Sanctuary Song Study Guide

Exceptional Theatre for Young PeopleTHEATRE DIRECT

Study Guide: Grades 4-8www.sanctuarysong.ca

Sanctuary Song Study Guide Page 2 Sanctuary Song Study Guide Page 3

About the Study GuideWe at Theatre Direct Canada and Tapestry new opera works are excited that you and your class will be attending a performance of Sanctuary Song, composed by Abigail Richardson and written by Marjorie Chan! Thank you for being a part of this world premiere.

This study guide has been prepared for grades 4 to 8 and has been divided into the following sections:

Table of ContentsAbout the Study GuideTable of ContentsTapestry new opera worksTheatre Direct CanadaAbout the Production of Sanctuary SongSynopsis

Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7

The Performing Arts section has activities relating to the Drama, Dance, and Music curricula. Students will learnterminology related to an opera production and express ideas found in Sanctuary Song through voice, movement, and music.

The Natural World section is all about elephants! Learn some facts about these huge and gentle creatures while exploring topics in Science, Geography, History, and Mathematics.

Learn about the many relationships between Humans and Nature in the third section. These exercises explore the ways that humans have helped and caused problems for elephants and work well with topics in Geography and Social Studies.

Finally, in the Communication and Friendship section, we discover the incredible ways that elephants communicate with each other and the people they work with. We learn about friendships that come in all shapes and sizes. This section is great for Language Arts and Drama explorations.

Printables and Resources can be found at the back of this guide so that you and your class can jump right into this material. If you have any questions or are looking for more resources, please contact us - we’re here to help!

Theatre Direct Canada720 Bathurst Street,

Suite #412Toronto, ON, M5S 2R4Phone: 416-537-4191

Fax: 416-537-4193www.theatredirect.on.ca

Tapestry new opera works55 Mill Street, Bldg. #58The Cannery, Studio 316

Toronto, ON, M5A 3C4Phone: 416-537-6066

Fax: 416-537-7841www.tapestrynewopera.com

Printables for Activities in this GuideGlossariesSources and Resources

Pages 27 - 34 Pages 35 - 37 Pages 38 - 39

Printables & Resources

Information and ActivitiesPage 8Page 9

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About OperaVoices Heard in OperaWhat to Listen For - Music ActivityExplore the Score - Music ActivityRoles in Theatre and Opera - ActivityMeet the ArtistsWalk Like an Elephant - Dance ActivityThe Watermelon Scene - Drama ActivityPost-Show Discussion QuestionsThe True Story of Shirley and JennySanctuary Song Time Line

Elephant Time Line - ActivityWhere in the World - ActivityFun Facts about Elephants What’s the Difference - ActivityCould You take an Elephant Home - Activity

Elephant Safari - ActivityElephants in CultureFriends for Life: Mahouts and ElephantsWhere did they Go - Activity

Calling All Elephants - ActivityMove to the Groove of Frendship - Activity

ThePerforming

Arts

The NaturalWorld

Humansand Nature

Communicationand Friendship

Look for the starredactivities to explore

some of ourfavourites

with your class!

Need to choosean activity in a hurry?


Tapestry is dedicated to the creation, development and performance of new opera works through its unique and highly collaborative work process. Under the leadership of Managing Artistic Director Wayne Strongman, Tapestry engages the hearts and minds of artists and audiences on subjects relevant to contemporary society. The Tapestry process begins at the annual Composer-Librettist Laboratory where writers and composers are introduced to collaborative creation. Successful partnerships move on to create 15-minute operas for our biennial Opera to Go production and many to create full-length works. Tapestry productions which have premiered to critical and popular acclaim include Nigredo Hotel by Ann-Marie MacDonald & Nic Gotham, Elsewhereless by Atom Egoyan & Rodney Sharman, Still the Night by Theresa Tova, Facing South by Don Hannah & Linda C. Smith and the Dora-award winning Iron Road by composer Chan Ka Nin & librettist Mark Brownell.

Over our 28 year history of producing original music theatre works by Canadian artists, Tapestry has been a fi xture in the Ontario school touring market. Our roster of opera for young audiences has introduced thousands of students to opera as an art form while focusing on important social issues such as bullying, nutrition, friendship and racism. During these performances we encourage performer/teacher/student interaction. We also include a comprehensive study guide to tie the performances into school curriculum and many productions incorporate an audience participation component. Tapestry’s most recent opera for young audiences, Elijah’s Kite (James Rolfe/Camyar Chai), premiered at the Manhattan School of Music and with a Canadian premiere at Rideau Hall. Elijah’s Kite has embarked on 3 elementary school tours across Ontario reaching 20,000 students and will tour nationally in our 08/09 season.

Through the INside Opera Education Programme, Tapestry offers creative workshops for students and youth to discover their own stories and engage in the creation of opera. Initially this programme evolved out of Tapestry’s desire to provide youth workshop programming along with its artistic productions. From this beginning, the INside Opera programme has grown and responded to the increasing need to provide arts programming within specifi c communities. We have expanded the programme to reach beyond the class-room walls and into underserved communities in the GTA which lack the money, resources and access to the professional artists necessary to facilitate effective arts education.

An innovative company that gives voice to opera as a vehicle for personal and collective discovery;A leader in the development of talent for the creation of the operatic art form, facilitating successful creative collaborations among writers, composers, directors, performers and designers;A partner who facilitates collaborative engagement between artists and audiences, producers, and presenters; A valued arts partner for the corporate business and philanthropic community.

Our Mission and VisionTo engage artists and audiences in the creation, development and performance of new opera. To be recognized locally, nationally and internationally as:

Tapestry is a leader in the arts community as both an active member of Opera.ca and OPERA America, and a proud founding member of Creative Trust: Working Capital for the Arts. Tapestry is also a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) and the Toronto Alliance for the

Performing Arts (TAPA), and employs professional artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association andmusicians who are members of the American Federation of Musicians.

FOR THEATRE DIRECT CANADA

Artistic Director LYNDA HILLAssociate Artists

LISA CODRINGTON, SHARADA K. ESWARGeneral Manager

CLARISSA DEYOUNG Production Manager DUNCAN MORGAN

Consulting Director of Educationand Outreach CAROLINE HOLLWAY

Education Consultant JESSI LINN DAVIESStudio Theatre Consultant

and Project Manager JULIAN SLEATHArtistic Coordinator & Dramaturg

THOMAS MORGAN JONESAdministrative Assistant NICKY PHILLIPS

Co-Op Student MARINA PRATT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MARCIA CUNNINGHAM – PresidentLINDA BROWN – Chair/Secretary ANDREW MUIRHEAD – Treasurer

LINDA CONETTAWAYNE FAIRHEAD

KIM BARNHARDT – Past PresidentNATHAN GILBERT – Honorary MemberWALTER PITMAN – Honorary Member

RANDY BAUSLAUGH – Honorary Member

Theatre Direct is a member of PACT (Professional Association of Canadian Theatres) and engages under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agree-ment, professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Theatre

Direct is a participant in the Creative Trust: Work-ing Capital for the Arts program, and are also

members of Theatre Ontario, Toronto, Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), ASSITEJ Canada,

and Performing Arts OrganizationsNetwork for Education.

To create and present sophisticated and uncompromising theatre for, with and by young people that provokes, challenges and inspires. To present theatre that is socially conscious, inclusive and that refl ects the diversity of Canadian society.

To nurture our audience’s appreciation of the arts and each other through community and education based programs.

Our Mandate

Educators and the professional theatre community consider Theatre Direct leaders in the creation and production of theatre for young audiences. Our efforts to pair sophisticated theatre with innovative education programs enhance the impact of the theatrical experience and extend our interaction with young people and teachers toward deeper learning.

Working with and involving young people in the creative process enriches our work and informs our creative practice. We strive to ensure each production is accompanied by a comprehensive set of resources and activities led by artists or by our partner educators that ensure a depth of refl ection and response in the classroom and beyond.

Founded in 1976 and led by Artistic Director Lynda Hill, Theatre Direct is known for its willingness to explore diffi cult subject matter and issues relevant to young people with dynamic, sophisticated theatre that is matched by innovative education programs. Theatre Direct has been honoured with numerous awards and nominations including 5 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, 10 Chalmers Canadian Play Awards and the Canada Council for the Arts Theatre for Young Audiences Prize in 2005 for And, by the way Miss… Other award-winning productions include Alphonse by Wajdi Mouawad and Beneath the Banyan Tree by Emil Sher with choreographer Lata Pada.

Our HistoryOur History

Our Education Approach

Managing Artistic Director, Wayne Strongman

While each season and each production inspires a specifi c approach to our education work, some of the programswe consistently offer include daylong programs, arts educationresidencies, post-show workshops and teacher preparationevenings.


Synopsis

This moving new work explores the themes of friendship and freedom inspired by the real-life story of an Asian elephant whose remarkable journey culminates in her release into a Tennesseesanctuary. Framed by the reluctant goodbye between Sydney and James, her African American keep-er of 22 years, Sydney recounts, in a scene that moves from song to a luscious dance section, the destruction of her idyllic life in the jungles of Indonesia. When poachers abduct her she is wrenched from her dearest friend, Penny, who for Sydney is “like a baby sister”. Her years performing in a circus come to a dramatic end when Sydney is injured in a fi re on a boat off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. After being sold to the Louisiana Purchase Zoo, Sydney resigns herself to solitary life until she meets James, with whom she develops a wonderful trust and communication that lasts for decades.

In a deeply moving fi nal scene, Sydney is released into sanctuary and soon encounters anotherelephant. Tension and fear among the human witnesses is replaced by astonishment and joy when the two elephants embrace and Sydney is reunited with her childhood friend, Penny. As they wander off together into the “hills of grass” she had dreamt of for so long, James looks on and ahead vowing to remember his many years of friendship with Sydney. The story of Sanctuary Song drives home for audiences the delicate balance of the natural world and our relationship to its creatures. However, it is through the operatic form that the emotional power, beauty, and complexity of Sydney’s life fl ows up and out and into our hearts.

For a more detailed synopsis of all scenes, please see www.sanctuarysong.ca

Through the eyes of an elephant...

How this World Premiere came to be... Characters in the StorySydney an aging female Asian elephantJames her zookeeper and friendPenny Sydney’s childhood elephant friendHunterCircus OwnerA young girl who meets Sydney at the circus

Instruments in the OrchestraPianoViolin

Percussion instrumentsincluding: triangle, cymbals, wind chimes,

vibraphone, a gendere,wood block, a gong, and a variety of

unconventional instruments

ScenesOn a Train

In the JungleThe Circus

Fire!The Zoo

Arrival at the Sanctuary

conceived by playwright Marjorie Chan and musically illuminated by composer AbigailRichardson, we imagine opera as a powerful language shared byelephants and one man.

This project began when Marjorie and Abigail met in the Tapestry’s Composer Librettist Laboratory (LibLab). In this compressed, intense creation process they were challenged to create short operatic scenes. “Sanctuary” as it was titled at the time, was presented in a 10 minute form to enthusiastic audiences in 2004. Theatre Direct’s ArtisticDirector, Lynda Hill, had the pleasure of witnessing a revivedperformance of the work and was struck with how beautifully the story and the music resonated for an audience that ranged in age from 8 years to 80.

Marjorie and Abby were invited to expand the piece and tell the story of Sydney from the beginning. With the assistance of the LaidlawFoundation, Theatre Direct commissioned the expanded work. Upon completion of the fi rst complete draft of the libretto, Lynda Hillapproached Wayne Strongman to propose a collaboration. Aftercareful consideration of the proposed project, both companies under-took a two-week workshop exploring the score and libretto as well as the choreographic and design approach.

The theme of friendship pervades every aspect of this theatricaloffering, onstage and off. From the pairing of words and music to the partnership of a theatre and an opera company, Sanctuary Songtestifi es to what is possible when we reach beyond our boundariestoward something larger than ourselves.

In the world of Sanctuary Song,

Enjoy the performance!


About Opera

The simplest defi nition of opera is a story that is sung and told through music. It differs from a play because the music and sung words carry us to a place of high emotion that words alone cannot accomplish.

The art form of opera is a larger than life experience for audience members,allowing them to approach big human issues through drama and music.

It takes the collaboration of two highly skilled creative artists to write an opera: the librettist, who creates the story and the words that the characters sing, and the composer who creates the music that carries the emotions. The best operas portray relationships and experiences that are universal and timeless.

An opera’s performing artists are professionally trained singers, who spend many years developing their voices and their acting skills. Because operabegan in Europe, the singers also study many different languages and cultures in order to understand and correctly pronounce their lyrics.

Opera, with its stirring music, colourful costumes and elaborate sets and props, is the perfect medium for exposing children to different artistic expressions and the way all of the arts can be integrated into a dramatic performance. It can also bring a heightened awareness, and focused attention on the story and the is-sues explored in the performance.

The Performing ArtsDrama, Dance, Music Drama, Dance, Music

A woman with a high voice. Sopranos often portray young,innocent, beautiful women, and lead characters.

A woman with a medium voice. Mezzos often portray thesoprano’s trusted friend, maids or older women.

A woman with a meduim voice. Contraltos often portray olderfemale characters.

A man with a high voice. A tenor is often the young, handsome hero of an opera who loves the soprano.

A man with a medium voice. Baritones can play older men, friends or advisors to the tenors, comic characters, or sometimes leading male characters.

A man with a low voice. Bass singers often portray villains or old men. They tend to be characterized as an “old fool”.

Different Voices heard in Opera

SopranoRange: C4 - A5

Mezzo SopranoRange: A3 - F5

ContraltoRange: F3 - D5

TenorRange: B2 - G4

BaritoneRange: G2 - E4

BassRange: D2 - C4

* Vocal ranges are from www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/vocalrg.htm

In Sanctuary Song, we hear two voice types; Sydney is portrayed by a soprano, James is played by a bass. To compare their relative vocal ranges, see the diagrams below, which approximate the ranges of the two singers you will see in our production.

Soprano

Bass

The roles in opera are written for specifi c voice types - soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, and bass. Sometimes an opera is even written with the vocal range of a specifi c singer in mind!

The particular vocal range can be used to signify the age of the character, their station in life, or thepersonality of the character.

An Elephant Joke:

Q: Who is the most famous singing

female elephant?

A: Elephants Gerald

“When James meets Sydney, he tries talking to her but she doesn’t understand...so he tries singing; That’s how they can communicate!”

Abigail Richardson, Composer

The Performing Arts


Drama, Dance, MusicWhat to Listen ForIn an opera, the audience gets lots of information about story and emotion through the music. We asked Abigial Richardson, the composer of Sanctuary Song, to give us the inside scoop on keystorytelling elements from the score.Here are her recommendations and some questions for classroom discussion.When you see Sanctuary Song, keep your ears open for:

“One of the more interesting things to listen for is the use of percussion and there are a few instruments that specifi cally help represent the jungle. The "gendere" is a really beautiful keyboard percussion instrument which is not quite in our [western] tuning system. It's close to the pentatonic scale, but with a few notes slightly higher or slightly lower. It has a very exotic sound and sounds to me like we're in another land when we hear it. The gong represents the jungle and elephants to me. It's often used as a sign of the jungle, or that elephants are nearby, as in the hunter scene. The bender gong (used at the end of the hunter scene) is a gong which is lowered into a bucket of water in order to lower the pitch. This represents the elephant getting dizzy and losing consciousness.Those three instruments represent the jungle sounds, and they often return later when Sydney is in captivity and recalls her former life.”

The Jungle

The Violin “The violin is central to this opera. If you listen to the violin, you’ll hear the most obvious show of the emotions involved in the story.Director Linda Hill says that the violin seems to capture Sydney’s soul.”

Close your eyes and think of a jungle. What sorts of sounds do you imagine? Create a jungle soundscape within your classroom by creating the sounds of a jungle. Start with the sound of the jungle in the morning, before the animals are awake and slowly add in some animals, keeping the base, ‘morning’ sound throughout.

Music Effects “There are some interesting ways that instruments are used for different effects during the opera. Listen for the rainstick, which sounds like rain when tilted up and down. The vibraphone, usually played with mallets gets played with a cello bow and even with the handles of the mallets for a more percussive sound.“Just after Sydney meets James, both the violinist and percussionist blow into a tube to create a kind of elephant trumpet. These tubes are usually the ones people spin above their head to make a pitch. We just happened to stumble over this in rehearsal and loved it.”

What are some unconventional instruments in your classroom? The orchestra discovered their elephant trumpets by experimenting withunconventional instruments. Gather some classroom items that could be used asinstruments and experiment with the different sounds you can get from each item.

The Performing Arts Music

Explore the Score The Performing Arts

Have you ever seen the score of an opera before? Like the script of a play, the score of an opera out-lines the specifi c role of each performer. This gives performers (including instrumentalists), thedirector and other artists a starting place from which to create their own production. Using a sample from the Sanctuary Song score, examine the different parts of the score with your class.

Download The Watermelon Scene score sample from www.sanctuarysong.ca’s Education Section and share it with your class. Use the followingquestions and notes from the composer to explore the score.

Can you find....The lines that ‘Sydney’ would follow? The lines for the violinist? The pianist?A place in the score where at least three of the performers are doing the same thing?A place in the score where the percussionist switches instruments?A musical theme that is started by one instrument and then carried on by another?A place where only one performer is making sound?The place in the score that might sound the loudest? the softest?

Musical Choices

In bar 654, the violin is instructed to begin playing in the pizzicato style. This means that the violinist will pluck the violin’s strings instead of using his bow. The sound will be more stacato and bright sounding than bowing would produce. Why might Ms. Richardson have chosen to use that sound at that moment in the opera? Are the other instruments making similar or contrasting sounds in that section?

In bar 649, the performer singing the part of James sings his line in a falsetto voice, meaning he is to use a special technique to sing in a vocal register higher than his ‘normal’ singing voice. Sometimes this technique is used for comic effect, but not here; Why do you think the composer chose to use falsetto for James’ thought of ‘a dream’?

Beginning in bar 649, the violin adds to the dream-like feel by using harmonics. A violin usually only plays one pitch at a time, but with this technique, the violin plays two pitches at once: the ‘melody’ note and a higher-pitched note that seems to fl oat above the lower one. How might harmonics support the mood that is created in that moment?

A composer’s job is a multi-faceted one. She decides what kind of sounds from what instruments (or singers) should be heard at each moment in order to best tell the opera’s story to the audience. Here are some examples of choices Abigail Richardson made in creating this section of the score:

For more detailed info about the terms above, search the Dolmetsch Music Dictionary at www.dolmetsch.com/musictheorydefs.htm


Roles in Theatre and Opera

There are so many different aspects of putting together a theatrical performance — especially an opera! Learn about the many roles that come together to create an opera performance like Sanctuary Song.

Make and place four signs, one for each corner of your class-room. Signs should read: “Director”, “Conductor”, “Designer” and “Lighting Technician”.

Point out the four corners of the room to your students andinstruct them to stand by the sign representing the opera job they would most like to do.

When students have initially moved to a location, ask them to share the reasons behind their choice. Encourage at least one member from each of the four groups to contribute to thediscussion.

Allow students to switch locations if they have changed their minds during the discussion.

Ask students to collaboratively write down a sentencedescribing the responsibilities of their chosen role. Compare these to the glossary defi nitions in the back of this guide.

For a further exploration into the world of theatre and opera, hand out the Theatre and Opera Quiz found on page 27.

Answers to the Quiz:

The answers from the quiz on page 27 are, from top to bottom:

6, 2, 10, 13, 4, 7, 11, 8, 3, 1, 5, 9, 21

Drama, Dance and Music

An Elephant Joke:

Q: What is beautiful, grey, and wears glass slippers?

A: Cinderelephant!

The Performing Arts

LYNDA HILL, Stage DirectorI am very lucky to be both the director of Sanctuary Song and the Artistic Director of Theatre Direct, a company that creates theatre for young people. When I think about new shows for our audiences, I fi rst think about my children and how interested they are in the world and how many questions they have about it! A lot of the time they wonder why big people do the things they do — sometimes things that are wonderful and positive and some things that cause harm. It is diffi cult to answer these questions for them and so I like to tell them stories. Stories are a great way to show how interesting and complicated people can be.

Meet the ArtistsDrama, Dance and Music

The Performing Arts

I chose Sanctuary Song because the story has so many layers. Yes, it is about a friendship between a creature and a human but it also reminds us that, just like Sydney the elephant, people need to feel safe, to feel free and to be loved by family and friends, almost as much as they need other basic things like fresh air, clean water and good food.

I liked how a man realized that looking after Sydney wasn’t his job anymore, it was his responsibility. When something or someone becomes our responsibility, there is a lot more to consider. Often this means having to think about the other and what they need more than what you want. This also comes from something called empathy!

I get to work with so many people in this production; I believe there are close to 30 people involved! Everyone from the person who helps to sew the costumes to the singers on stage and the musicians have a very important role and we all rely on each other to do their very best. If not then the show is not as good. This is just like community or family.

To direct, I have prepare in my imagination and with lots of research and writing, how I think the show should look to make sure the story is not confusing and that everything goes smoothly onstage so that by the time you see it, it looks so easy! But to get there take rehearsal every day and lots and lots of problem solving. We do that together as a team. Sometimes people have different opinions or ideas and so we fi nd a way to make sure everyone’s contribution is respected. This is a lot like what you have to do when you work on a project for school.

I want big people to think about children and each other as elephants that need lots of gentleness and caring and I want children to remember that human beings and creatures of every shape and size share the same air and water and earth and that we are all part of the same family. This way, when they grow up they will have the power to stop anything that might harm this important balance like pollution, hunting, abuse of any person, or war.

Some of the artists in Sanctuary Song have given you an inside look at what their jobs entail.See the following pages for their artistic statments!


ABIGAIL RICHARDSON, ComposerI am the composer of Sanctuary Song which means I wrote the music. I took Marjorie Chan’s words and fi gured out how the characters would sing them…some gently, some with anger, some as if in a dream, etc. Then I worked out the right musical accompaniment. I also felt like including some exotic sounds to represent the jungle, like the “gendere” percussion instrument and a dance section inspired by Balinese gamelan music. My goal was for the audience to understand how the characters are feeling by the music they’re singing.

I hope every audience member gives some thought to how insensitive and exploitative human society can be, and what we individuals can do about it.

VIV MOORE, ChoreographerPrior to rehearsals, I was inspired to create movements by listening to the music and reading the score many times, also by visual images of elephants and the director’s vision of the play. I brought these ideas into rehearsals, while always being open to new ideas and revelations found during the process. The audience will be hopefully be able to see the elephants’ movements through the actors’ bodies rather than just seeing actors moving on a stage, thereby adding to the living production that has been placed in our dreams.

LUISA QUINTAVALLE, Video DesignAs I approach the creative process, I get to listen to the gorgeous music, to the lyrics, to the director’s vision. I let it all echo inside and translate it into visual tempo. I listen, listen, listen and let it work until it’s ready to come out again through my “fi lters”.

By creating the vido design, I am giving shape and color to the musical palette of emotions. Since video has a very strong hypnotic nature, a major concern was to avoid it catching too much attention. Instead it’s been conceived to reinforce the action on stage, as an organic part of it.

What would I like the audience to think about after seeing this production? I don’t like to pilot a one-way outcome but I certainly play with what I feel are the important elements to highlight… the understanding of the “other” as a different being with own needs and rules and the respect for non-human sensibility.

Leonardo Da Vinci used to say that men will really be evolved only when they’ll be able to respect different species as their own… I hope we can do better than this. I’ve been looking at the whole piece as a love-story between a man and an elephant, and as a refl ection about respect and freedom.

Meet the ArtistsDrama, Dance and Music

The Performing Arts Meet the ArtistsDrama, Dance and Music

The Performing Arts

MARJORIE CHAN, LibrettistThe role of the librettist is to create the story and the words of the opera. That means for me I have to imagine the characters, the setting and the words that you hear. For Sanctuary Song, I was inspired by a documentary called, “The Urban Elephant” where I fi rst learned about the extraordinary elephant, Shirley and her friend Jenny.

When I begin writing a piece, sometimes I don’t know all the parts of the story yet. I might only know the beginning, or the end. I discover the journey as I write based on what I want the emotional feeling to be. Should the audience be scared at this point? Or should the audience be laughing? In the end, all of the parts come together to make the piece.

When I am done writing, I give the words to the composer. That is where my work ends and where the composer’s work begins!

KELLY WOLF, DesignerI am the set and costume designer. In general what that involves is a lot of research. In particular for this project I researched Asian elephants and their habitat. I was particulary intrigued by the texture of the elephant’s skin and used that as a motif on the ramp. I was also interested in fi nding a way to show the contrast between Sydney’s life in the Zoo with her life in the Sanctuary. I work with the director to bring the visual elements to life and I am responsible for creating a space that will enhance the production.

To aid communication between everyone involved, I create the set model and costume drawings that will eventually become the design on stage. In my opinion, design works best when it gives the performers the support they need to tell the story. This could be through the costumes, set or props and they allow the performers to bring the story alive with out distracting from the story itself.

After seeing this production I would like the audience to continue to think about the journey Sydney has taken and then to think about the journeys we take ourselves.


Walk like an ElephantDrama, Dance, Language Arts

The Performing Arts

Sanctuary Song tells the story of the friendships of elephants but it is performed entirely by humans - there is not a trunk or tusk in sight! We asked our choreographer, Viv Moore, about how she worked to create ‘elephantness’ on stage.You can use some of our choreographer’s techniques in your classroom!

Elephant WalkAfter reading the libretto and listening to the music, one of the fi rst things Viv did inpreparation for Sanctuary Song rehearsal was to watch elephants walking. From this, she created a list of words and phrases to describe the way elephants move. Some of her words are: weight, sway, swagger, entwining, gentle, playful, stillness and listening. She says that even though elephants are very big and heavy, they walk as though they arefl oating.

As a class, observe some elephants walking (see the resources page for video links) and create your own word list. Viv recommends using action words to describe the elephants’ movement. In rehearsal, she brought her list of words to the performers. Together, they experimented with elephant movement by walking around the room. Some questions they answered through movement were:

How do we show that elephants take up a lot of space?How can we mimic the sway of an elephant with our own bodies?

How do we walk lightly but appear to be weighty?How do elephants play? How does an old elephant move differently than a young one?

How would Sydney’s bad leg affect her movement?What does an elephant ‘being still’ look like?

Explore elephant walking with your class, using the questions above as prompts. Try using a follow-the-leader approach with different students as leader.

To show the closeness and supportive relationship between Sydney and Penny, Vivchoreographed some contact movement into the performance. In this way, we can see the two animals’ familiarity with and like for each other as well as their mentor-mentoreerelationship. In order to develop such moves, the cast worked on solo and paired balance techniques. Try an exploration of balances by instructing students to try to see how many different ways they can balance themselves with only 3 points of contact with the ground (i.e. foot, foot, hand); vary number of contact points. Try a similar exercise with partners or even groups of three.

Balance and Support

Drama, Music, Language ArtsThe Watermelon Scene

Before seeing the performance of Sanctuary Song, introduce your students to one of the scenes from this tale. ‘The Watermelon Scene’ takes a look at the fi rst time James and Sydney meet and is a great introduction to the poetic language of opera.

James: Well, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like watermelon!Sydney: Wa-ter-mel-on?

Both: Watermelon!

Read through The Watermelon Scene (page 28) with your students.

Discuss the writing style. Does this sound like a regular conversation? Does it sound like a poem? Does it sound like song lyrics? Why do you think the text iswritten as it is? What does the repetition add to the telling of the story of this scene?

Divide students into groups of four - two actors and two sound artists.Performers will rehearse their lines together, focusing on showing the growing friendship between James and Sydney; the sound artists will discuss ideas for places to add musical elements of sound effects to the scene. They could use found objects, their own bodies and vocalizations, or proper instruments, depending on the teacher’s preferences.

Performers and sound artists regroup and rehearse all together. Invite groups to share their scenes (or portions of their scenes) with the class.

Follow up: Remind your students that this scene is a part of the opera, Sanctuary Song. Ask them to imagine how the composer, Abigail Richardson, used anorchestra of sounds to bring this scene musically alive. What would students have done differently in their own scenes if they had all possible instruments at theirdisposal?

Prompts for Performers:

Prompts for Sound Artists:

How do you think Sydney and James feel when they fi rst meet? How can you show that with your actions and how you speak? How would your actions change to show a change in how Sydney and James are feeling? How would YOU greet a new friend? How can you give a sense of how large Sydney is compared to James?

Where in the script would it be helpful to add sounds? What messages/clues could your sounds give the audience? Experiment with different ways to make each sound to you’ve identifi ed.

The Performing Arts


Drama, Dance, MusicPost-Show Discussion Questions

The elephants in Sanctuary Song were portrayed by movement, rather than elaborate costuming. In what ways did the performers’ movements help establish the charac-ters they were playing?

The use of projections is an important part of the design for Sanctuary Song; What did their use add to the performance? Why do you think the images used were in black and white rather than full colour?

How did the instrumentalists help to tell the story of the opera?

There were many locations conveyed in Sanctuary Song as Sydney relived memo-ries in her life. Can you remember some of the locations that were represented in the opera? What clues did the music give you about how Sydney felt about each of these locations?

Drama, Dance, MusicThe True Story of Shirley and JennySanctuary Song is based on the remarkable true story of an elephant named Shirley and her life-long journey that brought her from Sumatra to the ranks of the Carson and Barnes circus to the Louisianna Purchase Gardens Zoo and fi nally to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee.

In Sanctuary Song, the characters of Sydney, Penny, and James are inspired by the real-lifeShirley, Jenny, and Soloman James, respectively.

Jenny was with the Carson and Barnes circus at the same time as Shirley and this is where they became friends. In Sanctuary Song, the writers chose to have Sydney and Penny fi rst meet in the wild. In real life, Shirley is about 25 years older than Jenny, but the characters in the opera are closer in age.

Soloman James is a real zookeeper, who cared for Shirley for 22 years at the Louisianna Purchase Gardens Zoo before accompanying Shirley on her truck ride to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. You can see how much Soloman James loves Shirley in TheUrban Elephant documentary.To see The Urban Elephant, search YouTube.com for: “Nature (PBS) - Shirley the Elephant (Part 2)”.For more details about the tale of Shirley and Jenny, see the timeline on the next page of this guide.

After seeing Sanctuary Song, discuss with your class thedifferences between the libretto and the true story.

Why do you think the librettist made the story choices she did?

The Performing Arts

The Performing Arts

Sanctuary Song Time Line

2008

1948

In 1948, Shirley was born in Sumatra, an island of Indonesia. As all elephants, she

would have been carried by her mother for 22 months before birth.

1953At age 5, Shirley was

captured from the wild and brought to

North America.

Shirley is still living at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. She

celebrates her 60th birthday this year.

July 6, 1999: Shirley moves into the Elephant Sanctuary and is reunited with Jenny, whom she

hasn’t seen for 20 years.

1976: Shirley is sold to the Louisiana Purchase Gardens

Zoo in Monroe, Louisiana. Here she meets Solomon James,

zookeeper.

1963: Fire! Shirley is injured in a circus ship fire in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. She escapes with scars and part of

her right ear scorched off.

1975: Attacked by a fellow circus elephant, Shirley now must continue to

perform with a broken leg.

1958: Shirley, along with all those in her travelling circus, is held captive in Cuba for several weeks when Fidel

Castro seized power.

October 17, 2006: Jenny dies peacefully at the sanctuary

with Shirley at her side.

1972: Jenny is born in Sumatara.1973: Jenny is

poached from the wild and sold to the

circus. Here she meets Shirley, who must have been like

a mother to the young calf.

1992: Jenny, aged 20, leaves the circus for

breeding.

September 11, 1996. Jenny moves to The Elephant Sanctuary, becoming its

second elephant resident.2003: “Sanctuary,” a 10-minute brief was created for Tapestry’s Opera Briefs. It was remounted in 2004 where Lynda Hill saw it.

2000: “The Urban Elephant”, a documentary

television program first airs on PBS. Footage

from Shirley and Jenny’s reunion is a featured

episode.

1958

1963

1973

2003

19991992

June 7, 2008: World premiere performance of

“Sanctuary Song”

1976

2006

Start Here!


Where in the World?

Elephant Time LineMany things have happened to Sydney throughout her long life. She has made, lost, and reunited with friends, traveled far distances across the world, and been trained to do many things. She has also gone through all of the physical changes that elephants experience as they grow.

Using some of the elephant facts (page 21) as well as information you know about world events through history, create a life-story for an elephant of your own imagining, using the Sanctuary Song time line (page 19) as an example.

Using this guide and other elephant information (found in your school/local library or online)* share information with your class about elephant life-span, changes with growth, common experiences in the wild and in captivity, etc.

Invite students to image an elephant like Sydney who has had a full and long life; have each student name their imagined elephant and jot down events that would have happened throughout his/her imagined life.

Students should now represent their elephant’s life by creating a time line for their elephant, including memorable life moments and the information previouslydiscussed.

* See the Sources and Resources page for places to look for more information!

As a writing extension, have students write a journal entry or short story about a particularly memorable event in their elephant’s life.

The Natural WorldHistory, Geography and Language Arts

The Natural WorldGeography

In Sanctuary Song, Sydney tells us about where she came from and the many different plac-es that she has been. Use your own map or the world map provided in this guide (thanks to http:\\english.freemap.ip) to do the following map explorations with your class.

In ancient times, elephants could be found in all areas of Africa, except the Sahara Desert (which was smaller then than it is now) and in Asia from present-day Syria east to China and south to Sumatra. Colour in the places where elephants could be found in ancient times.

On the world map, chart the travels of Shirley (the elephant on whom Sydney’s character is based). She was taken from Sumatra and travelled by boat to the United States. She toured with the circus whose route includes stops in Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia. In 1963 she was a part of a circus boat fi re in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. She was then driven to the Louisiana Purchase Gardens Zoo in Louisiana where she lived for 22 years untiltaking a truck to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee.

The Natural WorldScience, Geography and Math

Fun Facts about Elephants

An African bull elephant’s ear weighs about 100 lbs (45kg)!

Elephants are unique animals in that they identify and care for elephant bones.

Elephants have an extraordinary sense of smell, which is said to be many

times more discriminating than thatof a bloodhound.

Elephants have very large and complex brains. At an average of 4.8 kg the

elephant brain is the largest among living and extinct terrestrial mammals.

The behaviour of elephants both in the wild and in captivity suggests that

elephants are able to use their long-term memories to “keep score” and to extract

“revenge” for wrongs done.

Elephants are the largest living species of land animal - and they get so

large by eating a diet largely made upof leafy greens!

Elephants can reach speeds of over 40km/h but but they cannot jump. A ditch too wide to step across or an incline too steep to climb

is a reliable barrier for elephants.

Using their trunks as snorkels and byswallowing air to regulate buoyancy,

elephants are great swimmers!

A lady’s high heel has greater pressure per square centimetre than an elephant’s foot!

The closest living relatives to theelephant are manatees and hippopotami -

imagine those family picnics!

Elephants are members of thepachyderm family. The word comes from

the Greek words for “thick skinned”.The skin of an elephant is about

4 centimeters thick.

In 1982 an attendant at the zoo in Prague reported that he had gotten some bad stains on his shirt. He sent the shirt to the laundry, but the stains were still there. On a very hot day at work the attendant took off his shirt and laid it aside. An elephant grabbed the shirt and gulped it down before he could get it back. A day or two later, when the shirt reappeared at

the other end, it was still intact; and the stains were gone!

Elephants do indeed have excellentmemories and can recognize faces and

locations that they havenot seen in years.

Photo by: Brian Scott - 2006

An elephants drinks by fi lling its trunkwith water and then pouring the

water into its mouth. An elephant can hold about 4 litres of water.


What’s the difference?

How can we tell the difference between African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas Maximums)? The following exercise will allow students to explore this question in two ways: through a quiz and by creating physicalizations of elephants.

The Natural WorldScience, Geography and Dance

Gather images of elephants - real or illustrated - from library books, web images, or from the resources listed at the back of this guide.

Using the list of differences from page 30, identify each elephant as either Asian or African. This activity could be undertaken as a class discussion or as a fun quiz for individuals or small groups of students.

In Sanctuary Song, we see an Asian elephant portrayed on stage by a female performer. If students in the class were to personify an elephant, how would they portray an African elephant differently from an Asian elephant? (Discuss size, weight, posture, fi ne motor skills, etc. in creating different physicalizations).

Follow up with the “Walk Like an Elephant” exercise (page 16) and create anelephant parade of both Asian and Afrcian elephants.

Could You Take an Elephant Home? The Natural WorldScience, Geography and Math

Ask your class about the responsibilities that go along with owning a pet. Discuss a pet’s need for space, food, companionship, waste disposal, etc.

Share the handout (page 31) about an elephant’s daily needs with your class.

An elephant needs a space of 2 m x 4 m to stand and is about 3.5 m tall.Collect measurements of different areas of your school (playground, gym, class-room) to see if an elephant could be kept there. What about an elephant’s food? What about an elephant’s waste?

Using a map of your school’s local area, determine different routes an elepant could take in order to get its proper daily exercise.Are there favourite destinations that students think an elephant should visit?

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has over 2,700 acres of land and lots of vegetation at its disposal to help care for their elephants. Could you take care of one at school?

Elephant Safari Humans and NatureSocial Studies and Geography

Elephants are everywhere! Well, maybe not real elephants, but humans have been fascinated by elephants for centuries. This is evident by the number of elephant images we can see every day in our homes, neighbourhoods, local shops, and in the media.Why do you think there are so many elephant images around?

Start by asking you class, “What does the word ‘elephant’ mean to you?What images does it conjure up? What does the word ‘elephant’ represent?”

Discuss the different ways we humans have incorporated elephants into ourculture. (See the list below for some examples).

Challenge your students to go on a 3-day Elephant Safari in their neighbourhood; enourage them to keep an ESN (Elephant Sightings Notebook) and write down entries every time they see or hear a reference to an elephant - from tv, books, murals, statues, phrases, etc.). Students should record the date, location, and context of each elephant sighting.

After the 3-day Safari, have students share their fi ndings. Discuss similar and distinct items on each other’s lists. Why are elephants so popular? What do the elephants found represent?

Follow up by assigning small groups to research some of the differentrepresentations of elephants and present to the class.

Elephants in CultureFind out more about the examples on this list and add more of your own!

Cartoons - Disney’s Dumbo, Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Ceremonial Elephants - have been used in Asia as mounts for royal ceremonies and paradesCircus Elephants - elephants trained to perform as part of a circus spectacleIndustrial Elephants - Mahouts and elephants can be responsible for loggingand transportationJumbo - the name of a circus elephant that has become synonymous with “large”Ganesha - the Hindu god of wisdom has the head of an elephantPolitical Symbols - the elephant has been used to represent the U.S. Republican partyTemples - in southern Asia, many large temples keep a temple elephant“The elephant in the room” - a phrase referring to an obvious truth that is not being addressed White Elephants - are not purely white, they are light grey or pinkish in colour and areconsidered sacred in Thailand and Burma“White Elephant” - a phrase refering to something that is (or has become) an expensive burdenWar Elephants - used for their size and to cross diffi cult terrain during the Greek and Roman periods


Friends for Life: Mahouts and Elephants Humans and NatureSocial Studies and Geography

This man is a “mahout” (MA-hoot) or elephant keeper.A mahout and his charge are usually together for life.

Photo by: Steve Evans, 2007

Where did they Go? Humans and NatureGeography, and Math

The elephant population on the Indian Sub-continent has decreased dramatically over the last centruy. Use the “Indian Sub-continent” map and question sheet (found on pages 26-27) to see just how many elephants we have lost since 1901.

After completing the sheet, ask the following discussion questions:

Why do you think the elephant population has decreased so much?

Why do you think people and elephants want to live on the same land?

Elephants are currently on the endangered list. Do you think there is a way that we can save the elephants from extinction?

People and elephants have been working together for thousands of years. Elephant keepers are called mahouts, a word which comes from an ancient Sanskrit word meaning “one who has greatmeasure”.

Mahouts work hard to train their elephants, using techniques that have been passed down through generations of mahout families. Often mahouts spend more time with their elephants than they do with their own children. It’s no wonder they become so close!

Elephants are great helpers because of their size, strength, and ability to pick up large and small objects with their trunks. They are also used to help humans get to places which vehicles can’taccess.

Elephants have been involved in:Logging - knocking over and dragging treesWar - toppling city walls and carrying soldiers on their backsTransportation - taking people and goods over long distances and bumpy terrain

How could an elephant help YOU in your daily life?

Elephants tothe Rescue!

Elephants helped carry aid workers into fl ooded areas

of Thailand after thetsunami in 2004.

One way that people are helping the elephant population is by creating sections of land that are designated for elephants and other wildlife. Check out WWF.org for more information.

Calling all Elephants

Elephants communicate with each other in many of the same ways humans do: through sounds, physical actions and facial expressions! According to Elephant Voices, some of the commonmessages elephants give to each other are:

Let’s Go! This is usually voiced by the matriarch of the herd and can be repeated until sheconvinces the rest of the group to start moving.

Contact Call This is a series of calls between two or more elephants. The fi rst call says, “I’m here, where are you”, the second is, “Here I am”, and the third is a “message received”confi rmation from the fi rst elephant.

Tusk Clicking Elephants may click their tusks together during intense social interactions such as a Greeting Ceremony or during interactions in which an elephant wishes to express solidarity with a friend or family member.

Trunk Twisting Twisting the tip of the trunk back and forth in situations where an elephant is apprehensive or unsure of what action to take.

Communication and FriendshipLanguage Arts and Drama

Share the above examples with your class (or additional ones from www.elephantvoices.org) and discuss some of the universal ways that we humans communicate with each other (try to move beyond formal language structures and highlight nonverbal communication).

Identify one or two messages (i.e. ‘greeting’ and ‘I’m hungry’) and askstudents to outline, in full sentences, how we humans convey those messag-es. This is an exercise to familiarize students with procedural-style writing.

Now divide the class into pairs or small groups. Using the handout provided (page 34), encourage students to create their own language using ‘singing sounds’ and actions. Students should decide upon what messages are the most important ones to their imaginary species.

Groups can now create a conversation script/song using their newcommunication system. Does their conversation make sense to an outsider? How do you think humans fi gured out what elephants mean when they com-municate with each other?

Sanctuary Song Study Guide Page 26

Move to the Groove of Friendship

Divide your class into groups of three to fi ve.

Play them a short piece of instrumental music (we recommend the excerpt from Santuary Song found online at www.sanctuarysong.ca).

Communication and FriendshipMusic, Drama, and Dance

Sydney and Penny show off their friendship through movement and dance in Sanctuary Song, both as young elephants playing and as old friends reuniting. With each of those two scenes, we see a clear, short story telling of the bond between them. With your class, create your own stories of friendship though dance and movement. (See page 12 for tips from our choreographer.)

Play the music twice more through so groups can plan and discuss their scene.

Play the song through two or three more times for groups to rehearse to the music.

Present scenes to the class and ask audience members to describe the story that was just portrayed on stage.

Now ask students to think of a scene depicting animals and friendship that is in-spired by the music. They will create this scene through silent movement to the music. Remind students to try to tell a story story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Did you Know:Female elephants spend

their entire lives together with their female relatives,

living in herds and caring for calves. In these groups, they

form lifeling friendships!

Photo by: Steve Evans, 2006

Theatre and Opera QuizHow much do you know about opera? Match the words in the left column with the defi nitions on the right by writing thecorrespoding number beside each term.

Composer

Librettist

Score

Opera

Conductor

StageManager

Performance

Director

Music Director

Vocal Coach

Lighting/SoundTechnician

Designer

Choreographer

A person who works with singers on their singing technique, care, and development of the voice. They may work with singers on specifi c songs for performance

A writer who imagines and writes the words that will be sung in the production

The person responsible for the interpretation of the score for production. He/She is the primary conductor and artistic leader of the orchestra

The artist who leads the orchestra during a performance

The person responsible for setting up and controlling the electrical equipment for a production. He/She is also re-sponsible for the movement and set-up for special effects during a produciton

An artist with musical training who writes the music for each instrument and singer in the production

An organized person who is in charge of making sure all operations run smoothly during the rehearsal process and performances

The person responsible for the overall production of the performance. He/She coordinates the efforts of all artists involved to ensure a unifi ed production

The person who, working with the director, imagines the costumes, set pieces, props

The printed collection of words and music for a production

The presentation of an entertainment to an audience

The person who creates the physical movements which dancers or actors will perform on stage

A theatrical performance where the story is told through music and singing

Theatre, Opera, and DanceDrama, Dance, Music

1

2

3

45

6

7

8

9

101112

13


Theatre, Opera, and DanceDrama, Dance, Music

The Watermelon SceneThe following excerpt from Sanctuary Song is provided with permission from writer, Marjorie Chan,for educational, classroom use only. In this scene, Sydney, an elephant who dreams of living in the forest, is meeting her new zookeeper, James, for the fi rst time. Over the years, Sydney and James become close friends; this is where their friendship begins.

James approaches Sydney, slowly. He is afraid. As he approaches, he trips and falls at Sydney’s feet.Sydney and James size each other up.

Sydney shakes her head, amused that she was afraid of a very small person.James laughs gently.

James: Hello, hello, hello. Hello. Hello.

Sydney: Hello?

James: Hello. I won’t hurt you.

He slowly moves toward her and carefully removes her chain.

Sydney: Thank you.

James: A friend?

Sydney: Friend.

James: Uh-huh.

Sydney: You’re a friend?

James: Uh huh.

Sydney: You’re a friend.

James: Friend?

Both: Friend.

James: I’ve got something for ya. Don’t be afraid.

Sydney: What is it?

James: Are you thirsty?

Sydney: Thirsty

James: Are you hungry?

Sydney: Hungry. What is it?

James: Thirsty? A watermelon.

She sniffs at it suspicously. She likes the smell.

James: Well, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like watermelon!

Sydney: wa-ter-mel-on?

Both: Watermelon...

Sydney: Smells like green. Smells like my dream.

James: Won’t you...

Sydney: I’d like to...

Both: try some...watermelon.

James: Smells sweet.

Sydney: Smells like green.

Both: Smells like -

James: a dream.

Sydney: A dream.

James: My name is James.

Sydney: Sydney!

She looks at the watermelon.

Sydney: How do I get inside?

James: Step on it!

Sydney steps on the watermelon to open it.

End of scene.


Where in the World? The Natural WorldGeography



What’s the difference? The Natural WorldScience, Geography and Dance

African elephant or Asian elephant? Here are some tips to help you tell the difference!

Anatomical DifferencesWhile all elephants are large, African elephants are the largest living species on the planet. Fully grown African elephants weigh between 4000 and 7000 kg and their shoulders are 3 to 4 metres from the ground. Smaller than African elepahts, Asian elephants weigh between 3000 and 6000 kg and have shoulder heights between 2 and 3.5 metres.

Elephants fan their ears to help keep themselves cool. African elephants have large ears that reach up over their necks. Asian elephants, who live in cooler climates, have smaller ears.

The wrinkles on an elephant’s skin help it to stay cool by keeping skin moist after rolling in mud or bathing in water. African elephants have skin that is more wrinkled than that of Asian elephants.

There are more than 100,000 muscles in an elephant’s trunk which help it to pick up many objects from whole trees to paintbrushes. Elephants have projections on the end of their trunks that help them to pick up small objects, such as twigs. African elephants have two of these “fi ngers” while Asian elephants have only one.

All African elephants have tusks, though males have larger tusks than females. In Asian elephants, tusks are usually only present in the males, with Asian females having only very small tusks or no tusks at all.

African elephants have a ‘dip’ or ‘sway’ in their backs, with their highest point on their back shoulders. Asian elephants have more rounded (convex) backs and their highest point is the middle of their back.

Ears

Skin

Trunks

Tusks

Backs

Size

Behavioral Differences

Diet Both species of elephants are herbivores; they consume only plant materials. African elephants eat mainly grasses while Asian elephants eat mainly leaves.

SimilaritiesAll species of elephants are very social and areorganized in groups led by the matriarch (most experienced female) of the group. There are serious concerns about the population decrease of

An Elephant Joke:

Q: What’s the difference between an

African elephant and an Asian elephant?

A: About 3000 miles

both African and Asian elephants; both are listed as endangered species.


Could You Take an Elephant Home? The Natural WorldScience, Geography and Math

In one day, an elephant eats an enormous amount of food. A full-grown elephant eats between 70 and 100 kg of food each day. Elephants eat only plant material, but they cannot digest the tough fi bres of plants very effi ciently. About 50% of what they take in passes through as waste. Elephants defacate about every 6 hours, leaving a pile of about 10kg each time.

An elephant drinks between 120 and 190 litres of water each day, depending on the season. How many 2L pop bottles would that be? How much room would you need to store a week’s worth of elephant water?

In one day, an elephant might eat: 60 kg of hay, 2 kg of elephant chow, 1/2 kg of rolled oats, 1/4 kg of wheat bran and 5 kg of fruits and vegetables.

Elephants, like all animals, need to exercise in order to stay healthy. In the wild, they walk 50 to 80 kilometers each day to fi nd enough food and water. Even in captivity where they don’t need to fi nd food, elephants still like to get their proper exercise. If your elephant walked 80 km each day, starting and ending at your school, what is the farthest place she might walk to? How many days would it take her to walk to Ottawa?

Elephant food comes in 25kg bags and its approximate costs are below: 1 bag of Elephant Chow: $17.50 1 bag of Rolled Oats: $8.90 1 bag of Ground Corn: $5.50 1 bag of Wheat Bran: $7.75 1 small bale of hay (15 kg) : $4.00

How much food would it take to feed an elephant for a week? How much would that cost? How many bales of hay would you need?

Estimate the size of a hay bale. How many bales of hay could you fi t in your class-room? How long would it take an elephant to eat a ‘classroom full’ of hay?

If your class were to sell the elephant waste as fetilizer (as many zoos do), how much fertiziler would you be able to sell after a day? a week? a year?



Arabian SeaBay of Bengal

India

NepalBhutan

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

= 4,000 elephants

The Indian Sub-Continent

with images from Discovering Elephants

1901 population

1979 population

1990 population

Source: National Geographic Magazine, May 1991.All fi gures are approximate.

Map Key



Which elephant (number) is the farthest south? _____________

Which elephant (number) is the farthest east? ______________

How many elephants are pictured on the map? _____________

How many real elephants are represented on the map?___________This was the elephant population of the Indian Sub-continent in 1901.

Colour the following elephants red:1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22The red elephants represent the number lost to hunting, poaching, disease, capture, and other problems between 1901 and 1979.

How many elephants were left in 1979? ____________

What percentage of the 1901 population was left in 1979? _____________

Colour the following elephants yellow: 4Colour the following elephants 1/2 yellow: 6, 8, 15, 21, 23The yellow (or yellow parts or) elephants represent the numbers of elephants lost between 1979 and 1990. Colour the remaining elephant (parts) green.

How many elephants were lost between 1979 and 1990? _________________

How many elephants were left? ____________

What percentage of the 1901 elephant population remained in 1990? _________

Guesstimate how many elephants are left in the Indian Subcontinent today. ______

Locate the box in the map key marked ‘1901 population’. Colour 1/3 of the box red, 1/3 yellow, and 1/3 green. All elephants should be one of these colours, so this box represents the total elephant population in 1901.Colour the boxes representing the 1979 population and 1990 population the appropri-ate colours.

BonusWhy do some of the elephants on the map have tusks and others do not? _________

questions from Discovering Elephants

Sanctuary Song Study Guide Page 35Sanctuary Song Study Guide Page 34

Calling all Elephants Communication and FriendshipLanguage Arts and Drama

Description of Sound/Action Meaning

Record your invented language on this chart. We included an example, but feel free to make up your own “I’m hungry” action.

Tap your stomach twice while making a loud, low-pitched, “mmmm, mmmm” sound. The sound gets louder at the end of each “mmm”.

I’m hungry.

Glossary - Drama, Dance, Musicaria

bravo!

contact

costume

libretto

gamelan

orchestra

pitch

pentatonic scale

percussioninstrument

props

tempo

theme

rehearsal

from the Italian for “air”, this is a song for a solo voice with musical accompani-ment

a ‘well done’ shouted by the audience after an outstanding aria or performance. Typically we say ‘bravo’ for men, ‘brava’ for women, and ‘brava tutti’ for the entire company

a style of performance movement where two or more dancers perform in close physical contact with one another. It often involves shared weight and balance. An example of contact in Sanctuary Song is a double sommersault by Sydney and Penny

clothing and accessories worn onstange in performance. Costumes may be elaborate, fanciful, or mimic contemporary or historical street clothes

Italian for “little book”. It is the text of an opera. The plural of libretto is libretti

A gamelan is a musical ensemble of Indonesia typically featuring a variety of instruments. The term refers more to the set of instruments than the players of those instruments. A gamelan as a set of instruments is a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay together — instruments from different gamelan are not inter-changeable.

the group of musicians who accompany a staged presentation. InSanctuary Song, the orchestra is made up of a pianist, a violinist, and a musi-cian playing percussion instruments

the highness or lowness of a note, depending on its frequency (rate of vibratra-tion)

a fi ve-note pattern (do re mi so la) used in some African, and East Asian music and featured in Sanctuary Song to signify the jungle

an instrument made of metal, wood, stretched skin or other material that is made to sound by striking, shaking, scraping or plucking. The many varied per-cussion instruments fall into two basic categories: pitched and unpitched

items held or used on stage by a stage performer during a performance

the speed at which a piece of music is played

a melodic idea used as a basic building block in the construction of acomposition

preparation for performance where elements of or the entire performance are developed, practiced and refi ned


Glossary - Elephants

adapt

adaptation

bull

captivity

calf

circus

conservation

cow

endangered

extinct

Ganesha

habitat loss

howdah

infrasound

ivory

to change in response to changing surroundings and conditions.

process by which organisms change to increase their chance of survival

an adult male elephant.

a confi ned place. When animals are ‘in captivity’ they are restricted in where they can go. This applies to a small cage as well as The Elephant Sanctuary’s 2,700 acres.

a young elephant of either sex.

from the latin for ‘circle’, circuses have included animals from the start.Begin-ning in Roman times, the circus used to be mainly horse and human perfor-mances. Later other animals and human-only performances were added.

the protection and careful use of wildlife and natural resources.

an adult female elephant.

an endangered species is a group of living things (plants or animals) that may die out if protective measures are not taken. African and Asian elephants are both endangered species.

a species that no longer exists anywhere on earth. The wooley mammoth is extinct.

the Hindu god of wisdom and knowledge. Ganesha has the head of anelephant because the Indians consider elephants to be the most intelligent animals.

the destruction or alteration of an area that makes it unsuitable for the species that once lived there.

an elephant “saddle”. Some versions are tented and adorned with jewels or precious metals.

sound waves with frequencies so low that they are inaudible to humans. El-ephants communicate with each other making infrasound ‘rumbles’.

the hard, white material which makes up the tusks of elephants, walruses, and mammoths.

Glossary - ElephantsJumbo

mahout

mammoth

matriarch

pachyderm

poaching

population

reserve

sanctuary

species

taxonomy

trunk

tusk

ungulate

zoo

a large African elephant made famous by P.T. Barnum’s circus between 1882 and 1885. Jumbo was so large that his name became synonymous with “huge”. Jumbo was killed by a train in St. Thomas, Ontario, where there now stands a life-sized statue of Jumbo, erected in 1995 in his honour.

(MA hoot) an elephant handler. Mahouts are usually assigned to an elephant as boys and stay with their elephants for life.

a very large, hairy elephant relative with curved tusks. They became extinct about 10,000 years ago.

female who is the head of a family or tribe. Elephant herds are led by a matri-arch.

a word derived from the Greek for “thick skinned”. Elephants are members of the pachyderm family.

illegally taking or hunting animals or fi sh.

the total number of members of a species living in a particular area at any one time.

an area of land set aside for wildlife.

a place of safety or protection; a place where injured or unwanted animals are cared for; a holy place.

a unit of classifi cation in animals and plants.

classifi cation (as of animals) using a system that is usually based on relationship.

the long, fl exible combination of nose and upper lip found on elephants

an elongated upper incisor (tooth) that grows outside the mouth of certainanimals, including elephants.

a hoofed mammal such as an elephant, horse, deer, etc.

originally short for zoological garden; an establishment which keeps wild animals for study, conservation, or to display to the public.


Sources and ResourcesPrint

Elephants by Steve Bloom This stunning, 64-page book is fi lled with eighty pictures of elephants: African and Asian elephants, relaxing and at play, in the wild and domesticated. It provides a great way to share the wonder of elephants with your class or to have on hand for their own research. ISBN:0500543445

Discovering Elephants by J. L. Jones This, The Elephant Sanctuary’s educaiton guide, is available on their website and was a great resource for us in putting together our own study guide. www.elephants.com

Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley Written by the co-founder of The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald,Tennessee, this book for children tells the real-life story of Shirley the elephant and her arrival at thesanctuary, her reunion with Jenny, and the people who helped her along the way. ISBN-13 987-0-88448-283-3;

Prefect Partners by Cynthia Graber We used this article from ASK (Arts and Sciences for Kids) Magazine for information about mahouts and elephants in culture. The article ran in ASK Volume 6, Number 9 in Nov/Dec 2007 pages 6 to 13. ISBN 1535-4105.

The Urban ElephantSee the documentary that inspired Sanctuary Song!

Where: National Film BoardMediatheque

(Richmond and John in Toronto)

When: June 8, 2008, 11 am

For more information, search theLuminato website for

‘the luminato reel’

FREE EVENT

Unforgetable Elephant Jokes by Tania Kingfi sher. Published by Kingfi sher. ISBN 0753457067.

Elephant Woman: Cynthia Moss Explores the World of Elephants by Laurence Pringle andCynthia Moss This book for ages 9 to 12 includes some of Cynthia Moss’s photographs and tell about her work with elephants. ISBN 0689801424.

Ghost Boy by Iain Lawrence Teen Fiction. Unhappy at home, a fourteen-year-old albino boy who thinks of himself as Harold the Ghost runs away to join the circus, where he works with the elephants and searches for a sense fo who he is. ISBN-10: 044041668X; ISBN-13: 978-0440416685.

Elephant Rescue by Jody Morgan Juvenile Literature. This book traces the efforts of individuals and organiza-tions that confront the international ivory trade and lobby indigenous governments to create protective environmtents. ISBN-13: 9781552975947.

Forest of the Pygmies by Isabel Allende Teen Fic-tion. Eighteen-year-old Alexander Cold and his grandmother travel to Africa on an elephant-led safari, but discover a cor-rupt world of poaching and slavery. ISBN-10: 0060761962 ISBN-13: 978-0060761967.

Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War by Yukio Tsuchiya. Children’s Book.ISBN-10: 0395861373; ISBN-13: 978-0395861370.

African Elephants: A Celebration of Majesty by Daryl Balfour, Sharna Balfour, et al. There are over 200 photographs in this incredible book. ISBN-10: 0789203898; ISBN-13: 978-0789203892

Elephants in Thailand: Myth, Art and Reality by Rita Ringis This illustrated book surveys a wide range of elephant lore in Thailand, past and present. ISBN-10: 9676530689; ISBN-13: 978-9676530684

Elecam The Elephant Sanctuary has posted videos online at their YouTube site and also has a live “Elecam” which gives the public access to the elephant sanctuary every day!www.youtube.com/user/elephantsanctuarytn www.elephants.com

CBCtv has a video introucing us to the Elephant Sanctuary. We get to see and hear from Carol Buckley, the founder of the sanctuary and explore the relationships that develop between humans and elephants there.www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/environmentscience/elephant_sanctuary.html

Video

The Urban Elephant PBS Documentary is available from pbs.org for order. This is the documentary that inspired Sanctuary Song! Portions of the episode where Jenny and Sydney reunite are also available on the Elephant Sanctuary’s YouTube channel, or by searching youtube.com for ‘urban elephant’.www.youtube.com/user/elephantsanctuarytn

Sources and ResourcesWeb

elephants.com The Elephant Sanctuary’s website. Check out the live “Elecam” and download the teacher resources for grades K to 3 or 4 to 8.

panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/ Go to this website to get the World Wildlife Foundation’s fact sheets about African and Asian elephants and to read about the initiatives that the WWF is undertaking in order to protect the world’s elephant population.

traffi c.org TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Current information about the ivory trade can be found here.

elephantvoices.org This website is an excellent resource for understanding elephant communication! They have posted databases of examples of the ways elephants communicate audibly and visually, and what they are ‘saying’ to each other. This site also has a great audio quiz where you can test your knowledge of elephant sounds!

torontozoo.com Learn about the zoo! Located near Sheppard Ave and Meadowvale Rd in Scarborough, Ontario, The Metro Toronto Zoo houses African elephants - how far are you from the nearest elephant? The zoo’s website lists informa-tion about all of the animals it keeps - including a section for African elephants.

indyzoo.com The Indianapolis Zoo’s website has lots of great resources in the Education section. Check out their Proj-ect Elephant page for photos and a chart for the differences between African and Asian elephants.

elephantcare.org/mancover.htm The offi cial elephant handlers’ manual produced by Elephant Care International. The guide covers everything from elephant health and handling, to tips on elephant purchase. For those wishing to know what the professional mahouts are talking about, this is the site.

Do you know an

Elephant Joke?Send it to us! We’ll postyour elephant jokes andelephant safari sightings

on our blog.

sanctuarysong.ca

theatredirect.on.ca Theatre Direct Canadatapestrynewnewopera.com Tapestry new opera works

sanctuarysong.song.caca Visit our offi cial website for more activities and an interactive blog!luminato.com Luminato is Toronto’s festival of arts and creativity - check Luminato’s other offerings for young people and shareSanctuary Song with your friends!

elephant.elehost.com Check out this website for loads of information about elephants, their ancestors, and great fun facts.

elephantnaturefoundation.com The Elephant Nature Park is an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.pawsweb.org The Performing Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) provides sanctuary for a variety of animals.

sheldrickwildlifetrust.com The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya cares for orphaned elephants and then reintegrates them into the wild. You can provide foster care funds for an elephant online through this site.

National Geographic’s website is a great resource! Go to the link below and search for “elephant” to get the most up-to-date offerings of elephant videos. This site is a must-visit!www.news.nationalgeographic.com

Sanctuary Song

Cast

Orchestra

Stage Manager

Production Manager

Producers

Education Program

Marketing & Publicity

Xin Wang, sopranoAlvin Crawford, basswith Sharmila Deyand Frank Cox-O’Connell

Violin: Michael SchultePiano: Lizzie LavadoPercussion: Ryan Scott

Kathryn Westoll

Caroline Hollway

Clarissa DeYoungSusan Worthington

Jessi Linn DaviesAmber Ebert

Anna MathewKim Blackwell

Sanctuary Song was commissioned by Theatre Direct, with the support of the Laidlaw Foundationand developed in partnership with Tapestry, with the support of Opera.ca.

Special thanks to: Justin Welsh, Tamara Hummel, Ian Funk, Chris Foley and Beth Brownfor their contribution to the development of this work.

We gratefully acknowledge the ongoing support of:

This study guide was written and edited by Jessi Linn Davies.Thanks to Kelly Wolf and Colleen Perrin for their research.

Composed by

Written by

Music Director

Stage Director

Abigail Richardson

Marjorie Chan

Wayne Strongman

Lynda Hill

Original Set & Costume Design

Original Video Design

Original Lighting Design

Choreographer

Kelly Wolf

Luisa Quintavalle

Andrea Lundy

Viv Moore

Documents

Sanctuary Song Study Guide