Charleston Stage: Bunnicula Curriculum Guide Page 1

BUNNICULA

Education Guide

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Setting The Stage Credits Bunnicula Story by Deborah and James Howe Adapted for the Stage by Jon Klein Music Composition by Chris Jeffries Direction and Music Direction by Amanda Wansa Scenery Design By Stefanie Christensen Costume Design by Barbara Young Sponsored by: Sponsorship still available Theatre Etiquette Discuss proper audience behavior with your students. While applause, laughter, and reaction, when appropriate, are appreciated and anticipated, unnecessary noise or movement can distract the actors and audience members, while also affecting the quality of the performance. It is very important that students understand how their behavior can affect a live performance. You, the teacher, and other adult chaperones for your group are responsible for your student’s behavior. We ask that the chaperones sit among the students rather than together in a group behind the students. Our ushers will react to disruptions and attempt to quell them. We reserve the right to remove any student causing a distraction from the theatre. When entering the theatre venue please make sure all of your students have name tags with their name and your school’s name.

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Meet the Creators

James and Deborah Howe: James was born in 1946 in Oneida, NY. He received his B.F.A. in Fine Arts from Boston University where he met his future wife, Deborah, and an M.A. from Hunter College. He spent a number of years working as a literary agent, which eventually led to the inspiration to write a children’s book with Deborah. She unfortunately passed away shortly after the publication of Bunnicula. James continued to develop the story into a full series.

Jon Klein earned his M.F.A. in Film and Television from U.C.L.A. and is a professional writer whose work has been seen on both stage and television. He has written twenty produced plays as well as adaptations of several children’s books, including Bunnicula. He teaches screenwriting and playwriting at Catholic University and Hollins University.

Chris Jeffries has written and composed over a dozen musicals. He is a graduate of Yale University and found his first success with a musical adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel Maggie Cassidy. His is most well known in the Fringe Theatre scene.

Characters Harold- the family dog Chester- the family cat Robert Monroe- father Ann Monroe- mother Pete- their older son Toby- their younger son Bunnicula- a mysterious rabbit (a Puppet) Synopsis of BUNNICULA

Spoiler alert, you may not want to read this before seeing the play

“A dancing cat, a howling dog, and a vampire bunny. The perfect pet combination for any

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family. It's a dark and stormy night and Chester (the family cat) and Harold (the family dog) sit waiting for their owners to return home from the movies. Chester and Harold are more than just pets, they're good friends too. When the Monroes finally get home, they come bearing a surprise: they've found a bunny in the movie theater. But this is no ordinary rabbit... this is the extraordinary Bunnicula. When the family's produce starts losing its juice, Chester thinks he knows what's causing the fantastic phenomenon. Bunnicula is a vampire! Or maybe Chester's imagination is getting the better of him. Singing and dancing their way through this hilarious mystery, the furry friends find room in their hearts, and in their home, for one very unique bunny.” -Plays for Young Audiences Curriculum Connections

Locations in Bunnicula Suburban America. History of Bunnicula · Bunnicula (the storybook) was first published in 1979. · It has sold over 8 million copies and won numerous awards. · Bunnicula (the stage adaptation) was written for and performed by Seattle Children’s Theatre for the 1996-1997 season. · It has since toured and been performed at theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada. Dracula + Bunny = Bunnicula: Vampire Stereotypes used in Bunnicula · Vampires drink blood. · Vampires can be warded off using garlic. · Vampires are evil. · Vampires wear long capes. · Vampires sleep in coffins. · Vampires can be killed by driving a stake through their heart. The origin of Dracula: Dracula was invented by author Bram Stoker in 1897. He is loosely based on the historical figure, Vlad the Impaler, a Romanian Count from Transylvania who lived around the 1400s. His father’s name was Dacul, so he became known as Vlad Dracul Tepes, hence the inspiration for the title Dracula. He was a merciless fighter and is credited with killing tens of thousands of people throughout his lifetime. It is unknown if he drank any victims blood, but that legend was immortalized by Stoker. Addition fact: Transylvania is now part of present day Romania.

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History of Puppet Theatre In this production, the character of Bunnicula is played by a puppet. This trend has become more and more popular in modern theatre thanks to shows such as Seasame Street and the Broadway production of Avenue Q, both of which combine the use of puppets with live actors.

Puppetry is not a new form of entertainment, however. It can be traced back as far as the writings of Plato and Aristotle. Puppet Theatre exists in almost every culture and many different varieties of puppets have resulted. For instance, China made shadow puppets from stretched donkey skins, dried sheep skin, water buffaloes, pigs, or fish. Shadow puppets are translucent figures colored in with paints. In Turkey, they used three dimensional rod puppets.

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Marionettes, or string puppets, are perhaps one of the more popular. The name literally means “Little Mary” and they were called so because the church used them to reenact the nativity story.

Marionnettes And the last, most common variety, is the hand or finger puppet. Probably a lot of you grew up playing with these!

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Discussion before the Performance All Language Arts completes the following standards:

o Developing and using oral communication o Understanding and reading literary texts o Understanding and using informational texts o Building Better vocabulary o Developing written communication o Developing and using research strategies

All Social Studies meets the following standards:

o Understanding of different life around them and across the world o Understanding of different regions and human systems

All Theatre Activities meet the following standards:

– Connecting ideas and action – Understanding characters

Discussion Prompts 1. Have you ever misjudged a new friend/classmate because they seemed different? 2. Have you ever experienced the feeling of sibling rivalry? 3. Do you have any pets and, if so, do you think they have distinct personalities? 4. Are you familiar with the story of Bunnicula? What are you expecting from the performance? Activities After the Performance Discussion Prompts 1. Do you understand the suspicions that Chester and Harold had? Do you think they were right to be so afraid?

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2. Do you think the Monroe’s learned anything about their pets along the way? 3. What did Harold and Chester learn about judging others (in this case, Bunnicula)? 4. Do you think the music helped to forward the storyline? Activities 1. Make your own puppets! Use small paper bags, animals faces and decorations to make your very own Bunnicula, Chester or Harold. (see link below) 2. Harold and Chester have many adventures throughout the course of the play. Think of another adventure they could have and act it out for the class in small groups. 3. Make your own vegetable juice recipe! Think of different combinations you could make that would please Bunnicula’s palate! Resources Books Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, by James and Deborah Howe Other Books in the Bunnicula Series: Bunnicula Strikes Again by James Howe Howliday Inn by James Howe Return to Howliday Inn by James Howe The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow by James Howe Films Bunnicula: The Vampire Rabbit. (1989 Animated Film). Web Resources http://www.donlinke.com/drakula/vlad.htm - History of Vlad the Impaler. http://www.puppet.org/index.shtml- Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA http://www.teacherhelp.org/puppets.htm- Paper Bag Puppets