PLAY GUIDE

Jan.9–Feb. 4, 2018

LITTLE BUNNY

FOO FOO

by Anne Washburnmusic by Dave Malloy directed by Les Waters

IN THIS PLAY GUIDE

LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO

PLOT SUMMARY

CHARACTERS / SETTING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND COMPOSER

GLOSSARY

CAN’T STOP BOPPIN’: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CREATIVE TEAM

WRITING PORTFOLIO

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

ABOUT THIS PLAY GUIDEThis play guide is a resource designed to enhance your theatre experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning of theatre arts, and to encourage essential questions that lead to an enduring understanding of the play’s meaning and relevance. Inside you will find information about the plot and characters within the play, as well as articles that contextualize the play and its production at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Oral discussion and writing prompts encourage your students to reflect upon their impressions, analyze key ideas, and relate them to their personal experiences and the world around them. These prompts can easily be adapted to fit most writing objectives. We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in any way that best fits the needs of your community of learners. Please feel free to make copies of this guide, or you may download it from our website at actorstheatre.org. We hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will give you the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience.

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If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our play guides, please contact Jane B. Jones, Education Director, at 502.584.1265 x3045.

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COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS

TH.Re7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work. TH.Re8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.TH.Re9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.TH.Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. TH.Cn11.1 Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO STUDENT MATINEES AND THIS PLAY GUIDE ADDRESS SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

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316 West Main StreetLouisville, KY 40202-4218

ARTISTIC DIRECTORLes Waters

MANAGING DIRECTORKevin E. Moore

EDUCATION DIRECTORJane B. Jones

EDUCATION MANAGER Betsy Anne Huggins

EDUCATION ASSOCIATEJanelle R. Dunn

RESIDENT TEACHING ARTISTSLiz FentressKeith McGillTalleri McRaeLetitia Usher

EDUCATION/TEACHING ARTIST APPRENTICESAbigail Miskowiec Zoe Rosenfeld

PLAY GUIDE BYAbigail Miskowiec Zoe Rosenfeld

GRAPHIC DESIGNJen Williams

LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO PLOT SUMMARYButterflies are fluttering and breezes are blowing in the enchanted forest, and one saucy bunny just can’t stop boppin’ all the field mice on the head. Will the Blue Fairy be forced to curb his mischief and turn him into a Goon? In this fun-filled play with music, renowned playwright Anne Washburn and Tony-nominated composer Dave Malloy—joined by a sensible Skink, a carnivorous Catmonster, and a band of Gentlemen Toads—spin an effervescently delightful entertainment.

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The Music Man Foundation

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THE CHARACTERS

BUNNY FOO FOO: an effervescent bully who loves bopping field mice

THE BLUE FAIRY: the mysterious ruler of the enchanted forest.

CATMONSTER: a big lug who loves to eat field mice.

SKINK: a straight-talking lizard, tries to keep Bunny Foo Foo in line.

FIELD MICE: tiny, fun-loving creatures.

GENTLEMEN TOADS: the band; a bebop quartet.

FAIRY CHORUS: The Blue Fairy’s backup singers.

Costume Designer Paloma Young’s drawing of Bunny Foo Foo’s go-to outfit:a speedy tracksuit perfect for running and bopping.

THE SETTING

Scenic Designer Laura Jellinek constructed this small model of the Little Bunny Foo Foo set to help guide the creative team.

An enchanted forest.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORAnne Washburn’s (Playwright) plays have been produced nationally and internationally and include 10 out of 12, Mr. Burns, The Internationalist, A Devil At Noon, Apparition, The Communist Dracula Pageant, I Have Loved Strangers, The Ladies, The Small and Antlia Pneumatica. They have premiered at 13P, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Almeida Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Cherry Lane Theatre, Classic

Stage Company, Clubbed Thumb, The Civilians, Dixon Place, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Folger Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep., Two River Theater Company, Vineyard Theatre and Woolly Mammoth. Awards include a Whiting, a Guggenheim, an Alpert, a PEN/Laura Pels Award, a NYFA Fellowship and a Time Warner Fellowship.

ABOUT THE COMPOSERDave Malloy (Composer) Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (12 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, Score, Book and Orchestrations). Off-Broadway: Ghost Quartet, Preludes and Three Pianos. Other Theatre: Black Wizard/Blue Wizard, All Hands, Beardo, Beowulf– A Thousand Years of Baggage, The Sewers, Sandwich, Clown Bible and (The 99-cent) Miss Saigon. Malloy is the winner of

two Obie Awards, a Theatre World Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, an ASCAP New Horizons Award and a Jonathan Larson Grant. Future projects include adaptations of Moby-Dick and Shakespeare’s Henriad. He lives in Brooklyn. For more information, please visit davemalloy.com.

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GLOSSARY

DOMAIN: the area controlled by a king or queen.

ENCHANTED: magical; under a spell.

KEYS TO THE CITY: an honor, often symbolizing welcome and safety, given to a visitor to a city or kingdom.

LOUCHE: shady; having a bad reputation.

PRIVILEGE: a special right or advantage given to a certain person or group of people.

REGIME: a government, often a strict one.

Skinks can be found worldwide and love to burrow into the ground.

SKINK: a type of lizard with a snake-like body and short legs.

SUBJECT: someone under the control of a king, queen, or other authority figure.

THUNDARR THE BARBARIANETTE: Thundarr the Barbarian was a 1980s animated cartoon series about a warrior, a lion-man, and a sorceress who battle evil wizards.

TIARA: a small jewelled crown.

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CAN’T STOP BOPPIN’ Actors Theatre’s New Year kicks off with a trip to the enchanted forest,

where a mischievous bunny just can’t stop boppin’ field mice on the head.

As Little Bunny Foo Foo unfolds, will the saucy rabbit heed The Blue

Fairy’s warnings, or will she have to turn him into a Goon?

In the hands of celebrated playwright Anne Washburn (A Devil at Noon,

Sleep Rock Thy Brain), the famous children’s song becomes a fun-filled

play with music, fueled by rambunctious humor and sly wit. Composer

Dave Malloy, whose Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 was

nominated for 12 Tony Awards on Broadway, joins forces with Washburn

to bring this tale to ebullient life. The singing cast features Sam Breslin

Wright (We’re Gonna Be Okay) as the eponymous bunny, backed by a

band of Gentlemen Toads. In collaboration with director Les Waters, the

talented team will spin an effervescent entertainment in the Bingham

Theatre this winter.

Before the start of rehearsals for Little Bunny Foo Foo, Washburn,

Malloy, and Waters spoke with us about the upcoming world premiere of

this delightful play. Turn the page to read the interview.

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Les, Anne, and Dave, what drew you to this project? Les Waters: The piece is very, very funny, and the combination of Anne Washburn and Dave Malloy working on it is a delight. Anne’s lyrics are so clever, and I love Dave’s music. In some ways, for me, this is personal—I have three grown-up children, and when they were young, we wondered, what could we take them to see that the entire family would enjoy? And the kids were like, “You work in theatre, Mum and Dad, why don’t you make something for us?” So here’s a present for my very grown-up children. I hope people will find it as enormously entertaining as I do.

Anne Washburn: Once I know I’m going to write on something I try not to think about it before I start. I know that when I had the idea to write something about Little Bunny Foo Foo I thought it would be a scabrous anti-war musical—very political, very much for adults. I knew Sam Wright would be in it—I knew him only very slightly but he had come in to audition for a play of mine and had given an audition which was amazingly wrong for that character, and that play, but amazingly right for...something not yet written. It wasn’t until I actually started writing it, and had gotten a few pages in, that I realized that actually, no, it was going to be a play with music for children. Which I guess...was only to be expected!

Dave Malloy: It’s such a hilarious script! I’m a huge lover of children’s literature that’s written for kids but appeals to adults—and I think that Anne has done that so brilliantly. I love that she hasn’t added an elaborate backstory or any of those things that typically writers do; it’s really just the song. She’s taken this silly two-to-three-minute song, and expanded it into a beautiful piece. And Sam is an incredible actor; this is a part he was born to play. He’s like a postmodern Bugs Bunny.

AW: Les and Dave have been involved for years and years, and I’m unspeakably happy to finally work on it with them. I think they both bring a taste for organized anarchy. I first heard Dave’s music in the workshop last summer and it feels dead right.

Were there particular inspirations for the music?DM: There have been three main influences, beyond the children’s song. Pete Seeger has a couple of charming albums of music for children. I’ve also been listening to Carl Stalling’s incredible scores for Looney Tunes cartoons, which combine so many elements of jazz and classical music—so, channeling that manic energy. My other influence has been bebop, purely based on the coincidence that Bunny Foo Foo bops the field mice on the head. I’ve been listening to a lot of early bebop; specifically, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie have some amazing children’s songs, and bebop feels so perfect for the energy of Little Bunny Foo Foo. I’ve been thinking of our band, the Gentlemen Toads, as a bebop quartet.

A bunch of local kids are cast in the show. Why is it important that the field mice are played by children?AW: I remember being a kid and seeing other kids on stage or on TV and just being so fascinated with that, and identifying with their characters like mad, and also really being drawn to how much fun it must be for the kid who gets to perform. And so I thought putting kids in the show would make it more fun for kids in the audience.

LW: On one level, casting kids is right because...well, they’re small people, and we see Bunny Foo Foo, who thinks he’s the king of the world, bopping field mice on the head. (If the story has a moral, it’s that whoever you are, you cannot go around just bopping people on the head.) But also, I think we often don’t see children in plays. Although theatre is supposed to represent the world, usually we’re showing just a fraction of it. So I like including kids in my shows.

It’s such a hilarious script! I’m a huge lover of children’s literature that’s written for kids but appeals to adults—and I think that Anne has done that so brilliantly.

—Director Bill Fennelly—Composer Dave Malloy

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Costume Designer Paloma Young created these costume renderings for The Blue Fairy and Bunny Foo Foo.

What else excites you about the production?DM: It’ll be a treat to come to Louisville for a few months with my wife, Eliza Bent, the brilliant performer who’s playing the Skink, a goody-two-shoes lizard character in the show. Our music director, Andy Strain, is an amazing trombone player I’ve worked with several times, so it’ll be great to reunite with him. April Matthis (who plays The Blue Fairy) is someone I’ve adored onstage for years. It’s going to be so much fun!

LW: We have a great team. Barney O’Hanlon, who’s performed in many Humana Festivals, is returning to Actors as our movement director. Laura Jellinek’s set design feels like a piece of sculpture that children could play on, and that has surprises in it. The design team’s approach has been to think about what a six- or seven-year-old would like to see. Our process has been to reach for the most playful ideas—asking what would be most fun for the performers to perform, and for the audience to watch. I hope we’ll charm the socks off people.

—Interview by Amy Wegener

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WRITING PORTFOLIO

NARRATIVE: CCRA.W.3In Little Bunny Foo Foo, many characters stand up for others. The Blue Fairy, for example, stands up for the Field Mice, the Field Mice band together to challenge Bunny Foo Foo, and Bunny Foo Foo rescues the Field Mice from the Catmonster. Write a short story about a character who stands up for someone unexpectedly. Why does the character choose to take action and how does this decision change both the central character and others in the story? How does the central character convince the wrongdoer to change?

INFORMATIVE: CCRA.W.2Write a review of the performance of Little Bunny Foo Foo that you saw at Actors Theatre of Louisville. What parts of the play (the actors’ performances, the music, the set, props, costumes, lighting and sound design, etc.) were your favorites and why? How effective were these elements in telling the story? Back up your claims with evidence and details from your experience of watching the performance. Then, make a copy and send it to the education department at:

Actors Theatre of Louisville c/o Jane B. Jones 316 West Main Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202

We will share your thoughts with the creative team.

ARGUMENTATIVE: CCRA.W.1In Little Bunny Foo Foo, The Blue Fairy gives Bunny Foo Foo three chances to change his behavior on his own before she punishes him by turning him into a Goon. She tells him, “I know you need your independence and I know you’ve got your pride,” and encourages him to change his mind being forced to do so. Using evidence from the play, write an argument either for or against The Blue Fairy’s plan. Do you think The Blue Fairy did the right thing by giving Foo Foo three chances? Why or why not? For high schoolers: Who (if anyone) benefitted from her plan? Who (if anyone) was hurt by it? With these consequences in mind, do you think The Blue Fairy acted in the best interests of all of her subjects?

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS1. The Blue Fairy is the ruler and protector of the forest.

She watches over all the Field Mice, Bunnies, Skinks, and even the Catmonsters. Who protects you in your life? Whom do you protect?

2. Most of the characters in Little Bunny Foo Foo are animals, but they’re all played by humans. How do you think this will affect the costumes in the play? How might it affect the performances by the actors? Have you seen another play in which actors portray animals? If you were designing the costumes for this play, would you make realistic or fantastical animals? How would the costumes help the audience understand the world of the play?

POST-SHOW QUESTIONS 1. Little Bunny Foo Foo is a play with music. How do you

think the musical elements added to your experience? What did the songs contribute to the story? For high schoolers: Did certain characters seem to be closely associated with different genres of music? Why do you think that might be?

2. Spoiler Alert! Bunny Foo Foo turns back to a Bunny after becoming a Goon and saves the Field Mice from the Catmonster. Do you think Bunny Foo Foo has truly changed, or will he go back to his old ways? If you were a Field Mouse, would you trust Bunny Foo Foo now? Why or why not?