seed that start the garden, is Vietnamese, like these girls.

On a practical note, I faced the question of how to create something that would be able to transform with the actress and at the same time not distract, but enhance each of the characters represented throughout the story.

Idea for a head wrap



19

A skirt using patchwork technique to combine patterns and textures inspired the shape and style of Sonja’s costume.

Sketch for Sonja’s costume with swatches of fabric choices attached in the lower left corner

Sonja in performance at Children’s Theatre Company


20 from a seed,

a neighborhood I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. -Henry David Thoreau

I

n Seedfolks, we become immersed in the story of how one child’s action of planting a seed starts a garden. The garden grows in size, and we see a variety of plants thriving together, just as we see the neighborhood of strangers coming together as a community. Variety is what makes the neighborhood strong. A simple seed is the beginning of a plant. Given the things it needs, it will grow into a plant. People are much the same way. We start out as small beings, and when given the basic things for life, we too, grow. A seedling will bend toward sunlight, and push roots downward to strengthen it in its maturity. As we grow, we are strengthened by our environment and the lessons we learn along the way.

Three Sisters planting. Can you pick out the three different plants?


All plants don’t need the same things to grow. Some need full sunlight, some need shade. Some need lots of rain, some thrive in drought. Some need lots of nutrients in the soil, some need very little. But plants with different needs can actually help each other grow. For example, companion planting is the practice of pairing plants that are beneficial to each other. One of the best-known groupings is the Native American “Three Sister Planting,” growing corn, beans and squash together. As the corn stalks grow, bean plants climb them. Beans add nitrogen to the soil, which feeds the corn. The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground to stop weeds from growing and keep moisture in the soil. The plants work as a team. continued on next page...

21 Variety is also important over time. If the same crop is planted in the soil year after year, the soil loses its richness, and future crops become weak and produce fewer flowers and, of course, seeds. Imagine how all this could also be true for a neighborhood of people. People who are different from each other and have different needs, who are all trying to lead a good life, helping each other to succeed. People celebrating their differences and recognizing that the variety of their experiences is an opportunity to keep their neighborhood healthy and strong. People of different cultures and backgrounds learning from one another and growing together, while honoring their own cultures and histories. As long as there have been migrating populations, seeds have traveled, and seeds have been shared throughout the world. For many generations, people have chosen or been forced to leave their homelands. Many of these immigrants tucked away a few seeds to bring along from home. They brought seeds to grow something familiar, a crop that would help them settle more comfortably in a new homeland. Just as a garden might be abundant with seeds, the traveler or simple gardener would consider themselves prosperous, should they have a wealth of seeds in their pocket. And, as time progresses, plants cross pollinate with other plants, producing more and more varieties to add to our treasure chest of seeds throughout the world. There actually is such a “treasure chest.” Halfway between Norway and the North Pole, is the Global Seed Vault. This important facility is located deep underground, on Platåberget, a cold, sandstone mountain. Here, far away from large populations, more than four million varieties of seeds are catalogued and kept safely. Scientists with the international organization, the Crop Trust, created the facility hoping to preserve and ensure that Earth’s plant varieties avoid extinction. The seed vault is a very special facility modeled after a bank, but instead of money, seeds are stored. The seed collections are “deposited” by participating nations, and are kept at a chilly zero degrees. The facility maintains a constant temperature and humidity level, due to being almost 400 feet underground. Nations are allowed to “withdraw” from the seed vault, should there be a catastrophic event that would destroy or severely diminish their native plant population. Until 2015, no withdrawal had ever been necessary. However, due to an ongoing civil war, the country of Syria requested a withdrawal from the seed vault, in hopes of reintroducing native species to its war-torn landscape. It will be the first nation to have benefited from the smart planning and action that created the Global Seed Vault. So, the next time you hold a simple seed in your hand, think about its gigantic and remarkable potential. It holds the ability to bring people together, and to nourish them. Then, on a warm day, with a watering can in hand, find a place to plant that little seed. You never know what wonderful things might sprout up. return to table of contents?

RESOURCES * : HOW STUFF WORKS: How to Start a Community Garden CNN.COM: After the Apocalypse: Inside the Arctic Vault that Could Help Keep Humanity Alive CROPTRUST.ORG: FAQ about the Seed Vault *All active links can be found on the interactive AAG, at sct.org under the “For Educators” tab.

Entrance to the Global Seed Vault

22 get growing!

start your own garden Tips from Tilth Alliance (formerly Seattle Tilth) Anyone who has tasted a sun-ripened strawberry, a fresh snap pea or carrot straight from the garden knows that homegrown food is tastier. It’s also healthier and better for the earth. Plant a garden this spring and enjoy a whole summer of delicious fun with the whole family. Here are some ideas to get you started: •Location, location, location – A good growing location depends on access to soil, water and sun. To get to know your space, make a map and record the location of water and hours of sunlight. •Take note – Start a garden journal to record your ideas, design your garden, record what works and what doesn’t, and plan what to grow next.

•Right plant, right place – Make sure the plants you select grow well in the Pacific Northwest and match the sun, soil and water available in your garden. Leafy greens can handle a little more shade, while fruits like tomatoes and peppers need full sun. •Grow where you are planted – Once you have a container or garden bed prepared with healthy soil, pick up seed or plant starts from a local

nursery, farmer’s market or plant sale. Read the seed packet or plant label to learn about plant spacing and requirements for sun, water and nutrients. •Learn as you grow – If this is your first garden, start small. Start with a couple raised beds or containers and as your confidence grows, so can the size of your garden. Be curious. Read books or take a class to learn new skills.

•Get creative – Don’t have a yard? Don’t let that stop you from growing your own food at home. Creative city gardeners grow vegetables, herbs and even small fruit trees in containers and pots on rooftops, balconies, asphalt parking lots and patios. •Build healthy soil – Whether you are growing in the ground or in containers, healthy plants need healthy, living soil to grow. Improve your garden soil with compost or fill containers with organic potting soil and use organic fertilizer to give your plants a boost. •Food, glorious food – The best part of vegetable gardening is eating what you’ve grown. Choose vegetables that you like to eat and are easy to grow. Radish, spinach, basil, mint, snap peas, zucchini and potatoes are a tasty place to start.

Tilth Alliance wants everyone to be able to eat well, every day and at every meal. They use gardens, farms and kitchens to offer hands-on learning experiences that re-connect people to nutritious food, local farmers and the Earth. Learn about classes, camps, events and opportunities for the whole family: http://tilthalliance.org/ return to table of contents?


23 CREATIVE CONTAINERS Adapted from Your Farm in the City by Lisa Taylor and the gardeners of Tilth Alliance. If you don’t have a yard or soil to start a garden, fear not. Container gardening is a great option if you live in an apartment, are renting or have no in-ground space in which to grow vegetables. Containers are also helpful for yards where the only sunny spots aren’t near soil or where soil is too hard to dig. Place containers on sidewalks, driveways, decks, patios, rooftops or around your yard. TYPES OF POTS •Plastic – lightweight, holds water well •Terra-cotta – attractive, dries quickly •Glazed-clay – colorful, holds water well, expensive •Half-whiskey barrels – large, attractive, recycled, good drainage •Get creative – kiddie pools, 5-gallon buckets, plastic tubs GETTING READY Before you fill your container with soil, put it where you want it to be. Large pots filled with soil are heavy. Empty potting soil into a wheelbarrow or large tub and mix with water. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Fill the container loosely with potting soil. Leave about two inches at the top of your container. Shake the container to settle the soil. Now you’re ready to plant!

AN N UA L V EG G I E S AN D F LOWE R S F O R K I D S LEAF Arugula

Bean blossoms

FRUIT

Onion

Beans

Leeks

Cucumbers

SEEDS

Basil

Black-eyed Susan

Chard

Borage

Peas

Corn

Cilantro / Coriander

Broccoli

Peppers

Wheat

Calendula

Pumpkins

Sunflowers

Cauliflower

Squash

Daisies

Tomatillos

ROOT

Nasturtiums

Tomatoes

Carrots

Collards Lettuce Spinach Stevia

FLOWER Bachelor’s Buttons

Beets

Viola Pansies

STEM

Potatoes

Johnny Jump Ups

Celery

Radishes

Garlic

Zinnia

HOW TO PLANT Decide what you would like to grow based on what you would like to eat and what will grow well in your garden. Pick up seeds and plant starts from a local nursery, farmer’s market or plant sale. Seeds tell you how deep they want to be planted. Bury to a depth two to three times the thickness of the seed. To plant a plant start, remove it from its plastic pot, gently tickle the roots, place in a hole as deep as the roots, gently fill with soil and tamp down so the plant stays rooted. Baby plants need consistent water for the first several weeks. Check in regularly and watch them grow!

IDEAS FOR THEME GARDENS Pizza garden: tomatoes, sweet pepper, onions, basil, oregano, thyme and parsley Salsa garden: tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, onions, cilantro “Plant part” snacking garden: root – carrot, stem – celery, leaf – spinach, flower – calendula, fruit – cherry tomatoes, seed – sunflower return to table of contents?

24 expect

the unexpected May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears.-Nelson Mandela

I

n Seedfolks Kim planted seeds in memory of her father. In the process of caring for those plants, she created a community with her neighbors. The story is a reminder that our actions have consequences, and sometimes ones we don’t expect. In Kim’s case, the consequences were positive. She discovered new friendships and similar beliefs with the people in her neighborhood. We all have choices. Often when our choices are made from spaces of thoughtfulness and hope, we receive a similar energy in return. Have you ever smiled at a friend who was having a bad day? Or have you experienced kindness in a moment when you were feeling low? The person who initiated the smile or kindness chose to help another person feel better. In honoring her father, Kim drew new people to the abandoned lot, and those new friendships honored her father, too. Every challenge you face, whether in school or with friends, triggers a belief about the situation and how you will handle it, which in turn creates an expectation about the consequence. Things don’t always have happy endings. There are times when our choices result in negative consequences. Perhaps you have been studying for a test. You manage your time well and study every day. You feel confident you know the content when the teacher distributes the test. Maybe you even feel relaxed while taking the test. What would happen if you received a poor grade on that test? It isn’t what you expected. Would you choose to make less effort the next time around, or to work harder? Would the surprise of the poor grade make you give up? If you believe making a greater effort on the next test will cause better results, your beliefs might propel you to ask for help from your teacher or work with a tutor. If you believe this bad grade means you will not be successful in the future, your beliefs might lead you to give up and neglect your work. Consequence and belief apply to other parts of life; even casual everyday actions. Consider ways to take special notice of consequences. For example, you might initiate small actions to notice how behavior influences people. If you hold the door open for people to walk through, how do they respond? Do they smile? Do they make eye contact? Do they greet you with words of appreciation? Oftentimes you might find people “paying your kindness forward.” While you hold the door for them, they might be inclined to hold the door for the next person. And put into regular practice, these consequences might inspire a belief that most people are courteous. Like Kim planting beans in Seedfolks, the smallest actions can reverberate and shape the world in tremendous ways. You have incredible power to make the world a more compassionate, just and thoughtful place through your actions.


RESOURCES * : PARENTS.COM: 14 Little Ways to Encourage Kindness EDUTOPIA: Teaching Students the ABCs of Resilience

*All active links can be found on the interactive AAG, at sct.org under the “For Educators” tab.

25 coming together

in the garden

E

ver since human beings have lived on the earth, growing things has been important. These days, it’s easy to forget, especially if you live in a city, that much of our food comes from the earth. At the grocery store, fruits and vegetables are cut off their stems and sometimes packaged in plastic; even at outdoor markets, you can’t see the farms or the food growing. This is too bad, not only because it’s important for us to know where our food comes from, but because it’s very enjoyable to know about food, and especially to grow it ourselves—just ask the people involved in community gardening. The main idea behind community gardening is that people who don’t have any land to grow things themselves get together and share a public space. Usually, these gardens are divided into plots so that one family or group can grow the things they want to while their neighbors can grow other kinds of plants; but sometimes groups take care of the garden together. Community gardening has become so popular in Seattle, that the city now offers a wide variety of locations where people can participate in gardening. Some are small and some quite large, and most have waiting lists.

people were inspired to create new projects. Now there are non-profit organizations like the American Community Garden Association (serving the U.S. and Canada), and our local leader, Tilth Alliance, that provide all kinds of resources to make gardening accessible—model gardens for workshops, classes for adults and young people, garden tours and many other kinds of things to help us make things grow. There are so many benefits to community gardening. When you grow food, you also get to EAT the food—that’s the number one benefit. The freshness of vegetables and fruits straight from the garden means a better, richer flavor, and also more vitamins and minerals that are good

for your health. It’s also really good for your body to work in a garden— the fresh air and activity are natural mood-lifters, and the exercise of planting, hoeing and weeding contributes to fitness. Gardening activity can be easily adapted for age and ability levels, so making a garden grow is a good way for generations to work together and get to know each other. Tiny tots can put seeds in holes and cover them with dirt, and neighborhood elders may surprise you with their knowledge of just how to tie a tomato plant to a stake to grow healthier tomatoes. And gardening experts can help advise on how to grow gardens sustainably without using toxic pesticides or fertilizers that harm the earth and our bodies, helping ensure that the food is good for you through and through.

The community gardening movement grew much in the way the play Seedfolks describes, with people using their initiative and creativity to get things started; then when it worked out well, others got involved and the projects grew, and more return to table of contents?


26 Gardens also provide wonderful opportunities to build community. They are great public spaces, often suitable for performances and festivals. It’s traditional throughout the world to celebrate special times in the garden—after the work of planting is done in spring, for instance, and when the harvest comes in, usually in autumn. That’s why Thanksgiving is celebrated in the fall. Cooking and sharing the food you’ve grown is a big part of enjoying a garden. And when you grow more than you can use, the food can be offered in a pop-up mini-market or given to a food bank. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to give people something that you worked to grow. Just as in Seedfolks, where the characters have many different ways of expressing themselves through their gardens according to their ethnic heritage, refugees from other countries can find support and community in gardening. In Tukwila, just south of Seattle, there is a wonderful garden called “Namaste” (which is a word from India, a term of respect that means “I honor the sacredness within you”). The garden came into being in 2011, when refugees from Bhutan and Burma asked for land to garden. It is part of their cultural tradition and they wanted to grow plants that are not usually found at grocery stores in this area, such as bitter melons and opo squash. It is a difficult thing to move to a foreign country and face all the challenges of a different language and customs, and being able to garden as a community gives them companionship and a sense of shared goals, quite literally providing ground, a sense of belonging in a new place. As Katie Vincent, an educator at Tilth Alliance wrote in an article in the ACGA newsletter, “Even if just for a short time, this small piece of earth is their mother, their therapist, their child, and their friend.” Now the refugees who created Namaste are being joined by others from the Congo, Nigeria and other places.

RESOURCES * : SEATTLE.GOV: About the P-Patch Program TILTH ALLIANCE: Education Resources for Kids & Teens and Adults COMMUNITYGARDEN.ORG: American Community Gardening Association SEATTLE TIMES: 30 Days: A Refugee Family’s First Month in the U.S.


P-Patch community garden in the Highpoint neighborhood of West Seattle



27

Bitter melon

Gardens also transform communities by making the world a little better and safer. Growing green plants and trees helps combat climate change in two ways, by transforming dangerous gases (since plants breathe in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen) and by cooling urban spaces, replacing hot concrete pavement with green plants and shade. Community gardens also help to reduce crime because people are active and on the watch in their neighborhoods, looking out for the garden and each other. Just as the play Seedfolks shows us, a garden can mean many different things to different people—all of them so good. As good as a crisp carrot, or a juicy strawberry, or fresh tomatoes on your home-made pizza. Gardens bring us together as human beings—after all, we people sure do like to eat! return to table of contents?

28

we all come from somewhere

S

ince 1886, the Statue of Liberty has stood at the entrance to New York Harbor as a proud and enduring symbol of freedom and democracy. “Give

me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,” are the famous words inscribed on the base of the statue to welcome anyone who is searching for new opportunities and a better life. Millions of immigrants got their first glimpse of the United States as they passed by Lady Liberty, and millions more entered this country from other cities in the west, south and north. The United States is a country of immigrants. Although Native Americans lived on the land that is now the United States for many thousands of years, and many still live here today, the vast majority of people in the United States are immigrants or descended from immigrants. Not all came here by choice. From the early 1600s through the mid-1800s, hundreds of thousands of people from Africa were brought here against their will as slaves. However, many people have travelled to the U.S. from all over the world to start a new life and work towards the promise of a better future for their families. People left their home countries for a variety of reasons, some of which were due to negative or disruptive conditions: to escape religious persecution; to flee from a country in the midst of war or a civil conflict; or to escape poverty due to crop failures or catastrophic natural disasters like droughts, typhoons or earthquakes. Others chose to leave to explore new and positive opportunities that the U.S. had to offer: an abundance of rich farmland; educational opportunities; job availability for skilled craftsmen and tradesmen or plentiful employment for workers in factories and industrial plants; or the chance to rejoin friends and relatives who were already living here. They arrived in waves and often migrated to areas that were similar in climate to their homeland: Scandinavians from Sweden, Norway and Finland went to the Upper Midwest; Germans to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania; immigrants from China, Japan and the Philippines arrived on the West Coast; and people from Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and South America found homes in Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. Irish immigrants gathered in Boston, the Polish created strong communities in Chicago, and Jewish and Italian families formed large neighborhoods in New York City. From 1880 to 1890 there were an estimated five million new immigrants and from 1900 to 1910 that number increased to more than eight million. One hundred years later, 1990 to 2010, saw more than one million new immigrants entering the U.S. each year. In Cleveland, where Seedfolks is set, immigrants settled in clusters of neighborhoods where they could speak their native languages and enjoy shops, restaurants, places of worship and traditional activities to celebrate and promote their cultural heritage. return to table of contents?


29 Immigrants from Germany, Poland, Italy, Eastern Europe, China, Korea, India, Japan, Vietnam and many, many other countries found their way to live and work in the Cleveland area. AfricanAmericans moved to Ohio in large waves following the American Civil War and during the 1920s. Cities across the U.S., like Cleveland, noticed a similar trend: immigrants tended to settle in places along with other people from their homeland so they could share their native language and customs. To this day, cities all over

I don’t have any friends yet and I don’t

the country still have areas known as

The garden in Seedfolks is a perfect

know English well. I really miss my

Little Italy, Chinatown, Little Saigon and

example of how the immigrant

friends in India.” Taylor, an 11-year-old,

other neighborhoods, rich in cultural

experience in the United States has

is Korean. He and his family settled in

diversity and proud champions of

enhanced the quality of life for all of

Atlanta, Georgia, and he says, “I was a

their native history and traditions. In

us who live here. The garden is built

little nervous about moving because I

Seattle, we can enjoy the influences of

by incorporating the knowledge,

was worried about how I was going to

Asian immigrants in the International

history, education and diverse

make friends and improve my English.

District and Beacon Hill, Scandinavian

cultural traditions that everyone in

My oldest brother likes it here because

cultures in Ballard, Italian influences

the neighborhood offers to create a

he speaks English well.”

more vibrant, safe and welcoming

in the Rainier Valley, and long-revered

community.

cultural and culinary institutions in the

As children continue to grow and

Central District originally settled by

progress in school, they can often

African-Americans.

experience moments of conflict as they try to assimilate into the new American

Children of immigrants have unique

culture, and continue to be exposed to

challenges and experiences. Sometimes

their family’s culture, language and

they have traveled from their native

traditions. “I think that where you are

country with their parents, other times

at the present is the most important, but

they have been born in this country

at the same time it’s essential to not let

after their parents arrived. Many of the

go of where you’ve been. You should not

immigrant neighborhoods are places

have to let go of your roots to be a part of

where the native languages are spoken,

American society,” says Avnee, a 22-year-

and often the same language is spoken

old, British- and Indian-American.

in the home. Children are enrolled in

Sasha, a 19-year-old, Russian-American,

school where they learn English, and

offers this observation, “Growing up, I

often become more proficient at it than

always felt like the Russian kids didn’t

their parents or grandparents. Learning

have as much respect for their heritage

English, though, is usually one of the

as I did. I found much more solace being

biggest concerns for the children. Sadana,

the Russian one among my Puerto

an 11-year old who moved from her

Rican, Italian, Polish, Ghanaian and

hometown in India to New York City,

American friends. The amalgamation

says, “My brother and I go to a public

of cultures and backgrounds made for

school. I don’t like school much because

such a richer experience.” return to table of contents?

RESOURCES * : SCHOLASTIC: Meet Young Immigrants

NY TIMES: Children of Immigrants

EMIGRATION.LINK: Push and Pull Factors of Immigration

SITES.GOOGLE.COM: Cleveland and its Neighborhoods


30 words and phrases

that might be new to you I stare at my father’s photograph—his thin face stern, lips latched tight, his eyes peering permanently to the right. – locked An icy wind teeters trash cans and turns my cheeks to marble. teeters – rocks marble – cold, hard stone A lot of Slovaks and Italians moved in next. Then, in the Depression, the Negro families. Slovaks – people from Slovakia, a country in central Europe Depression – period in the 1930s when many people lost their jobs and had little or no money Negro – Black. An old term used for a dark-skinned person whose family had originally come from Africa. The word “negro” means black in Spanish and Portuguese. The steel mills and factories closed and everybody left—like rats. – places where steel is made After twenty years typing for the Parole Department, I have a good idea what. – government office that supervises people who have been released from prison before they finish their sentence I’ll have to dig it up before she does. A butter knife. – small knife with a dull edge and rounded point, used to cut or spread butter Can’t get rid of my asthma or make myself a millionaire. – lung disease that makes it hard to breathe

A butter knife

He was the oldest man in his pueblo. – village. Pueblos are Native American settlements in the southwestern U.S., with houses made of stone or adobe (sun-dried bricks made of clay and straw).

He can’t sit out in the plaza and talk. – open public space in the city Madre de Dios! He could be anywhere! You go find him, Gonzalo—now! Ahora! Madre de Dios – Mother of God Ahora – now. Both are Spanish phrases. He wasn’t in the bodega or the pawnshop or even the Laundromat. bodega – small grocery store. Bodegas are commonly found in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. pawnshop – place to get a loan in exchange for items left there laundromat – place to pay to use washers and dryers I took his hand, “Venga, Tio. a casa!” but he pulls me through the trash and into the lot. – “Come on, Uncle. Home.” These are Spanish phrases. We can’t get City Hall to pick up our trash, but we got it delivered just fine. – the city government return to table of contents?


31 My father, Philippe, he always has a smile on his face and a plan moving in his head. – idea developing He shook his leg like his toe was being electrocuted. – shocked by electricity I didn’t get what he was babbling about until the lettuce finally came up in wavy lines and bunches instead of straight rows. – talking on and on You’ve seen fishermen mending the rips in their nets? – repairing Squatting there in the cool of the evening, planting our seeds, a few other people working, a robin singing out strong, it seemed to me that we were in truth in Paradise, a small Garden of Eden. Paradise – a place of great beauty and happiness Garden of Eden – perfect garden in the Bible where Adam and Eve lived Deltoids—fully employed; Abs—fab; Glutes—no dispute; Latissimus dorsi—don’t be shy! Pecs—eyes popping; Biceps—show-stopping; Triceps—jaw-dropping; Quads? —good God! These are all muscles. deltoids – shoulder abs – stomach. “Abs” is short for abdominals. glutes – butt. “Glutes” is short for gluteus. latissimus dorsi – back. These move the arm backward and downward. pecs – upper chest. “Pecs” is short for pectorals. biceps – front of upper arm. Controls the forearm. triceps – back of upper arm. Also controls the forearm. quads – front of the thigh. “Quads” is short for quadriceps. Sharecropper! Morning, Farmer John! There he is—Mr. Tomato! – farmer who gives some of each crop to pay rent for the land When I saw the garden for the first time, so green among the dark brick buildings, I thought back to my childhood in India and my parents’ Persian rug. – very intricate, colorful rug handmade in what was known as Persia, now Iran We found out he had two sisters and a stutter. – tendency to repeat beginning sounds of words when speaking “Florence, they were our seedfolk,” because they were the ones that started our family living in the north. – beginning. They were the people who first planted themselves in this place, from which the family grew.

A Persian Rug


32

jumpstart

Ideas for things to do, wonder about, talk about or write about before or after you see Seedfolks

What does it mean to be a neighbor? The gardeners turn trash cans into rain barrels to collect water for their garden. Draw another solution for getting water where they need it. Communicate with someone using your own made-up language. Try to get them to do a simple task, using just your voice and gestures. Then, try a more complex task. Kim plants seeds and then… What is the order of events that build the garden? Do you know anyone who came here from another country? Have they told you stories about their home country? Write and illustrate a story they told you and give it to them as a gift. Why do you think stereotypes exist? Why do we believe them sometimes? Write about a time you had to solve a problem that involved other people. Does your family have names for things that are different from what your friends call them? Where did those names come from? Which character changed the most in the story? What was their contribution to the garden? Write a story about your own neighborhood planting a community garden. Why did Sam make the contest to solve the watering problem just for kids under 12? What was the most surprising reason to you that someone joined the garden? When Amir reminds Ana of a time she was rude to him, she says, “Back then, I didn’t know it was you.” What does she mean? Have you ever felt that way about someone? Name as many ways as you can that the actor helped you understand which character she was playing. What specific choices can you remember she made for one of them? Try doing what she did and act out part of that character’s story. What would you like to plant in a garden of your own? Has someone ever done something that made your day better without knowing they did it? Write them a thank you note for it, even if you have no way to give them the note. How does Ana feel when she digs up Kim’s beans and realizes she has damaged their roots? Have you ever broken something or hurt someone accidentally and not known how to fix it? What did you try? Imagine you are at the neighborhood’s end of summer party. What do you see, hear, smell, taste? Some music starts. How does it make you want to dance? Dance! Think of another thing that could have united everyone the way the garden did. Write a story about it. Draw the Gibb Street garden. What kinds of things keep neighbors from being friendly? How can you change those things? What is exciting about meeting people who are different than you? What can be a little scary? Why? return to table of contents?

33 this is a customized seedfolks workshop exercise for you to try

drama in action EXERCISE: Littered Lot to Green Garden

GRADES: 2 and up TIME: 10-15 minutes SET-UP: This exercise works best in an open space. SUPPLIES: None INSTRUCTIONS: The community in Seedfolks comes together to change an abandoned lot into a beautiful garden. Each person contributes a plant or item that helps the garden grow. As an ensemble, create a frozen picture (tableau) of a trash-filled lot and then transform it into a community garden. Divide the students into two groups on either side of an open space. One group will make a tableau of litter found in an abandoned lot, then the other group will make a tableau of something in a garden. First, the “Lot” group will have ten seconds to make a tableau in the open space of pieces of litter. Encourage students to keep their individual litter images separate from others. Once all students in the group are frozen in place, the instructor can ask a few students in the “Garden” group to describe what they see. Next, the Garden group will take turns removing a piece of litter and replacing it with a frozen image of something in a garden. To remove a litter piece, a Garden student will tap a Lot student on the shoulder. The Lot student will then go to the edge of the open space, and the Garden student will take their place. Once all students in the Garden group are frozen in a tableau, the instructor can ask a few students in the Lot group to describe what they see. Give students the opportunity to play both roles. *The Seedfolks workshop explores the themes, characters and production elements of the play. Professional SCT teaching artists work with students for an hour, fleshing out themes and ideas through dynamic theater exercises. These workshops can occur either before or after seeing the play and can be held at SCT or at your location. Students get on their feet in these participatory workshops, stretching their imaginations while learning about Seedfolks. For information about bringing a workshop for Seedfolks to your classroom or community group, email [email protected].


BLACKOUT POETRY This is a way of creating a poem from a piece of text by eliminating words to capture its essence. For example, you might take this paragraph from Seedfolks…

Then fall came. The green drained away. Everything had been picked. The frost hit. You'd pass and hear those dry cornstalks shivering in the wind. The pumpkins were about the only color left, and then the boy sold them all. Some people cut up their old plants with clippers and dug them back into the soil. A few covered their ground with leaves. But once that job was done, it was done. By November there was nobody there. …and eliminate the shaded words to turn it into a poem:

Then fall came. The green drained away. Everything had been picked. The frost hit. You'd pass and hear those dry cornstalks shivering in the wind. The pumpkins were about the only color left, and then the boy sold them all. Some people cut up their old plants with clippers and dug them back into the soil. A few covered their ground with leaves. But once that job was done, it was done. By November there was nobody there. You could even use the first word as the title:

FALL green drained away frost and dry cornstalks shivering in the wind nobody there Try creating a blackout poem from this paragraph from Seedfolks…

You can't see Canada across Lake Erie, but you know it's there. It's the same with spring. Baby, you just gotta have faith – especially in Cleveland. Snow in April always breaks your heart. I think we had two April snows that year. Finally, it melted away for good. There was the ground. But the garden was still empty. I began to wonder if anyone would come. Maybe no one was interested. Maybe the city had done shut it down. Maybe sold the lot. It happens, believe me. I was worried. Then one day I passed--and someone was digging. It was a little Asian girl with a trowel and a bag of beans. I didn't recognize her. It didn't matter. I felt as happy inside as if I'd just seen the first swallow of spring. She looked up and waved at me and we waved…hey, darling…and waved and waved. …and rewrite it here:

You can make a blackout poem from any piece of writing you like.

A GARDEN OF SENSES The pleasure of a garden is in the way it stimulates our senses. You can tell a lot about a gardener by the plants they choose. Use the boxes below to describe a garden plant. Whose plant is this? (It could be yours, or a friend or family member’s, or the plant of a character from Seedfolks or elsewhere.) What is the name of the plant? (It can be a real name, or a made-up name for a real plant, or an imaginary plant you make up.) How does the plant sound? (Does it rustle when the wind blows, does it crackle, does it have pods that pop open? Or is it always silent?)

What does it smell like?

What does it taste like? (Unless you are sure a plant is edible, don’t go around tasting plants to find out what they taste like. Use your imagination.)

What does it feel like when you touch it?

What does it look like? (Draw your plant here.)

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booklist For Children & Young Adults:

For Adults Working with Children & Young Adults:

FICTION:

NONFICTION:

The Curious Garden Peter Brown

Square Foot Gardening with Kids Mel Bartholomew

The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Addams Tanya Lee Stone Inside Out and Back Again Thanhha Lai The Ugly Vegetables Grace Lin Lola Plants a Garden Anna McQuinn Grandpa Green Lane Smith My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay Cari Best Wonder R.J. Palacio The Seeds of Friendship Michael Foreman

Adam, an immigrant boy in a big city, is lonely until he sees snow for the first time and starts to play with the neighborhood children. Then when he starts school he gets some seeds and begins to plant them with help from his new friends.

Gardening Lab for Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden Renata Fossen Brown Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect our Planet Harriet Rohmer March: Book One and March: Book Two John Lewis Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History. . .and Our Future! Kate Schatz Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai Claire A. Nivola WEBSITE: KidsGardening* A resource for school and youth gardening since 1982, providing garden grants, research and curriculum. They create opportunities for kids to learn through the garden, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder by providing inspiration, know-how, networking opportunities, and additional educational resources. *All active links can be found on the interactive AAG, at sct.org under the “For Educators” tab.

NONFICTION: Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld


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Seattle Children’s Theatre, which celebrates its 42nd season in 2016-2017, performs September through June in the Charlotte Martin and Eve Alvord theaters at Seattle Center. SCT has gained acclaim as a leading producer of professional theater, educational programs and new scripts for young people. By the end of its 2016-2017 season, SCT will have presented 257 plays, including 111 world premieres, entertaining over 4 million children. return to table of contents?