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On the Alliance Theatre stage March 11-‐March 29, 2015
James and the Giant Peach Music and lyrics: Benj Pasekt and Justin Paul
Book: Timothy Allen McDonald Based on the book by Roald Dahl
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Study Guide, grades 4-‐8
Created as part of the Alliance Theatre Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists Dramaturgy by Students program
Johnny Pride’s 6th Grade Jr. Dramaturgs The Friends School of Atlanta
Under the guidance of Alliance Institute Teaching Artist Barry Stewart Mann With special thanks to Kim Bowers-‐Rheay Baran, Alliance Institute Resident Teaching Artist
Theatre for Youth and Families
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Dear Educators: Welcome to the Alliance Theatre’s production of James and the Giant Peach! This study guide was created by the Jr. Dramaturgs of the Friends School of Atlanta for use by the teacher and student audience of the play. We hope this helps you prepare to see the play and to reflect together afterward. Questions for the audience from the director, Rosemary Newcott, the Sally G. Tomlinson Artistic Director of Theatre for Youth and Families: • What does James learn about himself as he takes this journey with his ‘insect’ friends? • What are the qualities that make up a great family? • What did you do when you found yourself in a leadership position? Table of Contents Page About the Author – Roald Dahl 3 About the Book and Movie: James and the Giant Peach 4 Three-‐Peach Venn Diagram 4 Vocabulary 5-‐6 Topics to Consider 7-‐8 Orphans in Literature, Steampunk, From Europe to America, Magical Reptiles STEM Connections 9-‐11 Science, Technology, Engineering, Math An A-‐Maze-‐ing Journey (maze) 12 Limericks 13 Peach Lib 14 Themes to Ponder 15 Family, Adventures and Journeys, Friendship, Leadership J&TGP Board Game 16-‐17 Jokes and the Giant Peach 18 Resources 18 Dramaturgs 19 Answer Key 19
Language Arts Core Curriculum Standards CCRR3. Analyze how and why individuals, events and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. CCRR4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative and
figurative meanings and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. CCRL3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. CCRSL2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Theatre Standards (GPS) TAES 1. Analyzing and constructing meaning from theatrical experiences, dramatic literature, and electronic media. TAES 8. Examining the roles of theatre as a reflection of past and present civilizations. TAES 11. Engaging actively and appropriately as an audience member in theatre or other media experiences. Additional suggested curriculum connections: Social Studies, Science, and Geography
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About the Author: Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (ROW-‐uld DOLL) was born in 1916 in Wales, a part of Great Britain just to the west of England. His parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Dahl, were originally from Norway. Roald was named after the famous polar explorer Roald Amundsen, who was a national hero in Norway. Dahl attended a boarding school in England, where he was very unhappy. He wrote about this experience in his book, Boy: Tales of Childhood. In high school, he played sports and loved photography. In 1939, as Europe was plunging into World War, Dahl served as a platoon commander and aircraftman in Africa, Greece, and Palestine. Wounded in an emergency landing in the Sahara desert, Dahl served as a diplomat and intelligence officer in the later part of the war.
It was during the war that he began writing. His first book, Gremlins, was published in 1943, and drew fancifully on his experience in the Royal Air Force. He went on to write some of the most popular children’s literature of the 20th Century, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970), The Twits (1980), The BFG (1982), and Matilda (1988). He also wrote short stories for adults, and several screenplays, including those for the films You Only Live Twice (1967) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Dahl was married to American actress Patricia Neal for 30 years, and they had five children together. After they divorced in 1983, he married Felicity Crosland. Dahl died of a blood disease in 1990, in Oxford, England, at the age of 74.
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About the Book and Movie: James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl wrote James and the Giant Peach in1961. The book was originally entitled James and The Giant Cherry, but it was determined that peaches were bigger, prettier and squishier. Dahl’s life clearly affected some of the themes of the book, including traveling, mistreatment of children, flying, and life changing events. James and the Giant Peach includes allusions to one of his Dahl’s other books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl did not agree to a movie version of James and the Giant Peach, but after his death, his widow approved a film production. The movie, co-‐produced with Disney, included both live-‐action performances and stop-‐motion animation. It was released in the spring of 1996, and generally received positive reviews. The film’s score, written by Randy Newman, was nominated for an Academy Award, and the film won Best Animated Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France.
Book, Movie and Play: Three-‐Peach Venn Diagram For each aspect of the story or production, place the letter in the appropriate area of the diagram to indicate whether it is present in the book, movie, and/or play. (Answer Key on page 19.) MOVIE A. The glowworm speaks B. There are multiple real sharks C. There are limericks D. James’ aunts return in a car at the end E. There are mechanical sharks F. There are songs BOOK G. There is a broken rainbow H. People think that the peach is a bomb I. There is a narrator called Ladahlord J. James is first sent to an orphanage K. There are puppets L. Seagulls carry the peach across the sea
PLAY
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Vocabulary Here are some interesting words from the play, with the character who uses them, their definitions, and the context in which they are used. bloomers (Ladybug) – loose-‐fitting women’s pants, named for Amelia Bloomer. “Take my bloomers! They’ll do in a pinch!” Coney Island (Spiker) – an area in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, known for its beaches and amusement park. “I hear Coney Island’s full of suckers.” connoisseur (Ladahlord) – an expert in matters of the fine arts. “Oooh! A connoisseur! First we’ll need these!” contrary (Spider) – opposite, or opposite side or position. “On the contrary, I think it’s such a clever idea that James should tell you himself.” decorum (Ladybug) – manners, appropriate behavior. “Let us do this properly, with a bit of decorum.”
Amelia Bloomer
fumigate (Sponge) – to clean or disinfect an area using chemical fumes “After we fumigate the bugs, of course.” inkling (Ladahlord) – an uncertain or incomplete knowledge of something primordial ooze (Ladahlord) -‐ a liquid substance thought to have existed at the beginning of time and to have developed into the universe “The very first primordial ooze of an inkling that has the potential to lead to so many other fan-‐tas-‐ma-‐rific things!”
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irrational (Earthworm) – not logical or reasonable “I’m prone to irrational fits of fear.” pound/shilling – units of British money (multiple places in the script) ration (Grasshopper) – to distribute something in limited, fixed amounts “We’ll ration servings.”
representative (Spiker) – one who acts on behalf of another Scotland Yard (Spiker) – the headquarters of the London police “How can we be of help to such a handsome representative of Scotland Yard?” telegram (Bobby Cop) -‐ a message sent by telegraph, through a system of short signals, and then delivered in written or printed form “Got an official telegram for the two of you.”
A telegraph machine, for converting language
into short and long electrical impulses
vermin (Sponge) – small, common, harmful or objectionable animals , such as lice or mice that are difficult to get rid of “It’s full of spiders and crawlin’ vermin.” wretched (Ladybug) – miserable, shabby, disgusting or worthless “. . . it does feel quite wonderful to be free of that wretched hillside.”
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Topics to Consider Orphans in Literature Often in children’s and youth literature the author depicts the protagonist as an orphan. Why? It seems young people are more inclined to get into trouble and go on wild adventures when their parents aren't around. Oliver Twist, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Lil’ Orphan Annie, Madeleine, Charlie (of Chocolate Factory fame), Tarzan, Peter Parker and Harry Potter are all famous orphans in literature. Others are Mowgli from The Jungle Book, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz (who lives with her aunt and uncle), and Hugo from The Adventures of Hugo Cabret. And, of course, James (of Giant Peach fame)!
Can you think of others? What do you like about books with main characters who are separated from their parents?
Some famous literary orphans: Mowgli from The Jungle Book, Oliver Twist, and Little Orphan Annie Steampunk The Alliance Theatre production of James and the Giant Peach has been designed with the idea of “Steampunk” in mind. According to Wikipedia, “Steampunk began as a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy literature, but has developed in recent years to become a craft and lifestyle movement that commonly features some aspect of steam-‐powered machinery. . . . Steampunk is often inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century.” This will be reflected in the sets, the costumes, and the props.
Where do you see Steampunk in the production?
A Steampunk Rhinoceros
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From Europe to New York City James' family wanted to go to NYC because they viewed it as a magical place, full of hope and excitement. America's history is rich with stories of immigrants from Europe who travelled across the ocean to get to New York to start a better life, just as James and his friends did. Especially after the World Wars, many Europeans found life difficult in Europe. The war had destroyed their cities and their countries’ economies. They wanted to cross the ocean to escape hardship and make a new start. There are two places included in James and the Giant Peach that symbolize this yearning. The White Cliffs of Dover are on the southern coast of England, facing toward Europe. In the story, the Giant Peach rolls down the hill at great speed and right over the cliffs into the sea. The other one is the Empire State Building, a very famous building in New York City. This building has a pointed spire on top, and the Peach lands right on top of it when it arrives across the ocean. These two places represent the beginning and the end of the journey across the ocean.
What do you think the differences were between life in Europe and life in America for people in the middle of the 20th Century? Has your family ever moved to a faraway place hoping to start a new and better life?
The Empire State Building The White Cliffs of Dover Magical Reptiles In James and the Giant Peach, there is some magic. A strange old man gives James a bag of crocodile tongues. Where did Roald Dahl get this idea? It’s probably not a coincidence since parts of reptiles’ bodies, and other animals, have been used in folklore and mythology for ages. Princesses kissed frogs to turn them back into princes. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare the witches put “Eye of newt, and toe of frog” into their cauldron to cast a spell.
Why do you think this is? What is so special about reptiles and other creepy animals that makes people think they can bring magic?
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STEM Connections
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. James and the Giant Peach has possibilities for some cool STEM connections. SCIENCE Giant Organisms The peach and the insects in the story are magically modified. In real life, our food is being genetically modified to be bigger and prettier so that more people can be fed and more food is sold. Even chickens and cows are receiving hormones for modification. Scientists also say that insects and animals are undergoing genetic changes due to global warming and climate change. Also, chemicals and radiation are said to be affecting plant and animal life on Earth. Climate change, pollution and environmental development are eliminating frog, salamander, bird and reptile species at disturbing rates. Surprisingly, insects are more able to adapt than some non-‐human species.
Could there really be giant insects like those that James meets? Is genetic modification of food good? What are the benefits and what are the dangers?
Crocodile Tongues Do crocodiles have tongues? Yes. They are bright orange and yellow, and are used to warn other animals when the crocodile’s mouth is open. Although they can’t stick their tongues out, chemoreceptors lining the tongues help the crocodile to detect food underwater. Gravity and Momentum A rolling object is guided by gravity and momentum, the speed it picks up as it goes. When the Giant Peach rolls down the hill from Spiker and Sponge’s house, up and over the White Cliffs of Dover, its speed would depend on its weight and the slope of the hill. Also, friction would affect it. When it rolls over an obstacle, like the chocolate factory, the obstacle will slow down its rolling.
Weight and Displacement When it is in the water, the Peach’s ability to float would be determined by the relationship between its weight and its volume. Like any floating object, it will sink until it displaces a volume of water equal to its weight. Then it will float. James’s Giant Peach must not have been very dense, otherwise it would have sunk into the sea.
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TECHNOLOGY Flying Machines Airplanes were developed shortly before Roald Dahl’s birth, were very interesting to him. He was a fighter pilot, and he was aware of unusual flying vehicles like airships. People have always wanted to fly. Technology is making advances, and now drones are being used for many different things. Some say that we will soon have personal hovercrafts, one-‐person kit planes, and other such flying transportation.
An Airship, or Dirigible A drawing of a ‘tiny house’ (with stained glass doors) ENGINEERING Tiny Houses James and his friends live and travel in very small vehicle (even though it is rather big, for a peach!). Today, entire families are living in very tiny, contained houses that have all the conveniences of a normal home . . . and sometimes you can take them wherever you want to! Small houses are considered more environmentally aware, because they take up less space. Also, the people usually own and use less stuff. But it takes a lot of planning and engineering to use every inch of space and not let anything go to waste.
How would you like to live in a tiny house? What are the benefits, and what are the disadvantages? How would you arrange a living space the size of a Giant Peach?
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MATHEMATICS Trans-‐Atlantic Journey James and his friends travel from Dover to New York City, a total distance of 5423 miles. In the book, it seems to take them just one night to make the trip – they start in the afternoon and arrive as the sun is rising the next morning. If they left Dover at 3 pm, and arrived in New York at 6 am, how many hours did it take? Be sure to factor in a five hour time difference – when it is 5 pm in Dover, it is still noon in New York. Once you have the time of the trip, calculate their average speed in miles per hour. Then calculate their speed kilometers per hour, with approximately 1.6 kilometers in a mile. (Answer Key on page 19)
Map section from MapQuest B – New York A -‐ Dover
Airlifting the Peach In the story, 501 seagulls manage to fly the Giant Peach across the ocean. However, a group of researchers at Leicester University in England calculated that it would have actually taken many more seagulls than that. They figured out the mass of the peach, based on the descriptions in the novel. Then, based on its mass, they calculated that it would require 4,890,579 newtons (units of force) to lift it. Then they decided that seagulls could be compared to airplane wings, and figured that each seagull could provide 2.02 newtons of lift. So they divided 2.02 into 4,890,579, and came up with their final answer: it would have taken 2,425,907 seagull.
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An A-‐MAZE-‐ing Story
Find your way from Dover to New York – if you can!
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Limericks In James and the Giant Peach there are lots of poems. Many of them are examples of a poem called a ‘limerick.’ Although no one knows where limericks were invented, they were named after Limerick, a city in Ireland. Most limericks are quite silly and sometimes just absurd. Structure They always have five lines with have a specific rhyme scheme. The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with one another. Also, the third and fourth lines rhyme. So, the rhyme scheme is A-‐A-‐B-‐B-‐A. Limericks also have a special rhythm, which is also called the meter. The first two lines and the fifth lines have three beats. The rhythm is usually something like: Dah DAH dah dah DAH dah dah DAH The third and fourth lines have two beats: Dah DAH dah dah DAH. Sometimes there are extra syllables, but the number of beats is always the same. Examples Here’s one about the story: There once was a young boy named James Whose life was not all fun and games, But finding the peach Put his dreams within reach And his life was then never the same. Here’s another one we wrote: There once was a fellow named Jimmy, He had a good buddy named Timmy, They ran ‘til they fell Down a very deep well. Then Jimmy said, “Timmy, let’s shimmy.” Be a Poet Now try writing your own! Start out by deciding on a topic or simple story -‐ whatever your limerick will be about. Then come up with your first line, following the rhythm. Think carefully about the last word in that line because you’ll need at least two other words to rhyme with it. If you have trouble thinking of rhyming word that will work for your second and fifth lines, try rewriting your first line so that it ends with a different word. Once you have your first and second lines, and an idea of you will rhyme the fifth line, you can write the third and fourth lines in the same way. Keep fixing, changing and rewriting until the rhythms and rhymes work right.
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PEACH LIB: James and the Giant _____________________________________ (name of fruit or vegetable) There once was a _____________________ named James that _____________________ in Dover, (living being) (past tense verb)
England. On his birthday, his parents were _____________________ by a giant _____________________. (past tense verb) (noun)
Then he was sent to ____________________ with his __________________ aunts, Spiker and Sponge. (verb) (adjective)
An old __________________ emerged from behind a ___________________ and gave James a bag of (noun) (part of a building)
________________________. James ____________________ spilled the bag on a ________________________ (plural noun) (adverb) (adjective)
_____________________ tree that was growing there. The tree grew a giant ______________________, (noun from title) (noun from title)
which James crawled inside. There he met a bunch of _______________________ ,who became his (plural noun)
friends. The giant __________________________ rolled _________________________ toward the (noun from title) (adverb)
_____________________________. It splashed with a _______________________ _____________________ (body of water) (adjective) (sound effect)
They floated for many ______________________. They were almost eaten by a giant _______________. (units of time) (noun)
They attached themselves to a ____________________________ to carry them to _____________________. (group of animals) (famous place)
When they arrived, they landed on the Empire State ______________________. Children rushed (noun)
up and all ate the giant _______________________. From then on, James and his friends (noun from title)
__________________________ happily ever after. (past tense verb)
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Themes to Ponder Family What makes a family? A great family needs parents or a guardian who makes sure the children feel loved and cared about. In James and the Giant Peach, when Spiker and Sponge treat James wrong, that is the total opposite of a great family. For a family to be perfect is impossible, but a strong family is made up of bonds, friendship, truth, loyalty, and commitment. Family isn’t only bloodlines; it’s people who trust and respect each other. Families work problems out, and are kind to each other and help out to make sure the home runs smoothly. Throughout history families have come in many shapes and sizes. As in James’s case, children can become orphans, and be taken in by relatives. These days, many children are raised by their grandparents, or an aunt or uncle, or by parents who are separated and have remarried and brought new stepparents into the child’s life. So that brings us back to the question: What makes a family? Adventures and Journeys Adventures and journeys serve a purpose in a person’s life, whether it is just riding bikes or battling beasts. When James goes on his adventure he learns a lot. During the journeys that James takes, he finds hope and people/insects that love him. He learns that he isn’t trapped in his horrible life. He learns what it is like to have friends and to solve problems in difficult situations. He learns that he does not have to be pushed around; but instead that he is smart and creative. These are some of the same things that people learn on all types of adventures and journeys. Friendship A real friend is someone who sticks up for you and stands up for you. They never laugh at what you like and they don’t make fun out of who you are. They like yow you are and are kind to you and when someone makes fun of you, they are there to help you. They make you happy and they are very nice to you and can help you when you have a problem. Friends are sometimes like your family – sometimes like your true family. In James and the Giant Peach, his true friends were the bugs, because they did everything a true friend would do. Leadership Leadership is a good quality because it means that someone is brave, outgoing, strong and protective. Leaders are trustworthy, hard-‐working, responsible, thoughtful, and intelligent in many ways – both street-‐smart and book-‐smart. Leaders are people that think outside the box – they are creative and they ponder on things more than others. Of course, there can be both bad and good leaders. Those that are bad can be bossy, rude, and manipulative, and that kind of leadership causes people to react and change in bad ways. James becomes a leader by learning the qualities of a leader: he is responsible, he learns to be outgoing and he adapts to his surroundings and situations. He also learns how all his friends are different, and how to handle them in different situations.
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Jokes and the Giant Peach
(Punchlines on page 19) Who is James's favorite actor? Why did the peach grow so large? Where does James go for vacation? Why don’t seagulls fly over the bay? Why is James no longer president? Why couldn't James’s aunt win in volleyball? What do you call a peach with fangs and wings? What is Grasshopper’s favorite sport? Why did James and his friends pull the Giant Peach over to the side of the road?
Resources Roald Dahl: https://www.roalddahl.com/ http://www.biography.com/people/roald-‐dahl-‐9264648 Movie Version: http://movies.disney.com/james-‐and-‐the-‐giant-‐peach Seagull Carrying Capacity: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-‐01/lofting-‐james-‐giant-‐peach-‐would-‐have-‐required-‐way-‐more-‐seagulls-‐roald-‐dahl-‐said Tiny Houses: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/02/11/high-‐tech-‐meets-‐low-‐tech-‐in-‐tiny-‐house-‐movement/ Limericks: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetic-‐form-‐limerick Steampunk: http://www.ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com/what-‐is-‐steampunk/ White Cliffs of Dover: http://www.whitecliffsofdover.co.uk/
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Answer Key Triple-‐Peach Venn Diagram Book only: B, G, H Movie only: D, E Play only: I, K Book and Movie: A Book and Play: -‐-‐ Movie and Play: F, J Book, Movie and Play: C, L Trans-‐Atlantic Journey If they left Dover at 3 pm, then it was 10 am in New York, because New York is 5 hours behind London. I was 6 am when they arrive in New York, so the trip took 20 hours. Traveling a distance if 5423 miles, they would have had an average speed of 271 miles, or about 433 kilometers, per hour. Jokes Who is James's favorite actor? Brad Pitt Why did the peach grow so large? It was going as Sponge for Halloween Where does James go for vacation? To his peach house Why don’t seagulls fly over the bay? If they did they would be bagels (bay-‐gulls) Why is James no longer president? Because he got impeached Why couldn't James’s aunt win in volleyball? Because she was a horrible Spiker What do you call a peach with fangs and wings? A fruit bat What is Grasshopper’s favorite sport? Cricket (or Hopscotch) Why did James and his friends pull the Giant Peach over to the side of the road? They needed to make a pit-‐stop Alliance Theatre Dramaturgy by Students, Friends School of Atlanta
Back Row: Alliance Theatre Teaching Artist Barry Stewart Mann, Zachery Harden, Olle Wurtzel, Lucas Grijak, Language Arts Teacher Johnny Pride, Jordan Wooley, Alejandro Mata, Ethan Jacobs. Middle Row: Kayla Smith, Laiba Arfan, Zuri Hightower, Ariel Ellis, Mia Kuperminc, Zari Thwaites-‐Simmons, Sasha Polyakova. Front Row: Parker Middleton, Ben O’Flaherty, Seth McGaughey, Ben Parker, Asher Reeves, Chapman Mallard.
Not pictured: Riley Cummings, Callum Dooley, Oliver Sima.
