Education Pack 2017/2018

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2 Education Pack 2017/2018 Contents About the Everyman Theatre Introduction Upcoming Events What is Pantomime? A Brief History of Pantomime Pantomime Characters Pantomime Traditions The Story of Aladdin National Star College The Pantomime Timeline Activities and Exercises: Be a Dramatist Be a Designer Be an Actor Writing Exercises Maths Exercises Panto Students Competition Page

3 About the Everyman Theatre The Everyman is Gloucestershire's theatre - and has been serving the county (and beyond) since Our main auditorium is an architectural masterpiece designed by Frank Matcham that has inspired generations of performers. The common thread throughout the many years has always been our relationship with our audience - a relationship that we treasure. The Everyman presents a wide range of productions, including ballet, opera, drama, dance, comedy, music events and our traditional family pantomime, as well as many community projects, education workshops and youth theatre sessions. Whether you are coming to the Everyman for a show, a workshop or even to dine or drink in our café, bar or restaurant, we would like to warmly welcome you and hope you return many times. The Everyman Theatre s Pantomime has become an annual tradition with over 43,000 people seeing last year s production of Dick Whittington and his Cat. The Everyman Theatre welcomes many touring companies throughout the year, providing a diverse range of shows and events, as well as producing an in-house production each year. Our recent in-house productions have included Quartet, A Passionate Woman, Mrs Warren s Profession, Beatrix Potter and the Tailor of Gloucester, Will Harvey s War, Cider with Rosie and Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie. 2

4 Ruth Betteridge, Mark Roper and Tweedy in Dick Whittington and His Cat (2017) Introduction For many young people, Pantomime is the first experience of Live Theatre, and can be very different from anything they have experienced before. An enthralling first theatre experience can leave a lasting impression, and create a lifelong love of theatre. This Education Pack is designed to help introduce young people to the stories, ideas and traditions that they can expect from a visit to the pantomime. All of the ideas and activities are constructed to be used before, after or independently from a visit to see the show, and can be used either individually or as a whole. The pack contains various engaging activities including creative writing, drama exercises, group work and games centred on this year s pantomime Aladdin. This year s pack is sponsored by Flying Tiger Copenhagen (Regent Arcade). Flying Tiger Copenhagen is a global award-winning Danish design store with a strong desire to surprise and inspire and make you smile. Their lines encourage play, creativity and social interaction, all at astonishingly low prices. Flying Tiger Copenhagen are providing 25 vouchers to spend instore for the winners of the competition on pages I hope that this pack is useful to you, and helps your students immerse themselves in the weird and wonderful world of Pantomime. We would be delighted to hear any feedback on this Education Pack, or on this year s production, so please feel free to get in touch with me at joe.hackett@everymantheatre.org.uk. Best wishes, Joe Hackett Digital Marketing Manager 3

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6 What is Pantomime? Pantomime is a unique British tradition commonly found in theatres up and down the UK throughout the winter period. In fact, Pantomime has become a British institution but its origins are from beyond British shores. The Pantomime we see today can be distinguished by its dramatisation of a classic fairytale told through the use of eccentric characters and absurd situations. It s a place where men dress as women and women dress as men, where good triumphs over evil and the audience are as much a part of the action as the pantomime cow, the beanstalk or the magic beans. The stories are told with a gigantic emotional heart through the use of acting, song, dance and intriguing illusions and magic. Where do the stories come from? Most well-known Pantomimes are based on Fairytales, well-known versions of which are often influenced by Charles Perrault s collection of Traditional Fairytales published in Perrault didn t make up the stories, but he did give them the names that we know and love today. The Everyman Theatre produces a canon of the five most popular stories: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington and Aladdin. Can you think of any other stories which could be turned into Pantomimes? Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty was a popular melodrama when it began, but morphed into a traditional panto in Possibly the trickiest story to tell due to the 100 year gap in the story between the Princess birthday where she pricks her finger and the Prince coming to save her. Cinderella First performed in 1804, Cinderella is the most popular panto story. The main rags to riches story has been told for hundreds of years. The first version is believed to come from China, more than 1,100 years ago. In an Egyptian version from the 2 nd Century AD an eagle takes the sandal of Rhodope while she is bathing. The eagle takes the sandal to the Pharoah, who vows to marry whomever fits the sandal. He searches all of Egypt until he finds Rhodope. Perrault s story gives the name Cinderella, and introduces the pumpkin, glass slippers and the Fairy Godmother. The Brothers Grimm did a gruesome take on the story where the Ugly Sisters are so desperate to marry the Prince that they cut off bits of their feet to fit into the shoe! Jack and the Beanstalk Jack and the Beanstalk was first performed as a pantomime at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in A version of the play from 1859 is almost unrecognisable to the story we know today, except for the moment that Jack grows a beanstalk up to the sky. Jack was a hero of many English folk stories, including Jack Sprat, Little Jack Horner, Jack the Giant Killer and Jack Frost. Dick Whittington A Gloucestershire favourite because of its local background, Dick Whittington is particularly fascinating because it is based on real characters. Richard Whittington was born in 1354 in Pauntley. He left home for London at 14 where he was trained by John Fitzwarryn. In 1382, Dick married Alice Fitzwarryn (and they actually had a cook named Sarah perhaps the inspiration for the Dame in Dick Whittington). In 1397, following the death of the Mayor, Richard II appointed Dick to complete the Mayor s tenure. He was very popular and was re-elected in 1398, 1406 and Aladdin Aladdin was first performed on Boxing Day in 1788 and is the second most performed panto. It comes from a collection of stories called The Arabian Nights which is full of adventure and memorable things like a genie, flying carpets, an evil magician and a cave full of treasure. The story originated in Syrian folklore, but was made popular in 18 th Century Europe by French writer Antoine Galland. 5

7 A Brief History of Pantomime Pantomime began first as a performance known as a harlequinade using stock characters drawn from the Italian commedia dell arte a tradition of masked, slapstick comedy. These performances were wordless, as the theatres where they were played were unlicensed to stage spoken drama. And it is this silence that put the mime into pantomime. Charles Perrault wrote a small book of eight fairy tales in 1697 called Stories or Tales from Times Past, with Morals, with the added title, Tales of Mother Goose. In the little book were the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb and Cinderella. They are all popular pantomimes to this day! Most pantomime stories, including those in Perrualt s book, come from traditional folktales or fairytales. The first official pantomimes were written in the 1850 s, with writers Henry James Byron and James Robinson Planché developing the style we know today which incorporated puns and word play. The Aladdin story was added to the collection by a French translator, Antoine Galland, in the early eighteenth century. Although Galland heard the tale from an Arabian storyteller, the Aladdin story is firmly set in China (so not the Middle East at all, but the Far East). How many Pantomime stories can you think of? Can you think of any stories or fairytales you know which would make good pantomimes? How would you change the story to make them work as a Pantomime? What other information can you find out about the origins and history of Pantomime? 6

8 Pantomime Characters Traditional Pantomimes are easily recognisable nowadays for their use of stock characters, scenes and audience participation. In the story of Aladdin, you will be able to spot all the typical pantomime characters such as: The Principal Boy In traditional pantomime, the principal boy was played by a female actor, although in recent years many pantomimes cast a male actor. The principal boy is brave, heroic and adventurous. They will often be drawn into a quest to rescue the heroine of the story, defeating the villain along the way. Principal Boy characters include Dick Whittington, Jack, Aladdin and Prince Charming. The Dame An older female character played by a man, who is usually very comic and over the top. The best Pantomime Dames are recognisable as men playing a woman, rather than a man attempting to pass as a woman. Jack Tripp, a well known and experienced Dame, said that he should be clearly seen as a nice man being a nice lady. The role of the Dame has increased over the years. Where the Dame would originally have worn a hat and shawl throughout the performance, the actor may now have up to 15 costume changes! Dame characters include Widow Twankey in Aladdin, Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk and Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington. The Heroine Traditionally the heroine was girlish and innocent, and often becomes a Princess at the end of the story. In recent years, Pantomimes have moved more with the times and the heroines have been updated to be individual, powerful female characters that can affect the story and save the day for themselves. In the Everyman Theatre s Sleeping Beauty in 2014, Princess Aurora rescued the Prince, slayed the dragon and saved the day, turning the traditional story on its head. The Comic Every pantomime has a silly character that tries to help the Hero or Heroine, but gets everything wrong along the way. They are normally the Dame s child and need a lot of help from the audience during the show. The Comic Character is often played by professional comedians or clowns. 7

9 The Villain Every Fairytale and Pantomime story has a bad character that the Hero or Heroine has to defeat to save the day. The Villains are often driven by greed and a desire for power, and usually either use bad magic or are in some way grotesque. In Sleeping Beauty and Aladdin the Villains are often characters who possess magic powers who long for power over the kingdom. In Dick Whittington, King Rat vies for control over London with Dick. In Cinderella, the villains are usually the Ugly Sisters who are also Dames, which makes them comic and monstrous at the same time. In Jack and the Beanstalk, the ultimate Villain is a Giant who sends his henchman to steal from the villagers, and threatens to grind men s bones to make his bread. The Good Fairy/Genie In every Pantomime story, the Hero has a magic helper, who guides them on their journey and provides some helping magic. Most stories have a Good Fairy, who uses their powers to support the Hero and help to save the day. In Aladdin, a Genie (either of the Lamp or of the Ring) helps Aladdin pretend to be a Prince to be eligible to meet the Sultan and his daughter, the Princess. The Genie also helps to defeat the evil Abanazar. In Pantomime tradition, the Good Fairy will always enter from Stage Right (the left as the audience look at it) and the Villain will always enter from Stage Left. The Good Fairy always wears a very sparkly, glittering costume and often has a tiara or embellished jewellery. 8

10 Pantomime Traditions Pantomime is a show for all the family, and there are lots of elements to appeal to all ages. A Pantomime should be fun, involving and entertaining and should encourage lots of audience interaction including characters coming into the auditorium, shout-outs, songs, sing-alongs and much more! Some of the elements you should expect to see in the Pantomime are: The Slosh Scene During the Pantomime, there is usually a very messy scene called the Slosh scene. This is a scene where the Dame and the Comic character, and maybe one or two others, make a lot of mess on stage usually making a cake, or decorating. The scene can take any form, but the aim is to get as messy as possible! Audience Participation The audience is encouraged to shout out responses to lines from the show. These can include He s behind you!, Oh yes it is/oh no it isn t and often shouting the name of the Comic Character to get their attention. The audience is also encouraged to boo the villain whenever they enter, exit or do something bad. It s important to remind younger audience members not to just shout for the whole performance otherwise they might miss something! Sing-along Song At the end of the play, the Dame and the Comic Character will come out and sing a short section of one of the songs from the Pantomime. They will encourage the audience to sing along and join in with the actions. Often this song will lead to a competition to see which half of the audience is the loudest. The Walk Down When the Pantomime has finished, the actors will perform a walk down and take a bow to show that the show has reached its conclusion. The characters will then say a short conclusion before reprising a few numbers from the show. The walk down is a more fun, vibrant version of a normal Curtain Call which happens at the end of a play, and is usually set at the wedding of the Hero and Heroine, so expect lavish, colourful costumes and lots of smiles. Animals Every pantomime has a lot of animal characters Jack and the Beanstalk has the cow, Dick Whittington has many rats, Cinderella has horses, mice, rats and a lizard. The animals are a good opportunity to showcase the abilities of the younger dancers in the Pantomime. The Spectacle Scene The Everyman Theatre s Pantomimes have at least one show-stopping scene. In recent years, Cinderella s kitchen transformed into a magical carriage with moving horses, Aladdin took Princess Jasmine for a high-flying ride over Old Peking on his Magic Carpet, and Dick Whittington dove into the sea to fight a Giant Squid. The scenes are spectacular to watch and are enjoyed by all. 9

11 Aladdin The Story In the traditional story, Aladdin is an impoverished young street urchin, dwelling in "one of the cities of China". He is recruited by a sorcerer from the Maghreb, who passes himself off as the brother of Aladdin's late father, convincing Aladdin and his mother of his good will by pretending to set up the lad as a wealthy merchant. The sorcerer's real plan is to persuade young Aladdin to retrieve a wonderful oil lamp from a booby-trapped magic cave. After the sorcerer attempts to trick him, Aladdin finds himself trapped in the cave. Aladdin is still wearing a magic ring the sorcerer has lent him. When he rubs his hands in despair, he inadvertently rubs the ring and a genie appears who releases him from the cave so that he can return to his mother still carrying the lamp. When his mother tries to clean the lamp, so they can sell it to buy food for their supper, a second far more powerful genie appears who is bound to do the bidding of the person holding the lamp. With the aid of the genie of the lamp, Aladdin becomes rich and powerful and marries Princess Badroulbadour, the sultan's daughter (after magically foiling her marriage to the vizier's son). The genie builds Aladdin and his bride a wonderful palace, far more magnificent than the sultan's. The sorcerer hears of Aladdin's good fortune, and returns; he gets his hands on the lamp by tricking Aladdin's wife (who is unaware of the lamp's importance) by offering to exchange "new lamps for old". He orders the genie of the lamp to take the palace, along with all its contents, to his home in the Maghreb. Aladdin still has the magic ring and is able to summon the lesser genie. The genie of the ring cannot directly undo any of the magic of the genie of the lamp, but he is able to transport Aladdin to the Maghreb where, with the help of the princess he recovers the lamp and slays the sorcerer, returning the palace to its proper place. The sorcerer's more powerful and evil brother plots to destroy Aladdin for killing his brother by disguising himself as an old woman known for her healing powers. Badroulbadour falls for his disguise and commands the woman to stay in her palace in case of any illnesses. Aladdin is warned of this danger by the genie of the lamp and slays the imposter. Everyone lives happily ever after, Aladdin eventually succeeding to his father-in-law's throne. 10

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13 Behind the Scenes: Making a Panto - The Pantomime Timeline Producing a Pantomime is a year-long process, which involves lots of planning and preparation. Everything needs to be co-ordinated and organised well before the opening night, to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible. January This year s pantomime story is selected The Writer, Director and Designers are hired February The writer begins to write the script March Tickets go on sale to schools and group bookers, before going on sale to the public Some Lead performers are cast April The first Pantomime advert goes in the Brochure The first draft of the script is submitted May A Production Meeting takes place, where the production team discuss the styles and themes of the show. The costume and set design begins June Casting Calls are issued for the main cast July Main cast auditions take place August Final casting is announced September The Writer, Director and Designers have a production meeting to discuss set and costume designs October Cast receive their contracts Items are found to go in the Pantomime Goody bags Pantomime adverts begin to appear in local press, magazines and on buses. Pantomime workshop practitioners are hired and trained Most of the songs are decided November Rehearsals start Pantomime Workshop practitioners start visiting schools The Pantomime opens on the last weekend December The Pantomime is performed on 27 out of 31 days The theatre closes for one day on Christmas Day 12

14 Be a Dramatist When we see a play the story is told to us by living characters on stage in dialogue form. The role of a Dramatist is to take the story and turn it into a play that people can sit and watch. 1. What are the problems encountered by the dramatist when adapting a story for the stage? 2. Why is it not enough just to use words as spoken in the story? 3. Tell the story of the pantomime from the point of view of different characters. 4. Imagine that you are one of the following characters and write a letter: 1. As Aladdin at the start of the story, talking about what he would do if he were rich. 2. As Aladdin at the end of the story, writing advice to his younger self. 3. As Abanazar to Aladdin, convincing him to enter the Cave of Wonders. 5. Write a poem based on the characters of the pantomime. First map out words or make up a word bank. Then use one of the following ways to write a poem: A narrative poem with rhymes A shape poem, for example in the shape of the genie s lamp An alliterative poem using words which begin with the same letter An acrostic poem, with the first letter of each line spelling out the word ALADDIN You could collect these poems into a class book with illustrations, or send them to the Everyman Theatre where we will display them. 6. Write a sequel to Aladdin. 7. Write a fairy story as a class on the computer, adding a sentence each. 13

15 Be a Designer The role of a Designer is to take the story on the page and give it a visual style. The Designer needs to make everything work together, as well as creating costumes which suit each character s personality. We associate colours with meanings and feelings, and this is an important part of costume design. Fill in the table below with a word that you associate to each colour. Colour Meaning Example: Blue Example: Sad / Calm / Cold Red Blue Green Yellow White Black Brown Purple Choose a character from Aladdin. What do you think they are like as a person? Choose 5 adjectives (describing words) which suit the character you have chosen: Is the character you have chosen a Good Character or a Bad Character? Good Character Bad Character Pick 3 colours which best describe your character

16 Use the colours you have chosen to design a costume for your character. Here are some costume examples: We d love to see your designs, so please feel free to send them to: Joe Hackett, Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ 15

17 Be an Actor Acting for a Pantomime is all about playing up the characters as big as possible, making them larger than life and exaggerated. KS1 Acting Exercises: 1) Describing Words Say the name of a character and have the group suggest describing words try to encourage words which describe the character s personality, avoiding words about appearance which can be subjective. Choose two or three words and ask the group to show that word with their body. Encourage them to think about different ways of showing a word so that there are different examples. This exercise should encourage physicality and thinking about how to display emotions through gesture. 2) Still Images Split the class into smaller groups of 4 or 5. Give the groups a moment from the story Aladdin entering the Cave of Wonders, Aladdin arriving at the Palace disguised as a prince, A flying carpet ride and have the group create still images which show the moment you have given. Encourage them to see how the same moment can be shown in different ways. KS2 Acting Exercises: 1) Role Play Split the class into groups of 3 or 4 and assign characters who could reasonably exist on the edge of the story of the pantomime. Have the group create a short scene where they act as those characters having a conversation about an event of the play Townsfolk talking about the legend of the Cave of Wonders, People in the street witnessing the Princess procession going by, Residents of a village seeing a flying carpet in the air overhead. Encourage the group to think outside the story and think how they would react in the situation. 2) Dumb Show Cover the story with the group to ensure they understand the basic outline. Split the class into groups of 5 or 6 and have them act out a silent version of the pantomime. Make sure that they make it clear which character they are playing through their physicality and facial expression. This exercise will help the children to understand how exaggeration and gesture are used to create comedy and larger-than-life characters. 16

18 Write to the Theatre Writing Exercises At the Everyman Theatre, we would love to hear back from you about your experience at the Pantomime. Try writing a formal letter to the Everyman Theatre and send it in to: Joe Hackett Digital Marketing Manager Everyman Theatre Regent Street Cheltenham GL50 1HQ The address of the person you are writing to should go in the top left corner. Your address, or your class and school, should go on the right alongside the first address. Slightly underneath, on the left, should be the greeting (Dear Sir/Madam if you don t know who you re writing to, or Dear putting in the person s name if you know it) In the main section of the letter, start with why you are writing, and then write details about your thoughts of the show these can be good or not so good, we like any kind of feedback! At the end of your letter, remember to sign off correctly. If you don t know who you re writing to (Dear Sir/Madam) sign off with Yours faithfully. If you know the name of the person (i.e. Joe Hackett) the letter should end with Yours sincerely Send us a Postcard Alternatively, print this page on a piece of card and make your own postcard to send to the theatre, using the template below. 17

19 KS1 WRITING EXERCISES Rhyming Game Some characters in the pantomime speak in rhyme. Fill in the story below choosing which words best rhyme and finish each line: Aladdin is a poor young, Who lives here in the His future could be pretty Unless he turns it upside. Choose from the words below: Down Lad Bad Town KS2 WRITING EXERCISES Be a Critic A critic is a person who comes to see a show and writes a Review, which tells people whether the show is worth seeing or not. A good critic can cover the basic story and sum up the production the good things and the things which can be improved clearly and understandably, without being mean or insulting specific people or areas of the production. 1) Try writing a review for a show you ve been to see/ for the Pantomime - Make sure you tell the reader: the name of the show and where it is on; a brief outline of the story; what you liked; who the best people in the show were; what you would maybe have liked to see; how long the show is on for. Write about a Pantomime Experience Think about your visit to the Pantomime. Remember how the stage was lit, what the costumes were like, how many backdrops there were, what food and drink you could see on sale. Now imagine that you are a child from 100 years ago. Think about how a visit to the theatre would have been different 100 years ago. Write a short story about visiting the theatre remember to talk about what you can see, hear and smell, what the atmosphere is like. Try not to talk about the Modern Day, and only talk about what a child 100 years ago would see and understand. 18

20 KS1 Exercises Audience Numbers Maths Exercises a) The Stalls (Ground Floor) can seat 20 people, and the Circle (First Floor) can seat 30 people. How many people can be seated altogether? b) A teacher has a class of 12 children, and two Staff Helpers. If the class is split equally between the three adults, how many children is each adult responsible for? KS2 Exercise Producing a Pantomime Budget Staging a pantomime is an expensive business. The amount of money available in the budget determines what a Creative Team can and can t afford. Use the table below to work out the budget for your own show. Your students will need to choose either the Basic, Standard or Best option for each heading, and put the cost for the chosen level in the Budget Choice column. Having the different amounts will force learners to make critical decisions about what their production will prioritise to make it come within budget. It is important to note that none of these options create a Bad show, but the more expensive options will be the most reliable, most crowdpleasing options. The budget for your Pantomime is 100,000. Good Luck! ITEM BASIC STANDARD BEST BUDGET CHOICE Writer 4,000 6,000 8,000 Director 5,000 8,000 10,000 Musical Director 4,000 6,000 8,000 Musicians 10,000 15,000 20,000 Choreographer 2,000 3,000 4,000 Principal Cast 10,000 15,000 20,000 Ensemble Cast/Dancers 4,000 6,000 8,000 Technical Team 5,000 8,000 10,000 Stage Set 9,000 12,000 18,000 Costumes 7,500 10,000 15,000 Props 2,000 4,000 6,000 Stage Effects 1,000 2,500 5,000 Lighting Equipment 5,000 10,000 15,000 Sound Equipment 4,000 7,500 10,000 Marketing 1,000 4,000 7,500 TOTAL 19

21 Competition Time! Sponsored by To enter the competition, complete all the exercises on Page 20 and 21, fill in the entry slip at the bottom of page 22 and post the two competition pages only to: Joe Hackett, Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ. The competition winner will be drawn from a Lucky Dip at the end of the Pantomime. The winning student will win a Family Ticket to the opening night of next year s Pantomime, as well as 25 worth of vouchers to spend at Flying Tiger Copenhagen (Regent Arcade)! The competition is only open to students from schools who have booked to see this year s pantomime. Please ensure the school name and year group are entered on the entry slip at the bottom of page 21. Crossword ACROSS Aladdin flies through the sky on his & 4 across (5) 4. Aladdin flies through the sky on his 1 across & (6) 6. Widow Twankey runs her laundromat in 8 down & (6) 7. Aladdin is this type of show (9) 9. Aladdin s Mother is called & 3 down (5) L DOWN 2. The hero of our story (7) 3. Aladdin s Mother is called & 9 across (7) 5. The genie is trapped inside a magic (4) 8. Widow Twankey runs her laundromat in & 6 across (3) Word Jumble VACE FO DNEWORS INMETOMAP EIENG CERPISNS TIRPSI FO ETH GIRN BRAINAA THINGS 20

22 Wordsearch Z N P C W O N D E R A B A N A Z A R G T N V L M V Y B O W E I D A O Y C G E I P H Y D B A R E N M R C N D I D D E P O A V Z I E Y G E V A C P A N T O M I M E B PANTOMIME CHINA CARPET GENIE ABANAZAR ALADDIN EVERYMAN TWEEDY CAVE WONDER Draw Your Own Royal Palace What does your Royal Palace look like? Name: School & Class: Return to Joe Hackett, Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ 21