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Synopsis .....................................................................................................................................................State Learning Standards ...................................................................................................................Fleming. Ian Fleming. ...........................................................................................................................Bang Bang. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ..............................................................................................A Chat with Molli Corcoran, Understudy .....................................................................................About the Set ........................................................................................................................................... About the Costumes ..............................................................................................................................I Have an Idea! – Where Inventions Come From .....................................................................The Lives of Edwardian Children ....................................................................................................We Are Family .........................................................................................................................................Fear of Children – Reaching Across the Divide .........................................................................Words & Phrases That Might Be New to You .............................................................................Jump Start – Give This a Try ..............................................................................................................Drama in Action – Learn by Doing .................................................................................................Activity Pages ..........................................................................................................................................Booklist ......................................................................................................................................................Share Your Thoughts ............................................................................................................................

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Presents

Table of Contents

SYNOPSIS

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Be warned: This is a complete synopsis of the play, so it is full of spoilers.

While their father Caractacus Potts is searching Coggin’s Garage for a part for one of his eccentric inventions, Jeremy and Jemima are playing out front in a broken-down old racing car. They pretend

they are defeating the nasty Vulgarians in the 1910 British Grand Prix, one of many races this car famously won. As Coggins goes off to get the needed part, Potts joins his children in another imaginary race. They dream about restoring this car to its former glory.

Meanwhile in Vulgaria, the Baroness has promised the legendary car to her husband, the Baron, for his birthday. She telephones Boris and

Goran, two bumbling Vulgarian spies who are in England, and orders them to find it.

Truly Scrumptious drives her motorcycle to Coggins’ Garage in search of a part and nearly runs into the old racing car. Potts offers to fix her motorcycle but Truly insists she does not need his help. She asks why his children are not in school and remarks on their eccentric upbringing. Potts seems put off by her assertiveness, but the children like her. After she leaves, a junkman offers to buy the old car from Coggins for 30 shillings, to Potts’ and his children’s alarm. Coggins agrees to sell the car to them instead if they can come up with the money. Boris and Goran, who have been spying on the garage and are excited to have found the car, set off to come up with the money themselves.

That evening, Grandpa joins Potts and the children in their windmill home for supper, which Potts prepares in his breakfast-making machine. Potts also shows Grandpa the sweet-making machine he has been working on. They discuss the difficulty of coming up with money for the car. Later, when Grandpa tries Pott’s latest candy invention he discovers that it makes a lovely sound. It toots! His son has invented something that works!

The next morning, Potts is full of hope that he can sell his whistling candy. He goes to the Sweet Factory to seek an interview with Lord Scrumptious, but he has no appointment and will not

be let in. Then Truly, Lord Scrumptious’ daughter, arrives and escorts Potts and the children to her father. He demonstrates his invention—Toot Sweets, the eatable, tweetable treat! It is a success, until the whistling attracts packs of dogs into the factory.

Meanwhile, Boris and Goran have come up with 30 shillings and plan to disguise themselves to buy the car since they don’t think Coggins will sell it to two Vulgarians. And if they can’t buy it, they’ll steal it!

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Back home, Jeremy and Jemima offer to sell their most precious keepsakes, such as a “stone that might be from Stonehenge,” to buy the car. Potts reassures them he has another invention to peddle to raise the 30 shillings. The next morning at the Fun Fair, Potts tries out his experimental haircutting machine, but nearly sets a customer’s head on fire. Fortunately, a turkey farmer purchases it for plucking and cooking turkeys.

Potts uses the money to buy the car and works on overhauling it in the garage. While his children excitedly wait, Grandpa regales them with tales of travelling the world. Potts finally brings out the rebuilt car. They name it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang after the sounds it makes when starting up. Boris and Goran, eavesdropping, mistakenly believe that Grandpa rather than Potts has

refurbished the car. Potts, Jemima and Jeremy take their new friend Chitty on a drive in the countryside. Truly encounters them on her motorcycle, and they invite her along. While enjoying a picnic on the beach, Truly realizes her love for Potts and the children, and they in turn hope she will never leave them.

Jeremy notices the tide has come in, surrounding Chitty. A thunderstorm peals out along with cannon blasts—a

Vulgarian ship, alerted by Boris and Goran, is firing on Chitty and demanding Potts surrender the car. Potts maneuvers his instruments and Chitty amazingly turns into a boat and floats off into the water where they elude the pursuing ship.

Boris telephones the Baron and Baroness in Vulgaria to report Chitty’s escape. Hearing that Chitty can travel on water, they are more determined than ever to capture it so they can learn the secrets of the car and make Vulgaria great once more. But upon hearing of children in the car, the Baroness faints—she can’t even bear the word, she loathes them so! The Baron calls in the dreaded Childcatcher to prepare for the arrival of Jeremy and Jemima.

Back in England, Boris and Goran kidnap Grandpa, whom they believe to be Chitty’s inventor, while he is in his outhouse. Using a blimp and large balloon, the outhouse is transported to Vulgaria. Potts, his children and Trudy pursue in Chitty. Reaching the coastal cliffs, Chitty surprises even Potts—she flies above the sea!

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In the Vulgarian Town Square, the Baron and Baroness welcome Grandpa as “inventor extraordinaire.” Grandpa goes along with the mistaken identity. They introduce him to the Toymaker who makes the world’s best toys—toys for the Baron alone because, of course, children are forbidden in Vulgaria. The Baron provides Grandpa with assistants, brings out his own car and orders him to make it float and fly, just as Chitty does. If he fails, he will be made into a sausage.

Potts, Truly, Jeremy and Jemima arrive and see Grandpa locked up in the castle. The Toymaker hides them from the roaming Childcatcher. The Childcatcher can smell them and enters the toy shop but is unable to

find them. Potts insists on rescuing Grandpa. The Toymaker offers to show him a secret way to the prison through the sewers where the Vulgarian children live hidden from the Childcatcher. Truly remains in the shop to guard Jeremy and Jemima. They are hungry, and Truly locks them in the shop while she goes in search of food. The Childcatcher returns and lures Jeremy and Jemima outside by posing as a candy seller. Truly returns to find them gone.

In the palace, the Baroness tells the Baron that for his birthday he will be receiving not only a flying car but a special toy promised by the Toymaker. Meanwhile, the Toymaker has brought Potts down into the sewers where the banished children survive on scraps stolen from the palace kitchens above. Truly arrives, revealing that Jemima and Jeremy have been imprisoned by the Childcatcher. Potts persuades all the children to join him in breaking into the palace to overthrow the Baron and Baroness, and free not only the captives, but themselves from their lives in the sewer.

The Baronial couple begins the birthday celebration. Summoning the guests, they order the Toymaker to present the gifts. He reveals two life-sized mechanical dolls and an enormous birthday cake. The dolls come to life—they are actually Truly and Potts in disguise—and the banished children burst from the cake and tie up the Baron and Baroness. The Childcatcher tries to capture the children, and a chaotic fight breaks out. Suddenly Chitty flies in, having rescued Grandpa, Jeremy and Jemima from prison. Mesmerized by the amazing machine, the Childcatcher is finally overpowered.

Truly and the Potts family celebrate their victory with the liberated children and Vulgarians. All are grateful to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—their fine, four-fendered friend!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang touches on many themes and ideas. Here are a few we believe would make good Discussion Topics: Family, Fantasy and Heroes.

We believe that seeing the show and using our Active Audience Guide can help you meet the following State Standards and address these 21st-Century Skills:

• Growth Mindset (belief that your intelligence and ability can increase with effort)• Perseverance • Creative Thinking• Critical Thinking • Communication• Collaboration

WASHINGTON STATE K-12 LEARNING STANDARDS

Theatre 1. The student understands and applies arts knowledge and skills.

1.1 Understands arts concepts and vocabulary.1.2 Applies, experiences and practices basic arts skills and techniques.1.3 Creates, experiences and examines performances based on genres and styles of various artists,

cultures and times.1.4 Understands and applies audience conventions in a variety of settings and performances of theatre.

2. The student uses the artistic process of responding to performance to demonstrate thinking skills.2.3 Applies a responding process to an arts performance.

3. Theatre: The student communicates through the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts). 3.1 Uses theatre to express feelings and present ideas. 3.2 Uses theatre to communicate for a specific purpose.

4. The student makes connections with and across the arts to other disciplines, life, cultures, and work.4.2 Demonstrates and analyzes the connections among the arts and between the arts and

other disciplines.4.3 Understands how the arts impact and reflect personal choices throughout life.4.4 Understands and shares how the arts influence and reflect culture and history.4.5 Understands how arts knowledge and skills are used in the world of work, including careers in the arts.

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDSExact standards depend upon grade level, selected text(s), and instructional shifts to meet the standard.

English Language Arts

Reading: Literature

CCSS.ELA - RL.1 Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, why and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA - RL.2 Retell stories, including key details. CCSS.ELA - RL.3 Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the

sequence of event. CCSS.ELA - RL.4 Identify words and phrases in stories that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA - RL.5 Refer to parts of dramas, using terms such as scene; describe how each successive

part builds on earlier sections. CCSS.ELA - RL.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters.CCSS.ELA - RL.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.CCSS.ELA - RL.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Reading: Informational Text

CCSS.ELA - RI.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for answers.

CCSS.ELA - RI.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. CCSS.ELA - RI.3 Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas or pieces of

information in a text.

WASHINGTON STATE LEARNING STANDARDS

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WASHINGTON STATE K-12 LEARNING STANDARDS

Reading: Informational Text (cont’d)

CCSS.ELA - RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade-specific topic or subject area.

CCSS.ELA - RI.5 Use text features (table of contents, headings, links, etc.) to locate key facts or information in a text.

CCSS.ELA - RI.6 Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to explain or describe.CCSS.ELA - RI.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.

Speaking & Listening

CCSS.ELA - SL.1 Participate in conversations about grade-specific topics and texts.CCSS.ELA - SL.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or presented

through other media.CCSS.ELA - SL.4 Describe people, places, things and events with relevant details.CCSS.ELA - SL.5 Add visual displays to descriptions as described to provide additional details. CCSS.ELA - SL.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings and ideas clearly.

History/Social Studies

Reading History

CCSS.H/SS - RH.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of sources.CCSS.H/SS - RH.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including

vocabulary specific to history/social studies.CCSS.H/SS - RH.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose.CCCS.H/SS - RH.7 Integrate visual information with other information in print texts.

WHAT IS ARTS INTEGRATION?

A definition and checklist from The Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts program.

Arts integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.

Some educators confuse any effort to include the arts in their classroom with arts integration. While all types of arts-based instruction are encouraged, it is helpful for educators to know when they are engaged in arts integration. To achieve this awareness, an Arts Integration Checklist is provided. Educators answering “yes” to the items in the Checklist can be assured that their approach to teaching is indeed integrated.

Approach to Teaching• Are learning principles of Constructivism (actively built, experiential, evolving, collaborative, problem-solving,

and reflective) evident in my lesson?Understanding

• Are the students engaged in constructing and demonstrating understanding as opposed to just memorizing and reciting knowledge?

Art Form• Are the students constructing and demonstrating their understandings through an art form?

Creative Process• Are the students engaged in a process of creating something original as opposed to copying or parroting?• Will the students revise their products?

Connects• Does the art form connect to another part of the curriculum or a concern/need?• Is the connection mutually reinforcing?

Evolving Objectives• Are there objectives in both the art form and another part of the curriculum or a concern/need?• Have the objectives evolved since the last time the students engaged with this

subject matter?

For more thoughts about this subject and a wealth of useful information(including lesson plans) go to: The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge

FLEMING. IAN FLEMING.

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Ian Lancaster Fleming, famous for his James Bond series of spy novels, was born in London on May 28, 1908, the second of four brothers. He was educated at Eton College and then abroad in Germany and Austria.

After an early career at Reuters news agency, he became a stockbroker. During World War II he worked as assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence in the Admiralty in London and was privy to many secrets. It was his experience in this job that was to provide many of the characters and incidents that he was to write about later in the Bond books.

Following the war he became foreign manager, in charge of foreign correspondents, for Kemsley newspapers, owners of The Sunday Times and other papers. But his creative imagination remained under wraps until 1952, when, at the age of 43, he settled down in his house in Jamaica, and produced—in not much more than two months—Casino Royale, the first adventure of James Bond. He published an additional 13 James Bond titles and lived to witness their enormous success, and to see his character played by Sean Connery in the first two films, Dr. No and From Russia with Love.

Married to Anne Rothermere, his only son Caspar was born in 1952. While recovering from a heart attack in 1962, one of Fleming’s friends gave him a copy of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin to read and suggested that he write up the bedtime story he used to tell Caspar each evening—the one about the amazing flying car.

In May 1961, Fleming sent his publisher the manuscript for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He did not live to see it published. He suffered another heart attack on August 11, 1964, and died in the early morning of the following day—his son Caspar’s twelfth birthday—in Canterbury, Kent. The book was published in three volumes with illustrations by John Burningham, the first volume being released two months after Fleming’s death. It was the only children’s book he ever wrote.

IN HIS OWN WORDS• Never say “no” to adventures. Always say “yes,” otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.• I never correct anything and I never go back to what I have written, except to the foot of the last

page to see where I have got to. If you once look back, you are lost. How could you have written this drivel? How could you have used “terrible” six times on one page? And so forth. If you interrupt the writing of fast narrative with too much introspection and self-criticism, you will be lucky if you write 500 words a day and you will be disgusted with them into the bargain. By following my formula, you write 2,000 words a day and you aren’t disgusted with them until the book is finished, which will be in about six weeks.

• I would tell [a youngster who is concerned with making a career of writing] to write more or less as he speaks. To try to get an accurate ear for the spoken word and not, so to speak, put on a top hat when he sits down at his typewriter. He must not think that literature has to be literary…not that we should write in a less literate manner, but that we should avoid pretentiousness. This may be an oversimplification, but I’d tell the youngster to learn to type well and to avoid literary myths.

Sources: ianfleming.com: Ian Fleming’s Life ajb007.co.uk: Ian Fleming’s Last Interview

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BANG BANG. CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.Ian Fleming loved cars.

In the book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, when the Potts family is car shopping and sees the old wreck of a race car at a broken-down garage, Fleming writes:

They all had the same look in their eyes. The look said, “This must once have been the most beautiful car in the world. If the engine’s more or less all right and if we all set to and scrubbed and painted and mended and polished, do you suppose we could put her back as she used to be? It wouldn’t be like having just one of those black beetles that the factories turn out in hundreds and thousands and that all look alike. We’d have a real jewel of a car, something to love and cherish and look after as if it was one of the family!

It was love at first sight.

Chitty was inspired by a series of real English racing cars called Chitty Bang Bang, built and raced by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s. Zborowski’s Chitty 1 had a gray steel body with an eight-foot-long hood and weighed four tons. The cars used aircraft engines, and supposedly they were so loud that Canterbury passed a law prohibiting them from entering the city. Fleming’s Chitty is a combination of this race car and Fleming’s own Standard Tourer, which he had driven in Switzerland in the late 1920s.

Some other Chitty Chitty Bang Bang facts:

Ian Fleming borrowed the names of people he knew for characters in his novels. Jemima, for example, is named after the daughter of his employer when he was a stockbroker.

The first draft of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang included a scene in which Chitty soars over the spire of Canterbury Cathedral. Fleming removed this scene after taking his son Caspar to see the Disney film The Absent-Minded Professor, which featured a flying car circling a church spire.

The film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was co-written by children’s author Roald Dahl.

The film and the play are very different from the book. Here’s what’s different in the book:

• Jeremy and Jemima’s mother is alive. Her name is Mimsie, and the family’s last name is Pott, not Potts.• Caracatus is an explorer as well as an inventor.• Jeremy and Jemima go to boarding school.• There is no Grandpa Potts, Truly Scrumptious, Vulgaria, Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria

or Childcatcher.• There is a sweets factory called Skrumshus Limited where Potts successfully sells his musical

candy, named Crackpot Whistling Sweets. He is paid 1000 pounds and a sixpence for every 1000 candies sold. He makes a lot of money.

• The family flies to France in Chitty on their adventure, not Vulgaria.• The villains in the book are “wreck-burglars.” They sneak out in the night to ships that have

wrecked and steal everything on board.• Jeremy and Jemima are kidnapped by the wreckers and tricked into taking part in a robbery,

but they find a way to outwit the villains and become the heroes of the story.

A CHAT WITH MOLLI CORCORAN, UNDERSTUDY

Molli is not working on this production, but she kindly took the time to answer a few questions about the job of understudying.

Please tell us a little bit about your working process.

When I am cast as an understudy, I am assigned specific roles in the play to learn. This means that if two different actors play five parts each, then I am responsible for ten different parts. When I say “learn a part,” that means I am not only memorizing the lines, but I am also memorizing the blocking (where that actor walks, what they do and when). If an actor is too sick to perform, I get a phone call and immediately come to the theater. I will fill in for them during that performance.

I have had quite a lot of experience understudying at SCT. I feel pretty lucky to have a good memory because memorization is one of the most challenging aspects of understudying. Understudies start coming to rehearsals two weeks before the show opens. At the beginning of this process we simply observe rehearsals. If I am understudying more than one actor, I generally select the larger of the two roles to begin focusing on. I watch that actor like a hawk and write down every single movement they make. I take notes on their attitude and body language. My job is to learn every little thing that they do.

Every night, when I come home from rehearsal, I work on memorizing the lines. Usually I enlist the help of a friend to read the other characters’ lines. We sometimes get stuck on a line that I just can’t figure out and I have to say it 12 times before it finally sticks. If I am really focused, I can memorize all of my lines within a few days.

Once I have the lines down, I use my imagination to turn my bedroom into the set of that play. My bed becomes an ocean, my dresser a tree trunk. I walk the path that that character takes. So much of memorization for me is getting the movement and the words in my body at the same time. Muscle memory is a remarkable thing.

After the play has opened, the understudies begin rehearsals with the stage manager. We start working through the play one scene at a time on the actual set. We rehearse three days a week for about four hours a day. I like to have my lines 100%

memorized by this point so I can use this time to get comfortable walking on the set and using the props that my character touches.

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A page from Molli’s Pinocchio script. She highlighted the lines of different characters she was understudying in different colors, and has added notes

on the action and the way lines should be delivered.

At any point during this process I could get called in to perform. If I do get this call, I try to stay very calm and focused. It’s easy to be nervous. If time allows, the cast of the play will gather an hour before show time and run a tricky bit of blocking so that we all feel confident doing it together. We aren’t always lucky enough to have the time to do this. I have definitely messed up during a performance, but my fellow actors are such pros, they help cover my mistake and we keep going.

What is a particularly interesting or unusual challenge on this project and how would you set out to solve it?

Understudying multiple roles in a musical can be very challenging. The reason this is difficult is because usually the actors you are understudying all sing different harmonies within the same songs. Trying to learn complicated harmonies is tricky enough, but trying to learn multiple different harmonies and assigning a specific character to that harmony can feel impossible. Whenever I find myself in this position, I try to find little tricks to help me remember who sings what line and when. For example, if a character’s name starts with an “S” and she also sings the “Soprano” harmony line, I may tell myself to think of an “S” whenever I am stuck and then I remember what I am supposed to do.

In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang many of the actors who play ensemble roles are also understudying a larger role. This is called “internal understudying.” It means that not only do they have to memorize their own parts, but they also need to memorize another part.

What in your childhood got you to where you are today?

When I was little I had a really hard time sleeping. I was terrified of the dark. I started reading through the night to pass the time. I did this a lot. I mean, A LOT. I flew through book after book. I loved adventure and fantasy stories. I loved how they let me hang out in another fantastical world for a few hours. I started imagining that I was one of the characters in the books I was reading. I specifically remember when I was Mr. Popper, from Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I had 12 of my own penguins and we performed our traveling circus show all over the house. I loved playing make believe. Using the stories I read as inspiration, I would create elaborate imagination games. I should mention here that all of the characters in my games sang songs. I was always singing. As my mom loves to remind me, “You started singing at four weeks old and have never stopped.” It only makes sense that my characters were always singing too. By the time I was about eight years old, I was doing musical theater summer camps and after-school classes. In elementary school I got to play Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol. I like to think that this is the role that ignited my passion for acting but, in all honesty, I think I just really loved my costume. All I remember is that I found metal chains in my dad’s garage to attach to my shirt and put white paint in my hair so I would look older. After that, I never really thought I would do anything but become an actor. Nothing else brings me as much joy as acting does. Well, aside from ice cream.

Molli Corcoran works as an actor, singer, teacher and aspiring podcaster in Seattle. Over the last four years she has been cast in eight shows at Seattle Children’s Theatre (you may have seen her as Pippi Longstocking), four of them as the female understudy. Other than SCT, Molli has worked at Village Theatre, 5th Avenue, Balagan, Seattle Public Theatre and Mt. Baker Theatre.

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In this photo of a Goodnight Moon technical rehearsal, you can see the understudies sitting in the audience at a table where they can watch the action and take notes. Molli was in the regular cast for the show, not an understudy, and is

onstage holding the ribbon.

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ABOUT THE SETFrom Carey Wong, Set Designer

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang poses a number of challenges for the set designer. There are many different locations, the plot moves quickly from place to place, and a full-size car holding as many as four people needs to appear to be driven, function as a boat and fly.

The story is set in England during the Edwardian Era, a period of time at the start of the twentieth century. Director Linda Hartzell and I were drawn to illustrations with the beauty,

grace and sweeping curves of “Art Nouveau,” a French term meaning “new art” which describes a style of design most popular from 1890 to 1905. We chose to frame the stage in a pair of oversized Art Nouveau sweeps on the proscenium (the frame around the stage), and then repeat them as decorative details that first appear in the candy factory and multiply further when the action moves to Vulgaria. Art Nouveau illustrations, with their outlined images that were set against solid color backgrounds had a modern look to them. A series of shaped scenic cutouts that defines each location in the show reflects that feeling.

Photo of an 1897 poster by Alphonse Mucha, one of the most famous Art Nouveau artists. This

poster is an advertisement for Mucha’s printer and lithographer,

Ferdinand Champenois.

An example of vinework typical of Art Nouveau style which inspired

the sweeps framing the stage

The technique of placing a detailed, cleanly outlined image against a simple background

was one of the influences that led to designing cutout scenery pieces to define

scene locations.

Research images for England…

…and Vulgaria. The set does not use specific details from these images, but they show the extremely different feel of the two countries.

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The show’s design is an intentional contrast of visual styles. It starts in the English countryside, near King’s Lynn on the coast, as the Funfair banner tells us. Coggin’s garage and Potts’ windmill house and garage all share an earth tone color palette and rural character. England is a calm environment, even though there are lively bursts of color—for example, teal in the candy factory and yellow-orange at the Funfair, a place where people could go to see the latest new machines, exciting fairground attractions and amusements. Meanwhile, Vulgaria is a fantasy of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Central-European architectural styles, daring color combinations, and exuberant flights of visual fantasy and fashion. The final scene in Vulgaria at the Baron’s birthday party will hopefully delight audiences with its crazy stylistic mash-up of elaborate golden scrollwork, Art Nouveau sweeps, Latin American foliage and exotic birds.

Photograph of the set model for the brightly colored Fun Fair

scene. Notice the sweeps framing the stage. This is a working

model, which means it is still in process, so some of what you see in these photos may be changed

in the final production.

The Potts family windmill house, with Caractacus’ breakfast-making machine

ready for action.

Scrumptious Sweets Company. The teal color of the floor is emphasized in the scene and will be echoed in the factory workers’ costumes as well. The sweeps on the front

of the stage are repeated in the back.

Drawing of one of the buildings in Vulgaria’s town square. The elaborate

architectural details and bold color are a big change from the scenes in England.

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But as you might expect, the largest challenge is creating a full-size, fully-detailed period car that appears to move around the stage, float on water like a boat and sprout wings to fly. My drawings for the car were inspired by Ken Adam’s original drawings for the movie, but I had to adjust the details and dimensions to fit the size of our stage and the needs of our production. The design will continue to be refined as it is built in the SCT shop and fitted to the size of the cast members. The car will be created through the combined efforts of the carpenters, electricians, props artisans and scenic artists. Then it will be up to the director, actors, lights and sound to bring Chitty to life onstage.

Chitty was modeled after this 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Skiff. Even though this car isn’t magical, it costs a lot more that 30 shillings. It sold at auction for $773,402 in 2009. And yes, that is a snake on the fender. It’s the car’s horn.

The back of the car is shaped like a boat—perfect for Chitty. In fact, the car has the word “skiff” in

its name because that is a type of small boat.

Drawing of Chitty showing the car from all angles.

The scene shop will use detailed drawings like this and ones with even more exact measurements to build Chitty.

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ABOUT THE COSTUMES

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From Catherine Hunt, Costume Designer

Linda Hartzell, the director of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was quite keen on setting this play around 1915 to about 1917. This was such a fabulous time for invention and automation. It was also a great time for women’s fashion. While still referred to as the Edwardian period, the use of corsetry, or tightly fitting undergarments worn to shape a woman’s figure, had started to become almost non-existent. So for women, this meant a new freedom in clothing as well as life.

I wanted to keep the clothes in each location really controlled in color. In England, Caractacus, Jeremy, Jemima, Grandpa, as well as the country people at the fair and crowd scenes, are in warm-colored plaids, cottons, hand-knit sweaters and soft silhouettes (shapes). I was able to

find some hand-tinted photographs from the time period showing people in their everyday clothes, and they really helped me a lot. So, even if the colors seem a little more intense than what we think of when we see black-and-white photographs of the period, they are real.

Costume sketches for Caractacus, Jemima and Jeremy

A class photograph of a group of schoolchildren, and artwork by Norman Rockwell from 1919

inspired Jemima and Jeremy’s costumes.

Two fairgoers

A corset from the late 1890s. No amount of flowers and bows could make this

comfortable to wear. Edwardian women were not sorry to see them go out of style.

The colors in this hand-tinted photograph were

very helpful for choosing costume colors for the

townspeople.

Truly Scrumptious is a modern heroine. She is the most fashion-forward and should always look delightfully fabulous, whether she is riding her motorbike or visiting her family’s candy factory. Luckily, there is good research, including actual women’s clothing from the time, that shows the style, the fit, the kinds of color and the hats that women of Truly’s social status wore. Oh, the hats!

The candy factory scene is one of my favorites. Who doesn’t want to work in a candy factory? I love the controlled color palette that the workers have. I matched the aqua for their uniforms to Carey Wong’s set color. They are really fun, with stripes and fun hats. The aqua color shows up in the costumes for Lord Scrumptious and Miss Phillips, as well.

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One of Truly’s dresses

Dresses designed by Coco Chanel in 1917 led to the simple elegance of

Truly’s dress

The hats in the show aren’t as wild as some of the ones from the period. This

is a pretty crazy hat, right? Costumes for workers at the Scrumptious candy factory

She doesn’t look very happy to be working in a candy factory, but her

apron and hat were good inspiration for the costumes.

The Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria are much more showy and bold. Their colors are jewel-toned with lots of gold. The Vulgarian look for Boris and Goran, the spies, is somewhat Bavarian, and somewhat 1918. When they are working undercover in England,

they are dressed as country gentlemen, inspired by the Duke of Windsor. Linda loves the idea that they pop up in every scene with a hat or apron or something as a disguise suited to the scene that they are in, so watch for that!

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The Baron of Vulgaria

The wonderful decorative elements of this Greek

Cavalry officer’s uniform are perfect for the Baron. The Baroness of Vulgaria

Color and details of this dress designed by Lady

Lucy Duff Gordon in 1911 was one of the influences on the design for the Baroness.

Boris and Goran, the Vulgarian spies

The Duke of Windsor’s casual but classic look was the starting point for the spies’ costumes.

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I HAVE AN IDEAHow do people invent things? And why? We are surrounded by tools, devices, ways of doing things and new ideas that we take for granted in our daily lives, and someone invented each of those things. Or did many people working together do so?

Think of some of the very first inventions: using fire, taming and raising animals, growing plants. These inventions made it easier to be warm and provide food and clothing. Was it just one person that first took a branch from a smoldering forest fire and brought it back to camp to warm their family and cook food? Or was it many, many people over many years sharing ideas, trying, failing and finding different ways to preserve and then create fire? How many people talked about feeding that first wolf or fencing in that wild goat, before others finally tried it? And how many more needed to help, offer better ideas and keep trying until their efforts were successful? As different generations keep experimenting, most inventions are improved. We now have countless ways of making fire,

we have hundreds of different breeds of dogs just for pets, and we have discovered plants from around the world to enjoy in our gardens, homes or for dinner.

Caractacus Potts’ breakfast-making machine is certainly not his first invention. He probably started inventing when he was a kid and just never stopped. All children are born with curiosity and a desire to invent. They can’t wait to find out what the older folks are up to and join in the fun. Just look at how a baby starts playing and making sounds when first learning to speak. It starts imitating the sounds it hears adults making and learns a language—any language in the world—in an amazingly short time. And babies do it without any lessons and much faster than an adult could. Some children even invent special words that they use

just around their family or friends. Perhaps you have invented your own “secret” language or written code.

Maybe you have built hideaways or forts at home, or tree houses in the yard. You experimented with building materials, tested tools and tried out different plans until you were satisfied. That’s what inventing is all about. What kind of wood is soft for carving, and what kind is hard for digging or prying? How do different materials lean against and support each other? How do different colors of cloths let in or shut out light?

Inventors constantly test and reevaluate. The more ideas and testing, the better. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb among many other things, did not invent it all by himself. He created one of the first research laboratories.

This is what the lamp made by Thomas

Edison and his team in 1879 looked like.

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He hired a large team of engineers to test lots of ideas over and over until they achieved success. They tested thousands of different kinds of filaments until they found the right one that lit up the bulb without melting or burning out.

Perhaps you like to draw or sketch ideas on paper. Fifteenth-century Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, one of history’s most famous inventors, began sketching when he was a boy. He lived in the country and sketched everything he saw—clouds, water, animals. In doing so he was looking very closely at things and observing how they worked—how water and air flowed in currents, how birds’ wings carried them in flight. He later drew designs for a parachute, a glider, a helicopter and an underwater diving suit, among many others. Few of his ideas were built, partly because his ideas were ahead of the technology of his time, and, also, because he had trouble sticking with one thing—he was always on to the next idea!

Do you notice how things work in nature? George De Mestral, a Swiss electrical engineer, noticed that cockleburs would stick to his dog and his own clothing after a walk in the fields. He examined the tiny hooks on the burs that stuck to the tiny loops in clothing and fur. Then he wondered if he could make those tiny loops and hooks with fabric. He succeeded and invented Velcro!

Maybe you like to take things apart to see how they work. Lots of toys and household gizmos today are powered by computer chips,

so we can’t really see what is going on. But you can still find things like gears and swivels and other mechanical parts in many toys—just make sure you are not fooling around with electricity! The gasoline powered car motor of yesterday is becoming the battery-powered motor of tomorrow because young inventors took apart old motors and imagined how to build new ones.

Inventing is often finding a new way to use something we already have. Gutenberg used the wine press to make the printing press. Instead of pressing down on grapes to squeeze out juice, he pressed inked letters onto paper. Cassidy Goldstein, age 11, found it hard to keep using her crayons when they were broken or worn down into short pieces. She saw that florists used plastic tubes to keep the ends of rose stems wet. So she invented a plastic “crayon holder” for herself. She then realized it would also be helpful for children with fine motor difficulties to use for drawing with pastels.

Leonardo da Vinci’s design for a helicopter. His notes are very difficult to read because not only

are they in Italian and in a kind of shorthand he invented, but he wrote backwards, from the

right side of the page to the left.

A cocklebur, the inspiration for Velcro

Cassidy Goldstein’s crayon holders

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Some inventors turn failure into a success, as Caractacus Potts does when his disastrous haircutting machine becomes a perfect turkey plucker. When one scientist tried to make a strong adhesive for NASA, it turned out to be very weak. Someone else decided to put this adhesive on

the back of their bookmarks so they wouldn’t keep falling out, and the Post-it note was invented.

Some inventions are created by accident. In the 1950s Percy Spencer was trying to make radar more powerful by using a strong magnetic device. Then he noticed he had melted the chocolate bar in his pocket. So he used the magnetic device to invent the microwave oven. At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, ice cream was selling well in the sizzling summer weather, but hot waffles were not. But when the ice cream sellers ran out of paper cups, a quick thinking waffle maker rolled one of his waffles into a cone and created the first ice cream cone! The X-ray machine, plastic, matches, popsicles (Frank Epperson, at age 11), chocolate chip cookies and potato chips were all invented by accident.

Perhaps the most enjoyable inventions are games. Children invent games all the time. Or they change the rules of a game

to make things easier or more challenging. Basketball began in 1891 when a Canadian P.E. teacher wanted his students to be able to exercise indoors during the frozen winters. He had them throw soccer balls into peach baskets nailed up onto posts. More rules came later.

Perhaps you have invented a game to pass the time while bored. Try having a contest to see who can make up a board game to learn about a geography or history lesson in school. Or suppose you had four spoons, four tennis balls, a tub, two buckets, a wooden spatula and a Frisbee. Could you make up the rules for a game using these things? What if you decided to use one of these verbs from other games: dribble, toss, knock over, hit or flip?

We use our powers of invention often, perhaps without realizing it, to satisfy our curiosity, to entertain ourselves, to make a difficult task easier and to help others. We all have a bit of Caractacus Potts in us.

A diagram from Frank Epperson’s patent application for the “Epsicle”

Peach baskets and what is believed to be the original basketball, found with the belongings of

James Naismith, the inventor of the game

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THE LIVES OF EDWARDIAN CHILDRENThe characters in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang lived during the last years of a time known as the “Edwardian Era,” named for England’s King Edward VII. Historians identify the Edwardian Era as being from 1901 to 1915. In the play, young Jeremy and Jemima live a life of fun and adventure. But the truth is, Edwardian children’s lives were not like what we see on stage.

A child’s life was really determined by how much money their family had. While there is much written about the upper and lower classes during this time, there is little recorded about children in families known as the “middle class.” So we will be looking mostly at differences between the lives of wealthy and poor children.

Wealthy children might enjoy daily excursions to the park, or trips to the country or seaside. Many of these kids had nannies, who might take them to the toy shop or the circus. Little girls might have tea parties in the nursery, while little boys would play with tin soldiers, tops or blocks. On trips to the cool, green parks of London, children might spend the afternoon flying paper kites or launching small sailboats onto the pond. Sometimes, children would enjoy funny puppet shows there as well.

Middle class families might have parents that were bankers, shop keepers or workers in some of the cleaner, more modern factories. We do know that middle class children went to school and were able

to have schedules that were pretty much the same from day to day. These families might be able to hire a maid, but did not have servants like the very wealthy manor houses.

Childhood was very difficult for poor children. Luckily, the Edwardian Era was a time when the English government made decisions to improve the lives of children. Many of today’s laws affecting the health and well-being of English children were developed during this time. For example, laws were created in the early 1900s that required that children be allowed to go to school. But sadly, many adults ignored these laws, and poor children as young as nine years old were sent to work as servants, or in mines, construction, shipyards and factories. In some of these factories, children made matches and were exposed to poisonous chemicals that often made them very sick.

In larger cities, children might be forced to beg for coins or become pickpockets. For these children, going to school was a dream that many never got to experience. These children grew up not knowing how to read or having a chance to just spend time playing with other kids. Many were hungry and ill. Sometimes these children might go for weeks without taking a bath or brushing their teeth.

What was school like?

Edwardian schools were not like classrooms today. You might have to share a classroom with 50 other students! Also, boys and girls were often taught separately and not allowed to play together. Children went to school from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Classrooms were heated with a small coal-burning stove, and

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England is not the only country where young children were put to work. These American boys

worked long hours at a fish cannery in Maine.

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so they were often very chilly. Children usually sat on hard, wooden benches. Classes were taken in the “3 Rs”—Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic—and there were also physical education lessons. Girls were generally also taught how to cook, clean and run a house properly. Usually, children would go home for lunch and return for afternoon lessons. Children might also attend Sunday school where their lessons were taught by their regular school teacher.

What was life like at home?

In wealthier households, most children didn’t see too much of their parents. Kids would have dinner with the family, but spent much of their time in the nursery with their brothers

and sisters and a nanny. Some families had pets, but animals were usually kept outside. At this time in history, many families had 10 or more children. Sadly, many children died as babies or from diseases such as smallpox and diphtheria. Child-death struck both rich and poor families.

In a typical English town, it was easy to tell who was rich and who was poor. Wealthier children were well fed, wore warm clothes

and had shoes on their feet. They did not work and often had lessons at home. In the summertime, wealthy families might go on picnics at the beach, a park or the zoo. These children were allowed to ride elephants and camels, and could watch the lions being fed.

Poor children often looked thin and hungry, wore ragged clothes and had no shoes. These children didn’t get to go to concerts or plays.

What did kids do for fun? What kinds of toys and games were popular?

When in the nursery, children might play with dolls, puzzles, trains, toy animals and rocking horses. When outdoors, children played chasing games such as tag (which had lots of other names, such as “Touch” or “Tigg”). They also played a version of musical chairs, using cushions or old rags to sit on. At Easter, children played “Egg-Shackling.” In this game, everyone put an egg with their name on it in a basket which was shaken until the eggs broke. The last egg left unbroken won. In street games, children shared toys like hoops, marbles and skipping ropes.

Boys learned to play a game called “Cricket” which is still played today throughout the United Kingdom. Cricket is a lot like modern day baseball. If they didn’t have a real ball, they made one from old rags, and made bats from pieces of wood. They also played hopscotch. Children were able to play out in the street as there was less traffic than today. Cars were new, very unusual and very expensive. And even though some looked like the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, they didn’t fly.

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A group of children playing, with the older children looking after the younger ones

A girl in her bedroom with her dolls

With so many students in a classroom, the desks were set on steps so that the teacher and students

could see each other.

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What were some popular children’s books?

During the Edwardian era, children’s literature became more popular. Some books that children were reading back then are still being enjoyed today. Do you recognize any of these titles?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter The Jungle Book & Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Did Edwardian children eat yummy foods and snacks?

Children had meals high in carbohydrates without much meat or fresh fruit. Fresh meat was expensive and required refrigeration. There was no such thing as a refrigerator back then. Wealthier homes might have had an “icebox” which held big blocks of ice that were delivered once a week. Fruit was difficult to come by. In fact, many people were scared

to give fresh fruit to children. This is because fruits were often nibbled by insects before reaching the food markets. Fruit would be badly bruised, slightly rotten or damaged while it was transported long distance. Tree fruits like apples and pears were available, but many children had no idea what an orange or pineapple even looked like.

Children in wealthy families would have eaten a portion of hot or cold meat with potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable such as cabbage. Meals were almost always followed by something sweet. Dessert might be a steamed pudding or creamy custard served with sweet jam. Cookies, called “biscuits,” were very plain. They did have candy though! In England, a piece of candy is called a “sweet.” Boiled

sweets were small, hard candies. In the sweet shop, you would find peppermint lumps, boiled lemon sweets, licorice allsorts, butter caramels and “cinder toffee” (better known as “Crunchie”).

Children in poorer families might only have bread and margarine or jam. Butter was too expensive, and also required refrigeration. They would also have an occasional stew or soup.

So, here are some questions for you.

Now that you know some of what life was like for real Edwardian children, how do Jeremy and Jemima’s lives compare to them? Are some things the same for children today as they were back then? What would you miss the most if you had to go back in time and live like an Edwardian child?

Sources: The BBC archives: Victorian Britain – teacher resources hiddenlives.org: Hidden Lives Revealed – A Virtual Archive The Imperial War Museum, UK: Childhood, Culture, and the First World War

Children have rolled hoops for fun for centuries all over the world. The game

was very popular during the Edwardian Era and early twentieth century. This picture from the 1920s shows boys

playing in Canada.

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WE ARE FAMILYWhen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang begins, Jemima, Jeremy and their father Caractacus Potts sing that “teamwork can make a dream work.” Their dream at the moment is of driving Chitty in an imaginary race against the Vulgarians. That dream becomes a true and perilous adventure when the Baroness of Vulgaria sends spies to capture Chitty and they kidnap Grandpa Potts instead. The Potts family, along with their new friend Truly, is a strong team, and they set off to save Grandpa.

After flying Chitty to Vulgaria, they find a large group of children hiding in the sewers under the Baron’s castle who also need rescuing. They realize that “if we all pitch in and try…great teams make impossibilities come true. Many sparks can light a mighty fire.” So they band together with the children and overthrow the Baron and Baroness. The Potts family becomes part of a larger team, and everyone benefits.

Families don’t often have such dramatic adventures, but they have worked together as teams since the very beginning of history. Parents and children needed to share lots of work if they were fishing, raising crops, tending herds of animals or hunting and gathering food from the wild. Think about fishing far out on the sea with your family, or traversing grasslands herding sheep. It would be much safer to go with as many boats or horses as possible. That would mean having lots of cousins and aunts and uncles and friends along. We call this an extended family. And extended families would have even more safety and success when they banded together in “kinship” as tribes and communities. Kinship can mean we are connected by family ties, but we can also feel kinship to others based on shared experiences, feelings and interests.

Families come in all shapes and sizes, from one parent to sets of stepparents, stepbrothers and stepsisters. A family could be grandparents raising children, with the help of aunts and uncles or cousins, and close friends. You can be in a family by birth, by adoption, by marriage or simply by sharing love and responsibility for each other. We might even use the word family to include

people we work with, play with or learn with. In fact, we are all members of the human family—a very large team indeed! And every one of us needs help from time to time.

Helping others starts at home. It is the place where you learn how good it feels to get help when you need it and to give help in return. Sharing, taking turns and pitching in with chores, even when you are tired or feeling cranky, makes for a pleasant day. Home is also where you learn how to put up with each other’s little quirks. And to get over squabbles. And to put a smile on someone else’s face when they are feeling down. These are all the same skills you can use to help people outside your family.

We can easily help other families who live close by in many ways. We might babysit, pet sit, walk the dog, pick up mail or newspapers, help take care of

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the yard or watch the house. We might end up sharing picnics or walks to the park, celebrating birthdays and holidays together, lending and borrowing things, and sending cards or meals if

someone is sick. Someone who is sad or having a problem might want someone to talk to outside their own family. It really helps just to listen, even if we feel like we can’t fix things for them. Sometimes a parent loses a job or even their home. If there is an emergency such as a fire or flood, families might need extra clothes, food or a place to sleep. We can ask our parents how we can help these families we know directly.

But there are families outside our neighborhood who need our help, too. You can donate food to a food bank at the local grocery store. Put in a can or carton of food that will not spoil.

Many places in or near Seattle accept other kinds of donations. These places include Salvation Army, Seattle Goodwill, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Puget Sound, and Sight Connection. They know that many families are in need of kitchen tables and chairs, bookcases, small desks, dressers, beds, sofas, dishes, pots and pans, towels, bedding and clothing. If you have more than you need, you can take things there so other families can use them. And think of children whose families can’t afford to buy them presents on a birthday or holiday. You can donate an old toy or even buy a new one for a toy drive during the holiday season.

There are many different organizations, all sharing the same name, Families Helping Families, in many states across the country. They help in different ways. Some help by caring for family members with disabilities. Some help those who are homeless. Others help with clothing and school supplies. And some help by finding foster care for children.

Some organizations help families all over the world. The Red Cross helps with disaster relief. Habitat for Humanity builds, renovates and repairs homes here and in other countries. Skilled volunteers work on the carpentry and repair, but everyone can donate building supplies, furniture and appliances for the homes. Cash donations also help.

Besides providing the necessities for life, there is another important way families help each other. They pass on their beliefs, values and stories from generation to generation. We have books today to read about our history, but for many thousands of years the history of families and communities was passed down by word of mouth. Some individuals in each generation needed to learn these stories by memory. Families also shared their stories, both real and imaginary, with other families. Some of these shared stories became famous legends such as the epics of Beowulf and Mwindo.

We all learn from each other’s stories. There is still nothing more enjoyable than sitting around the table and hearing stories from grandparents, aunts and uncles, both within our own family and when we are guests of another family. We can encourage each other to write down or record these important stories so we will have them to pass down when we are older. Then we are thinking of the families of the future.

An extended family gathered to celebrate a birthday

A girl donating toys to charity

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FEAR OF CHILDREN

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BARONESS: No, No, No! Anything but children! …call the Childcatcher!

The Baroness is one of many characters in literature with a dislike for children. They include Mrs. Trunchbull in Matilda, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist, Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, Ms. Hannigan in Annie and a host of maligned witches and stepmothers from fairy tales. We can only guess what is behind their fear and loathing of children. But that fear has a name.

In 2009 a Cincinnati teacher was transferred from teaching high school to middle school. Soon her blood pressure soared and, apparently unable to function, she retired early. Her exposure to seventh and eighth graders, she claimed, triggered her phobia of young children—“pedophobia.” She sued the district and lost.

Pedophobia does not describe someone who just doesn’t like to be around children. It is a psychiatric condition related to anxiety, with symptoms that match that disorder—panic, shortness of breath, rapid

heartbeat, nausea, trembling. Its cause isn’t known, but like other phobias, in some cases it is likely the result of traumatic experiences in childhood.

For many adults, even those who do not suffer from the extremes of pedophobia, being around children is not easy. Those of us who have never been around groups of seventh and eighth graders might be uneasy with the loud and wild voices, raucous laughter and

impetuous physical movement of burgeoning adolescence. Being thrust into the middle of a room full of first graders might be even scarier—non-stop energy, bouncing, jumping, perhaps even some crying!

Uneasiness for most of us comes from inexperience. And the cure for that is more experience. It is like swimming with the current rather than against it. Going with the flow of children’s energy, gaining confidence and becoming used to it, we may find we actually enjoy it and even thrive on it.

But there are also adults who quite simply do not enjoy being around children. They recognize that they are not “kid people.” They are kind and courteous to children, but are forthright about preferring the company of adults. There are parents who are open about being uncomfortable around other people’s children. There are lots of online posting boards devoted to this issue. Some accuse them of being “ageist,” but perhaps it is good to be honest about one’s preferences. When we are with children, it is unfair to expect them to behave like adults.

Society’s attitude towards children has changed dramatically over the centuries. Up until the seventeenth century, two-thirds of children born in England died before the age of four. The historian Barbara Tuchman suggested some of the societal violence of the fourteenth century was due to the difficulty of parents bonding with children in the face of such mortality. During the Industrial Revolution, the life expectancy for children increased dramatically. However, they had few rights and were vulnerable to exploitation in factories and poorhouses. Eventually, movements arose to extend certain legal rights to children. Laws aimed at protecting children from abuse continue to evolve in various parts of the world today.

Some historians maintain that our modern concept of childhood as a time of innocence deserving of protection is only a few hundred years old. Before the 1600s, most depictions of children in paintings,

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illustrations or monuments showed them as miniature adults. Many traditional societies have marked the end of childhood at the onset of puberty by an initiation rite conferring adulthood. In pre-Industrial Europe, children could be sent off to another family around the age of 12 to train in a craft as an apprentice. When public schooling arose in the United States in the 1870s, attendance was compulsory only to age 14. This reflected the fact that most teenagers needed to work for their families or for their own living. In fact, the concept of a “teenage phase” did not exist until after WWII with the rise of a large middle class, increasing high school and college attendance, and the widespread use of automobiles.

The medical profession of the nineteenth and early twentieth century did not exactly encourage affection towards children. G. Stanley Hall, the first president of the American Psychological Association, advocated authoritarian discipline and corporal punishment. Luther Emmett Holt, who pioneered the science of pediatrics, recommended that children under the age of six months should not be comforted when

screaming and should never be played with. His contemporary, John B. Watson, wrote, “Never hug and kiss them, never let them sit in your lap. If you must, kiss them once on the forehead when you say goodnight. Shake hands with them in the morning.” From this kind of attitude came the saying, “Children should be seen and not heard.” Indeed, wealthy folks like the Baron and Baroness, if they did have children, could have them tended by a nurse or governess and rarely see them.

Fortunately this attitude changed after WWII due to the recommendations of Dr. Benjamin Spock and many others. Society now recognizes the absolute necessity of nurturing and loving engagement with children from infancy through adolescence. But there are thousands of books advocating so many different kinds of parenting philosophies and styles that it can seem difficult to trust one’s own common sense and instincts.

In today’s world our culture has become very youth-oriented, and we will encounter children pretty much everywhere. Whether we are a “kid person” or not, it helps to know a bit about their world, just in case we find ourselves in a group of them with no hope of escape.

Children are born with different temperaments. These temperaments can range up and down a scale of emotional sensitivity. We might recognize this from our own children, nieces or nephews, or our siblings. Some children are very aware of and influenced by their feelings and can become upset for hours over the smallest incident. Other children rarely become upset and are much less aware not only of their own feelings, but those of others. In addition, children may have a learning or behavioral challenge such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Asperger’s syndrome. All this can result in children displaying emotions that may seem inappropriate to the occasion. A child may be emotionally overwhelmed. He or she may appear to over react by crying, arguing or physically acting out. Or a child may appear to under react—she or he may appear unaware or uncaring of someone else’s feelings or needs. In both of these instances, the child is simply behaving according to how he or she perceives, or does not perceive, their inner and outer environment.

This portrait of Daniel Crommelin Verplanck painted

by John Singleton Copley shows the then 9-year-old boy in adult-style clothing

This can be very frustrating for adults who are used to, or are expecting, a child to behave in a certain “appropriate” manner. It can be particularly challenging when one sibling or student stands out from others who are behaving “normally.” The child not meeting our expectations will often internalize blame and label him or herself as different, or even worse, as bad.

Children who might be at the outer ends of these emotional, behavioral and learning spectrums bring valuable gifts to the world. We need their unique ways of seeing and working with the world. They need to know from the beginning that they are loved and appreciated for who they are. It is the responsibility of adults to help children grow into maturity with a sense of what their society expects as norms of behavior, and to help them recognize and take into account the needs and feelings of others.

But we must avoid negative labeling such as “cry baby,” “whiner,” or “selfish.” Children need us to be the adults in the room. That means not taking things personally. We must learn to incorporate calm, empathetic listening along with consistent but flexible expectations. We can even help rehearse ways in which they can express their feelings safely. We can involve them in problem solving when outbreaks occur. We can give them positive messages about who they are, such as “You have very strong feelings,” or, “You can learn to understand other people’s feelings and what they need.”

In January 2013 a man in a Houston restaurant was annoyed at the presence of a five-year-old child with Down syndrome. He was heard to say, “Special needs children need to be special someplace else.” The waiter overheard this and, offended by the comment, refused to serve the rude man. The restaurant owner backed up the waiter.

This is an extreme example of insensitivity. But parents, caretakers and teachers in charge of children in public are keenly aware of negative comments when dealing with normal but challenging kid behavior. A mother who is handling a four-year-old having a meltdown in the middle of a grocery store or restaurant can’t simply make her child be quiet. She may have to walk her screaming child patiently all the way out to the car for several meltdowns until her child internalizes expectations about how to behave in public. Unless we have been in that situation, we can’t really appreciate what parent and child are going through. We could be like the Baroness and wish the Childcatcher could remove the noise and inconvenience. Or we could go with the flow. Think of what an understanding smile might mean in that situation.

Sources: centerforparentingeducation.org: Parenting Education huffingtonpost.com: Too Much Mother Love: Proving the Necessity of Nurture lovethatmax.com: Special Needs Blog

Recommended books: The Difficult Child, by Stanley Turecki with Leslie Tonner Raising Your Spirited Child, by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka Understanding Temperament; Strategies for Creating Family Harmony, by Lyndall Shick

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Sometimes, you just have to laugh.

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WORDS & PHRASES THAT MIGHT BE NEW TO YOUNo car ever went so far in winning every great Grand Prix. – international sports-car race. A French term meaning “great prize.”

Open the throttle. – device that controls the flow of fuel to an engine

Nothing is too good for the Baron of my dreams. – man who is a member of a low rank of nobility. “Baroness” is a woman of that status.

TRULY: What’s wrong with a stove and a skillet? JEREMY: Inefficient. – wasteful of time, energy or materials

Breakfast making machine? Rather eccentric...wouldn’t you say? – strange or unusual

I’ll give you ten bob for it. 30 shillings is a lot of money, Children.

bob, shilling – a British coin used before 1971 that was equal to ¹/₂₀ of a British pound. A pound today is worth about $1.50, so divide that by 20 and that’s how much a shilling or bob would be worth now.

You don’t be daft. – crazy

Well, Blimey O’Reilly, he’s invented something that works! – I’m very surprised. A British expression.

There are no vacancies. – empty spaces

Well sir, the fundamental novelty of this particular brand of confectionery is its musical quality. fundamental novelty – important new part confectionery – sweet food

Too late! Had your chance. Muffed it! – failed

By raising the boiling point of my sugar, the resulting porosity and cylindrical shape...

porosity – surface covered with pores or holes cylindrical – cylinder shaped

Their values intrinsic… – built in

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The Autoplane, invented in 1917 by Glenn Curtiss, an American aviation pioneer, is believed to be the first attempt to build a flying car. It was able to take short

hops, but never managed complete flight.

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Goran, one only has to look at you to know how vulgar you are. – tasteless

Keep your nose up high and spout an English platitude. – unoriginal remark

Roll up, roll up, a positive snip at threepence a time! – a coin worth three pennies. Formerly used in Great Britain.

Not been courting a month and she’s trying to change the way I look. – acting in a way that shows I want to get married

Now just you relax Sir, and we’ll have you done in a jiffy. – very short time. In science, the word “jiffy” can be used to describe several different units of time, the most common being .01 seconds long.

Be sure your cabin’s port side, or the sun is going to singe-ya And when you’re sailing home again, the starboard side’s for you

port – left-hand side of a ship facing forward singe – burn slightly starboard – right-hand side of a ship facing forward Some people believe “posh,” meaning elegant and upper-class, comes from the first letters of the phrase “port out, starboard home,” which, as Grandpa Potts sings, were the sides you wanted your cabin on a ship to be when taking a voyage from England to India and back. No one knows for sure where the word posh comes from.

Oh, it’s just a little something I cobbled together. – put together clumsily

How very convenient... You go up... Lower the grappling hook... – tool with several hooks for grasping or holding

Help, I’m being abducted by an alien! – kidnapped

Improbable but true. – unlikely to be true or to happen

You are too modest. – humble

Jess Dixon of Andalusia, Alabama, built the Dixon Flying car. This picture was supposedly taken around 1940, but there is

no proof the car was actually able to fly.

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In fact they are banned from this kingdom by act of parliament. – the highest law-making authority

Our observatory has seen a car flying across the border. – building from which scientists study and watch the sky

I hope that chap is jolly well joking. We had a bloke once came here, just like you.

chap, bloke – man

Shoulders to the grindstone. Noses to the wheel. – work hard. Both these phrases mean the same thing, but they are a bit mixed up here. The sayings are usually “shoulders to the wheel” and “noses to the grindstone.”

There’s magic in the wake of a fiasco. – disaster

Right! This jalopy needs a spit and polish. jalopy – old broken-down car spit and polish – cleaning and shining

I had plenty of better plans, if you’d have only let me get a word in edgeways. – slip into the conversation when someone is talking constantly

It’s all because of the Baroness. She loathes them. – hates

The Baron wants you back at the castle. The intruders have been located. – people who entered uninvited

And what are we doing? Squabbling over scraps. – arguing loudly about unimportant things

BARONESS: What are you singing? BARON: I heard it in the bathroom. BARONESS: Catchy. – pleasant and easily remembered

It’s all the rage. I’ve made all the Vulgarians learn to Samba. – lively Brazilian ballroom dance

You are henceforth banished! henceforth – from now on banished – forced to leave and never return

The American inventor Moulton Taylor built the Aerocar in 1949 in Longview, Washington—and it worked! There

were six models of the Aerocar, all of them able to fly. This is the Moulton Aerocar III, which can be seen

at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

Ideas for things to do, wonder about, talk about or write about, before or after you see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.What other secret, special ability do you think Chitty might have? When would she use it?The Potts family lives in an old windmill. What kind of unusual building would you like for a home? Draw it.Got an old, beat up toy around that you don’t play with anymore? Got some things in your recycling bin you can attach to the toy to turn it into an amazing one-of-a-kind car? Ask permission first, then go for it!Tell the story from Chitty’s point of view.When Caractacus’ haircutting machine fails, it gets a new purpose as a turkey plucker. Look around where you are. What unexpected uses could there be for some of the things you see?Draw some disguises for Boris and Goran. Where could they hide in the outfits you designed?There are some real foods with funny names in this story—Toad in the Hole, Bubble and Squeak, Bangers and Mash. What do you think they are? What is the strangest sounding food you have ever heard of or eaten?Have a slow-motion sports car race with some friends in which you are the cars. Have everyone give themselves a car name and make car noises as they run. One of you could be the announcer for the race.How are Jeremy and Jemima the same as each other? How are they different?Is there a chore you have to do every day that gets boring—like making your bed, feeding your gecko or throwing your dirty clothes in the hamper? Think about each thing you do to complete the chore and design an invention that does those steps for you.Why is the Baroness so afraid of children? What would you do to help her get over her fear?Play hide-and-seek as spies with some friends. Change your hiding places when the seeker isn’t looking.With some friends, write the names of the characters in the story on separate small pieces of paper, fold them, then drop them into a bowl. Take a paper out of the bowl and, without talking, act out something that character does in the story. Whoever guesses the character, acts the next one out.Write a new adventure for Jeremy, Jemima and Chitty. No grownups allowed.Invent a new candy that does a trick. What does it do? What does it look like? What does it taste like? Act out a trip in Chitty to anywhere in the world. Describe what you see as you fly, drive or float there.Why do the people of Vulgaria obey the law forbidding children?Draw a map of the Baron’s castle, with a path the Vulgarian children could use to get inside.Move like Truly and Caractacus do as the toy dolls while you sing your favorite song.What would you have done to raise the money to buy Chitty?Tell the story with the Baroness and Baron as the heroes.Why does Caractacus work so hard to buy Chitty for Jemima and Jeremy?Write a letter to the Childcatcher explaining why she should get a different job.

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JUMP START

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DRAMA IN ACTION

*A Dramashop is an interactive drama-workshop that Seattle Children’s Theatre offers to schools and community groups through our Education Outreach program. Dramashops explore the themes, characters, historical context and production elements of SCT Mainstage plays. Professional SCT teaching artists work with students for an hour, fleshing out themes and ideas through dynamic theater exercises. Dramashops can occur either before or after seeing the play and can be held at SCT or at your location. Students get on their feet in these participatory workshops, stretching their imaginations while learning about the play.

For information about bringing a Dramashop to your classroom or community group, email educationoutreach@sct.org.

This is a customized Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Dramashop* exercise for you to try.

EXERCISE: Caractacus Potts’ InventionGRADES: 2nd and upTIME: 10 minutesSET-UP: This exercise works best in an open space. SUPPLIES: None

INSTRUCTIONS:Caractacus Potts spends much of his time imagining and inventing all sorts of machines that make his family’s life easier and more whimsical. Not only does he fix Chitty Chitty Bang Bang so that she floats and flies, but he also invents a breakfast machine that perfectly scrambles eggs and a sweets machine that produces musical and tasty treats! What parts help these machines do their job? In this exercise, students work together to create machines using their bodies and voices.

Ask the students to imagine Caractacus Potts’ breakfast machine. What moving parts make this machine? What sounds does it make? Is it fast or slow?

Choose one student to be the first part of the machine. The student should choose a stationary, sustainable action with a complementary sound. This action can be done standing, sitting or kneeling. Once this student has chosen their action and sound, add another student. Encourage students to relate their actions to other students’ actions. Continue adding students until the whole group is a part of the machine. Next, experiment with tempo. What happens if you slow the machine down or speed it up?

After creating the breakfast machine, try making Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or a completely brand new invention!

A BRAND NEW CHITTY Here’s your chance to create a fantasmagorical car of the future.

Think of a special ability you want your car to have.

Have a friend choose a second thing the car should be able to do, and write both ideas here.

1. ____________________________________ 2. ____________________________________

Now combine those ideas and, using the shapes below as part of your design, start drawing!

What A Name!

A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h I i J j K k L l M m N n O o P p Q q R r S s T t U u V v W w X x Y y Z z

A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h I i J j K k L l M m N n O o P p Q q R r S s T t U u V v W w X x Y y Z z

A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h I i J j K k L l M m N n O o P p Q q R r S s T t U u V v W w X x Y y Z z

You may have noticed some odd names in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. For example, Chitty is named for the sound she makes. Truly Scrumptious’ name literally means “Sincerely Delicious,” which reflects both her honest kindness and her family’s candy-making business. The Toymaker is named after his job. Each name provides information about the character.

Write a character description for the following names. Think about what their job might be, how they communicate, where they live, and what their personality is like. Dr. Veronica Molar Lucky N. Deed Fly T. Flounder

Now come up with names that fit these characters. ______________________________________________ is a futuristic robot with super-human capabilities. For the most part, it runs smoothly, but every now and then its joints begin to squeak and spat. This robot still relies on beeps and boops in order to speak to its friends and family. ______________________________________________ grew up on a farm caring for animals and tending crops, but travelled to town on a unicycle and entertained people with jokes and egg juggling. This person is high spirited and wants to be a world famous farm clown. ______________________________________________ is a 13 year-old hula hoop champion who plays soccer and is a chess master. When not competing, this person likes to spend time at the local flower shop creating bouquets for events such as weddings.

What is your personality like? What do you enjoy doing? Create a new name for yourself!

BOOKLIST

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For Children & Young Adults:

The Flying Hand of Marco B. Richard Leiter

Space Taxi: Archie Takes FlightWendy Mass

The Candy Shop WarBrandon Mull

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter MotorJon Scieszka

Hot Rod HamsterCynthia Lord

The Adventures of Nanny PigginsR. A. Spratt

The Mount Rushmore Calamity: Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures #1Sara Pennypacker

Howtoons: Tools of Mass ConstructionDr. Saul Griffith

Zephyr Takes FlightSteve Light

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies AgainFrank Cottrell Boyce Down on their luck, the Tooting family buys an old camper van and begins repairing it. But after installing an engine that once belonged to an extraordinary car, they set off to find other original parts, pursued by a sinister man who wants Chitty for himself.

For Adults Working with Children & Young Adults:

Around the World in 80 DaysJules Verne

Amelia Earhart: The Turbulent Life of an American IconKathleen C. Winters In this nuanced and often surprising biography, acclaimed aviation historian Kathleen C. Winters moves beyond the caricature of the spunky, precocious pilot to offer a more complex portrait.

Website:The official website of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang:Ian Fleming

Booklist prepared by Robin J. Howe King County Library System

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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

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Engaging young people with the arts is what we are all about at SCT. We hope that the Active Audience Guide has helped enhance and extend the theater experience for your family or your students beyond seeing the show.

Your input is very valuable to us. We’d love to hear your feedback about the guide. Please take a moment to go online and answer this brief survey: SCT Audience Guide Survey.You can also email your comments to us at info@sct.org.

Thank you for your support.

Seattle Children’s Theatre, which celebrates its 41st season in 2015-2016, performs September through June in the Charlotte Martin and Eve Alvord Theatres at Seattle Center. SCT has gained acclaim as a leading producer of professional theatre, educational programs and new scripts for young people. By the end of its 2014-2015 season, SCT had presented over 235 plays, including 110 world premieres, entertaining over 4 million children.