TEACHER'S GUIDE written by Jeanne Klein with Dennis Christilles
The University of Kansas Theatre for Young People presents JUNGALBOOK by Edward Mast adapted from Rudyard Kiplingís The Jungle Books Crafton-Preyer Theatre, Murphy Hall School Performances: February 3, 4, 10, 11, 2003 1:00 p.m. Lawrence schools February 5, 2003 1:00 p.m. County schools Tickets for school matinees are $2.50 Complimentary tickets for teachers and students on free/reduced lunch programs
Public performance: Sunday, February 9, 2003 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $3 for K-12 students, $6 for adults, and $5 for senior citizens; call the University Theatre Ticket Office: 864-3982, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday Most appreciated by families and children ages five and up. Children with hearing difficulties may use special hearing devices in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre (provided by Friends Of the Theatre). Teachers should make special arrangements in advance with Amber McIntosh (864-5576) or the Murphy Hall Box Office (864-3982).
The Story of the Play Baloo, the bear, explains the Law of the Jungal--that animals survive by eating other animals but they must never kill their own kind, or Man, for pleasure. Sherakhan, a tiger, has broken the Law by killing a human childís parents. Bagheera, a panther, asks Akela, the leader of the wolf pack, to raise the infant "mancub" in exchange for bull meat. He names him Mowgli, which means "little frog," because he has no fur on his skin. Ten years later, Mowgli knows he looks different, with his ìstupid ugly fingers and ugly crummy bare skin,î but he thinks heís a wolf anyway as he plays with Grab and Grey, two young wolves, and Perchy, the monkey. He has no fear in the jungle because he doesnít know that Bagheera has been secretly protecting him from Sherakhan who still wants to eat him. But Baloo, his teacher, warns him that "The jungal will teach you fear someday." When Sherakhan tries to turn the wolf pack against Akela, Bagheera stops him, but Akela, now weak and old, dies from the fight. Without his protector, Baloo tells Mowgli that he must now decide whether to kill Sherakhan against the Law of the Jungal or leave the jungle forever to join the man village. When Mowgli sees a group of humans hurting Hathi, the elephant, he saves it and removes the rope around its neck to set it free. He then uses the rope with his human fingers to trick and catch Sherakhan by the river. Kaa, the python, dances to make the rain flood the river, and Sherakhan, caught by the rope, drowns in the water. Mowgli cries in Balooís arms, knowing he has broken the Law of the Jungal, but he doesn't want to leave it. Bagheera reminds him, "You are grown now, Little Brother. This Jungal of your youth cannot hold you....By the bull that bought you, I set you free." Mowgli leaves the jungle for the man village, but he will always remember the Jungal as his real home.
Rudyard Kipling and his Jungle Books Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) lived in India with his British parents and younger sister until he was six years old. His parents then sent him to live with strangers in England and to attend a boarding school. He was not a very good reader, but he loved to use his imagination to create stories about the Indian jungle. He lived in India again for seven years (1882-1889) before returning to England where he wrote The Jungle Book in 1894 and The Second Jungle Book in 1895. He was the first Englishman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.
Edward Mast and His Play Edward Mast wrote Jungalbook, his first play for young audiences, in 1982 because he loved Kipling's stories about loyalty, adventure, and betrayal. This play, freely adapted from various Mowgli stories and poems in both of Kiplingís Jungle Books, won a Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education in 1991. Other plays by Mast produced at KU include Wolf Child in 1998 and Dinosaurus in 2001.
Film Versions Although Kiplin's The Jungle Book was first adapted into a film in 1942, most students are probably more familiar with Disney's animated film, produced in 1967, or its 1994 live-action version which has little connection (beyond characters' names) to Kipling's classic book. Remind students that they will not be seeing Disneyís versions of this story.
Theatrical Connections Use your senses of sight and hearing to understand a theatrical environment The director and designer, Dennis Christilles, has conceptualized this play as a mythological ritual using Indian music and movements inspired by Indian dance. The jungle setting is represented as a series of cages to show how the jungle is a dangerous place of captivity from which Mowgli must escape. The river is represented by a large blue cloth held by actors. To differentiate Mowgliís true human identity from the other jungle animals, the main animal characters (Baloo, Bagheera, Akela, Sherakhan, Grab and Grey) wear Indian-decorated masks and simple garments but Mowgli wears no mask. The elephant, python, monkey, vulture, hyena, and buffalo, as well as other humans, are depicted as variously sized puppets operated by one main puppeteer (or leader of the chorus). Visit www.kutheatre.com to see pictures of the scenic and costume designs: • How can you tell that the story takes place in a jungle in India? • Why does the jungle look like cages? What do cages remind you of? • How do you know which animals are which? • How do you know what the masked animals and puppets are feeling? • What makes Mowgli different from the other animals (and humans) in the jungle? • Why doesnít Mowgli wear a mask? • How does Mowgli move differently from the jungle animals? • How do you know when the River is dry from the drought and when it floods? • How does the Indian music make you feel?
Language Arts Connections Comprehend a dramatized story • Why does Sherakhan want to kill Mowgli? • Why does Bagheera, a panther, protect Mowgli, a human boy? • What lessons does Baloo teach Mowgli? Why? • What does Mowgli learn at the end? Why must he leave the jungle? How do you know? • What are some main ideas in the play Jungalbook? How do you know? • What does each character want?
US Cub Scout Names or Awards for: Mowgli, a 10-year-old boy: friend to animals Baloo, a bear: Assistant Cubmaster Bagheera, a panther: Assistant Cubmaster Sherakhan, a tiger: Akela, leader of wolf pack: Cubmaster Grab & Grey, young wolves Hathi, an elephant: punctual, regular attendance Kaa, a python: tree climbing Perchy, a monkey Chil, a vulture: singing (See Kipling's Chil's Song) • Read aloud "Mowgli's Brothers," the first story in Kipling's The Jungle Book. --Compare its main plot events with Mast's play or Disney's animated film. Baloo teaches Mowgli the Master Words: "One blood, you and me." What do these words mean? When does Mowgli use these words? How do these words help him in the jungle? What Master Words could you say to help you in your school environment?
Emotional Health Connections Communicate feelings and ideas effectively and know the importance of self-concept The director points out how "FEAR is a big issue in the play and finding oneís place in the larger scheme of things and discovering that who you thought you were or wanted to be is not who you have become is sometimes the greatest fear to face. It takes real courage. A world filled with possibilities is a world filled with uncertainties." • Why does Mowgli think he's a wolf? What makes him realize that he's really a human being? • Why does he mean when he says, "The jungal hurts me, but I don't want to leave it. I am two Mowglis"? (From Kiplingís poem, "Mowgli's Song," which Mowgli sings after he has killed Sherakhan.) • Baloo warns Mowgli, "The jungal will teach you fear someday." • How does Mowgli learn fear? What things in life teach you fear? Mowgli grows up unafraid of jungle animals, until he realizes he's a human being "alone and different in a world of strange creatures." What makes him afraid of this? • What animals are you afraid of? Why? What animals arenít scary to you? Why? • What situations make you feel alone, different, or afraid? Why? Mowgli says he "sees" fear in Kaa's eyes. What do fearful eyes look like? How can you tell when someone is afraid? How can you ease someone's fears? • Read aloud "How Fear Came," a short story in Kipling's The Second Jungle Book. • How and why did the jungle animals come to fear Man? While Mowgli rigs the rope to catch Sherakhan, he sings the first verse of Kiplingís poem, "The Song of the Little Hunter," adapted by Mast as follows: Before the peacock flutters, before the monkeys cry, Before the vulture swoops a furlong clear, Through the Jungal very softly flits a shadow and a sigh-- He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear! Very softly down the glade runs a waiting, watching shade, And the whisper spreads and widens far and near. And the sweat is on the brow, for he passes even now-- He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear! • Why does Mowgli sing this song about fear? How does singing this song make him feel?
Social Studies & Science Connections • Examine the cultural diversity of INDIA • Find INDIA on a map of the world or globe. • Find its rainforests in the southwestern and eastern portions of the country. • Name the layers of the rainforests and what lives in each layer: --floor layer: insects, reptiles, human beings --understory layer: pythons, panthers, butterflies and flowers --canopy layer: monkeys, vultures --emergent layer: tops of the oldest trees Discuss why rules and laws are needed In the play, Baloo, the bear, teaches the Law of the Jungle (from Kipling's same-titled poem) as: To eat in the jungal, you must kill...but never kill for pleasure.... No animals survive without the Law of the Jungal. The meat belongs to the killer. Steal it from him, you die. Fight if you must, but cat may not kill cat, nor wolf kill wolf. Hunt on your own ground, otherwise some may go hungry. Stay clear of Man. If you kill one man, men...will return to murder your people... Never kill Man, and never kill for the pleasure of killing.... Obey the leader of the Pack.... A hunter's meat may be bought for a price. How are these jungle laws the same and different from human laws? In the play, Baloo announces the Water Truce: "Until the rain comes again, anyone can drink at this river free from harm. While the Truce lasts, to kill any animal beside this river will be punished by death." Why does he make this rule?
Drama Workshops Actors from Jungalbook and Jeanne Klein will be available to visit 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms who have attended this production. A free, one-hour (or less) drama workshop with actors is intended to extend the play's themes, to encourage students to role-play analogous situations, and to answer questions about this production and theatre. To take advantage of this service-learning opportunity, contact Amber McIntosh or Jeanne Klein (864-5576) to schedule a classroom visit.
Website resources For complete texts of Rudyard Kiplingís stories and poems: www.whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard www.samurai.com/kipling/jungle For pictures of scenic and costume designs: www.kutheatre.com
We'd love to see childrens visual expressions of this play. Send drawings to Jeanne Klein, Theatre for Young People, University of Kansas, 1530 Naismith Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045. Draw a picture of Mowgli and friends.