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BLUEPRINT FOR THE ARTS

Theater: Theater Making; Developing Theater Literacy; Making Connections

COMMON CORE STANDARDS

Writing: 1; 2; 4Speaking and Listening: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6Language: 1; 2; 3

NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS

The Arts: 1; 2; 3; 4ELA: 1; 3; 4

®

AFTER

BEYONDINSIDE

This section is part of a full New Victory® School toolTM Resource Guide. For the complete guide, including information about the New Victory Education

Department check out: NEWVICTORY.ORG/SCHOOLTOOLS

after | BEFORE EN ROUTE

LIONBOY

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AFTER

BEFORE BEYONDINSIDE EN ROUTE

LIONBOY

Following your trip to the New Victory, you may find that your students want to discuss the performance and their own opinions. Reflecting on the show and voicing an aesthetic response is an important part of the theater-going experience. Allowing your students the opportunity to articulate their own thoughts and hear the ideas of their classmates will increase the impact of the theater experience.

PERFORMANCE REFLECTION

TEACHER TIP Engaging in dialogue, asking questions and recalling observations are skills that we believe should be fostered and encouraged. When leading a performance reflection discussion, try the following model of critical response: Describe (I saw…) Analyze (I wonder…) Interpret (I think/feel…) Evaluate (I believe…)

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Congratulations! You have been selected to write a review of LIONBOY for The New York Times of the future. Not only is this a great opportunity to be published but, more importantly, it gives you the ability to send a secret message to the people of New York City who have been brainwashed by their dystopian government! Your assignment has two parts:

1. Write a review of LIONBOY. Include an eye-catching headline, an opening that clearly states your opinion on the production and how you came to have that opinion and details about the show that stood out to you.

2. Decide what secret message you would like to tell the people of New York City and decide how you will encode this message within your review. For example: play with the words or letters of your review so every 3rd word or every 7th letter combined spells out your message, turn your review into a riddle, create a visual image or pattern with the letters, words or sentences of your review. Have fun!

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HEADLINE:

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IN-CLASSROOM WORKSHOP EXTENTION: FROM PAGE TO STAGE

AFTER

BEFORE BEYONDINSIDE EN ROUTE

They've witnessed Charlie's adventure in LIONBOY. Now, here's a great way to have your students write their own adventure

story and brainstorm how they might adapt it for the stage.

Part 1: Story Creation1. Ask your students to brainstorm their own adventure, featuring themselves as the main character. First, have them brainstorm

what the main premise of their adventure will be. Here are some possible ideas:

a. They discover a superpower they didn’t know they had.

b. They unite with a group of foreigners who become their family.

c. They encounter the secret world of animals.

d. They are looking for someone or something.

2. Next, have them fill out this template to create an outline of their story:

Once in a world where ...Each day ...One day, ...Because of that ...Until finally ...

Part 2: Adapt for the Stage1. In groups, have students share story outlines. Have them choose one story that they would like to adapt for the stage.

2. Have them answer the following questions:

a. Why should this story be put on stage?

b. Who would want to come see it (i.e., who is the desired or target audience)?

c. What is the show’s design (i.e., what do the set, costumes and lights look like)?

d. How many actors/performers does the show need?

e. Where should this show be performed and why?

3. Finally, have your groups “pitch” their shows to their classmates. Ask them to first read the basic outline of the show, followed by their answers to these prompts. Allow time for their fellow classmates to ask questions.

REFLECTION QUESTIONSWhy do people adapt novels for the stage? What are some things this process taught you about adapting a written story?Was there a story/pitch you heard today that would be exciting to see on stage? Why?

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CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS: DRAMATIC DIALOGUE

AFTER

BEFORE BEYONDINSIDE EN ROUTE

LIONBOY was adapted from Zizou Corder’s young adult series of the same name. Use this activity to have your students transform their own dystopian stories into a dramatic dialogue.

1. Ask your class: What are the narrative elements of a story arc? Remind your students that most stories are structured with an exposition, inciting event, rising action, a climax, falling action and a resolution/denouement.

2. Ask your students: How did you see this narrative structure in LIONBOY? Walk through the general story plot they saw on stage and discuss what part of the play corresponds to a particular part of the arc. Make sure students agree upon the climax of the play.

3. Break students into pairs. Have these students brainstorm a basic story arc between a human and an animal that takes place in the future. To create a story, Isabel Adomakoh Young (the young co-author of the novel, Lionboy), recommends that you create a character and then give him/her something OR take it away (for example, for Charlie, the authors took his parents away).

4. To help them generate the story, the pair should first decide on the following:

a. Setting, both a place and a time

b. An animal character

c. A human character

d. What is being given/taken away

5. After creating a basic arc, tell your students to think more specifically about the climax of the story. Instruct them to adapt this part of the story into a short dramatic scene, consisting only of dialogue between the two characters. To support the students’ writing, ask: What does each character want? What are they doing/saying to get what they want?

6. Once the dialogue is written, have the pairs cast themselves as the characters and then rehearse the scene.

7. Invite the pairs to present their dialogue to the class! Encourage them to share the rising action or the premise of their dystopias to provide context for their scene.

REFLECTION QUESTIONSWhat do you think is the most challenging part of adapting a novel to the stage?How did you identify the climax of LIONBOY? How did you decide on the climax of your own story? What was similar or different about the dialogue in the various scenes written by your classmates?

BONUS: Have scene partners find another pair of students to help them develop percussion to accent their dialogue. Ask: How can the percussion contribute to the mood of the scene? Can they produce sound effects (foley)? Have one pair act and the other perform the percussion, then switch roles. Then ask: How did percussion enhance your dialogues? What kind of mood did you create?

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A LETTERTO CHARLIE

Pretend you are Charlie’s parents, kidnapped by the Corporacy.

You’ve heard rumors that he has been trying to find you and has

had many adventures along the way.

Write Charlie a letter as his parent. Where are you and what’s

going on? What have you heard about Charlie? What questions

do you have for him? Are you proud of him? What does he need

to know as he continues his quest to find you?