Alaska Junior Theater n 430 W 7th Ave, Suite 30 n Anchorage, AK 99501P 907-272-7546 n F 907-272-3035 n www.akjt.org

TEACHER STUDY GUIDE2019/2020 SEASON

School Shows: Dec. 4 - 6, 201910:00 & 11:45 AM

Atwood Concert HallPublic Show: Dec. 7, 2019

2:00 PM Atwood Concert Hall

n Curriculum Connections

n Learning Resources

n Performance Background

n Activities for the Classroom

n Theatre Etiquette

Sleeping BeautyDavid GonzalezIn the

Words of

Alaska Junior Theater is a private, nonprofit organization that has been bringing the best in professional theater from around the world to Alaska’s family audiences since 1981. Each year, more than 40,000 students attend a variety of live performances at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. For many students, our school show presentations are their only exposure to live performing arts.

Each show we present has a strong educational component, and shows are linked to Alaska Content Standards. Alaska Junior Theater also offers teacher and student workshops, study guides, and classroom transportation to our performances.

We are committed to keeping ticket prices low, allowing children of all financial levels to experience professional, live theater. Our low educational ticket price of $7 covers only half our costs of presenting shows. To subsidize the remaining $7 of each ticket, we actively fundraise and rely on the support of corporations, foundations and individuals. In addition, we fundraise to offer full scholarships to students with financial need.

ALASKA

JUNI

OR

THEATER

CURRICULUM

STANDARDS

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Alaska Junior Theater asked several area teachers to review our 2011-2012 performances for direct connections to Alaska Content Standards. The direct connections for Sleeping Beauty are listed to the right, which will assist in lesson planning and will assure teachers that Alaska Junior Theater programs help classes meet curriculum connections.

To get a complete copy of the Alaska Content Standards, visit the following web address:www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards.

Alaska Junior Theater sends a special thanks to educators Dawn Wilcox, Susan Kruse, Tina Johnson-Harris and Diane Hoffbauer for their help in this effort.

Alaska Content Standards

English/Language ArtsB 1, 2, 3E 1, 2

Library InformationB 6C 2

ArtsB 3, 5C 4,5D 6

National Standards for Music Education

6, 7, 8

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SLEEPING

BEAUTY

David GonzalezGrandmaster Storyteller

“I never set out to be a storyteller. I just kept following my points of inspiration, and it keeps taking me down these crazy roads.” David Gonzalez

“...as long as David Gonzalez is around, the venerable and very fine art of storytelling is in safe hands.” New York Times

As a storyteller, David Gonzalez brings a rich background to the stage. Combining poetry, acting and music, he is indeed a grandmaster storyteller. David is a recipient of the Helen Hays Performing Artist of the Year award in 1998, and, in 2006, was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his version of The Frog Bride. Gonzalez also hosted WNYC’s New York Kids for eight seasons, appeared on Bill Moyers’ documentary Fooling with Words and was featured at the 2008 National Storytelling Festival. Recently, he received the great honor of being named the Joseph Campbell Foundation Fellow for 2010.

Gonzalez is a music therapist, and earned his Ph.D. from New York University where he taught for 10 years. David still performs workshops for teachers to this day.

David’s performances take old fashioned stories and bring them into a modern day by incorporating music, image projections, lighting, and dance, calling this style of storytelling “poetical theater.”

In his production of Sleeping Beauty, Gonzalez took his musical inspiration from J.S. Bach’s Five Goldberg Variations: Aria, Var. 24, Var. 1, Var. 30, and Var. 22. He described the music by saying, “the passion, intelligence, grace, and power, the variations are truly magnificent. Its gentle poise, sense of longing and redemption are stunning. I wanted my Sleeping Beauty to have that quality of delicate passion, precision and grace. I said to my collaborators, ‘Our Sleeping Beauty should leave the same impression on the children who see it as Back does to us.’”

Sleeping Beauty

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LITERATURE

LINKS

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RESOURCES

Resources related to “Sleeping Beauty”The following materials are available through the Anchorage Public Library:

BooksSleeping Bobby - by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne E OSBORNESleepless Beauty - by Frances Minters, illustrated by G. Brian Karas E MINTERSSleeping Ugly - by Jane Yolen, pictures by Diane Stanley E-BEG YOLENSnoring Beauty - by Bruce Hale, illustrated by Howard Fine E HALE

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep - by Gail Carson Levine, illustrated by Mark Elliott J LEVINEStarring Rosie - by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Julie Durrell J GIFFThornspell - by Helen Lowe J LOWE

Cinderella, and Other Tales from Perrault - illustrated by Michael Hague J 398.210944 PERRAULCinderella, Puss in Boots, and Other Favorite Tales - as told by Charles Perrault J 398.20944 PERRAULThe Complete Fairy Tales - Charles Perrault 843.4 PERRAULPuss in Boots - illustrated by Giuliano Lunelli, from Charles Perrault’s original story J 398.24 PERRAULPuss in Boots - by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Fred Marcellino J 398.21 PERRAULSleeping Beauty - retold by Christine San José J 398.20944 SANThe Sleeping Beauty - retold and illustrated by Mercer Mayer J 398.2 MAYERThe Sleeping Beauty - retold and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman J 398.21 HYMANThe Sleeping Beauty, a story by the Brothers Grimm with pictures by Felix Hoffman J 398.21 GRIMMThe Sleeping Beauty & other favorite fairy tales - translated by Angela Carter J 398.21 SLEEPINThe Sleeping Beauty: the Ballet Story - retold by Marian Horosko J 792.84 HOROSKOThe Sleeping Beauty: the Story of the Ballet - text by Linda Jennings J 792.84 JENNINGSleeping Bunny - retold by Emily Snowell Keller ; paintings by Pamela Silin-Palmer J 398.2 KELLERThorn Rose - by the Brothers Grimm ; pictures by Errol Le Cain J 398.21 GRI

The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales from the Old French - by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-CouchThis item is available as a downloadable book from www.anchoragelibrary.org, ListenAlaska

CDsBallet Stories - by David Angus CD J 823.92 ANGUSDisney’s Greatest. vol. 1 – by Walt Disney CD ZM DISNEYS D37Tchaikovsky Discovers America – by Douglas Cowling CD ZM TCHAIKO C02

MoviesHappily n’ever After DVD J HAPPILYSleeping Beauty - Walt Disney Pictures DVD J SLEEPINShelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre DVD J FAERIE v. 1-6

WebsitesPerrault Fairy Taleshttp://www.perraultfairytales.com/en/Sur La Lune Fairy Tales – Charles Perraulthttp://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/perrault.html www.anchoragelibrary.org

Prepared by Librarian Kristie Nelsen - 7/11

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ORIGINS

OF

SLEEPING

BEAUTY

The History of Sleeping Beauty

Did you know?• The origins of Sleeping Beauty started before the 13th century.

• It was originally written in the story Volsunga Saga by an unknown man from Iceland.

• The title Sleeping Beauty came from Charles Perrault’s story, published in Paris in 1697 called La Belle au Bois Dormant.

• The most recent and well-known version of the story (before Disney) came from the Grimms tale called Briar Rose.

• Most versions of Sleeping Beauty do not end at the Prince’s kiss.

• One of the earliest renditions of the story was in a pictorial carving done in Sweden.

• In an earlier version, the princess was put to sleep for protection, not a curse.

Where did storytelling begin?Before humans could write, oral tradition was the only way to communicate information or knowledge. Stories were used to teach proper behavior, describe moral conduct and the consequences of not following that conduct. There were stories told of gods, heros, adventures, great sacrifices, good overcoming evil, explanation to natural events and spiritual reasonings.

In a story, anything could happen. The poor man in a story could become rich. An ordinary girl could become a princess. Whatever someone could imagine could be put into a story. Stories were told for laughs, tears, and lessons.

Through the ages, storytelling became an art form and a skill. Unlike books, oral storytelling has an immediate beauty. The storyteller must constantly be aware of their audience and be able to customize the story to fit the crowd on-the-spot in order to best communicate the message.

COMPARE

&

CONTRAST

What is the same? What is different?There are multiple versions of Sleeping Beauty, all following the basic storyline, but each having some unique factors. Here are some interesting examples from the most popular versions, Charles Perrault’s La Belle au Bois Dormant, The Grimm’s Tale Briar Rose, and Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. After the show, discuss with your children what differences David Gonzalez’s version had. How did they feel about the more modern take on the fairytale? What would they do differently?

The Name *In the Grimm’s tale, the princess was named Rosamond. However, in the later Disney version, the princess was named Aurora, but the fairies called her Briar Rose as her disguise. Briar Rose is in reference to the Grimm’s tale title of their Sleeping Beauty version.

The Beginning *Every version has a king and queen who have long desired a child. In Perrault’s and Disney’s version, the queen after much hope and prayer finally has a daughter. *In the Grimm’s tale, the queen became pregnant after she met and saved a frog one day. For her kindness, the frog gave her a blessing that her wish would soon be fulfilled.

The Fairies *In all versions, the fairies are a key component to the set up of the story. Without them, there would be no gifts given, and there would be no curse. The number of fairies differs in each story, but there is always one evil fairy and one fairy that saves her gift for last to buffer the curse. *The fairies in the Disney version do play a slightly larger role and are main characters. Instead of the king and queen raising the princess, as is done in Perrault and Grimm’s versions, the fairies take the princess to the woods and raise her as a peasant girl.

The Curse * All three stories have the same basic curse given by the evil fairy. The princess would prick her finger on a spindle and die. Also, in all three versions, there is a fairy that has yet to give a gift and eases the curse to the princess falling into a deep sleep instead of death. * In the Disney version, the curse will happen by the princess’ 16th birthday, the Grimm’s tale has it happen by the 15th birthday, and Perrault’s version has no age limit but the curse is fulfilled when the princess is between 15 and 16 years old. * In the Grimm tale and Perrault’s story, the curse is to last for 100 years. In the Disney cartoon, it will last until the princess is awaken by true love’s kiss.

The Life * The Disney version is the only one that differs on the life of the princess. The fairies decide to hide the princess in the middle of the woods where no one knows where she is and the princess doesn’t know who she is. In every other versions, the princess stays in the castle with her parents and raised as a princess.

The Rescue * Disney - the prince, whom the princess has already met and fallen in love with, fights the evil fairy, a dragon and finds the princess to awaken her with true love’s kiss and they live happily ever after. * Grimm - the castle and everyone in it is put to sleep along with the princess and the castle is slowly covered in dense plants covered by thorns. Many try to rescue her but die in the thorns. After 100 years, one more prince tries, and succeeds. He finds the princess and finds her so beautiful he kisses her. She is awakened by the kiss and they live happily ever after. * Perrault - the household was put to sleep with the princess, but not the king and queen. The castle is overgrown by the forest. One day, the new prince of the land sees the castle, explores it and finds the princess. He is overtaken by her beauty and kisses her. The kiss awakens her and they get married. However, he does not tell his parents until his father dies and he becomes the new king. The story continues to tell you that the prince and princess have a daughter and son, Dawn and Day.

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VOCABULARY

VocabularyLearn a few words associated with Sleeping Beauty

Precocious - mature or talented at an unusually young age.

Curious - having a strong desire to learn; something that is very strange or unexpected.

Flute - a woodwind instrument with a high musical range.

Manners - polite behavior.

Patient - steadfast despite difficulties, willing to wait for an outcome.

Thorn Hedge - a thick, high planting of bushes with thorns.

Dove - a small white bird, often a symbol for peace.

Variation - a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form.

Storyteller - a person who tells stories for entertainment.

Pianist - a person who plays the piano.

Invitation - a request to be present at an event.

Virtue- moral excellence, always good.

Reject - to refuse to take or use.

Spindle - a round stick with tapered ends used to form and twist the yarn in hand spinning or the long, slender pin by which the thread is twisted in a spinning wheel.

Spinning Wheel - a small machine for spinning yarn or thread which was an improvement over the spindle used alone.

Squiggly - shaped like a short wavy twist or line, curlicue.

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COLOR

PAGES

Color Sheet

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ACTIVITIES

Pre and Post Show ActivitiesBefore the Performance1. Read Sleeping Beauty to the class. If possible, have one or more of the students read it to the class. Afterward, have each student create a piece of artwork (drawing, painting, etc) of an aspect of the story.

As the students work, play J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

2. Have the students take their favorite fairytale and rewrite the story how they would like it. (ie. different ending, combining more than one story, putting the characters into a modern world.)

After the PerformanceLead the students in a discussion about the show. What did they like about it? What did they dislike it? Why? How has this theatrical experience compared to others?

What did David Gonzalez use to make the story interesting? Technology? Physical expression?

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ACTIVITIES

Sleeping Beauty Crossword

Across1. The rod on a spinning wheel by which the thread is twisted and on which it is wound.4. The son of a king.6. A feeling of warm personal attachment for another person.7. Classical music composer from Germany in 17th century. (Last name only.)9. To compel by fascination.11. A bird used as a symbol of innocence and peace.12. An interesting but highly implausible story.13. A fairy-tale character who uses magical powers to help a hero/heroine. (plural)14. The art of conveying emotions, and actions by gestures without speech.

Down1. A person who tells stories or anecodotes.2. To sleep, especially lightly; doze.3. The combined use of several media, as sound and full-motion video.5. A piece of furniture where someone sleeps.8. To touch or press with the lips slightly pursed.10. A person who plays professional piano.

ANSWER POSSIBILITIES*Bach *Mezmorizing *Dove *Fairy *Kiss *Spindle *Poetry *Triumph*Fairy Tale *Love *Virtue *Bed*Animals *Prince *Pianist *Fairy Godmother*Pantomime *Thorn *Storyteller *Queen*Disney *Slumber *Multimedia *Spinning Wheel

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ACTIVITIES

Listed underneath of the puzzle, find words related to the performance.

Sleeping Beauty Word FindCrossword Puzzle Answers

Accrosss1. Spindle 4. Prince 6. Love 7. Back 9. Mezmorizing 11. Dove 12. Fairy Tale 13. Fairy Godmothers 14. PantomimeDown1. Storyteller 2. Slumber 3. Multimedia 5. Bed 8. Kiss 10. Pianist

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Local Connections...

Love Adventure MazeHelp the prince get through the maze to his princess!

Get involved in acting with:• Alaska Theatre of Youth• TBA Theatre• Anchorage Community Theatre

Theater Etiquette And Experiences We have a wonderful opportunity at this performance to help youth learn about attending live performances. Please discuss the following with your students: 1. Sometimes young people do not realize how a live performance differs from watching a movie or television show. A live presentation has not been pre-recorded with the mistakes edited out. This makes it riskier for the performer and more exciting for the audience. It also means the audience has a real contribution to make to the overall event. Each audience member affects those around him/her as well as the performer. Concentrate to help the performers. The audience gives energy to the performer who uses that energy to give life to the performance. 2. An usher will show you where to sit. Walk slowly and talk quietly as you enter the theater. 3. For safety’s sake, do not lean over or sit on the balcony railings or box ledges. Please be careful on the stairs. Avoid horseplay and running throughout the building. Do not drop items on audience below. 4. If necessary, use the restroom before the performance begins, but after you have found your seat. Adults need to accompany young students. 5. You may talk quietly to the people next to you until the performance begins. 6. When the lights in the theater begin to dim, it is the signal that the performance is about to begin. Stop talking and turn your attention to the stage. 7. Stay in your seat throughout the entire performance. 8. During the performance, listen quietly and watch closely. Talking during the performance will distract other audience members and performers. Try not to wiggle too much and do not kick the seat in front of you. These disruptions make it hard for others around you to concentrate on the show. 9. Sometimes during a performance you may respond by laughing, crying, or sighing. By all means, do so! LAUGHING IS APPROPRIATE. (Teachers, please do not hush the students while they are laughing.) If something is funny, it is good to laugh. If you like something a lot, applaud. This will let the performers know that you are enjoying the show. 10. At the end of the show, applaud to say thank you to the performers. The performers will bow to acknowledge your appreciation and thank you for coming. 11. When the lights get brighter in the theater, the show is over. Stay in your seats until the On Stage Coordinator dismisses your school. 12. Please remember: •Takingphotographsorusing recordingdevicesisstrictlyprohibited. •Beveragesandfood,includinggumandcandy,arenotallowedinthetheater. •Youareonlyonepersonamongseveralhundredintheaudience. •Pleaserespect theperformersandyourfellowaudiencemembers.Please inform your chaperones that ushers will be available throughout the performance if there are difficulties.

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