A special note to our educators:

We are so pleased that you and your class will be joining us for our production of Robin

Hood! We have the opportunity with this show to bring several students up on stage for small

cameo roles to help us tell the story. An actor will come into the audience, escort the student up

on stage, give them specific instructions on how to fulfill their “role” and escort them back to

their seat at the end of their cameo.

These cameos last from 30 seconds to one minute of stage time. We ask that you, as the

teacher, choose a student from your class with the ability to follow directions, be cooperative,

stay quiet on stage and follow the prompts the actors give them.

Please seat the student you choose next to you as close to the aisle as possible. While we

cannot choose every student to come on stage, there is a chance your student will get to share the

stage with our Millbrook actors. We have told our actors to approach teachers when asking for

participants. If an actor comes to you asking for a student, please be prepared to send your

student up with the actor.

With consideration for Bloom’s Taxonomy, and the national standards for arts education,

we created a specialized theatrical adaptation of Robin Hood, as well as accompanying study

guide to give context to the live performance. We are engaging students to move from

introduction to full understanding of the theatrical experience and storytelling. We hope our

production, and provided learning materials, help students gain a stronger understanding of the

narrative structure of beginning/middle/end, character development, the understanding of

protagonist/antagonist relationship, and the historical context surrounding the legend of Robin

Hood. With the following class activities, we hope to enrich the live performance with: an

introduction to the legend of Robin Hood; an introduction to the theatrical adaptation process,

vocabulary used in the show and a crossword puzzle to test comprehension; create your own

folklore activity to encourage creative writing; and a discussion of the history and symbolism of

coats of arms which are a dominant piece of our set design. Each activity is geared towards a

different grade level, and we hope you can mix and match the following materials to best suit

your classroom!

Thank you for working with the Millbrook Playhouse to foster a love of theater and

appreciation for the arts in your school and community. Thank you for joining us for our

production of Robin Hood, and we hope you enjoy the show!

Sincerely,

Shannon Agnew, David Leidholdt, Matthew Spencer,

Director, writer Artistic Director Education Director

Study Guide

Character list – all grades

Robin Hood: history of the legend – all grades

Write your own folklore, make your own legend – 1st and up Create your own legend map – 1st and up Writing the story – 2nd and up Act it out – 2nd and up

Show vocabulary /Crossword challenge – 2nd and up

Design your coat of arms – K and up

Character list

Meet the characters that you see onstage during Robin Hood!

Henry – An actor who has come to England with his cast mates, Katherine and Thomas, to act

out the story of Robin Hood for a May Day celebration. He is the leader of the merry band of

actors.

Katherine – An actor in Henry’s troupe of actors. She plays Will Scarlet.

Thomas – An actor in Henry’s troupe of actors. He plays Little John.

Robin Hood – The hero of our story, and an outlaw in England. Robin Hood is a young woman

who is a farmer. She fights against Prince John’s unjust treatment of the English people with her

band of merry friends, and Prince John declares her an outlaw. When he returns from a battle he

was fighting overseas, King Richard, the true King of England, declares her a hero. She joins the

merry band of actors on May Day to tell the story of her adventures as a hero and outlaw.

Will Scarlet – One of the band of merry friends. Will is very jumpy and afraid of things, but he

is an amazing sword fighter. Robin Hood helps him learn to be brave.

Little John – One of the band of merry friends. Little John is very strong, but he does not think

that he can do anything to fight back against Prince John’s unfair laws. Robin Hood helps him

stand up for what he believes in, and fight for justice.

Sheriff of Nottingham – The villain of our story. He is a member of the court of Prince John,

and tries to find and arrest Robin Hood. The Sheriff often steals from the poor people of England

and keeps the money for himself, or for Prince John.

Prince John – The villain of our story. Prince John stole the throne of England and took power

after his brother, King Richard, left England to fight in a war overseas called the crusades. Prince

John used his power over the people for evil, not for good.

Friar Tuck – A helpful and kind old Friar, a very religious man, who helps Little John and Will

Scarlet save Robin Hood from the dungeon.

King Richard – The true and good King of England. King Richard was a loved King of

England, but he left his country to fight in a war overseas called the crusades. When King

Richard left England, his evil brother Prince John took power as King. Prince John used his new

power to steal from and hurt the citizens of England, and to try and imprison Robin Hood.

Robin Hood: history of the legend

Robin Hood is a popular legend about an English commoner who lived in the early

1200’s and protected the people. No one knows if he was a real person, but many stories,

ballads, plays, and poems have been written about the famous outlaw!

In the 1300’s and the 1400’s, people began writing stories about Robin Hood, an outlaw

who protected the poor people of England. In these stories, Robin Hood was a yeoman who

lived in Sherwood Forest with his band of merry men, including Little John, Friar Tuck, and Will

Scarlet. During this time period, English actors and writers incorporated the legends and ballads

about Robin Hood into May Day celebrations. Robin Hood was often the King of May Day.

The legend of Robin Hood takes place in the 1190’s in England. During this time the King

of England, King Richard, left England to fight in a war overseas called the crusades. While King

Richard was gone, his brother Prince John took the crown, and decided he would rule the

people as the King of England. With his sidekick, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Prince John used his

royal power to make life difficult for his subjects. Prince John took money from the poor people

of England, and greedily kept money for himself. Seeing the harm he was causing the people of

England, Robin Hood fought against Prince John, and The Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood

also took money from the noble subjects and royals of England to give back to less fortunate

people, which is where the famous line in the Robin Hood legends “rob from the rich to give to

the poor” comes from.

Many different legends about Robin Hood exist, but there are similarities in every story.

Robin Hood is always hero in the legends and folklore told about him. In the folklore told about

Robin Hood he is always an outlaw, which means he is not protected by the laws in England.

Robin Hood always robs from the rich, and gives to the poor. Robin Hood is always an excellent

and very skilled archer. Robin Hood always lives in Sherwood Forest with his band of merry men

who help him on his adventures.

In our production of Robin Hood, we changed the story. Three bumbling actors try to act

out the story of Robin Hood during a May Day celebration get a surprise, when Robin Hood

herself shows up to the celebration and joins in the fun! Robin Hood and the actors work

together to tell the story about her legendary adventures. Robin Hood is a young girl living in

Sherwood Forest with her band of merry friends. She is an outlaw, and robs from the rich to

give to the poor just like all of the legends say. She fights against Prince John and the Sheriff of

Nottingham, and works with her merry friends to save England.

Write your own folklore, make your own legend!

Vocabulary for the lesson

Dialogue – noun: The things that are said by the characters in a story, movie, play, etc.

Line – noun: A piece of dialogue, usually one or two sentences. Lines make up actor’s dialogue.

Folklore – noun: Ideas or stories that are not true but that many people have heard or read.

Legend – noun: A story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to

be true.

Ballad – noun: A kind of poem or song that tells a story (such as a story about a famous person

from history).

Protagonist – noun: The main character in a novel, play, movie, etc.

Antagonist – noun: A person who opposes another person.

Conflict – noun: The opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a

drama or fiction.

The story of Robin Hood is folklore. There is no proof that Robin Hood was a real

person. No one can prove if the stories told about him are based in truth, and yet the legends

about him endure. The first mention of the character “Robin Hood” is in in a ballad called

“Robin Hood and the Monk.”

Since the ballad of “Robin Hood and the Monk,” many other ballads, stories, plays,

books, and movies have been made about the famous outlaw who took from the rich and gave

to the poor. Writers have given Robin Hood different friends and sidekicks, including Little John,

Will Scarlet, and Friar Tuck who appear in our show. In many of the legends created about

Robin Hood, he is fighting against Prince John and The Sheriff of Nottingham and for King

Richard the Lionheart.

In our story, Robin Hood is the protagonist, the main character. Prince John and the

Sheriff of Nottingham start to take money from the people of England, and leave the citizens

with very little money and food. The Sheriff collects these taxes from the people, but they are

so poor they cannot pay, which is the conflict. Robin Hood thinks this is wrong, and promises to

take from the Prince and the Sheriff, and give back to the people of England. Prince John and

The Sheriff of Nottingham want to capture Robin Hood and stop her from tricking the Prince

out of money. They are the antagonists, because they are working to stop the protagonist,

Robin Hood from accomplishing her goals.

Create your own legend map

1. Create a protagonist, and their group of friends.

2. Create an antagonist who opposes, or disagrees with, your protagonist.

3. Create a conflict between your protagonist and your antagonist.

4. Create a resolution. How does your protagonist solve your conflict?

ROBIN HOOD YOUR LEGEND

Protagonist: Robin

Hood, an outlaw in

England, and her

merry friends Will

Scarlet and Little

John.

Protagonist:

Antagonist: Prince

John, who stole the

crown from his

brother King Richard,

and the Sheriff of

Nottingham, a

villainous member of

Prince John’s court.

Antagonist:

Conflict: Prince John is

taking money from

the people of England.

Robin robs from the

rich to give back to

the poor. The Sheriff

tries to arrest her,

and they have many

fights.

Conflict:

Resolution: King

Richard returns to

England, punishes

Prince John, and

declares Robin Hood a

hero.

Resolution:

Writing the story

Now it’s time to write your story! Make sure your story is made up of three parts, a

beginning, middle, and an end. Use the prompts below to organize your story and add more

descriptions of your characters, your conflict, and your resolution. Can you use adjectives to

describe things in detail? Can you incorporate some of the vocabulary words from the show?

In the beginning: Introduce your characters (protagonist, antagonist)

In the middle: Introduce your conflict

In the end: Explain how your characters resolve the conflict. Does your protagonist get what

they want, or does your antagonist get what they want?

Act it out

When writing a play, your characters have to speak using dialogue. Dialogue is written by the

playwright, and when the actors speak, the dialogue jumps off the page and come to life. Can

you use some of the vocabulary from the play to write lines of dialogue that your protagonist

and antagonist might say?

Write a line, just one or two sentences, of dialogue for one of your characters, and read it out

loud the class! Now that you know your characters and your beginning, middle, and end, you

can even write an entire play! Try reading your line of dialogue to the class!

Who is this character? :

When in your story does your character say this line? (The beginning, middle or end? What is

going on in your story when the line is spoken?) :

What is the context of this line? (What happened right before your character says this line) :

Write your line of dialogue. :

Show vocabulary!

We hope that you hear some new words when you come to see our show. Do you know

the words on this list?

Instantaneous – adjective: Occurring or done in an instant or instantly.

May Day – noun: A celebration of spring dating back to the Romans. On this day in England

from the 1300’s to the 1600’s, plays, stories, and ballads of Robin Hood were told.

Pounds – noun: The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom.

Archer – noun: A person who shoots with a bow and arrow.

Bow – noun: A weapon that is made of a strip of flexible material (as wood) with a cord

connecting the two ends and holding the strip bent and that is used to propel an arrow.

Cunning – adjective: Getting what is wanted in a clever and often deceptive way.

Yeoman – noun: A farmer in the past who owned a small amount of land.

Peasant – noun: A poor farmer or farm worker who has low social status.

Outlaw – noun: A person who has broken the law and who is hiding or running away to avoid

punishment.

Mince pie – noun: A British pie made of fruit and beef.

Taxes – noun: An amount of money that a government requires people to pay according to

their income, the value of their property, etc., and that is used to pay for the things done by the

government.

Band – noun: A group of people who are pursuing the same thing, or share the same belief.

Foe – noun: An enemy.

Friar – noun: A member of a Roman Catholic religious order for men.

Dungeon – noun: A dark usually underground prison.

Scoundrel – noun: A mean or wicked person.

Defenseless – adjective: Not being able to resist attack.

Leech – noun: Any of numerous flesh-eating or bloodsucking usually flattened worms. Or, a

person who clings to another for personal gain, especially without giving anything in return.

CROSS WORD CHALLENGE!

Can you fill in the blanks with the words from our vocabulary list? Here are the clues!

ACROSS

1. A poor farmer or farm worker who has low social status. “How dare that _______ speak with

a noble.”

7. A dark usually underground prison. “Throw him into prison, better yet throw him in the

______.”

8. A member of a Roman Catholic religious order for men. “_____ Tuck, the kindly old man will

help Robin Hood escape!”

10. Occurring or done in an instant. “I sentence you to sudden and __________ punishment.”

12. A person who clings to another for personal gain, and gives nothing in return. “Prince John

is a _____ upon all of England. He steals from the people but gives nothing in return.”

14. A person who has broken the law and is running away. “We shall find that ______ Robin

Hood, and bring her to justice.”

15. A group of people who share the same belief. “A _____ of merry friends, off on an

adventure!”

16. A farmer in the past. “I am only a _______, not a noble, but not a peasant.”

DOWN 1. The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom. “Robin, we are rich, we must have taken one

thousand _______ from the Sheriff.”

2. A person who shoots with a bow and arrow. “Robin Hood is the most skilled _____ in all of

England.”

3. A British pie made of fruit and beef. “When we get to Locksley, I’m going to eat ______, I can

already taste it.”

4. Getting what is wanted in a clever way. “What a ______ and clever mind you have.”

5. An amount of money that a government requires people to pay according to their income. “It

would be fair in Prince John collected regular _____, but instead he just steals money from the

people!”

6. Not being able to resist attack. “Without a sword, I find myself ________ to Robin Hood’s

attacks.”

8. An enemy. “You are my _____, and I promise I shall one day get you, Robin Hood!”

9. A celebration of Spring, where often times people tell stories about Robin Hood. “Gather

round friends, and listen to the tale of Robin Hood for our ______ celebration!”

11. A wicked person. “That ________ Robin Hood, that low life leech just robbed Prince John

again!”

13. A weapon made of flexible material with a cord connecting the two ends. “Grab my ____

and arrow, Little John; we must fight the Sheriff of Nottingham!”

ROBIN’S CROSS WORD CHALLENGE

DESIGN YOUR COAT OF ARMS!

Vocabulary for the lesson

Symbolism – noun: The use of symbols to represent meaning.

Just like the United States of America, England has smaller communities that make up

larger areas. In the United States, we have counties that come together to make up states. The

States make up our Country.

England has 48 counties that make up 9 regions; these nine regions make up England.

Each county has a coat of arms. A coat of arms is a design on a shield, piece of clothing, or cloth

that identifies a town, or family.

In the 1200’s during Robin Hood’s time, many people and towns had coats of arms to

represent what town they were from. And just like in Robin Hood’s time, there are many coats

of arms used in our show! Each section of the audience has a coat of arms that represents their

location in the theater. Each character has a coat of arms that lets the audience know when to

interact with the show.

Historically, members of the military had coats of arms to represent their battles, and

their time fighting. If a family was wealthy, they had a coat of arms designed for them to show

people who their family members were.

In our show, we use a coat of arms to help you follow along with our story. Every time

you see a coat of arms for a specific character, you know to cheer, boo, or react in a certain way

to our story.

Every color, picture, and design on a coat of arms has a meaning. Every color, picture,

and design is a symbol, which means it represents something else. You can read a coat of arms

like a story by looking at the symbolism of the patterns, or the ideas represented by the

pictures.

We have listed of the colors and patterns below, and what they symbolize. Can you

choose some of the colors, and patters to design your own coat of arms for yourself? What

animals, flowers, or other objects would you put on your coat of arms as symbolism to

represent your personality? What do the symbols mean?

Color: Meaning: Lines: Meaning: Gold Generosity, intelligence

Silver or White Peace and sincerity

Red Warrior, a strong fighter

Blue Truth, loyalty

Green Hope, joy, and loyalty

Purple Royal majesty, justice

Orange Worthy ambition

Robin Hood’s coat of arms:

Symbol: A line with rippled edges

Meaning: The Earth or Land,

because Robin lives

the forest.

Symbol: The background is white

Meaning: Robin Hood is peaceful.

Symbol: Bow and arrow

Meaning: Robin Hood is a talented

archer.

Symbol: A tree

Meaning: Robin Hood lives in

Sherwood Forest.

Symbol: The lion

Meaning: The lion is a strong,

powerful and brave animal, and

Robin shows her bravery when

standing up to the Sheriff and

Prince John.

The writing on the banner:

Robin Hood’s motto, “take from the rich,

give to the poor” is on the banner at the bottom.

Clouds or air

Sea or water

Earth or land

Earth or land

Fire

Water

COAT OF ARMS