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In 1976, Paul Lenzi and Geraldine Ann
Snyder became pioneers in theatre by creating
new plays written for young audiences. They
called themselves the Blue Apple Players. The
company merged with Walden Theatre in 2016;
together they create Commonwealth Theatre
Center. The company continues to tour new
plays for young audiences and has expanded its
reach by providing theatre education in school
classrooms and through our acting conservatory.
StoryTime Theatre was developed by Blue
Apple’s Education Department in 2012 as a way
of introducing students to story genre. In the
spirit of the Blue Apple founders, the Outreach
Department has created a new, original play
each year featuring a different genre of story.
This year we remount the first Storytime
Theatre play, A Molly Whuppy Adventure.
2012 — A Molly Whuppie Adventure
(Folktales)
2013 — Native American Myths
2014 — On the Trail of Daniel Boone
(Legends)
2015 — Rumpelstiltskin (Fairy Tales)
2016 — SkyHigh Tales (Tall Tales)
2017 — Fables: Anything But Aesop
Gu
ide c
om
piled
by
Heat
her
Bu
rns
and
Mera
Kat
hry
n C
orl
ett
Teach
er
Gu
ide &
Less
on
Pla
n A
cti
vit
ies
Omicah House recently joined the staff as an Artistic Associate for the company, but has
been seen in the previous musical tours of Three Pigs, Johnny Appleseed, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and Red Riding Hood. He received a BFA from Roosevelt University’s Chi-
cago College of Performing Arts and has performed in Chicago, NYC, and now Louisville
is where he calls home. Along with performing, Omicah is the Vice President of the Louis-
ville Pride Foundation, which celebrates diversity and contributes to art and community
organizations for youth. You may have seen him in other touring productions, performing
around town, or teaching Blue Apple Outreach Programs at your school!
Annie Smith began work with Blue Apple Players in 2000 as a cast member of touring mu-
sicals. Throughout her 15+ years with the company, she has performed lead roles in more
than thirteen musicals, including the 2017 tour of Red Riding Hood. She has brought prior
administrative & marketing experience from Dinsmore & Shohl Attorneys and top hotels in
the area to lead special events, marketing, and other administrative areas. Annie volunteered
for Walden’s Slant Culture Theatre Festival for the last two years in addition to time in sup-
port of the school her young children attend. Annie is married to Corey Smith, a sound
technician she met through Blue Apple more than 14 years ago.
Paula O. Lockhart is excited to return to Commonwealth Theatre Center. In the fall Paula
toured with Red Riding Hood: A Vaudeville Romp. She received her bachelor degrees in
Theatre and Communication from Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga. She is currently com-
pleting her MFA in Performance at the University of Louisville. In the past, she has directed
at Macon Montessori and toured with UOfL’s Repertory Company. When she is not on-
stage, Paula spends her time exploring Louisville, writing, and singing. Past credits include:
Rose from Fences, Abuela from Bloodline Rumba, and Playwright in This Is Not The Play, Persephone/Semele from Polaroid Stories
Jennifer Pennington—Director
Jennifer holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Michigan and a MFA in Theatre
from the University of Tennessee’s International Actor Training Academy. Jen has
worked across the country for over 20 years acting, directing and teaching with companies
such as: Kentucky Shakespeare, Theatre 502, Savage Rose Classical, P.S.Arts, EastLA
Classic Theatre, Inside Out Community Arts, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Michigan Theatre
Festival, Turner House Festival, Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Shakespeare
Festival, and South Coast Repertory. Jennifer has appeared in the past three StoryTime
Theatre shows: A Molly Whuppie Adventure, Native American Myths, Legends—On the
Trail of Daniel Boone, Rumpelstiltskin and SkyHigh Tales. She is currently an Artistic
Associate with Commonwealth Theatre Center.
Tony Smith is very excited to be a part of this year’s StoryTime Theatre tour. He has toured
with Commonwealth Theatre Center’s most recent musical tours of The Boy Who Cried
Wolf and Johnny Appleseed. Tony has spent many years doing Theater for young
audiences, working with companies such as Stage One, Derby Dinner Playhouse, and
American Family Theater in Philadelphia. He has also worked as a Director and Choreogra-
pher for various productions throughout the Louisville and Southern Indiana area. Tony also
delves into the arts of Stand-up Comedy, Improv, and Aesthetic Bodybuilding. He hopes to
spend as much time performing on Louisville stages as he can.
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3
Designed for Pre-K and Kindergarten Classes
In this activity students will explore the plot sequence of the
story. As a class, list moments the children remember from
the play. While often we encourage thinking about the story in
a linear way, it is best if they are allowed to brainstorm organi-
cally. Next, break into small groups and give each group a
large piece of paper. Assign each group a moment mentioned
in the brainstorm session. They should work as a team to
draw a picture of their assigned moment. As they are working,
move around the room asking students about the picture and
transcribing their answers. After pictures are complete, return
to working as a class to move the images into the order they
occurred in the play. Explain that when you put them together
correctly it creates what we call a story plot. Hang the pictures
sequentially around the room and invite students to walk the
plot of the play.
A folktale is a type of story that started out
being shared from person to person. No one
knows who first started telling the story. In
this way, the folktale is a great example of oral
storytelling tradition.
Explain to your class that, before people
had movies or television and before there
were even books, people told stories. Story-
telling happened most often with a person on
their feet and sometimes even included the
listeners to participate.
Next use this link to watch Storyteller
Anndrena Belcher tell the story “The Two
Gals” (the full URL can be found on page
__). Ask students to reflect on the play and
this new story. Then give them the handout
found on page 6. Have them list as many
similarities and differences as they can from
the two versions. You can have them work
individually or in groups.
Designed for Second Grade Classes
-
Recall: Gather Facts
What story elements
made Molly Whuppie
a folktale?
Interpret: Find Meaning
Why was Molly the
hero of the story?
Analyze: Take Things
Apart
How did Molly help
each of the characters?
Synthesize: Bring Things
Together
What lesson does this
story teach? Do you
think it is a good story
to tell?
Directly following the play,
lead a discussion using the
questions above. For older
classes you can use the
questions as writing prompts.
Designed for First Grade Classes
A colloquialism is a local or regional expression. It’s a kind
of phrase you might hear used by many people in one
particular part of the country, but you many not hear at all in
places outside of that region. Discuss with your class how in
A Molly Whuppie Adventure the actors use many colloquial-
isms from Appalachia. Naturally the students may come up
with phrases that they heard in the play or at home. Often
classrooms from students from other parts of the country, ask
if they can think of phrases that they use. Next, use the
Colloquialism Match-Up handout on page 5. You may
choose to have students work on these handouts individually,
in groups, or as a class.
4
Designed for Third Grade Classes
A folktale is a story made up and handed down by the common people. Have students listen to or read other folk-
tales. There are selections of suggested folktales on pages 11-__. Next, use the headers below and list
characteristics students find in the folktales.
The plot follows
a pattern and is
filled with action
or adventure.
The setting is
simple but linked
to the place the
story is from.
The main charac-
ters are often
young with good
or bad qualities.
Many folktales
contain the Rule of
Three. Events seem
to happen in threes.
The theme of the
story usually re-
volves around values
within the culture.
Designed for Fifth Grade Classes
For A Molly Whuppie Adventure, the playwrights
took a story and adapted it into a play. Folktales are
often short narrative stories orally told in the third
person. However, plays must be written with only
dialogue—which is simply the words the actors say.
Therefore, to make a story into a play, the narrative
has to be adapted into a dialogue. Have your stu-
dents examine the text from Anne Shelby’s Molly
Whuppie and Blunderbore (pg. 8); this is the ver-
sion the writers adapted for the play. There are
selections from the original script provided on pages
9-10. Then, lead a discussion citing ways the play-
wrights incorporated their own ideas in the story.
Next, have your students explore adapting their own
stories. Break the class up into teams. Hand each
group a story using the suggested folktales on pages
___ (or stories you choose) and allow them time to
read. Give the teams the following instructions.
1.) Act it out. After reading the story with some
classmates, decide who should play what part,
stand up on your feet and bring the story to life
using the Actor’s Tools. Actor’s Tools are body,
voice, and imagination. No need for a script, just
make it up as you go along, we also call this im-
provisation. What do you think the characters
would say? How might they feel?
2.) After you’re finished acting it out, have your
group write down some of the things you heard.
Try writing it down like the dialogue of a play.
Remember, the rule of playwriting is “show, don’t
tell.”
After each group is finished, invite students to
perform the plays for the class.
Designed for Forth Grade Classes
In “A Molly Whuppie Adventure” the main
character lives on a farm in the Appalachian
Mountains. On her journey she meets a log,
a sheep and an apple tree. All of these things
would be common to find in her backyard,
but there is something magical about them;
they can talk!
Ask your students to think about what is in
their backyard. Explain that your backyard is
bigger than just the land behind your home.
A backyard is what you live near. Your
backyard can include the sidewalk, the park
across the street, a store on your block, or
other places you can walk. For classrooms
with students with special home life circum-
stances, you may want to instead focus on the
“backyard” of the school.
Ask: Molly falls into a well, what might you
find in your backyard that could transport
you to somewhere magical? Next, have each
student choose one inanimate object they
might encounter. Then ask them to imagine
what that thing would say if they had an inter-
action with it. Every good story needs an
ending, so let them choose how to conclude
their story. On page 7 there is a template
provided for students to organize their plot
by drawing the story’s beginning, middle, and
end.
For an extended writing assignment, have
them write the dialogue they have with the
object. An example of written dialogue can
be found on page 9-10.
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That’s a knee slapper.
Digging up potatoes
I’m tuckered out.
A lot
I feel peckish.
Hungry
She’s full of beans.
Getting ready
He is turning up spuds.
Funny story
You should head on yonder.
Tired
Thanks a heap!
Excited
They are her kin.
Go over there
He was fixin’ to go to the store.
Family
-
Match the underlined word or phrase to the matching synonym .
6
After watching Storyteller Anndrena Belcher tell the story “The Two Gals”
and seeing the play “A Molly Whuppie Adventure,” reflect upon the two
versions. They are very similar, but they are different too. As a folktale
that was passed down through generations orally (spoken), the story has a
tendency to change and evolve.
Identify some things from the story and the play that are the
same or different.
SAME: DIFFERENT:
Example:
There are two sisters Names of the sisters
Beginning
Middle
End
7
Use the boxes below to organize the events of your story.
Molly and Blunderbore A Folktale from Appalachia
Excerpt from Anne Shelby’s The Adventures of
Molly Whuppie and Other Appalachian Folk Tales
D own down down she dropped, through air and then water and then air
again. Hit bottom and knocked herself out.
When she came to, she was in another world, and not knowing exactly what to do
in the situation, Molly Whuppie got up and started walking down the road.
She walked and she walked, and she came to a log a-laying in the road. She was
about to step on it and go on, when she thought she heard it speak.
“Walk around me, little gal,” said the log. “Don’t squash me down in the mud.”
So Molly walked around the log and went on.
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MOLLY
What happened? Where am I? None of this familiar at
all.
(She looks around)
Hmm, this place looks strange.
(She notices the ground)
A path! Well, I know what a path is for, so I guess
I’ll walk on it. I don’t know what else to do.
(She walks)
It kind of looks like my home. But something’s dif-
ferent. What is it? Mountains everywhere. Alrighty.
Birds in the air. Alrighty. Flowers on the ground.
Alrighty. Log on the path. Al. . .
LOG
Hey, little gal.
(MOLLY stops. Looks around.)
MOLLY
Huh. Could a sworn I heard something. Oh well.
(She shrugs, begins to step on log)
LOG
Don’t step on me, little gal!
MOLLY
(to audience)
Did you hear something?
LOG
Hey, little gal. Down here.
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Molly Meets Log “Except from A Molly Whuppie Adventure”
*Used with special permission from the playwrights*
MOLLY
Did you talk?
LOG
Sure did.
MOLLY
Well, I never.
LOG
Never?
MOLLY
No, never!
LOG
You must not be from around these parts.
MOLLY
Can all logs talk here?
LOG
All the ones I ever talked to. There might be some too
stuck up though.
MOLLY
This is some place.
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Molly Meets Log “Except from A Molly Whuppie Adventure”
*Used with special permission from the playwrights*
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O nce upon a time there was a boy called Jack. He lived with his mother. They were
very poor. All they had was a cow.
One morning, Jack’s mother told Jack to take their cow to market and sell her. On the way, Jack
met a man. He gave Jack some magic beans for the cow.
Jack took the beans and went back home. When Jack’s mother saw the beans she was very
angry. She threw the beans out of the window.
The next morning, Jack looked out of the window. There was a giant beanstalk. He went
outside and started to climb the beanstalk.
He climbed up to the sky through the clouds. Jack saw a beautiful castle. He went inside.
Jack heard a voice. “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum!” Jack ran into a cupboard.
An enormous giant came into the room and sat down. On the table there was a hen and a golden
harp.
“Lay!” said the giant. The hen laid an egg. It was made of gold. “Sing!” said the giant. The harp
began to sing. Soon the giant was asleep.
Jack jumped out of the cupboard. He took the hen and the harp. Suddenly, the harp sang, “Help,
master!”
The giant woke up and shouted, “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum!” Jack ran and started climbing down the
beanstalk. The giant came down after him.
Jack shouted, “Mother, help!” Jack’s mother took an axe and chopped down the beanstalk. The
giant fell and crashed to the ground. Nobody ever saw him again.
With the golden eggs and the magic harp, Jack and his mother lived happily ever after.
The end.
Jack and the Beanstalk A English Folk Tale
Adapted by Cambridge English Online
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O nce upon a time there was a little girl. Her name was Goldilocks. She had golden
hair.
One day Goldilocks was walking in the forest. She saw a house and knocked on the door. She
went inside. Nobody was there.
Goldilocks saw three bowls on the table. She was hungry.
“This porridge is too hot! This porridge is too cold! This porridge is just right!” Goldilocks
ate all the porridge.
Goldilocks was tired now. “This chair is too big! This chair is too big, too! This chair is just
right!” But the chair broke!
Goldilocks was very tired. She went upstairs. “This bed is too hard! This bed is too soft! This
bed is just right!”
Soon, the bears came home.
“Someone’s been eating my porridge!” said Daddy Bear.
“Someone’s been eating my porridge!” said Mummy Bear.
“Someone’s been eating my porridge - and it’s all gone!” said Baby Bear.
“Someone’s been sitting on my chair!” said Daddy Bear.
“Someone’s been sitting on my chair!” said Mummy Bear.
“Someone’s been sitting on my chair - and it’s broken!” said Baby Bear.
“Someone’s been sleeping in my bed!” said Daddy Bear.
“Someone’s been sleeping in my bed!” said Mummy Bear.
“Someone’s been sleeping in my bed - and she’s still there!” said Baby Bear.
Goldilocks woke up and saw the three bears. “Help!” She ran downstairs and into the forest.
She never came back again.
The end.
Goldilocks and The Three Bears A Traditional Folk Tale
Adapted by Cambridge English Online
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A poor woodcutter and his wife had two children named Hansel and Gretel. Their
mother died when they were young. Hansel and Gretel were very sad. Soon their
father remarried but their stepmother was very cruel. One day, she took the children deep into
the forest and left them there. Clever Hansel had some breadcrumbs in his pocket and had
dropped them on the way so that they could find their way back home. Alas! The birds ate all
the crumbs and they couldn’t find the path that led back home.
Hansel and Gretel went deeper and deeper into the forest. They were hungry and tired.
Finally, after walking for a long time, they saw a cottage made of chocolate, candies, and
cake. “Look, Hansel! A chocolate brick!” shouted
Gretel in delight and both ate it hungrily.
Now, a wicked witch lived there. When she saw Hansel and Gretel, she wanted to eat them.
She grabbed the children and locked them in a cage. The witch decided to make a soup out of
Hansel and eat him first. She began boiling a huge pot of water for the soup. Just then, Gretel
crept out of her cage. She gave the wicked witch a mighty push from behind and the witch fell
into the boiling water. She howled in pain and died instantly. Hansel and Gretel found
treasure lying around the cottage. They carried it home with them. Their stepmother had died
and their father welcomed them back with tears of joy. They never went hungry again!
The end.
Hansel and Gretel A German Folk Tale
Found on shortstoriesshort.com
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M any hundred years ago there lived an honest old woodcutter and his wife.
One fine morning the old man went off to the hills with his billhook, to
gather a bandle of sticks, while his wife went down to the river to wash the dirty clothes.
When she came to the river, she saw a peach floating down the stream; so she picked it up,
and carried it home with her, thinking to give it to her husband to eat when he should come in.
The old man soon came down from the hills, and the good wife set the peach before him,
when, just as she was inviting him to eat it, the fruit split in two, and a little puling baby was
born into the world. So the old couple took the babe, and brought it up as their own; and,
because it had been born in a peach, they called it Momotaro, or Little Peachling.
By degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave, and at last one day he said to
his old foster parents: "I am going to the ogres' island to carry off the riches that they have
stored up there. Pray, then, make me some dumplings for my journey."
So the old folks ground the grain, and made the dumplings for him; and Little Peachling,
after taking an affectionate leave of them, cheerfully set out on his travels.
As he was journeying on, he fell in with a monkey, who gibbered at him, and said: "Kia!
kia! kia! Where are you off to, Little Peachling?"
"I'm going to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure," answered Little Peachling.
"What are you carrying at your girdle?"
"I'm carrying the very best dumplings in all Japan."
"If you'll give me one, I will go with you," said the monkey.
So Little Peachling gave one of his dumplings to the monkey, who received it and
followed him. When he had gone a little further, he heard a pheasant calling: "Ken! ken! ken!
where are you off to, Master Peachling?"
Little Peachling answered as before; and the pheasant, having begged and obtained a
dumpling, entered his service, and followed him.
A little while after this, they met a dog, who cried: "Bow! wow! wow! whither away,
Master Peachling?"
"I'm going off to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure."
"If you give me one of those nice dumplings of yours, I will go with you," said the dog.
"With all my heart," said Little Peachling. So he went on his way, with the monkey, the
pheasant, and the dog following after him.
When they got to the ogres' island, the pheasant flew over the castle gate, and the monkey
clambered over the castle wall, while Little Peachling, leading the dog, forced in the gate, and
got into the castle. Then they did battle with the ogres, and put them to flight, and took their
king prisoner. So all the ogres did homage to Little Peachling, and brought out the treasures
which they had laid up. There were caps and coats that made their wearers invisible, jewels
which governed the ebb and flow of the tide, coral, musk, emeralds, amber, and tortoise shell,
besides gold and silver. All these were laid before Little Peachling by the conquered ogres.
So Little Peachling went home laden with riches, and maintained his foster parents in
peace and plenty for the remainder of their lives.
The end
The Adventures of Little Peachling A Japanese Folk Tale
From Folktales from Japan
Folktale Genre:
"Definition of folktale." Merriam-Webster's Student Dictionary. Web.
Sweetland, Robert. “Folk Tale - description of story elements and quality characteristics.” HoB: A
Site for Educators, www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/folktales/elements.html.
Folktales that appear in guide:
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Learn English Kids, British Council, learnenglish-
kids.britishcouncil.org/sites/kids/files/attachment/short-stories-goldilocks-and-the-three-bears-
transcript.pdf.
“Hansel and Gretel.” Short Stories, shortstoriesshort.com/story/hansel-and-gretel/.
“Jack and the Beanstalk .” Learn English Kids, British Council, learnenglish-
kids.britishcouncil.org/sites/kids/files/attachment/stories-jack-and-the-beanstalk-transcript-final-
2012-09-21.pdf.
“ The Adventures of Little Peachling.” Folktales from Japan, University of Pittsburgh,
www.pitt.edu/~dash/japan.html.
“The Two Gals | Kentucky/Appalachian Culture.” KET Education, PBS LearningMedia,
ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/appcul.arts.drama.twogals/kentuckyappalachian-culture-the-
two-gals/#.WrFON2rwaUl.
We hope you have enjoyed this year’s performance of StoryTime Theatre— A
Molly Whuppie Adventure. We request that you take a few moments to fill out
a survey to help us understand how we can continue to meet your classroom
needs. When completed, your name will be entered into a drawing to win a
$100 gift card to Amazon! Visit the link below:
www.commonwealththeatre.org/show
Special thanks to:
The Shubert Foundation and Communities in Schools of Clark County!
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