Short Tree and the Bird That Could Not Sing Teacher's Guide

The University of Kansas Theatre for Young People
presents

The Short Tree and the Bird That Could Not Sing
by Dennis Foon

Directed by Jeanne Klein

William Inge Memorial Theatre, Murphy Hall, KU Campus

January 30, 31, and February 2, 3, 2006 1:00 p.m. Lawrence schools
February 1, 2006 1:00 p.m. Rural schools
February 6, 7, 9, 10, 2006 9:45 a.m.  Lawrence schools
February 8, 2006 9:45 a.m. Rural schools

Tickets for school matinees are $2.50. Complimentary tickets are available for teachers and students on free/reduced lunch programs.

Children will be seated on the floor, while parents, teachers, para-professionals, etc., will be seated in chairs behind them.

Saturday, February 4, 2006 10:00 a.m. Public performance
Sunday, February 5, 2006 2:30 p.m. Public performance

Public performance tickets are $5 for pre-K - 12 students, $10 for adults, and $9 for senior citizens.

For tickets, call the University Theatre Ticket Office, 864-3982, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or order online at www.kutheatre.com.

Most appreciated by families and children ages four and up.

Preview for Teachers and Parents
7:00 p.m. Monday, January 23

Parents and teachers of grades 1, 2, and 3, counselors, and other school staff are invited to attend the final run-through rehearsal of this play in the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall. The purpose of this preview is to acquaint you with the play and its final, actor-rehearsal stage before finished scenery, costumes, lights, and sound are added during technical week. The rehearsal is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and to run non-stop until approximately 8:00 p.m. We encourage you to ask questions and to discuss the play and its performance techniques with us so you may prepare students in advance of their attendance the following weeks. Lawrence teachers may obtain In-Service Points through Ann Bruemmer, Arts and Humanities Coordinator.

The Story of the Play

A Short Tree wishes that it could grow up big and tall like the other two Big Trees living next to it in a northern forest. When Jack and Jacques, two lumberjacks, cut down the Big Trees and pluck a wee, little Flower growing nearby, the Short Tree feels very, very alone in the world. A Bird that cannot sing flies in and grows to like the Short Tree. They become good friends. Soon after, they meet a Boa Constrictor, and the Bird helps it find its owner, Aragula, a snake woman, who takes it back to the circus. A black Balloon, named Nobody, floats in, looking for a safe place to live. The Bird helps the Balloon find its friends, the Green, Blue, and Yellow Balloons, hiding in the clouds for safety. As time passes and the Short Tree’s leaves start to turn yellow, the Bird must leave him and fly south for the winter.

During the long, cold winter, the Short Tree feels more lonely than ever with its bare branches covered in snow. A Squirrel hibernates inside a hole in its trunk. The Short Tree meets its Shadow that plays with it during the day, and the North Wind sings to it at night. The Big Dipper appears and explains how the Short Tree once flew high in the sky as a seed. Meanwhile, from a southern beach near the ocean, the Bird writes postcards to the Short Tree about its adventures. Tourists want the Bird to stop singing. Fish snap at the Bird while fishing in the water, and an Alligator tries to eat the Bird in a swamp. On its way back north, the Bird gets caught in the Wind and flies into a snow-covered mountain peak, where it witnesses a Snow Bride and Snow Groom getting married by a Snow Minister. 

As the snow melts and springtime arrives, the Short Tree starts feeling growing pains and worries about the Bird making it back north. Jacques and Jack try to catch the Bird with a net, but the Bird manages to escape these hunters. Meanwhile, the Squirrel comes out of the Short Tree’s hole and finds a Mate. A Baby Tree sprouts nearby and the Short Tree takes care of it, as they hear a horrible noise. The Bird that could not sing has returned, and the Short Tree introduces it to all its new friends. The Bird is so happy to be back home with the Short Tree and its friends that it sings!

Drama Workshops

The director, Jeanne Klein, and some of the actors will be available to visit first, second, and third grade classrooms of students 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. To schedule a classroom visit, contact Joe Bearden, TYP Assistant (bearden@ku.edu), or Jeanne Klein (864-5576).

Language Arts Connections      
Characters as Puppets and Actors

Our play includes a variety of puppets and actors who play many different characters.

• Imagine and describe the feelings of each character based on its physical traits. How do you think each character might look and sound?
• Even though the Short Tree and the Bird have very different personalities, why do they become friends? How is your personality different from your friends?
• If you were a puppeteer, how would you make a puppet come to life? How would you change your voice for each character?
• Which characters in the play do you think will be played by actors? Why?

The Short Tree - Why does the Short Tree feel all alone? Why does it want to grow up?
Big Trees - What can tall trees see that a Short Tree can’t see?
Jack and Jacques (lumberjacks) - Why do people cut down big trees instead of little ones?
Aragula, the Snake Woman - How could she use a boa constrictor in her circus act?
Shadow (of Short Tree) - What makes a shadow? How does it move?
Tourists - How come some people don’t like to hear noisy songs when they’re on vacation?

• Which characters do you think will be played by puppets? Why?

The Bird - Why can’t the Bird sing? Which kinds of birds don’t sing very well?
Wood Beetles - How do wood beetles climb trees?
Flowers - If a flower could talk, what would it say?
Boa Constrictor - How long is a boa constrictor? What does “vegetarian” mean?
Squirrels - Where do squirrels sleep in the wintertime?
Fish - What do fish like to eat in the ocean?
Alligator - Where do alligators live? What do they eat?
Balloons - If you were a balloon and someone squeezed you, where would you go for safety?
Snow People (Bride, Groom, and Minister) - How long can they be married if they melt?

• Which characters can be heard but not seen? Seen but not heard?

North Wind - What does cold, wintry wind sound like?
Big Dipper - What does the Big Dipper look like? If it could talk, what would it sound like?

Science Connections
How Trees Grow

• Name and find the parts of a Tree. How does each part help the Tree grow?
  • roots, trunk, branches, stems, leaves, seeds, or fruits
• Describe how a Tree grows from a seed and what three things it needs to grow:
  • a seed from a Big Tree flies through the air and drops to the ground
  • the rain waters the seed and makes a tiny root grow into the food of the soil
  • a sprout or seedling grows out of two sides of the seed
  • the sun warms the Baby Tree and makes its stem grow taller with branches and leaves
• In our play, the Short Tree grows from a small tree to a taller tree in one year. Describe what happens to a Short Tree in the Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring.
• Compare the age of a Tree with the age of a human Person:

• If someone cuts down a Big Tree, how do you know how old it is?

A Short Tree is a Small Child

• In our play, the Short Tree is a metaphor for a Small Child who feels alone and lonely in a great big world.  Through the seasons, the Short Tree grows up to realize that it’s really not alone, because there are lots of things nearby watching over it.
• Discuss other people in your life who watch over you and keep you company.
• What do you need to grow up big and tall?
• How does friendship with other people help you grow up?
  

We would love to see children’s’ 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 the Short Tree and its best friend in the play.

Teacher’s Guide written by Jeanne Klein