Ale

xander

& t

he T

errib

le,

Horrib

le, No G

ood, Very B

ad D

ay

Collaborating for Creativity

- a program of Lone Tree Arts Center & PACE Center

Study Guide

Alexander is having a bad day. A terrible day. A horrible day.

To be quite honest, it's a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad

day. But then, everybody has bad days, sometimes. In this

delightful adaptation of her popular book, Judith Viorst sets

Alexander's rather trying life to music and brings to the stage

one of America's feistiest characters.

April 30 – May 2, 2013

10:00am Performances

Tuesday – Thursday

7:00pm on Tuesday, April 30

www.LoneTreeArtsCenter.org

720.509.1000

10075 Commons Street

Lone Tree, CO 80124

1

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!

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.

How to be a #1 audience!

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!

2

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

Australia – the world’s smallest continent southeast of Asia, between the Pacific and

Indian Oceans

Bio – a short paragraph about the actor put in a show’s program for the audience to

read

Cavity – a hallow space; sometimes in your teeth

Costume Designer – the person who creates all the clothing the actors wear during the

show

Director – the person who tells the actors where to go and how to move and thinks

about how all parts of the play come together to best tell the story

Duet – a performance with two voices or two instruments

Ensemble – a group of musicians, singers, dancers and actors who perform together

Headshot – a photograph of an actor smiling or looking serious, usually just of their

head and shoulders

Playwright – the person who writes a script which has lines, or sentences, that the

actors memorize

Review – written by a person who has seen the show to tell what they liked and disliked

about it

Set – the background scenery that is on the stage to show where the story takes place

Sibling – a brother or a sister

Taunting – to tease or challenge someone with an insulting remark

Tune – the proper pitch of a song or melody

Theater Words!

3

Look below to see which actor plays which character in the story.

Cast of Characters

Rachel Graham plays…

Alexander

the show’s main character who is just trying to

survive a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad

day. If his day gets any worse he is moving to

Australia.

Seth Caikowski plays…

Alexander’s Father

who tries to guide his son through

a difficult day.

Sarah Grover plays…

Nick

Alexander’s older brother

who teases and fights with

him. He even calls Alex a

crybaby.

Joanie Beyette

plays…

Alexander’s Mother

who takes Alexander to the

dentist and shoe store.

Brett Ambler plays…

Anthony

Alexander’s other older

brother who teases and fights

with Alex.

4

Teachers, here are some ideas to help your students start thinking about Alexander and

his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Before the Show

1. Have you ever had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day? What happened? What did

you do when all those things happened?

2. What does “fair” mean?

3. Have there been times when you feel like no one has listened to you? If so, what did you

say or do?

4. What are ways you can make sure your bad day doesn’t get worse? How can you turn a

bad day into a good day?

Here are some ways to engage your students in conversation after the show.

After the Show

1. Paul tells Alex that he isn’t his best friend any more, that Alex is his “third” best friend.

How would you feel if your best friend said that to you?

2. Do you have brothers and sisters? Do you always get along?

3. What do you think about Alex’s bad day? What would you have done if the same day

happened to you?

4. What characters were the least fair to Alexander in the show? Why?

5. Do you think it was fair how Alexander treated the other characters in the show? Why

or why not?

Discussion Questions

5

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!

Share your reviews with the rest of your class and us! Teachers, if you would like to share your students’ reviews, you can mail them in to: Kirstin Fletcher, Lone Tree Arts

Center,10075 Commons Street, Lone Tree, CO, 80124. We look forward to reading them! For more information please email

Kirstin.fletcher@cityoflonetree.com.

Write Your Own Theater Review!

Lone Tree Arts Center News

Gum in your hair, cavities, and ugly shoes!

Play Reviewed by:

What was your favorite part of the play and why?

6

Actors write bios or short paragraphs about themselves for the audience programs so that

we learn about who they are, what other plays they have been in, and what sorts of things

they like to do.

Now is your chance to write a bio about yourself!

Create Your Own Actor Bio!

(name) is a student at (school)

and is in the (number) grade. He/She loves going to see Lone

Tree Arts Center shows, especially Alexander.

(Name’s) favorite subject at school is

(favorite subject) because (why?)

.

After school, he/she really loves to play (activity)

and also (activity) . If (name)

had three wishes, they would be:

(wish #1) ,

(wish #2) , and

(wish #3) .

He/She would like to thank (name of person to thank)

because (why?) .

7

All actors get photos taken of themselves either smiling or looking very serious. The

photos are usually of the actors’ head and shoulders – that’s why they are called

headshots!

Draw a headshot photo of yourself – smiling or serious in the space below.

A Star Performer!

(Your Name)

Create Your Own Actor Headshot!

8

In this section we invite you to get your crayons out and color each circle with the color

that you think represents each emotion. Imagine what color matches the emotions below!

Color Your Emotions

SAD

HAPPY

FRUSTRATED

EMBARRASSED

MAD

EXCITED

9

In the show Alexander’s mother sings about wishes for her son to have a better day. Here

are wishing stars for you to write your own wish for someone who is having a bad day.

Write your wish on the star, cut it out and give it to a friend or family member who needs

help cheering up!

I wish you…!

I WISH YOU…

I WISH YOU… I WISH YOU…

I WISH YOU…

10

In the show, Alexander’s happy place was Australia! What is your happy place you would

like to travel to when having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?

Students can work in groups or individually to create a large collage or single picture of

their happy place; then hang “happy places” all around the room.

Happy Place!

11

Dear Teacher,

Here is your chance to put a little drama into your classroom! (The good kind!) On the

following pages are drama games for theatre-goers of all ages. The games are designed as

appropriate for Pre-k through 2nd grade and 2nd – 5th grade. However, all games can be

enjoyed by theater-lovers of all ages with a few modifications.

EMOTIONAL CHARADES (PreK – 2nd Grade)

Number of Participants: Up to 25

What you'll Need

o Slips of paper with an emotion written on each slip

o A hat or a container to hold the slips of paper

o A stop watch to time each player (optional)

o An open space for students to act out their Emotional Charade

Explanation: Students work in groups to recognize emotions by reading posture,

expressions, actions, body language, etc.

How to Play

Split the class into two teams. Flip a coin to determine which team goes first, then decide

an order in which each player will play. As each player stands, have them pull a slip of

paper out of the hat/container.

The player should stand up and act out the emotion, while their team members guess which

emotion they are acting. If the team can correctly identify the emotion within the time

limit, they get a point.

After the time is up, or the emotion has been guessed, the next team goes, and you simply

repeat from there till the final score is reached. The final score should be determined

before the game. We often play to 10.

When acting out an emotion, a player must get the other players to guess what emotion

they have without making any sounds, or saying any words. The idea is to get each student

to physicalize their emotion for the class.

Theater Games!

Emotional Charades

12

EMOTIONAL PARTY (3rd – 5th Grade)

Number of Participants: 5-6 per group

What you’ll need: An open space to act out the party

Explanation: The host of a birthday party and the guests acquire the emotional state of

whoever enters the party.

How to Play: Assign an emotion to each player. One person begins, as the host, with a

neutral emotion. The first guest knocks or rings the bell (saying "knock-knock" or "ding-

dong"), and enters in highly charged emotional state. Emotions that work well with this

exercise include: excitement, fear, anger, jealousy, joy, sadness, etc.

As soon as the host picks up on the emotion, they "catch" it, and begin to interact with the

guest. The next guest enters with a different emotion, and the host and guest "catch" it.

Things get more chaotic as more guests enter, as each new guest causes a different

emotion to permeate the party. Once the first guest has entered, the participants can

interact with different people until they notice a change in the emotion, and then they

must adapt that emotion. The participants should not watch the new guests for the

emotional state; rather, they should let the emotion "travel" to them as it will.

To end this game, have each guest leave one by one. As each guest leaves, the guests need

to revert back to the former emotion that was being acted out before that guest entered

the party. Finally, the host is left alone at the party with the original emotion.

Notes: If it has not been discussed before, it might be a good time to discuss with the

students how to express negative emotions such as anger without hitting any other

participants - what verbal and physical things show anger (in performance) without hurting

anyone in reality.

Theater Games!

Emotional Party

13

Objective: Students will create imaginary situations and use their bodies to act out what

would happen if they were in charge of the world! (PreK through 2nd Grade)

Materials needed: A clear classroom space and your imaginations!

1. Clear a large space in your classroom for you and your students to move around

safely.

2. Explain to your students how Alexander sometimes feels frustrated when he is

having a bad day and how he thinks that if he were in charge of the world, he would

feel so much better!

3. Solicit a few ideas both serious and silly about what your students would want to

happen if they were in charge of the world. For example, someone might say, “If I

were in charge of the world, people would swim to work!” Another student might

say, “If I were in charge of the world, people would smile more.”

4. As the leader of the group, you will now guide your classroom in what it would be

like if you were in charge of the world! After you make the statement, “if I were in

charge of the world…,” the students would act out your idea. If you say, “If I were

in charge of the world, people would swim to work,” your students should pretend to

swim throughout the classroom, or in their own spot if you prefer.

5. After everyone has practiced swimming, you can continue the game with another

statement. “If I were in charge of the world, everyone would pick flowers and hand

them to a neighbor,” for example. After you have gone a couple rounds of this, you

can call upon your students to become the leader and think of imaginative ideas for

the class to try.

Theater Games!

In Charge of the World

14

Objective: Students will help to create a mad lib story of a terrible morning, like

Alexander’s. Student will then act the story out and discuss their feelings and reactions to

a terrible situation. (3rd Grade through 5th Grade)

Materials needed: A clear space, this sheet, a pencil, and your imaginations!

1. Ask your class to fill out the following Mad Lib by giving suggestions for a terrible

morning, just like Alexander’s. As the eventual narrator of the story, you will be in

charge of taking their suggestions and writing them in the blanks.

2. Once you have settled on the words to the story, clear a space in your room for

your students to move around so that they can pantomime the events when you read

it aloud to them.

3. To begin, have your students start by pretending to sleep. Read the story slowly so

that they can act out each action you read. If the character speaks in the story,

make sure they say the words they created aloud. You can also encourage them to

show emotions on their faces when they taste the flavor of the toothpaste or see

that they are late!

4. After your students act out the story, discuss what it feels like when many

frustrating things happen to them all at once. How fair does it feel to them? How

are some ways they can handle the situation of many things going wrong all at once?

What are tips to remember when faced with a frustrating situation?

Theater Games!

A _________ Day

I was in the middle of a really exciting dream when all of the sudden, (sound)

woke me up, and I jumped out of bed! “ (exclamation),” I said and covered by

ears. It was so (adjective) to wake up to the smell of (smell)

downstairs, too! I stretched my arms and legs, rolled my head around, and decided to get on with my

day even though I’d rather just (something you would want to be

doing). I looked at the clock, and it was (time). I was late! Oh no!

I quickly ran into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and I saw that I had (something

sticky) in my hair! I tried hard to get it out by (action), but some of it was

still there. When I went to brush my teeth, the new toothpaste I got tasted like (food).

Gross! I quickly got dressed and didn’t look where I was going so when I stepped outside my bedroom, I

tripped on (item). “ (exclamation),” I screamed, turned

right around, jumped back into bed, and hid under my covers. I think I’ll move to Australia.