Flynn Center Presents

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

An immense thank you...The Flynn Center recognizes that field trip resources for schools are extremely limited, thus matinee prices for schools are significantly lower than prices for public performances. As a non-profit organization, the Flynn is deeply grateful to the foundations, corporations, and individuals whose generous financial support keeps matinees affordable for schools.

A special thank you to Concept 2 for sponsoring this matinee performance.

Thank you to the Flynn Matinee 2016-17 underwriters: Andrea’s Legacy Fund, Champlain Investment Partners, LLC, Bari and Peter Dreissigacker, Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Tracy and Richard Tarrant, TD Charitable Foundation, Vermont Arts Council, Vermont Concert Artists Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Flynn Jazz Endowment. Additional support from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, Green Mountain Fund, & the Walter Cerf Community Fund.

Welcome to the 2016-2017 Student Matinee Season!Today’s scholars and researchers say creativity is the top skill our kids will need when they enter the workforce of the future, so we salute YOU for valuing the educational and inspirational power of live performance. By using this study guide you are taking an even greater step toward implementing the arts as a vital and inspiring educational tool. We hope you find this guide useful. If you have any suggestions for content or format of this guide, please contact sms@flynncenter.org.

Enjoy the show! -Education Staff

Theatreworks USATheatreworks USA has a distinguished history of not only providing young audiences with their first taste of the performing arts, but also giving young actors, writers, directors and designers an early opportunity to work in this field. Theatreworks USA is America’s largest and most prolific not-for-profit theatre for young and family audiences. Since 1961, Theatreworks USA has enlightened and instructed over 90 million people in 49 states and Canada, performing for about three million people annually.

Click here to learn more about TheatreworksUSA.

An ensemble of actors taking on various roles to tell this classic story in a condensed version that hits on important plot points.

What to expect

Musical numbers that highlight key moments and themes in the performance. These songs also help move us through the plot.

Set pieces that move and change as the actors make their way from Professor Digory’s to Narnia.

Actors who sing, Battle, move set pieces, play multiple roles, and even narrate action at times.

Before you see the show:● Why do you think the Narnia stories are so lasting? What

about them makes young readers so invested and connected to the stories and the characters?

● In a crisis situation, how do you think you might respond? Who would you want with you during a crisis? What characteristics and skills are helpful when dealing with challenging situations?

As you watch the show:● This is a musical version of The Lion, the Witch, and the

Wardrobe. Notice the moments when Theatreworks chooses to include songs. Why do you think they chose these moments? How do the songs help move the action forward? How do they affect the storytelling? Do they add to your understanding of and connection to the story?

● Each character has a distinctive personality. How would you describe each person? What adjectives would you use? How do the characters change during the performance?

After you see the show:● Think about the relationships in the story. Ask students to think

about their own relationships. What qualities, actions, and traits do they look for in a good friend or someone they put trust in? Create a collective list of the traits people have identified, and as a class create a chart or graph to demonstrate which attributes are most highly valued. Discuss why these might be important characteristics.

● After watching the show, ask students to compare the musical to the book series and any movie versions they’ve seen. What elements were included in the musical? What different techniques did they use to tell the same story? How were the characters portrayed in each version? Which portrayal did students relate to the most? If students were going to create their own version, what format would they choose? What would they include?

● How does the show reflect different expectations for boys and girls? How do attitudes about gender roles at the time the series was written compare with attitudes now?

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Writing the Story: C. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis, known as Jack to his friends, was born in 1898. He was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.

Lewis and his good friend J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, were part of the Inklings, an informal writers’ club that met at a local pub to discuss story ideas. Lewis’s fascination with fairy tales, myths and ancient legends, coupled with inspiration drawn from his childhood, led him to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the best-loved books of all time. Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. C. S. Lewis's most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies. (Source: Harper Collins)

“All my seven Narnian books, and my three science fiction books, began with seeing pictures in my head. At first they were not a story, just pictures. The Lion all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture had been in my mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself: 'Let's try to make a story about it.' At first I had very little idea how the story would go. But then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it. I think I had been having a good many dreams of lions about that time. Apart from that, I don't know where the Lion came from or why He came. But once He was there He pulled the whole story together, and soon He pulled the six other Narnian stories in after Him, so you see that, in a sense, I know very little about how this story was born. That is, I don't know where the pictures came from. And I don't believe anyone knows exactly how he 'makes things up'. Making up is a very mysterious thing. When you ‘have an idea’ could you tell anyone exactly how you thought of it?” -From Of Other Worlds by C.S.Lewis

Explore Lewis’s Writing Process:Collect several random, eccentric pictures and have students choose one as their inspiration. Begin with a freewrite, having students write continuously and seeing what stories emerge and evolve. When they’ve finished, students can go back and see which ideas rise to the top when they reread their writing. Have them use these key ideas to create a more developed storyline. When complete, students can share their stories and inspiration photos, so peers can see how the stories emerged.

Historical Context: The United Kingdom During WWIIThe Evacuations of England

One of the most, if not the most, emotionally wrenching decisions made by the British government during World War II was its decision to relocate its children out of urban centers to locations where the risk of bombing attacks was low or non-existent. Called Operation Pied Piper, millions of people, most of them children, were shipped to rural areas in Britain as well as overseas to Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Almost 3 million people were evacuated during the first four days of the operation, making it the biggest and most concentrated population movement in British history.

Plans for such a move began during the summer of 1938, in which the country was divided into risk zones identified as “evacuation,” “neutral,” or “reception” and lists of available housing were compiled. During the summer of 1939, the London County Council began requisitioning buses and trains. In London and other major cities, adults saw long files of children led by teachers or other officials walk toward bus or railroad stations for their journey to different parts of the country. Each child carried around his neck a small square cardboard box containing a gas mask, and on the lapel of each child’s coat was pinned a name card. Brothers and sisters held each other’s hands “like grim death, and refused to be parted.”

Ultimately more than 3.5 million people were relocated. The return of evacuees to London was approved on June 1945, but some began returning to England as early as 1944. The evacuation was officially ended in March 1946. (Source: http://www.defensemedianetwork.com)

A Basic Timeline of Events● Late 1938: Britain attempted to

appease Germany and avoid another world war by signing the Munich Pact, giving Germany "permission" to invade the Czechoslovakia. When Hitler invaded a few months later, it was clear that this attempt at appeasement did not work.

● March 1939: Britain announced that it would support Poland if Germany invaded it. Germany invaded anyway.

● September 3, 1939: Britain declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II in Europe.

● May 1940: Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister.

● May 26, 1940: in the face of a large-scale German offensive, British troops on the continent were forced into one of the largest evacuations in history -- the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast.

● July to October 1940: the English people suffered under the Battle of Britain, but the Royal Air Force valiantly defended its homeland..

● March 1941: the U.S. began giving direct support to the British in the form of arms and ammunition through the Lend-Lease Act. After Pearl Harbor, in December, America would become directly involved in aiding the British in Europe.

● January 1942: Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to establish a Combined Chiefs of Staff and to the make defeating Germany their first priority.

● May 7, 1945: Germany surrendered unconditionally. After three more long years, the Allies did win the war in Europe.

Source:

http://www.worldwar2history.info/in/Britain.html

Activities Post-Show Collage ActivityInvite students to look through old magazines and newspapers to find images and words that reflect their thoughts and feelings as they were watching the performers on stage. Have students cut out the images and words and create a collage which represents the experience, the ideas that came up for them during the performance, and the impressions they were left with. Discuss the collages as a class. Encourage students to tell each other what they see in others’ collages as well as allowing students to discuss their own collages.

Post-Show Values ExplorationAs a class, discuss what values are central to the story. Make a chart with two columns, “Values” and “Characters.” In the first column list the values (ex: charity, faith, humility, justice, mercy). In the second column list the characters in whom you see these values embodied.

Creatively Telling Your StoryExplore the idea of the “creative narrator.” In this show, at times, each character narrates what’s happening on stage. Ask students to come up with a small anecdote from their lives that they are willing to share. Ask them to tell this story (orally, in writing, or using another medium...dance, visual art, etc.) with just the concrete facts, just reporting the events. Then have them retell the story adding emotions, drama, rich description, memories, feelings. Which story was more compelling? Which story felt like a more authentic telling and gave the audience a better sense of the event?

To build on this, ask them to imagine this moment from another person’s perspective. In the play, Edmund sees things very differently than his brother and sisters. Have them retell their story from another’s person’s perspective and see how the story changes and evolves.

Building a Story❏ A: Fancy that now. A human. Right here...excuse

me, but I've never seen a human before.❏ B: Oh? What are you?❏ A: I'm a faun, of course.❏ B: Well, I've never spoken to a faun before. This

is all so strange.

Either as pairs, or in small groups, build a story around this excerpt. Encouraging risk-taking, thinking outside of the obvious! The following questions can help provide inspiration:

● Who might these people be?● In what way might they be connected?● Where might they be?● Why might they be in this situation?

After each grouping has created a story, come together and share as a whole group. Groups could choose to present an artistic visual representation (poster, painting, sculpture, comic, etc.), a dramatic representation (tableaux, extending the scene with newly written dialogue, performed monologues from the perspective of each person), or a graphically imagined representation (a timeline of the imagined story, a character web of how these characters connect, etc.).

The Characteristics of CourageAs a whole class discussion explore the concepts of courage, survival, and resilience. Find examples of current media stories which would fit this description. Explore what might make some people more able to show these qualities than others.In pairs, ask the class to create a story about 2 people who have been through something together against all odds. Each pair should write a short dialogue about their situation that demonstrates how they have come together as a result of an intense event, and what characteristics they both have that helped them persevere.Then ask them to act out a short part of the story which shows the elements of courage, survival and resilience. Have peers give feedback about which lines showed these important characteristics. Also have peers observe how each pair showed courageous attitudes using their voices, bodies, and other dramatic performance elements.

WORDS COME ALIVE: Arts Integration Activities

Providing the opportunity to actively explore the world of the show helps students become more engaged and connected audience members, thinking about artists’ choices and approaching the performance with enhanced curiosity. For more information about our arts integration activities:● click here● call 652-4548● Email Lauren at

schoolprograms@flynncenter.org

Movement PhrasesLearning goals: Determine importance; synthesize; think abstractly.Performing goals: Combine locomotor and non-locomotor movements with structural form.

Ask students to identify a moment that represents the beginning, the middle, and the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and create a movement to express each part. Select a movement expressing the beginning from one of the students and lead the whole group to repeat it. Repeat the process for the middle and end, connecting the three sections so they flow from one to another. Tell the students that they have just created a movement phrase!

To extend this, ask each student to generate shapes representing three moments related to their own personal journey. After they each choose shapes, instruct them to link the shapes together so that one flows smoothly to the next. Tell the students to change from one shape to another as you clap to signify transition. Divide the class into small groups, asking each student to show his/her own movement phrase, all at the same time, to the other groups.

InterviewsLearning goals: Make connections; ask questions; draw inferences; deepen understanding of characters.Performing goals: Interpret characters verbally; communicate motivation.

Split the class in half, one group being investigators and the other half being characters from the story (Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Professor Digory, Aslan, the Witch, Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Fenris, the Dwarf). The group being interviewed could also be divided into allies of the Queen and allies of Aslan. Explain that the characters will be on a panel, being interviewed about what the true meaning of courage is, and who demonstrated true courage during the events in Narnia. Give the investigators time to come up with questions and characters time to come up with their motivation and backstory. At the end of the time, have investigators interview the characters using their prepared questions, but then improvising as new information is discovered. The students being interviewed should respond to questions in character.

Reflect together at the end of the activity, discussing what was revealed, whether opinions shifted about the story’s outcome, and whether the information provided seemed authentic to the original story.

A booklist for WWII geared towards young readers:http://voicesinwartime.org/category/tag/wwii-childrens-books-and-picture-books For general information on WWII:http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history For information on the evacuations of young people during WWII:http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/evacuation/

The Art Form: Musical TheaterWhat is theater? Webster’s dictionary says, “a dramatic performance.” But what is dramatic? What is drama? Drama is any kind of performance that tells a story through character, action, and dialogue (talking). Some say that theatre portrays life—either as it is or as it might be. But one of the things that makes theatre different from real life is that things can happen in theatre that cannot happen in real life—in other words, things that appear to be magical.

It is believed that people have been acting out stories forever. But what about musical theater? Although it is likely that people have been singing and dancing and making music to accompany their stories for as long as they’ve been acting them out—all over the world—American musical theater, like theater itself, has more recent roots. The defining characteristic of musical theater may be that the music—and often dance—and the drama are inextricably linked. The story depends upon the songs as much as the songs depend on the story; without either one, the drama as a whole—the musical theater—would not exist.

READ & EXPLORE: Click here for a more in-depth description of musical theater and more theater phrases and terminology. Moving Through SpaceLearning Goals: deepen understanding of characterPerforming Goals: move safely in space; explore locomotor movementsAsk students to walk or move freely around the room, aiming for open spaces and being careful not to bump into others. To help keep attention high, instruct them to “freeze” occasionally and also to vary their speeds or qualities. Examples: Move faster, move faster still. Travel backwards. Tiptoe. Move low to the ground. Move as close as you can to others without touching.Expand this activity to explore the concept of “demigod,” or a “half-blood.” Ask students to begin moving through the space as themselves. Then, ask them to transition to moving through space like a gorilla. Ask them to move through space with one half of their body as themselves and one half as a gorilla. Encourage them to come into this movements slowly, really finding the balance between both personas. Repeat with various combinations (cat/dog, man/goat, soldier/ballerina, Zeus/Aphrodite, etc.).To conclude, reflect on how it felt to be split in two with their movement. What kind of physical changes were evocative of different personas? How challenging was it to move in two completely separate ways? You could repeat this exercise asking them to blend the traits into one new movement, instead of keeping them distinct, and then reflecting on whether this felt more natural.

Movement PhrasesLearning goals: Determine importance; synthesize; think abstractly.Performing goals: Combine locomotor and non-locomotor movements with structural form.Ask students to identify beginning, middle, and ending moments in Percy Jackson, and then to create a movement to express each part. Select a movement expressing the beginning from one of the students and lead the whole group to repeat it. Repeat the process for the middle and end, connecting the three sections so they flow from one to another. Since the story is complex, you can extend this by finding moments and create images that fill in the gaps between beginning, middle and end points. I

Sound Effects: The Tell Tale HeartLearning goals: Visualize events; draw inferences; deepen understanding of setting and plot.Performing goals: Expand verbal range; follow cues.This story has a vibrant soundscape that brings the environment, mood, and action to life. (Examples: squeaking floor, beating heart) Tell the students that they will be helping tell the story by making sounds to accompany the text. Identify a signal to use as a volume control, and show what it looks like when there is no sound and when the sound is at the highest volume. Explain that they will know when to make the sounds by following the signal. Then read the story, and when it mentions a sound that enriches the sense of the time and place, signal the students to make that sound. Follow this procedure until the story is finished. Reflect together on how students inferred a sound would help the story. How did the levels or volume of the sound affect the mood? Did the sounds evoke a particular response in the moment? Have students imagine themselves as actors on stage: how do they think the sounds effects would help or hinder their ability to perform?

We can’t wait to see you at the theater!Teachers, a few reminders:

● Fill out the Seating and Travel Survey, so we can best accommodate your group’s needs in regards to dismissal, bussing, students with different needs, etc.

● Share your experience with us! Use the feedback links, or share your students’ artwork, writing, responses. We love to hear how experiences at the Flynn impact our audiences.

● Explore other student matinees at the Flynn this season. We’ve still got seats in some shows and we’d love to help you or other teachers at your school enliven learning with an engaging arts experience!

The Flynn is a place for ALL students, and these tools can help! Pre or Post-Show Video Chats:Help students build enthusiasm or process their experience with a free, 5-10 minute video chat before or after the show! We can set up Skype/Facetime/Google Hangouts with your class to answer questions about the content, art form, and experience. Contact Kat, kredniss@flynncenter.org to set up your chat!

Autism and Sensory-Friendly Accommodations:The Flynn Center has been working diligently to break down barriers for audience members with disabilities, with a particular focus on those with sensory-sensitivities. Social stories, break spaces, sensory friendly materials, and more are available for all student matinees. Feel free to let us know ahead of time if any of these would be useful, or ask an usher at the show!

We appreciate and value your feedback● Click here to evaluate our study guides.● Click here for Teacher Feedback Forms for the performance.● Click here for Student Feedback Forms for the performance.● Click here for Parent Forms to help parents engage with

their children around the show.

Common Core StandardsThe Common Core broadens the definition of a “text,” viewing performance as a form of text, so your students are experiencing and interacting with a text when they attend a Flynn show.

Seeing live performance provides rich opportunities to write reflections, narratives, arguments, and more. By writing responses and/or using the Flynn Study Guides, all performances can be linked to Common Core:

CC ELA: W 1-10You can use this performance and study guide to address the following Common Core Standards:

CC ELA: RL 7, SL 2, RH 1-4, WHST 7 & 9; C3 Hist: D2.His.1-4

This guide was written & compiled by the Education Department at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts with inspiration from Rennie Harris Puremovement website. Permission is granted for teachers, parents, and students who are coming to Flynn shows to copy & distribute this guide for educational purposes only.

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