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COMMON CORE STANDARDSSpeaking and Listening: 1; 3; 4; 6Language: 1; 4

NEW YORK STATE STANDARDSThe Arts: 4ELA: 1; 4

BLUEPRINT FOR THE ARTSTheater: Developing Theater Literacy; Making Connections

This section is part of a full New Victory® School toolTM Resource Guide. For the complete guide, including information about the New Victory Education Department check out: NEWVICTORY.ORG/SCHOOLTOOLS

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A behind-the-curtain look at the artists, the company and the art form of this production.

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CLOSER LOOK ATTHE VELVETEEN RABBIT

• London’s Unicorn Theatre was founded in 1947 and now serves over 60,000 children and their caregivers every year through on stage and off stage programming.

• In this production, the Velveteen Rabbit is portrayed by an actor as opposed to a puppet. The director made this choice to highlight the friendship between the Boy and the Rabbit. Though lacking bunny ears or a tail, the rabbit is brought to life through the actor’s intentional character work and velvet jacket!

• The first half of the show takes place in the nursery of the Boy and the second half takes place in the garden.

• DID YOU KNOW: Margery Williams’ The Velveteen Rabbit was published in 1922 and illustrated by William Nicholson. Even though the story takes place in England, it is a story prominently known in America.

There was once a velveteen rabbit and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; and he yearned to be real. The days grew long and the rabbit's coat became shabby, for the Boy loved him and wherever the Boy went, the Rabbit went too. London's Unicorn Theatre (Tom's Midnight Garden, New Vic 2001) brings Margery Williams' timeless tale of THE VELVETEEN RABBIT to life in this poignant adaptation about love, loss and growing up.

[ ]Imaginative Play + A Classic Story

+ A Boy’s Favorite Toy =

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT

WHERE IN THE WORLD ISTHE VELVETEEN RABBIT FROM?

• The world’s oldest public zoo belongs to London, England, which opened in 1828.

• London went through many names before settling on its current title, including Londonium, Ludenwic and Ludenberg!

• There are more than 800 bookstores and over 380 public libraries in London.

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EUROPE

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NORTHAMERICA

ATLANTICOCEAN

PACIFICOCEAN

INDIANOCEAN

LONDON

ASIAEUROPE

AFRICA

AUSTRALIA

X

X

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Prior to exploring THE VELVETEEN RABBIT with your students, find out how much they already know about friendship, imagination and movement.

Do you have a favorite toy? How old were you when you played with it?

Who was the first friend you ever had?

What is something a friend has done to make you feel special?

If you could be an animal, what animal would you be?

Where do you go in your imaginary adventures?

How do you think movement might be different from dance?

What are gestures that you see people using every day?

WHAT DO YOUR STUDENTS KNOW NOW?

IMAGINATIVE PLAYIn THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, the actors use imaginative play to illustrate the friendship between the Boy and the Rabbit. Unicorn Theatre uses what is elemental and innate to children as the core artistic device of their show. The Rabbit does not wear a traditional rabbit costume, but rather is dressed as a man in a casual suit. Similarly, the set is simple but provocative and grand. The bed has the power to transform into a sailboat and a garden. Swings and other things magically appear on the sparse set for the actors to play with and to help bring the story to life.

SOUND DESIGNThe dressing of a stage may set the scene, but sound design can further transport the audience into the world the characters inhabit. In THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, we hear rushing waves, thunderclaps, birds, etc. These sound effects are specifically used to help the audience imagine the distant places the Boy and the Rabbit explore, ultimately creating a multidimensional story of discovery and friendship.

INSIDE THE ART FORM

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UNIT PLAN BRAINSTORM

Check out these ideas for how to incorporate THE VELVETEEN RABBIT into a unit plan! Then, use specific activities from this guide that we recommend for each topic.

PAGE TO STAGE (ELA, THEATER)THE VELVETEEN RABBIT is based on a classic book and brought to life on the New Victory stage. How can other classic stories be brought to life? Choose a book you have read in class and ask your students how they imagine the story being told on stage. Have students draw models of the set and costumes. Work together to write a script and to act out each different scene. Perform your script for each other, another class or for the whole school! Get this unit started with the “Acting like Animals” activity in the Before section of this School Tool.

THE STORY OF MY TOY (ELA, WRITING)Have your students write about the adventures they go on with their favorite toys! Ask students to take their favorite toy to three of their favorite places. At each location, they should have someone take a photograph of them and their toy having a good time. After they have the photos, students should write a caption for each. Encourage students to include details and descriptions about each location and what they did there. These photos and captions can then be combined into a whole story with a beginning, middle and end. We suggest starting this unit with the “Imagination Vacation” Creativity Page in the Before section of this School Tool.

SHOW AND TELL (COMMUNITY BUILDING, SPEAKING AND LISTENING)Encourage your students to learn more about each other by having a show and tell! Assign each student a specific day to bring in their favorite toy. On their designated day, students should be prepared to tell the class their toy’s name, where their toy came from, why this toy is their favorite and what is their favorite thing to do with their toy. The rest of the class should be encouraged to ask questions about their classmates' favorite toys. We suggest using the “Me and My Toy” Creativity Page in the After section of this School Tool to enhance your student’s show and tell.

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