Teacher Resource and Study Guide for Grades K-6 Disney s The Little Mermaid PACE Center January 19 February 11, 2018 Contents Pre-Show Activities: How to be an audience Theater words Before Seeing the Musical Musical Synopsis Characters & Words from the Musical Post-Show Activities: Musical Review Musical Word Search Post-Show Discussion Magic and Mystery of the Sea Keeping the Ocean Clean 21st century skills of creativity, critical thinking and collaboration are embedded in the process of bringing the page to the stage. Seeing live theater encourages students to read, develop critical and creative thinking and to be curious about the world around them. This Teacher Resource Guide includes background information, questions, and activities that can stand alone or work as building blocks toward the creation of a complete unit of classroom work. www.parkerarts.org Box Office: 303.805.6800 Education: 303.805.3374
How to be a #1 Audience! Here are a few guidelines for being a respectful audience member. Every person has a job to do to make sure the live performance goes on! Here is how you can play your part! 1. Stay sitting in your seat. 2. Keep your hands and feet to yourselves. 3. If the actors ask the audience questions, it s okay to answer! 4. You can laugh when something is funny! 5. Pay attention! Watch and listen carefully to what is going on. 6. Get ready to clap at the end of the show when the actors bow. 7. Have fun, enjoy the show, and be sure to share the story with your parents! The Audience Game Learn the difference between a #1, #2 and #3 audience Teachers, here is a theater game to play with your students. It s a fun way to reinforce what it means to be a #1 listening audience and prepare for watching a play in the theater. #1 Audience is quiet, stays still, and pays attention to what is going on. #2 Audience whispers, fidgets a little, and looks around. #3 Audience talks loudly, moves around, and doesn t really care about what is happening on the stage. After explaining the differences among the different audience behaviors and having your class practice each one, hold up one, two or three fingers to signal which audience the class should pretend to be. Switch from one audience number to another to get the appropriate response. To be tricky, you can hold up the same number finger twice or change numbers really quickly. You can also have students, one at a time, take your place, allowing them to be the leader of the group by holding up fingers and directing the class themselves.
Theater Words! How many theater words and their definitions do you know? Actor a person who uses their mind, body, and voice and pretends to become a character on stage to tell a story Adaptation when a story is changed from one form into another; for example, a book can be changed into a play or movie Applause when audience members clap at the end of the show to thank the actors for a job well done Audience the people who are watching the show Aside a brief remark made by character and intended to be heard by the audience and not by the other characters Audition a brief performance done by actors for the director of a play to decide what role the actor should play Backstage areas intended only for actors and crewmembers behind the stage Blocking - the specific movements of actors on stage Booth small room for crewmembers to manage the technical elements of the play, lighting, sound, and audio Break a leg a superstitious good luck wish exchanged by actors who feel that saying good luck is a jinx Call time at which an actor is supposed to be at rehearsal or performance Calling the Show the process of calling out lighting, sound and scene-change cues during a performance; usually done by a stage manager Character a person in a play created by the playwright and represented by an actor Choreographer the artist in charge of creating the dances and movements used by actors in the play Composer one who writes music Conductor one who directs the orchestra or band Costumes the clothes worn by actors in a play designed to fit the era, mood and personality of the characters Critic a writer who reviews plays Curtain end of a scene or closing of a curtain to end the act or scene Curtain Call the process of actors taking their bows, receiving applause or being reintroduced to the audience at the end of the play Director a person responsible for interpretation of the play and making all final decisions on the production and directs actors how to perform Downstage front area of the stage, nearest to the audience Improvisation to make up as you go along Lyricist one who writes the words to a song Makeup Artist one who applies cosmetics to a performer s face and body Mezzanine the middle section of seats in a theater between the orchestra and the gallery Offstage areas on the stage which are not seen by the audience, where action can take place and be heard by the audience or where actors wait for their entrances Playwright author of a play Plot the story of the play Prop any moveable item used on the set of a play or handled by an actor Proscenium a form of staging in which an arch frames the stage Rehearsal the time period before a play opens involving the practice of the dialogue, movement, or rhythms of the play Script the written words and stage directions created by the playwright Set the background scenery that is on the stage to show where the story takes place Set Designer one who creates the scenery for the stage Sitzprobe the first rehearsal with both the performer and the orchestra, no staging or dancing Sound Board a desk comprising a number of channels where each sound source is provided with its own control channel through which sound signals are routed to change the sound Stage Left side of the stage on the actors left as they face the audience Stage Right side of the stage on the actors right as they face the audience curtain to end the act or scene Technical Rehearsal a rehearsal incorporating the technical elements of a show such as the scene, lighting, sound and special effects Thrust Stage a stage which extends out into the audience area and the audience surrounds the stage on three sides Upstage the part of the stage farthest from the audience. Also means to steal the scene from another actor by moving upstage Wig Master/Mistress one who obtains and customizes wigs for performers to wear Wings the areas offstage right and left hidden from the audience
Before Seeing the Musical The Man Behind the 1837 Story: Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. Andersen from the start was artistic, sensitive, driven, and always fond of stories. Arabian Nights (1704) was a childhood favorite and an important inspiration. He often compared himself to Aladdin and the rags to riches journey. He would become a world-renowned author of some of the most beloved fairytales. Starting school was painful and embarrassing for the boy of seventeen; due to starting late he had to learn among children much younger than he. Eventually Andersen was taken out and tutored in Copenhagen. The hard times of schooling didn t hinder Andersen. He was quite ambitious and unashamed to network himself with people far above his station, age, and success. His first known work of writing was sometime in the early 1820 s. A short, prose, allegory called The Tallow Candle. He selfpublished his first fiction novel in 1829 with Journey on Food from Holmen s Canal. The novel wasn t successful but shows Andersen s determination. Hans Christian Andersen is one of the founding fathers of classic fairytales. He shortly followed Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, who first began collecting old folklore stories in 1806 at 20 years old. (Andersen was born just a year earlier) The Brothers Grimm can boast over 200 short fairytales. Among their classics are Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Hansel and Gretel. In 1837 Andersen, in his third fairytale booklet, would write The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid was published in one of Andersen s booklet of fairytales. This third booklet had only two stories: The Emperor s New Clothes and The Little Mermaid. Andersen s many fairy tale short stories go beyond the child s bedtime-story category that modern audiences often put the classics into. He took from his own experiences, his own fears and put that heart into his stories. Child mortality is a constant theme throughout his stories at a time when infant deaths were rampant. The mortality theme could also be traces of his loss of childhood through witnessing great violence, harsh schooling, and being bullied by other children. He also incorporates lost love and pangs of yearning in a lot of stories. He himself was always yearning for his best friend Edward and living a life of love that was socially nonexistent at that time. His fairytales inspire empathy, curiosity, questions of morality. In 1872 symptoms of liver cancer began to show eventually leading to his death in 1875 on August 4th. Andersen traveled to Italy and Germany, won the Freedom of the City of Odense, met Charles Dickens, and was a Privy Councillor for Copenhagen. He wrote over two hundred fairytales, several novels, autobiographies, travelogues, and over a thousand poems.
Hans Christian Andersen s The Little Mermaid s Plot: Hans Christian Andersen s story of a young mermaid s dream to be on land and desperation to receive the love of a human prince is different from Disney s 2008 musical. Though the setup is somewhat the same, the bulk of the plot and dark German Romanticism ending could come as a shock to those first familiar with Ariel and Prince Eric s happy ending. Andersen paints a beautiful and intricate world down below the surface of the ocean. Sea plants grow like trees and fish swim through them like birds. Humans are unaware of the merpeople s existence. When the youngest daughter of the King of the merpeople turns fifteen, she is allowed to visit the surface for the first time. However, the young mermaid is not only drawn to world unlike her own and a handsome young prince, but desperately wants the human condition that merpeople do not have: a soul. She quickly can tell that the human existence, though shorter and dimmer, is much more valuable and comes with an eternal afterlife. The merpeople live for hundreds of years and live among the most beautiful things of earth, but after three hundred years, they become dust. She saves the fragile life of a human prince and falls in love with him, rescuing him from a wrecked ship and returning him to shore. Sulamith Wulfing was a German artist born in 1901 who was inspired by Andersen s fairy tales. The maiden visits the sea witch and has her tongue cut and drinks a potion that tears her fin apart violently to reveal two legs. She must join the human prince in matrimony to receive a soul or she will be unable to return to her family and become the foam of sea. Though the prince grows fond of the mysterious mute maiden, his heart belongs to the woman who found him on the shore after the mermaid rescued him. They marry. Before the mermaid dies, her sisters appear by the wedding ship and declare that she can still return as a mermaid if she kills the prince with a special dagger the sisters have gotten from the sea witch. The young selfsacrificing mermaid cannot bring herself to do, but throws the dagger into the water, sealing her fate. Instead of turning to foam, she is swept away by The Daughters of Air, where she spends three hundred years bringing winds of grace to children in need, earning the right to a soul. Andersen s mermaid story was inspired by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque s Undine. Andersen s premise is similar but with a more sacrificial ending. Henrik Ibsen, the famous playwright also from Denmark was a great fan of Hans Christian Andersen. His play The Lady from the Sea is also about a mermaid. The show premiered in 1879, four years after Andersen's death. Other Important Works by Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales The Snow Queen (1844) The Ugly Duckling (1843) The Little Match Girl (1845) The Princess and the Pea (1835) The Emperor s New Clothes (1837) The Steadfast Soldier (1938) The Tinder Box (1835) Thumbelina (1835) Non Fiction Pictures of Sweeden The True Story of My Life Novels Improvisatoren (1835) O.T. (1836) Lucky Peer (1870)
The Little Mermaid Musical Synopsis The Little Mermaid opens as a young mermaid named Ariel breaks through the ocean waves to witness the surface above. She is instantly enraptured and feels a sense of belonging in the world above. She returns to her kingdom below, while a ship comes into view. On board, the excited crew sing of the mysteries of the fathoms below. At the helm is Eric, a young prince next in line for the thrown. He doesn t care about the crown but wants to venture into the unknown, free in the sea. We return to Ariel and her dear fish friend, Flounder as they discuss their found human items with a seagull named Scuttle. Ariel is intensely drawn to humans and the land they live on and wants to learn more. Realizing she s late for a music concert held in her father s, King Triton of the merpeople, honor. She rushes back to King Triton s court but is too late. Her six older sisters are over it, her choir teacher (and right-hand-man to the King) Sebastian is distraught, and her father is disappointed. Next we travel deeper into the ocean and into Ursula the Sea Witch s lair. We soon learn that Ursula too was the seventh daughter of the once great king, Poseidon. She was envious of her sisters and wanted the power her father possessed, so she managed to do away with all her sisters. But the throne wouldn t be hers for long, for she had a younger brother, Triton. When he grew into the crown he soon banished the wicked, greedy, witch. Meanwhile, Ariel pines away in her secret cave of human artifacts and dreams of being part of the world above. As she visits the surface again, she sees Prince Eric and falls in love with him. Suddenly a storm hits and the ship crashes. As Eric sinks to his death, Ariel rescues him and leaves him on the beach shore. As he lays unconscious, Ariel sings again of her true desire to be part of his world. As Eric comes to consciousness, he remembers a beautiful voice of someone who saved him, but he doesn t know who. Down below, Ariel s sisters figure out she s in love. Flounder accidentally lets it slip that it s probably that human they saw. While up above, Eric sings of finding her voice and reuniting with his rescuer, Sebastian down below tries to convince Ariel to stay under the sea. But when Triton learns of Ariel s human crush, they fight and he destroys her cave collection. He doesn t understand how she could love a human when it was humans that killed his wife. This pushes Ariel to visit the Sea Witch to find a way to walk on land. Ursula convinces Ariel that she loves to help poor unfortunate souls. In return for giving up her voice, Ariel is granted human legs. She has three days to get the prince to kiss her or her soul will be Ursula s forever. On land, Ariel is weak and excited but worried about her lack of voice to communicate. Prince Eric finds her on the beach and invites her into the palace for clothing and food. Eric and Ariel quickly bond, even without the verbal communication.
Below, Triton worries about his daughter and Ursula worries Ariel will get that kiss after-all. We learn of her plan to win Ariel s soul and by doing so, win over Triton and the power over the seas. Sebastian steps in and tries to set the mood to encourage Eric to kiss the girl. Ursula intervenes, disrupting the kiss. Then it s time for Eric s ball, organized by Grimsby (Eric s right-hand-man). The ball is actually a singing contest to try to find the voice of the girl who saved the prince and whom Eric cannot shake from his mind. As princess after princess sing their heart out, Eric grows weary. Then Ariel steps up and dances for Eric, her eyes brimming with love. Eric doesn t care about the voice anymore, he has fallen in love with Ariel. But before he can kiss Ariel the sun turns red and Ursula snatches up Ariel, turning her back into a mermaid and dragging her deep into the sea. Triton comes to his daughter s rescue but he sees it s too late. He gives his trident and power over to Ursula in exchange for Ariel s soul. Ursula confesses to the murder of Triton s wife. Triton is captured and Ursula had control over the seas, until Ariel breaks her dark magic shell, killing Ursula. Ariel and her father reunite and ask for forgiveness. They now understand one another and Triton gives his blessing for Prince Eric to marry Ariel so that they may live happily ever after. Characters from the Musical The Sea Ariel: a mermaid, King Triton s youngest daughter Flounder: a fish, Ariel s best friend Scuttle: a seagull, expert in human artifacts King Triton: King of the Sea Sebastian: a crab, advisor to King Triton Mersisters (Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana): daughters of King Triton Windward & Leeward: trumpet fish, heralds in King Triton s court The Land Prince Eric: a human monarch Grimsby: guardian of Prince Eric Pilot: helmsman of Prince Eric s ship Chef Louis: the Palace chef, a culinary perfectionist Chefs: sous staff of Chef Louis Princesses: potential mates for Prince Eric Maids, Sailors, Animals Ursula: the Sea Witch, sister of King Triton Flotsam & Jetsam: eels, lackeys to Ursula Sea Creatures, Gulls
Words from the Musical Starboard: the side of a ship that is on the right when one is facing forward Fathoms: a unit of length equal to six feet, chiefly used in reference to the depth of water Poseidon: in Greek mythology, the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, brother of Zeus Crustacean: an arthropod of the aquatic group Crustacea, such as crab, lobster, shrimp, or barnacle Roustabout: an unskilled or casual laborer, also a deckhand Errant: straying from the proper course or standards Crinolines: a stiff fabric made of horsehair and cotton or linen thread, often used for petticoats Egads: expressing surprise or anger Rigging: the system of ropes, cables, or chains employed to support a ship's masts (standing rigging) and to control or set the yards and sails (running rigging) Sirens: in Greek mythology a number of women or winged creatures whose singing lured unwary sailors onto rocks. The Bends: a decompression sickness describes as a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurisation. Sashimi: a Japanese dish of bite-sized pieces of raw fish eaten with soy sauce and wasabi paste Lox: liquid oxygen Coloratura: elaborate ornamentation of a vocal melody, especially in operatic singing by a soprano
Write your own Musical Review! A reviewer s job is to see a play and write about what they liked and what they did not like. Now it is your turn to write or draw a review and share your ideas! Parker Arts Press Who was your favorite character and why? Hot off the press! Read the latest review by: Teachers, if you would like to share your students reviews, you can mail them to: PACE Center, Attn: Education, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave. Parker, CO 80138 We look forward to reading them!
The Little Mermaid Word Search O T J I Z T X N R I Q K V K G N K P Y J G P N G C A E T C A A R Y U Z O I T L I D E N M A R K A R P H N U M L T E D Y X M H G R I B S A R I E L W T S I U U P H B Y S S H H Y L Y P P C Q R X R R N Q Q I P H R M I M E G G P U A B X T M D W G N Q A A K M R D N G S O R L Z R S I G C Y E N K M R I W C S G V C S N U A N K D N J T F K A T T T F I G P M U N W E P I O I R U M N Q L X E B D C G N L H D I U A P F R U L J E K L X X I O C R A V C T K E E S I P F J J X O W T H W E T Q D I U M L R V A P U F V U X G A J D T B S G V L A A N E K N E M Z E T H S N E O A M K O B C T P F D P I O R M K P U R H T G C P I O E Y U Q I G M Y L B X O I L W F M X F C I O R I C K T C L Z N L C Q L B E E N Z E Z O I S N K L D J T F U X Y X S I T A G R A T A B G R P R K I L S V W Y M A Z U S M O M F R W X D U M L P J Y The Little Mermaid Word Search ARIEL FAIRY TALE UNDINE ASHMAN FLOUNDER URSULA ATARGATIS MENKEN VOICE DENMARK MERMAID DISNEY SIREN ERIC TRITON
Post Show Discussion Use the following prompts as conversation starters with your students. The Production 1. Review the expectations about the set, costumes, lighting, and sound that you had for production. Were the design elements what you expected? Why or why not? 2. What do you think were the strengths of the production? What were the weaknesses? 3. Think about the different people who were involved in the production. You may want to consult the show program for a listing of the various theatre personnel. Are there any particular positions that appeal to you? What educational background, skills and abilities might you need to fill this role? How might you go about learning more about this type of position? The Characters & Story 1. Discuss the main characters in The Little Mermaid. How is their worldview, or outlook on life, of each different from each other or from your own? Similar? 2. Do you think Ariel s actions throughout the show are brave? Dangerous? Foolish? Selfish? Selfless? 3. What is the progression of Ariel and King Triton s relationship throughout the musical? What could they learn from each other? Do you relate to Ariel and Triton s relationship in regards to your own relationship to your parent(s)? 4. Though The Little Mermaid is a Disney fairytale, how is the story universal? 5. What do you think is the central theme, or message, of the play? The Music 1. What moments or songs do you find replaying in your mind? 2. How did the songs move the plot forward? 3. If you ve seen the Disney film, what did you think of the new songs added in for the musical? Reflect & Connect 1. What does finding your voice mean for you? 2. What dreams are you chasing? Who or what is preventing you from chasing that dream? 3. Read Hans Christian Andersen s The Little Mermaid. What are differences that you appreciated from his fairytale compared to the musical? What are differences you did not appreciate? 4. Watch the Disney film The Little Mermaid. Did Disney enhance or detract the classic story of Ariel?
The Magic and Mystery of the Sea Humans have always been in awe of the sea. We have always needed the sea for navigation, trade and food but we have always feared it. Traveling on the ocean is quite safe today, but in ancient times, a sudden storm or lack of wind could mean a death sentence. Because the sea was so vast yet so necessary, many myths and legends sprung up around its watery mysteries. From the ancient Biblical story of Jonah and the whale to the legends of the Bermuda Triangle, from stories such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to movies such as Jaws, the sea continues to flood our imaginations with hope and fear. Below find information about the different myths of the sea you ll encounter in The Little Mermaid and folklore: Triton - Triton was a Greek god of the sea. The son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, god and goddess of the ocean, Triton was usually shown with a powerful upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. Triton s weapon of choice was his trident, a three-pronged spear. The sound of his twisted conch shell could calm the waves or raise mighty storms. Mermaids - Throughout history, sailors have spoken of mysterious creatures with the head and torso of a human and the tail of a fish who live in beautiful cities beneath the waves. Famous explorers like Christopher Columbus and Henry Hudson wrote about encounters with mermaids in their logs. Hudson wrote, One of our company, looking overboard, saw a mermaid her body as big as one of us; her skin very white and black hair hanging down behind they saw her tail, like the tail of a porpoise (The New York Times, November 4, 1888). Mermaids were known for their great beauty and their love of song. Sailors told of mermaids sunning themselves on rocks, while ships passing by would hear their sweet-sounding melodies. Their songs would make men fall in love, or drive them mad. Over the centuries, many countries and cultures have created their own mermaid myths: Mami Wata - an African water spirit often shown as a mermaid, can bring good luck, or if crossed, may cause fatal drowning! Yawkyawks Aboriginal people of Australia told tales of these mermaids who would grow legs and walk among humans at night.
The Native American Shawneo people believed that a half-man, half-fish with two tails had led their ancestors across the water from Asia to North America. Merrows Irish mermaids who were able to live underwater by wearing magical caps. Today many believe that what sailors saw were not mermaids but manatees, huge marine mammals also known as sea cows. While it may seem strange to imagine these creatures mistaken for beautiful women with the tails of fish, put yourself in a sailor s shoes. At sea for months, or years, sailors who were hungry, thirsty, and certainly lonely were ripe for fantastic stories of ladies of the ocean and water spirits. Suddenly looking out at the ocean, they may see a head peak out of the water with soulful eyes and a body with a huge tail. Perhaps the creature s head is covered with seaweed, resembling long hair. Under these circumstances, it s understandable that the myth of the mermaid was born. Epic Sea Monsters - In The Little Mermaid, Ursula is a monster octopus and threatens Prince Eric s ship. For ancient sailors, the sea could be a deadly place. Myths of horrific sea monsters were formed to explain ship wrecks and disappearances. Scylla and Charybdis As described in Homer s epic poem, The Odyssey, these two monsters would haunt the Strait of Messina leading into Sicily, Italy. Scylla was a six-headed man-eating monster. Charybdis was a huge whirlpool that could swallow a ship whole. Sailors had a hard time navigating between these two sea monsters. The Kraken the horrible squid-like creature that hunted Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies originated from an old sea legend of a huge tentacle-monster that would rise out of the sea to bring ships down to the deep. The Sirens In The Little Mermaid, Prince Eric is enchanted by Ariel s beautiful singing voice, but in Greek mythology, the Sirens half-birds, half-women would use their seductive songs to distract sailors, causing them to run their ships against jagged rocks.
Keeping the Ocean Clean Isn t this perfection, Grimsby? Out on the open sea, surrounded by nothing but water Prince Eric. In The Little Mermaid, water is a means of trade, transportation, adventure and, especially for the mermaids, survival. The ocean contains rich and vital ecosystems. Entire communities literally live off the bounty of the sea, and close to one billion people around the world depend on the ocean for nutrition. Yet the ocean is not an inexhaustible resource, and despite their importance to us, marine resources are being abused. Overfishing and pollution are in danger of destroying the precious balance of the world s ocean. The ocean is an important part of the circle of life, as they say in The Lion King. Pollutants that are put down the drain, into the earth or let loose in the air eventually reach the open sea and can cause damage to marine life, sea birds and human beings. Wherever you live, even in a land-locked area, you depend on the sea. We are the stewards of our natural resources; it s up to us to protect the ocean and the creatures in it after all, we are a part of their world. Impact a Part of Your World : Make a Difference: volunteer your time or donate to an organization that works to protect ocean and coastal habitats. DON T TRASH WHERE YOU SPLASH! Appreciate Your Ocean and Coasts: enjoy the ocean, waterways and shorelines. But remember that these recreation areas are a fragile home to many plants and animals. Respect Your Ocean and Coasts: recycle, reduce and reuse. Keep trash and plastics off waterfronts and in trash cans. Educate Yourself: investigate how the ocean impacts your school or community from drainage issues and recycling to cafeteria fish sticks! Read about special ocean areas like national marine sanctuaries and share what you know.
Specific Action Steps - Here s how to help: Encourage students to adopt ecologically sustainable practices at home, school, in the general community, and along the coast and in the ocean. Partner with other schools in your watershed to develop collaborative conservation projects and information exchanges. Work with your local community to promote the use of re-useable bags in place of plastic bags that have the potential to become marine debris and injure marine and other wildlife. Clearly mark school and local storm water drains with suitable signs, such as This drain leads to the ocean. Ocean terminology: Conserve: to prevent waste or loss of; to use or manage (natural resources) wisely; preserve; save. Ecosystem: an ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit (e.g. coral reef ecosystems). Habitat: the natural environment of an organism; place that is natural for the life and growth of an Organism. Marine Sanctuary: a place that provides protection to part or all of the plants, creatures or cultural resources. Ocean: the vast body of salt water that covers almost three fourths of the Earth s surface. Watershed: the region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water. Inexhaustible: that cannot be entirely consumed or used up. Steward: a guardian or protector Protect your ocean friends by putting trash in its place not in the ocean. Help out in a beach clean-up and always leave the environment in better condition than you found it.