Teachers Resource Pack Friday 9 December 2011 to Sunday 15 January 2012 1
Welcome! Welcome to the New Victoria Theatre Teacher Resource Pack for First Family Entertainment s Peter Pan! The classic J. M. Barrie adventure story Peter Pan, has thrilled many generations of children for years, captivating them with the tale of a boy who never grows up. This year the New Victoria Theatre presents Peter Pan the pantomime, featuring all the swashbuckling excitement of J. M. Barrie s original, with the added pizzazz of a top quality pantomime. Full of special effects, superb sets, amazing flying, sumptuous costumes, lots of humour and a good helping of fairydust, Peter Pan will be sure to keep your pupils on the edge of their seats! This pack will help you link your traditional end of term Christmas treat to exciting projects back in the classroom so that you and your pupils gain more from the experience. We have included a variety of background information and follow-up activities for further exploration of the story themes. The pack is written with particular focus on Key Stage 1 and 2 National Curriculum and the National Literacy Strategy, although it can be adapted to a range of ages and abilities. We hope you find it useful. New Victoria Theatre Team 2
Contents Page 4. The History and Traditions of Pantomime Page 5. The Story of Peter Pan Page 6. Characters Page 7. A History of Peter Pan Page 8. Exploring Neverland Page 9. More Practical Activities Page 11. Resources 3
The History and Traditions of Pantomime Pantomime is a traditional musical-comedy show performed at Christmas time. Here at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, we have had a pantomime every year since we opened in 1992, playing to thousands of children and families each year. Pantomime is generally believed to have stemmed from the 16 th century Italian tradition of Commedia dell Arte. These were very physical shows performed by a comedy of professional artists or travelling actors, who told a repertoire of stories using mime, music, dance, acrobatics and slapstick. Commedia dell Arte made its way across Europe to Britain where it became very popular. The form was developed to include more comedy, cultural references and used many theatrical effects to wow the audiences of the time. In 1717 the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane opened what is now recognised as the first modern pantomime. Pantomimes are now traditionally performed at Christmas and are many children s first experience in the theatre. The genre incorporates audience participation, songs, dance, contemporary references, cross-dressing and farce, and are usually based on traditional children s stories. Popular titles include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Puss In Boots, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin and of course, Peter Pan. Activities Discuss what experience the class has of pantomime. Who has been before and what are their favourite pantomime traditions? If this is a first visit to pantomime or the theatre, what are their expectations? Write a letter to a pen friend from America who has never heard of pantomime how would you explain what it is? 4
The Story of Peter Pan Peter Pan is the story of the boy who never grew up! His story begins in London, at the home of the Darling family and more importantly in the children s nursery, where the eldest child Wendy tells stories of pirate adventures to her younger brothers. Wendy s magical stories become reality when the children are visited by Peter Pan, a magical boy who can fly and who never grows up. Peter lives in a magical place called Neverland and he offers to teach the children how to fly and take them there. And so, we follow the Darling children as they fly out of the nursery window and over the rooftops of London to Peter Pan s magical home. Neverland is more magical than the children could ever imagine, where they encounter Indians and mermaids and meet Peter s friends, the Lost Boys. Finally, they meet the dastardly pirates led by the evil Captain Hook! Hook is determined to kill Peter Pan and tries to poison him in his underground home, kidnapping Wendy and the boys in the process. And so, we join the action onboard Hook s ship, the Jolly Roger. Peter rescues Wendy and the boys and defeats Captain Hook in one final showdown. The children sail back to London aboard the ship, leaving Peter Pan to live where he is happiest, in Neverland. Activities Imagine that you can fly like Peter Pan, where would you go? What adventures would you have? Who, where or what would you see? In small groups write a script telling of your adventures and perform the play for the rest of the class. 5
Characters Peter Pan The boy who never grows up, Peter is mischievous but fiercely loyal. He is friends with Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys and his arch enemy is the dastardly Captain Hook. Tinker Bell A fairy and Peter Pan s best friend, Tinker Bell is jealously protective of him and does not like his relationship with Wendy. Wendy Wendy is the oldest Darling child and tells stories of pirate adventures to her two younger brothers, John and Michael. She visits Neverland with Peter and has many adventures but realises after time that she must return home. John and Michael Darling The two younger brothers of Wendy, John and Michael also leave with Peter to visit Neverland and soon settle in as two of the Lost Boys. The Lost Boys Boys who live with Peter Pan in Neverland after being lost by their parents and nannies. Captain Hook Captain Hook is Peter s arch enemy who wants revenge on Peter after having his hand bitten off by a crocodile. Smee Smee is Captain Hook s sidekick who also considers Peter a foe and gets bossed around by Captain Hook to do all his dirty work for him. He provides lots of comedy as he always makes mistakes and never quite does what Captain Hook tells him! The Pirates The crew of Captain Hook s ship, the pirates help him try to capture Peter Pan and his friends so that Captain Hook can reap his revenge. Tiger Lily and her Indian tribe They also inhabit Neverland and help Peter Pan to conquer Captain Hook once and for all. Activities Discuss the characters you have seen in Peter Pan. Identify who the stock characters are that we expect to see in every pantomime. There is always a villain, hero, fairy, chorus and comic lead. 6
A History of Peter Pan Peter Pan is one of the best selling pantomime titles in the country but where does the story come from? The original play was written by J.M. Barrie in 1904 and published as a book in 1911. Barrie s inspiration for the story came from his friendship with the Llewellyn- Davies family. He would tell the family s young children adventure stories featuring them and it was these stories that were eventually developed into the play Peter Pan - or The Boy Who Wouldn t Grow Up. Peter Pan and Wendy had appeared earlier than this, in a novel called The Little White Bird, which Barrie had written in 1902. Following the plays success, the story was republished in 1906 entitled Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. For a while, strict copyright laws meant J.M. Barrie s version of the play was the only one allowed to be performed, however later changes to the copyright allowed new versions to appear and there are now many different adaptations, sequels and prequels of the story, including of course the British pantomime! The pantomime version is quite new as, for a long time, it wasn t considered a suitable pantomime story. However over the last 12 years it has been adapted into the pantomime format and enjoys huge audiences every Christmas. J.M. Barrie Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens Activities Write your own adventure story for a group of younger children. Think about where it is set, who your characters are and what they are like. Remember to structure your story correctly with a clear beginning, middle and end. Share these stories around the classroom. 7
Exploring Neverland The story of Peter Pan is set, not in a real world like many stories, but on a magical island called Neverland which is home to many interesting characters including fairies, lost boys, mermaids, pirates and, of course, Peter Pan himself. It s an exciting world worth exploring further... When J.M. Barrie created Peter Pan, he knew that such a character would have to live in a world that could provide many fascinating adventures and other exciting characters for Peter and his readers to meet. Such a place didn t exist in the real world so a fantasy island was created to house Peter and all his friends and foes. J.M. Barrie s original novel explains that Neverlands are found in the minds of children and so everything in Peter s world is brought into being by the imaginations of Peter and the Lost Boys. This allowed Barrie to give them as many adventures as he wished! Fantasy lands are useful to writers as they allow characters to have experiences that wouldn t be possible in our own world. Activities Imagine what happens to new characters who are introduced to a fantasy world. How would they react to this place? Is it easy or hard to adjust to this new and strange environment? Write a letter to Mrs Darling from Wendy when she first arrives in Neverland. Think about her thoughts and feelings towards the place. How would Wendy describe the island? Using the descriptions of Neverland from other books, stories or the pantomime if you have already seen it, collect together as much information as you can about the island how does it look? What is there? Using the information you have collected, design your own map of the island. 8
More Practical Activities Peter Pan: The Boy Who Never Grows Up Creative Writing In the story of Peter Pan, Peter is a boy who never wants to grow up, but what would happen to him if he did? How would he change? How would he feel if he were to grow up? How would he know that he was grown up? How would he look different? Would he sound different? How would other characters feel about him growing up? Now try writing a short scenario in which Peter Pan is 30 years old. Involve other characters that he knows, it could show him re-visiting Neverland, or perhaps meeting up with some of the Lost Boys, what are they doing now? Be as creative as you can! Telling The Story Through Drama Tableaux and Performance Split the class into small groups of between 3 and 5 and give each group a scene from one of the below. Tell the groups not to let the others know which scene they have: 1. Peter meets Wendy, John and Michael in the Darling nursery 2. The children fly over the rooftops of London to Neverland 3. The children meet Peter s friends the Lost Boys 4. Wendy gets kidnapped by a bunch of rowdy pirates 5. Peter Pan and the Lost Boys save Wendy 6. Peter Pan battles with Captain Hook whilst the Lost Boys and pirates also fight to the death 7. The Darling children say goodbye to Neverland and return to London Ask the groups to create a frozen picture of their part of the story. In turn, get each group to freeze whilst the other groups look and comment on what scene they think that group might have. Next, ask the groups to bring the tableau to life by adding a couple of lines which help develop the scene. These should be kept very short, bringing the tableau to life for only a few seconds. Now ask the group to develop the tableau further by each member of the group adding in a sentence about how their character is feeling in the scenario, bringing the tableau to life. 9
More Practical Activities Your Neverland Arts and Crafts Create a collage of things that would be in your Neverland by cutting pictures out of magazines and then sticking them on a piece of A3 paper to display in your classroom! Design A Costume Arts and Crafts Design a costume or a piece of headwear for one of the characters in Peter Pan. Think about who they are and their personality, and choose a design that reflects this. Are they good or bad? Outgoing or shy? Old or young? Fairy Home Arts and Crafts Collect some natural materials such as bark, leaves and stones and make your own fairy homes in class using old shoe boxes. Think carefully about the design and what a fairy might need, before designing it as naturally as possible so your fairy feels at home. What Did You Think Of The Production? Discussion or Performance The group sits in a circle with one less chair or space than there are group members. The person with no chair should stand in the middle of the circle and make a statement about what they thought about the show beginning with Anyone Who.... All the group members who agree with this statement must stand up and swap places. The speaker must try to move into a seat. The person left with no chair must then make the next statement. Example: The person in the middle says Anyone who liked the costumes, all those who also liked the costumes would stand up and swap places. 10
Resources You may find the following resources useful for information on pantomime and Peter Pan: Peter Pan by J.M Barrie. Penguin Popular Classics; New ed. Edition, Jan 2007. Walt Disney s Peter Pan. DVD. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske. 1953; USA. Walt Disney Productions. www.its-behind-you.com for information on the background to the Peter Pan stories. www.limelightscripts.co.uk/scripts/history.htm for a history of British pantomime. www.fairiesworld.com for information on fairy folklore, fairy images and ideas for craft activities. www.wikipedia.org - Search Neverland for a history, description and list of locations on the island. 11