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ThE JuNgLe
BooK
EDUCATION PACK
to accompany The Watermill Theatre’s 2004/5 production of The Jungle Book
by Neil Duffield, adapted from Rudyard Kipling’s stories
Workshops are also available to
complement your visit. For details call Will Wollen on 01635 570927
SUPPORTED BY CAMP HOPSON
ThE JuNgLe BooK Teachers’ Pack Contents page and
Introduction
Page1 Be a dramatist Page 2 Be a costume designer Page 3 Be an actor Page 4 The theatre company Page 5 Interview with the M.D.
and composer, Janie Armour
Page 6 Be a theatre critic Page 7 Rudyard Kipling IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction This pack is designed to complement your class’s trip
to see The Jungle Book at The Watermill Theatre. It
offers drama, art, reading,
writing, speaking, listening
and group discussion
activities to be done in class.
Each page can be used as a
separate, photocopiable
worksheet.
Your feedback is always
welcome:
Email: [email protected]@[email protected]@watermill.org.uk
Actors at work in rehearsal
ThE JuNgLE BooK PAGE 1 – Be a dramatist The Jungle Book was first written as a story by Rudyard Kipling. When stories are written down, we are told them by the writer; when we see a play, stories are told by living characters on the stage in dialogue form.
█ Here is an extract from the original version of The Jungle Book. See if you can turn it into a playscript in dialogue form. What things can you leave out of the story? What things do you have to add to make it make sense and be interesting? Baloo is teaching Mowgli – imagine what they actually say to each other and how they behave. What does Bagheera add to the conversation?
It was in the days when Baloo was teaching him the Law of the Jungle.
The big, serious, old brown bear was delighted to have so quick a
pupil. Sometimes Bagheera the Black Panther would come lounging
through the jungle to see how his pet was getting on, and would purr
with his head against a tree while Mowgli recited the day's lesson to
Baloo. The boy could climb almost as well as he could swim, and swim
almost as well as he could run. So Baloo, the Teacher of the Law,
taught him the Wood and Water Laws: how to tell a rotten branch from
a sound one; how to speak politely to the wild bees when he came
upon a hive of them fifty feet above ground; what to say to Mang the
Bat when he disturbed him in the branches at midday; and how to
warn the water-snakes in the pools before he splashed down among
them. Then, too, Mowgli was taught the Strangers' Hunting Call, which
must be repeated aloud till it is answered, whenever one of the Jungle-
People hunts outside his own grounds. It means, translated, "Give me
leave to hunt here because I am hungry." And the answer is, "Hunt then
for food, but not for pleasure."
█ What are the problems encountered by the dramatist when adapting a story for the stage? Which bits of the passage were easiest to adapt? Which did you find were the most difficult?
Dialogue form is where you only write
what is actually spoken by the people
or characters in the story. Playwrights
give the actors dialogue that tells us
the story and lets us know all that we
need to know so that we can follow
the action.
ThE JuNgLe BooK PAGE 2 – Be a costume designer The first thing a designer has to do is read the script. Then they will talk with the director of the production and agree on what each character is like. Then the designer does drawings of what each character might look like and the clothes they might wear.
█ This is a drawing of the Wolf costume done by the show’s designer, Gary McCann. Discuss the picture in groups and feed back to the rest of the class. What has Gary done to show that the character is a wolf? Why do you think that he has given the wolf camouflage trousers? What is important about the way the wolf is wearing the clothes? What can you tell about the wolf? Give reasons for your answers.
█ Here are the lyrics to the Sergeant Major song Draw a picture of him in the costume you would design for the actor playing that part. Remember that he’s not quite as brave as he claims! Make sure you can back up your design by showing how the words of the song influenced your decisions.
VILLAGERS:
Sergeant Major
He’s our leader
He’ll come to our aid
Sergeant Major
He’s a hero
Big game hunting is his trade
SERGEANT MAJOR:
I’ve grappled with grizzly gorillas
I’ve captured fearsome crocodiles
I’ve tackled terrifying tigers
Wrestled rhinos in the wild
VILLAGERS:
Sergeant Major
He’s our leader
He’ll come to our aid
Sergeant Major
He’s a hero
Big game hunting is his trade
SERGEANT MAJOR:
I’m faster than a leopard on the loose
Stealthier than the slinkiest of snakes
Stronger than the mighty elephant
VILLAGERS:
He’s got what it takes.
ThE JuNgLe BooK Page 3 – Be an actor Actors have to be good at remembering – remembering their lines and remembering their moves. They also have to be able to change the way they talk and move to play different roles – with lots of people watching too! One of the actors in The Jungle Book, You-Ri Yamanaka plays six different parts! She has to make it very clear to the audience which part she is playing at any given time. Actors must also be good at speaking and singing clearly so that the audience can always hear what they are saying – otherwise they won’t be able to follow the story!
█
In the Jungle Book many of the characters are animals. By studying
animals the actors might be able to make decisions about how their
characters behave and move – and the sorts of voices they might
have.
Choose an animal and make a list of words to describe how it moves.
Does it move quickly or slowly? Strongly or lightly? Is it a predator?
Which of its senses is most important? Does it have most of its strength
in its front legs (arms) or back legs (legs)?
►Try walking around the room as each of these character types. Don’t crawl on all
fours – try and find a way of walking upright while still having the qualities on your list.
How does it make you walk differently? Imagine a human who walks like this. What
job do they have?Give them a voice – how do they talk?
►Stay with your animal-human and get into pairs. Improvise little scenes then see if
you can swap animal qualities and play the scenes again. How does it change?
Which animals do you find it easier to be?
█
Here is an extract of dialogue from the show – for three actors. Get into a group of
three and decide which of you will be Mowgli (a boy brought up by wolves), Baloo
(the bear) and Bagheera (the panther). Decide which of you is going to be which
animal. Spend a little time getting used to those qualities before trying the scene.
Once you have done it a couple of times change over so that the actor with bear
qualities takes Mowgli’s lines, Bagheera takes Baloo’s lines and Mowgli takes
Baheera’s lines. Does the scene still work?!
Bagheera:
Mowgli:
Baloo:
Mowgli:
Baloo:
Bagheera:
You must learn the secret of the red
flower.
But where is it? I’ve seen no sign of any
red flower!
You’ll find it, man cub. And when you
do, learn the secret that only man knows.
How can I learn man’s secret? I don’t
even understand their talk
Then learn it… or feel a teacher’s paw
around your ear!
Gently, professor! He can’t learn their talk
in one night! Baloo’s right, Mowgli. You
must stay here.
Mowgli:
Bagheera:
Mowgli:
Baloo:
Mowgli:
Baloo:
Bagheera:
Mowgli:
But I miss the jungle, Bagheera.
And the jungle misses you. But
without the red flower you will never
be safe from Shere Khan.
You won’t forget me, old mangy
coat?
After all the years I’ve spent trying to
knock sense into your lazy head?
I’ll not forget you.
You’d better not.
However long it takes, we’ll be
waiting.
Goodbye.
ThE JuNgLe BooK Page 4 – The theatre company It’s not just the actors that make a theatre show. There are lots of
people who work together to put on a show and work often starts
months before the play starts in a theatre. Here are some of the jobs
that are important. Look at the explanations of what they do and
what they have to be good at.
Director In charge of the show from an artistic point of view. Runs rehearsals and tells the actors
where to move and what to do on the stage. Chooses the actors, designer and musical
director to help him/her achieve the best possible show. Must be good at seeing the
whole picture as well as having a tremendous eye for detail. Creative, good at
encouraging the actors and making everyone work together – a real team leader. Writer Writes the script. Must be good with words and very creative. Self discipline to work
alone.
Actors Responsible for playing the characters in the play and telling the story. Must be good at
singing, dancing, speaking clearly. Mustn’t be afraid of being in front of hundreds of
people. Good at remembering everything they have to do and making the show feel
really alive.
Designer Responsible for how the show looks. Decides how the set and costumes will look. Must
have good imagination and be good at drawing. Extremely good eye for detail. Very
creative.
Musical
Director (M.D.)
Responsible for the music in the show. Runs singing rehearsals and makes sure that the
music fits the show – often composes music too. Good at leading and very good at
music.
Lighting
Designer
Decides where lanterns (stage lights) will hang and point so that the show is well lit.
Decides what colours the lights will be and makes sure that we can see the actors and
that the right atmosphere is created. Good technical knowledge and artistic flair.
Stage
Manager
In charge of everything on the stage. Works with the designer to make sure all the props
look as near to the drawings as possible. Makes sure that everything that needs to be on
the stage is there. Also runs the rest of the stage management team. Must be good at
communicating, and organising. Resourceful.
Deputy Stage
Manager
(D.S.M.)
Attends rehearsals and makes a note of where the actors move and where light and
sound cues need to go. Also makes a note of anything that the director decides is
needed and tells the stage manager so that they can make sure it is there. When the
show is running they wear a headset to give cues to the lighting and sound operators.
Good technical skills. Good concentration. Very organised.
Wardrobe
Team
Work with the designer to get hold of and make clothes and costumes for the show.
Responsible for maintaining the clothes throughout a long run and washing and ironing
costumes between shows. Doing last minute repairs. Good sewing skills. Good
communication skills. Prepared to do anything at the last minute. Very organised.
Set
Construction
Responsible for building the set in consultation with the designer. Good at making things
and using tools.
Lighting and
Sound
Technicians
Make sure that the actors can be seen and heard, using lanterns and microphones. They
press the buttons on complicated control boards during the show to change the lighting
states or play pieces of recorded sound - they are told when to do this by the D.S.M.
Excellent technical knowledge and concentration.
Front of House
Team
In charge of auditorium. Make sure emergency exits, safety lights and evacuation
procedures work. Welcome the audience and deal with their problems and queries. Sell
programmes. Tell actors and stage management when the show is ready to start. Get on
well with people.
►Decide which jobs you would be best and worst at. Get into pairs
with someone that knows you and see if they agree.
►Make a theatre company with your class and decide who would do
what and why. Make sure everyone is involved.
ThE JuNgLe Book Page 5 – Interview with the M.D.
and composer, Janie Armour.
When you were composing for The Jungle Book what sorts of things did you have to think about?
The main things were the style of the show - so, to be in keeping with the design and
direction style. Secondly, to put across the words in a clear way (it was really
important for me for the songs to be a continuation of the storytelling, not, oh here's
the song), and also to create new songs that were catchy and fun, and that added
to the right emotion at the right time.
Why did you choose the instruments that you did?
This show is performed by actor-musicians, which means the same people have to
play all the parts and play all the instruments and sing! So partly I had to work with the
combination of people that we cast. Having said that, it was important to me to get
a new sound, as far from the Disney Jungle Book as I could, so instead of using
saxophones and trumpets and the more orchestral instruments used in that, I used
more 'woody' sounds, like clarinet, wooden xylophone, lots of drums and guitars. This
meant the whole thing has a different feel and atmosphere to it. I am lucky that the
actors we have all play at least two instruments, and some of them are learning new
ones just for this show, like the double bass and the djembe drum.
You haven’t just composed songs – there is background music for when the Cobra enters for instance. What is this for? Sometimes it is good to use music as
'atmostphere'. You get this kind of music a lot in films, as well as in theatre. The cobra
is quite a scary and mysterious figure and so the music reinforces this by using arabic
scales played on the clarinet.
What’s the difference between composing for the theatre and composing for a concert? The difference is that in theatre, you are almost always working to a script, and so the
role of the music is different. It is there to reinforce atmospheres, perhaps place us in a
time or space, or to create songs from the words written. Music for a concert is much
freer in some ways, but I enjoy theatre more as it is part of a bigger picture.
Which is your favourite song in the show and why?
The Monkey Song - a bit of anarchy comes to the Watermill!
Janie Armour arranging music at the computer
ThE JuNgLe BooK Page 6 – Be a theatre critic
Theatre critics write for newspapers about shows that they have seen.
They say what they liked about it and what they didn’t so that people
reading the paper can decide whether they would like to go to see
the show. What the critic writes is called a ‘review’. If the review is
good then more people will go to see the show.
█
Imagine you are a theatre critic writing for your local paper. Write a
review of The Jungle Book below. Go over the page if you need to!
Say which bits you liked best and which bits you didn’t like as much. Try
and describe the show as well so that people can decide if they would
like it. Don’t forget to tell people where and when the show is playing.
Why not send your review to the theatre to let them know how much
you enjoyed the show?
Send to: Will Wollen, Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury, Berkshire
RG20 8AE.
ThE JuNgLe BooK
Page 7 – Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936
RUDYARD KIPLING was born in Bombay on December
30th 1865, son of John Lockwood Kipling, an artist and
teacher of architectural sculpture, and his wife Alice.
Young Rudyard's earliest years were blissfully happy in
an India full of exotic sights and sounds. But at the
tender age of five he was sent back to England to stay
with a foster family in Southsea, where he was
desperately unhappy. The experience would colour
some of his later writing.
When he was twelve he went to the United Services
College at Westward Ho! near Bideford. He had poor eyesight which handicapped
him on the games field so the Headmaster, a friend of his father, encouraged him to
write. Stalky & Co., based on those schooldays, has been enjoyed by generations of
schoolchildren.
In 1882, aged sixteen, he returned to Lahore, where his parents now lived, to work as
a journalist. In his limited spare time he wrote many remarkable poems and stories.
He returned to England before marrying an American. It was in America that he
wrote The Jungle Books.
He returned to England in 1896 and gradually gained more and more renown as a
writer, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He continued to write until his
death in 1936.
█ Here is the poem as written by Kipling to explain Baloo’s law of the
Jungle.
Maxims of Baloo
His spots are the joy of the Leopard: his horns are the Buffalo's pride – Be clean, for the strength of the hunter is known by the gloss of his hide.
If ye find that the Bullock can toss you, or the heavy-browed Sambhur can gore;
Ye need not stop work to inform us; we knew it ten seasons before.
Oppress not the cubs of the stranger, but hail them as Sister and Brother, For though they are little and fubsy, it may be the Bear is their mother.
"There is none like to me!" says the Cub in the pride of his earliest kill;
But the Jungle is large and the Cub he is small. Let him think and be still.
