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1. INTRODUCTION TO TEACHERS

Rehearsal Photography (by Catherine Ashmore) This second education pack, which accompanies the Children’s Touring Partnership production of Goodnight Mister Tom, is for teachers who want to explore particular aspects of the play in more depth in the classroom. These exercises and information sheets are designed to demonstrate the different aspects of putting on a professional play. We hope that the information contained in this pack will enhance your class’s enjoyment and understanding of the play as well as offer both teachers and pupils an insightful and fascinating glimpse into how Goodnight Mister Tom was produced.

This section is split up into the following sections:

WHO’S WHO? PAGE |3 ADAPTING MISTER TOM PAGE |5 DESIGNING GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM PAGE | 8 CLASSROOM TASK: DESIGN PAGE | 15 PUPPETRY PAGE | 17 CLASSROOM TASK : PUPPET MAKING PAGE | 25 REHEARSAL DIARY PAGE | 29 MEET THE BOYS PAGE | 35

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2. WHO’S WHO?

EXERCISE Before looking at this in class – off the top of your heads try and think of as many people that might be involved in making a play as possible. Then have a look at this and see who you’ve left out!

Here is a list of everyone involved behind the scenes in making Goodnight Mister Tom, and what they do! Which job suits you the best?

Director (Angus Jackson) – The director is the person in charge of the creative aspects of a

play. He has to come up with ideas on how he wants each scene and moment to look, and then directs the actors during rehearsals on how to do this best.

Designer (Robert Innes-Hopkins) – The role of the designer is to design and come up with

ideas for the set, costume and props, and then create them. He does this to make the performance more realistic and enjoyable for the audience. He collaborates with the director a lot to decide how it will all look.

Producer (Children’s Touring Partnership) – The producers are the people that are in

charge of the whole project. They choose and hire all the team, set the budget, and are the organisational force behind the show.

Lighting Designer (Tim Mitchell) – This person is in charge of arranging and designing the

lighting. They decide on the lighting cues, and what effects they wish to have in each scene, and then compiling the wanted effects in the right order and place.

Composer (Matthew Scott) – the composer is directly in charge of creating the score and

music for the play. He may use individual instruments, or combinations of instruments, or an entire orchestra to make the show sounds brilliant.

Sound Designer (Greg Clarke) – similarly to the lighting designer, the sound designer must

decide what sound effects they want to have during the play, and when. Both of these designers need to take into account the mood of the scene or moment when deciding.

Puppet Director and Designer (Toby Olié) – Toby designed all the puppets for the play,

and then made them. He also directed the puppeteers. (There is more detail about this in the puppetry section).

Casting Director (Marc Frankum) – The casting director is in charge of making sure that the

right people are picked for the roles. They would hold auditions or contact individuals directly to make sure they get the best actor for the part. They are mainly involved at the beginning of the process.

Children’s Casting Director (Jo Hawes) – The children’s casting director is responsible for

choosing the six boys who alternate in the roles of William and Zach. They also organize chaperones and tutoring for the boys whilst they are on tour.

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Staff Director (Sophie Lifschutz) – As the director has a lot to do, he needs an assistant

director, or staff director. Their job is to assist the director with whatever jobs he needs doing, and taking rehearsals if the director is ill. In Goodnight Mister Tom, Sophie will be travelling round the country with the production and putting it into each new venue.

Production Manager (Sam Paterson) – The production manager has a huge job. They are

responsible for all of the logistics of a tour, such as transport and accommodation, as well as arranging bookings, payment, rehearsal schedules and creation of the set and props.

Stage Management – The stage managing team is responsible for the show when it’s up and

running, making sure it runs smoothly without problems. In Goodnight Mister Tom, Justin Savage is the Company Stage Manager, and in control of the company and pastoral care, Anne Baxter is the Deputy Stage Manager in control of the prompts and cues for actors, including lighting and sound, and Jennifer Dudden and Jay Bridges are Assistant Stage Managers who are in charge of backstage during a performance, for example making sure all the props and set are in the right place.

Costume Supervisor (Sian Harris) – The role of the costume supervisor is to measure all the

cast and then, after talking to the designer, source the costume, and then alter them if necessary. A lot of the Goodnight Mister Tom costumes were hires from ‘Angels’ which is a very famous costume hire shop in London.

Props Supervisor (Jemma Gardner) – Many plays require lots of props, and these need to

be bought and supervised. The props supervisor first must buy, hire or create the props, and then make sure they are looked after and not lost, as this could affect the show.

Wardrobe Mistress (Claire Tucker) – This supervisor is in charge of looking after and

sorting the costumes and wigs on the tour, keeping them safe and cleaning them, making sure they are all transported safely and always available when needed, and finally may help to dress and prepare the actors before the performance.

Fight Director (Terry King) – The fight director is responsible for choreographing the fight

scenes. This means any scene where there is a slap, punch, someone being pushed over or a swordfight. Their job is to make it look totally realistic without anyone getting hurt; they use a lot of clever tricks to make you think someone really is being slapped!

Vocal Coach (Charmian Hoare) – The vocal coach is responsible for making sure that the

casts accents are right as the play is set in Dorset and Deptford (London). Accents are different depending on where in the country you are, but also depending on what time period the play is set in. London in 2011 is very different from London in 1939!

EXERCISE – Things to think about:

Who do you think is in rehearsals every day? Who do you think travels round the country with the show? And who do you think doesn’t need to? Which groups of people within this big list work together the most? E.g. composer, sound designer, prop supervisor and designer…

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3. ADAPTING “GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM” FOR THE STAGE Goodnight Mister Tom the novel was written in 1981 by Michelle Magorian. It has been made into a film and a musical – and for the first time it is now a play. The adaptation has been written by David Wood who is a renowned children’s playwright. The first draft was submitted in November 2009 and it has evolved with input from Angus and the Children’s Touring Partnership producers over the last 14 months to become what you see on stage. It continued to change all the way during rehearsals and is now a finished piece! The main challenge with adapting a novel into a stage play is predominantly structural. The beauty of the novel is that the author can take as long as they like describing something and move to as many locations as they want; the job of the playwright will then be to ensure that this turns into something constantly captivating that will entertain and engage the audience every step of the way. They also have to take into account the limitations of the stage and what is practically possible.

EXERCISE – Classroom Discussion

Consider the following discussion points for adaptation.

What are the... Challenges Processes (The script gets altered during the rehearsal process) Famous books that have become plays – For Example: War Horse or Matilda, His Dark

Materials Differences between books and plays Differences between dialogue and stage directions

EXAMPLE – THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAY

The opening of the book:

“Come on on‟ repeated Tom harshly. I „ent got all day...”

This has been adapted to:

TOM: “You‟d best come in...”

Discussion Points

What is in this extract from the book that isn’t in the script and vice versa? How is the narration turned into stage directions? Find an example of this. Are there any stage directions that you would add in to make it easier to stage?

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Extract One

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Extract Two

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4. DESIGNING GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM As we have seen from the list of important people in Who’s Who, a designer is responsible for the way everything looks. They must design a set and costumes that helps to tell the story to the audience.

STAGE 1 – COMING UP WITH THE IDEA (EARLY 2010) Rob (the Designer) and Angus (the Director) have to read the script so that they know exactly how many locations they need to have, how quickly the action moves between each location, what year the play is set in, and how many characters there are in order to get an idea of what they have to achieve on stage.

EXERCISE – How many locations can you think of?

For Example:

The village streets Mr Tom’s house The Library The Post Office The local shop A street in London The Air Raid Shelter Willies house in London The Hospital The Church Hall

Rob then needs to know the shapes of all the stages the set will have to fit on (at all the 14 theatres we’ll visit), as well as how much money there is available to spend on building it. When he knows all that - he can come up with an idea that will be possible, set the scene, and make the play more believable. It’s all about telling the story and even the set must tell us something about what’s going on (for example: Where we are and when we are.) The set is the most important thing that you will look at when you go to the theatre, so it has to be right. Imagine going to the theatre with a plain black stage – it would make it very hard to imagine you were really there in Second World War England wouldn’t it!

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STAGE 2 – WHITE CARD MODEL BOX (OCTOBER 2010) After Rob (designer) and Angus (director) have spent time discussing what they want it to look like – Rob makes a WHITE CARD MODEL BOX. This is a mini scale version of the set made out of white card. There are also tiny card models of the characters to give us an idea of the size of the set and also where certain characters might stand. Its purpose is to show us the initial concept to see if it looks good and check that it works, so that any changes and other ideas can be discussed and added.

The White Card Model Box

EXERCISE – Discussion Point

All the team get together to have a look at this set model. What do you think they talk about?

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Angus (the Director) and the White Card Model

EXERCISE – Imagine you’re the Director

Here you can see Angus (the Director) looking at the white card model. How expensive will the set be to build? How long will it take to build? As we are going to 14 different theatres, will it be easy to put together and take apart? Is it safe? Does it look right? Is it going to help us tell the story? What else do you think he’s thinking about?

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STAGE 3 – COMPLETE MODEL BOX (NOVEMBER 2010) Now that Rob has been given the all clear from the rest of the team, he makes a new model box that is more detailed, with costume designs, and in the colour he wants the set to be.

The Final Model Box The WHOLE team meet to have a look at this; the lighting designer, sound designer, costume supervisor and all of the producers. The most important thing about our set is the central platform that lifts up to reveal Williams house in London. Take a look at the picture above to see the house section.

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STAGE 4 – THE REHEARSAL ROOM (EARLY JANUARY 2011)

Day 1 of Rehearsals On the first day of rehearsals, Rob brings in the model box and shows it to the cast – so that while they are rehearsing in the rehearsal room they have an idea of what they will be acting on. They can ask him questions, and he will also tell them what they will be wearing. On the first day the Stage managers also do what we call a MARK UP. This means that they mark up the exact shape of the stage with thick black tape on the floor – so everyone knows exactly how much space they will have.

EXERCISE – Quick Question

The “MARK UP”: What other reasons can you think of for why we do this?

During the month of rehearsals the set gets built at a big set building warehouse. It gets built in lots of small bits – so that it can easily be put together, and then easily taken apart and packed up in the truck to go to the next theatre. Bits of the set like door frames are made earlier so that they can be used in the rehearsal room from the beginning. This is so the actors don’t arrive in the real theatre and have too many new things to cope with! They need to get used to using the major props and bits of set early on. During the last week of rehearsals a very basic set is installed in the rehearsal room. The cast need to get used to where things will be so they know how to move around the stage, and exactly the position of anything they might be using like a chair, table, bed or door.

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STAGE 5 – THE “GET IN” (END OF JANUARY 2011)

What is a “Get In”? The weekend before the cast arrive in Chichester we have the GET IN at the theatre. This is when the whole newly built set arrives in a big truck and is put together on the stage. This is the order in which it all happens:

- The whole set arrives together, in pieces, in the truck and is taken out and put into the SCENE DOCK, which is a big area behind the stage for holding sets before they’re assembled.

- The CREW begin to piece it together on the stage. They have very detailed drawings of where each exact piece goes and how it joins up, like a giant jigsaw.

- This takes about two days in total and they have to check that the set is safe before the cast can rehearse on it.

- The GET IN also involves putting the right lights in the LIGHTING RIG (which is in the ceiling of the theatre – look up next time you’re there to see all the lights). This is followed by focusing the lights and placing them in the right position so they can light the characters in the show correctly.

- The speakers then have to be put in the right place so that the SOUND DESIGNER’S sound effects have the right impact on the audience. For example if there was to be a ‘plane flying over head’ effect they would have to be positioned all across the ceiling.

- This happens on Saturday and Sunday ready for the team to start TECHNICAL REHEARSALS (rehearsals with all the sound and light effects) on Monday morning. Take a look at the rehearsal diary!

EXERCISE – Quick Question

Which member of the Goodnight Mister Tom team do you think supervises the GET IN? And who else do you think is involved with it and who is not?

STAGE 6 – THE “GET OUT” (SUNDAY 6TH FEBRUARY) What is a “Get Out”? This is when the set gets dismantled and put back in the truck ready to go to the next theatre. It happens straight after the last show at the theatre.

- The crew come back and take every piece of set down and put it all back in the SCENE DOCK - They then load it very carefully into the truck - The lights and speakers stay in the theatre because each theatre has their own and are

repositioned for the next play to arrive. - When the team get to the next one they will focus and position the ones that are already

there. (They have special diagrams for all of this!)

STAGE 7 – THE NEXT THEATRE (2ND FEBRUARY TO 14TH

MAY) Throughout the tour, Goodnight Mister Tom will go to 14 theatres in all. The process described above in the Get-In and Get-Out are repeated every time. The Get-In will happen at 8am before the first performance and the Get-Out will start as soon as the final performance finishes

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THE TOUR MAP

The tour starts in Chichester near Portsmouth and over 5 months visits 14 theatres and performs 109 shows! START: Chichester Festival Theatre Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton The Lowry, Salford Theatre Royal, Plymouth Swan Theatre, High Wycombe Theatre Royal, Norwich Festival Theatre, Malvern Civic Theatre, Darlington West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Orchard Theatre, Dartford Rose Theatre, Kingston Theatre Royal, Nottingham FINISH: New Theatre, Cardiff

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* CLASSROOM TASK: DESIGNING *

1. DESIGN YOUR OWN COSTUMES! In order to design a costume, you need to know what sort of person the character is. Are they old/ young? Prim and proper? Funny? Where do they spend their time?

- What other pieces of information might you need to know before you designed a costume? - Look at the person next to you and write down everything about them except what they

look like – for example; clever, funny, sporty, very loud, likes the outdoors. This will help you get an idea of the kind of information you as a designer might need!

Here is an example: Character Name: Tom Oakley (Mister Tom) Occupation: Retired and looking after William Description: ‘Gruff, in his 60s, a healthy, robust stockily built man with a head of thick white hair’ Anything else we know: He has a dog, he spends time outside, he is not particularly rich.

EXERCISE – Imagine you’re a Costume Designer... Now try and design one yourself! Character Name – Mr Miller Occupation – Runs the village Post Office Description – ‘a short, stocky man with thinning mouse coloured hair’ Anything else we know – he is married to Mrs Miller Also remember: It is Wartime In the Countryside RATIONING was in effect.

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...EXERCISE (continued)

Once you have drawn a picture of what Mr Miller might look like…

Think about…

What his clothes would be made out of? Would he have a different outfit for Church or when he goes to London or when he’s gardening? What shoes would he wear? Would he wear a hat? Is there anything else you would need to make him believable or show the audience who the character is?

Write all this down next to your sketch.

2. DESIGNING PART OF A SET As you know Goodnight Mister Tom’s is set in lots of different locations and it is the designer’s job to recreate as many of these different locations on the theatrical set, and work out how to do that! Sometimes they use a REVOLVE, where the stage spins round to reveal different parts of the set. Other times they use different levels with actors using stairs or hidden ladders to get to the different areas. But in Goodnight Mister Tom, we use a HATCH. This means part of the set opens up to reveal another room.

EXERCISE – Imagine you’re a Set Designer Your task is to design Tom’s Kitchen!

Think about what sort of man Tom is, that will help you work out what his kitchen might be like. Draw a rough sketch so you can work out where everything will go. Work out what materials things will be made from? How big will everything be? What will the picture on the wall be of? What else will you add in that’s not in the description below? Also consider that Goodnight Mister Tom is a touring show so the set and props have to be simple enough to pack up but also be believable.

The script says:

“THE COMFORTABLE SMALL ROOM IS LIT BY A CEILING GAS LAMP AND AN OIL LAMP ON THE TABLE. A LARGE BLACK COOKING RANGE IS IN AN ALCOVE, FIRE BURNING. A TABLE, TWO CHAIRS, SOME BOOKS ON SHELVES. A PICTURE ON THE WALL”

Now you have designed your own costume and bit of set!

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5. PUPPETRY

WHY USE A PUPPET? In Goodnight Mister Tom, one of the main characters is Sammy, the dog. It is always a challenge to convert a book to a play that has animals in it; sometimes real animals are used on stage – like in Legally Blonde – The Musical, Oliver!, and The Wizard of Oz. There are lots of difficulties with using a real dog; they won’t always do what you want, they might bark or wee when they’re not supposed to, and training a dog to do all the things that Sammy has to do would be very difficult. In this play, the director, designer and writer decided to use a puppet. There are lots of plays that use and rely on puppets for their main parts – for example War Horse and The Lion King.

The playwright David Wood wrote in his introduction notes:

“I thought long and hard about Sammy. Tom’s dog in the book plays a vital role. He is Tom’s best friend. He also introduces William to animals and nature, and his sense of smell helps Tom find William in London. It seemed right to include him in the play. I decided the best way of doing this would be to have a puppeteer in black operating an endearing, naturalistic – looking puppet”

Toby Olié, our puppet designer and director, said that the main reason for using a puppet for Sammy is that:

“You can make him happy, sad, quiet or excited exactly when you want to, rather than a real dog which would be very unpredictable! He becomes more of a real character that can add to the story’s emotions and action, for example when he first meets William he is really friendly when Mister Tom is grumpy, and it is Sammy who leads Mr Tom to William in London.”

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THE MAKING OF “SAMMY” So, how did Toby go about designing, making, and rehearsing our puppet Sammy? Here is a Step-by-Step Guide…

Step 1: Reading the script and working out what sort of puppet Sammy is!

EXERCISE – Think about...

Here are some “Sammy” stage directions from the script. Think about:

How many people you need to operate him? What you’d make him look like? What bits of him should move? What sort of personality he has?

Tom: In yer come, Sammy, Say „ello A SMALL BLACK-AND-WHITE COLLIE SCAMPERS IN AND EAGERLY BOUNDS TOWARDS WILLIAM

Tom: Hold yer hand out, pal up like that, that‟s so he knows you „ent going to harm him, see SAMMY SNIFFS WILLIAMS HAND AND LICKS IT

Tom: You‟re getting over excited, Sam! Outside! Exercise! SAMMY DASHES OUT BARKING HAPPILY

Tom: Come on then Sammy, Say Goodnight SAMMY MANAGES TO CLIMB THE LADDER. HE LEAPS ON THE BED, WAGGING HIS TAIL AND LICKS WILLIAM’S FACE, SLOWLY WILLIAM PUTS HIS ARMS AROUND HIM

When the Warden and Mr Tom are outside Willies mothers house, and they think there‟s no one in SUDDENLY SAMMY PULLS AT THE LEAD, WHINING. HE PULLS AWAY AND STARTS SCRATCHING FRANTICALLY AT THE DOOR. HE BARKS

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Step 2: Sketching some ideas and drawing a design for Sammy From the stage directions we already know now that Sammy is a ‘’A SMALL BLACK-AND-WHITE COLLIE’’ so Toby’s next step is to draw some sketches for a working puppet. You can see in the sketches below that he has sketched the body of the dog, but also the outline of a puppeteer, so he can get an idea of how they might control the puppet. Here is a page from Toby’s sketchbook with his initial ideas:

EXERCISE – Take a look... These designs then get shown to the set designer and director so they can say whether or not they like it! What do you think!?

In Toby’s sketch book you may also notice sketches of other animals! Have a close look and see what else you can see!

Can you see how the puppeteer will control Sammy?

Compare the dog to the human, how big will the puppet be?

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The final sketch for Sammy by Toby

Step 3: Making a miniature version of Sammy! This smaller version of the puppet is called a MAQUETTE. The reason that Toby makes one of these is so that he can show Angus and Rob how Sammy will move! You can see Toby’s hand on the right hand side of the picture – so you can imagine how small the maquette is!

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Step 4: Making a full sized ‘Rehearsal Puppet’

This puppet is not the real one that will be used in the show; it is just a rehearsal one! That means that it is not painted in the colours and is made from simple materials like cardboard, but it is exactly the same shape and size that the real one will be.

EXERCISE – Quick Question

Why do you think we don’t use the real one in rehearsals?

Step 5: Rehearsing with the puppet to make sure it’s perfect! Toby not only makes the puppets but also directs Laura the puppeteer. This means that he has told her how to move Sammy and herself to make him look realistic! He has been in rehearsals, so knows any problems with the puppet that need to be changed before he makes the real one.

Toby said that:

‘’Laura found a huge range of dog moves and gestures

with Sammy herself. I was there to add little details like

making the puppet look heavier when he jumped, or

making his breathing deeper after he races home with

William.’’

You will see in the interview with Laura below that she is an

experienced puppeteer!

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Step 6: Delivery of the final puppet to rehearsals Rehearsals last for 4 weeks, and after about 3, Toby brings in the real Sammy that will be used in the production. Sammy is made out of a core of grey board covered in layers of brown paper and wood glue. His ‘fur’ is wool and chiffon, and his eyes are moulded glass.

Did You Know? Sammy is not the only puppet that is used in Goodnight Mister Tom. There is also a squirrel and a bird. In fact did you notice that there are actually two identical bird puppets? This is so that they can appear in different places on the stage very quickly after each other to get the effect of a fast moving bird flying through the air!)

Here is a picture of Louise Collins rehearsing with the rehearsal squirrel puppet.

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Interview with Laura Cubitt Puppeteer of Sammy

Q: Have you ever been the puppeteer for any other animal and what was that like?

A: I was a horse for a year in War Horse for 6 months as the back legs of the foal Joey

and another 6 as the head of Joey. Being a horse was amazing. As the back legs you are

actually inside the puppet and they are amazingly life like, they can gallop, trot and fight

and at times people ride on top. We spent many weeks researching horses, visiting

stables and learning to think like a horse. We made all the noises too between the 3

puppeteers operating one horse; I could be heard cycling to rehearsal whinnying

through the streets practising for months. Towards the end they lurched into life,

snorting and foot stomping, kicking and galloping like the wind; it was like being inside

a rollercoaster!

Q: What's it like playing a dog?

A: Incredibly fun and pretty tiring, thank goodness Sammy is a little bit old otherwise

I'd never stop running! One of the first things I read about Border Collies was they are

one of the fastest most energetic breeds; footage of them running is incredible. And I

heard recently in an average day they will cover 74-100 miles! I have a bearded collie

myself and look after my friend’s whippet in London so fortunately I spend a fair bit of

time around dogs which helps getting their behaviour right. I have been going to the

park and watching dogs running and playing and how they interact with their owners,

to get the feel for them. It’s incredibly freeing and fun to be playing a dog because they

are naturally curious animals, and as a breed massively friendly and enthusiastic which

means as a character I can get away with being quite naughty and cheeky and then lie

down and have a little nap, perfect!

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Q: If Sammy could speak, what do you think he would say?

A: I'd like to go for a walk, I'd like my dinner, play with me! I think he has a pretty

good life, surrounding by beautiful green fields to romp in and forests to run through,

incredible smells, squirrels to chase, birds to bark at, weather to experience... and all

with his best friend at his side who he loves and is incredibly loyal towards. The village

is peaceful and familiar and Sammy can play in the graveyard at the back of his house

whenever he likes, with a nice warm stove to curl up by and go to sleep at the end of

the day.

Q: What's the best and worst thing about being cast as an animal rather than a human?

A: No Lines to learn! No, there's lots of moves and choreography to learn that are the

same really. There's a lot of freedom which is wonderful. They don't operate to the

same set of rules as humans so they don't have to be polite or appropriate or do the

right thing, they do exactly as they like, when they like. Sammy has his own story

which I have to make true for him, so he really lives. It’s a subtle balance between

making him look spontaneous and 'wild' but also be in the right place at the right time

on stage so you're not in people's way or too distracting at important bits of the story.

There aren't many bad bits, I love the freedom and the challenge of keeping him alive

at all times, and the possibilities to improvise and keep coming up with little things. I

suppose the bad side would be the back ache and when we had doors, getting shut on

stage if a door slammed beforeI got off, I couldn't open it!

Q: What does Sammy make of William when they first meet?

A: He's a very strange, small thing. It has just been Tom and Sammy his whole life so

it’s a huge change. Tom doesn't really have many visitors at the start of the play so it

really has been just the two of them. Suddenly there is a little boy who smells funny

and is quite scared. He does strange things and makes funny noises. He is at the same

time very intriguing and has a nice youthfulness that’s new for Sammy. As they get to

know each other Sammy grows to love him too, relishing having another person to play

with and run about with and fuss over him. Sammy gets to know William quicker than

Tom and can be physical and bold with him in a way that Tom can't be. I think Sammy

senses William’s sensitivity and develops a natural protection for him. And it's partly

through playing with Sammy that William can take the first tentative steps to finding

his own sense of fun and freedom.

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* CLASSROOM TASK: PUPPETRY *

MAKE YOUR OWN PUPPET! Toby, our puppet designer and director, has designed this himself so you can make your own SAMMY! Try this and see how easy it is! If you have a favourite type of dog, you could make it that colour or size! Sammy is a border collie and is black and white, but you could make any dog!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

A plastic drink bottle

An old newspaper

Some white glue

Sticky tape

Some sticks

Some string

Black and White paint

Old bits of fabric

Beads/buttons/ tin foil for the eyes and nose

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Cut the top off a plastic drink bottle, these two pieces will be Sammy's head and body. Cover both pieces in a layer of torn bits of newspaper and white glue, then leave to dry.

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2. Glue or tape short bits of stick or garden cane to both sections of Sammy, these will be your control rods. A piece of string stuck from the top of Sammy's head running to his shoulders will be his neck.

3. Paint your Sammy black and white like a real border collie dog (or any other dog!) now he needs eyes, ears and a nose. Shiny beads or buttons make great eyes, you can use triangles of fabric or paper for ears and paint or draw on his nose.

4. Glue or tie lots of thin strips of fabric along Sammy's string neck and also along his body's control rod -this will make it his tail. Finally, cut out four larger strips of fabric, these will be his legs stick them on the sides of his body.

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5. Now you have a finished puppet! Try to make your Sammy walk, run, jump and bark just like the real thing!

Now you’ve made Sammy, try... Making him run fast. Making him walk slowly like he’s tired. Making him have a nap. Making him look sad (hanging his head). Making him eat.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER TASKS:

Think of a favourite animal character from your favourite book, e.g. Hedwig from Harry Potter, and sketch a drawing of what your puppet might look like. Think about turning it into a puppet; what will you use for the head/ body and feet and how will you attach them? What will you control it with? Try making it! If you’re feeling really brave why don’t you make a full scale owl!

Pair up with your friends puppets and write a short sequence e.g. The owl tries to fly away but the wolf howls and tries to chase it, the owl then flies down and the wolf gives it a hug! Practice working out how these puppets will interact and rehearse this short scene and share with everyone else in the class

Think about staging animals – If you had to decide how to stage Sammy, what would you do? Think of all the other ways it might be possible to stage a dog – try them out and write a lot of good points and bad points about each one. Which one’s the best? Think about the fact that we have to take Sammy on tour to 14 different locations so it has to be manageable!

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6. REHEARSAL DIARY

How do rehearsals work? Ever wondered what actually happens in them? Read on to find out and see lots of rehearsal snaps!

Angus (the Director) and Oliver (Mister Tom) by Catherine Ashmore

We rehearsed in a rehearsal room in North London for 4 weeks, before spending 3 days in our first theatre in Chichester. Normal rehearsal hours are 10am to 6pm.

It’s a very short time to get the whole play in shape, learn all the lines and rehearse in the 3 groups of boys playing William and Zach. Everyone has to work very hard and work to tight schedules to make sure everything gets done.

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DAY 1 – THE READ THROUGH On the very first day of rehearsals, all the cast and all the backstage and creative team came

together and hear the play read for the first time. A lot of people had not met each other yet, so

everyone got in a circle and introduced themselves!

All the actors and creative team are introduced to the FINAL SET BOX and the animal puppets that

Toby has put together for the rehearsals.

At the end of each day Anne (the Deputy Stage Manager) emails everyone with NOTES on the day’s

rehearsal. These will include changes and thoughts and things to work on the next day. It also

includes the next day’s CALL, which is when the actors are supposed to come in the next day. Here is

an example of an actual rehearsal note:

NOTES: Props/ Stage Management

1. Pg 48. Re: paintings. Due to script alterations, the “Happy birthday” canvas is cut. Instead, on the easel should be a painting by Rachel of „Field and Sky‟. It should be beautiful with a remarkable sky. To be confirmed if it should be watercolour or oil. Please see design Note 1. Pg 61. William‟s painting from school should also have a remarkable sky.

2. Six blank canvasses of various sizes are required. 3. Due to a re-write of the post office scene, Miss Kavanagh has requested

a small invoice book she can write in and a couple of pencils.

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EXERCISE – Quick Question

Why do you think it’s important for REHEARSAL NOTES to be sent out?

Things change in rehearsals every day. Have a look below for an example of a rehearsal note telling

the entire COMPANY of actors something to concentrate on the next day, then below that for when

it changes again.

NOTES: Production Management - 19TH Januery 2011.

1. The leaf/petal drop should be centre stage. NOTES: Production Management - 24th January 2011.

1. Mr. Jackson would like the position of the leaf/petal drop moved. He would like it to drop onto the middle of the downstage area (not the platform stage).

Every day we rehearse a different section of the play. Angus (the Director) works out how he wants the scene to look and then we practise it over and over again. We don’t have the set in rehearsals – just a few props like the bike, door frames, tables and chairs and a bed. Gradually this builds up so we have almost a complete set by the last week (See the Designing Goodnight Mister Tom section).

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DAY 5 – FIGHT DIRECTION The fight director came in today to work on William and Zach’s sword fight and the scene where Mrs Beech hits William. It’s very important that these are planned very carefully so that no one actually gets hurt. Aoife (who plays Mrs Beech) has to practice the slaps lots of times with all 3 Williams. They want the audience to believe that people are actually being hurt – but it is all carefully choreographed trickery to make you believe that – no one ever does!

DAY 9 – DANCE TEACHER Today the choreographer came in to rehearse Zach’s dance! Ethan, Max and Emilio, who all play Zach, have to do a short dance sequence in Act 1 whilst singing “Let’s face the music and dance”.

DAY 13 – PRACTICING THE KIDNAPPING Today we worked on various bits from Act 2 including the scene where Mister Tom kidnaps William from hospital. Every time there is a scene with one of the boys in, we have to rehearse it 3 different times so each boy gets a chance to practice it. Whilst one is rehearsing, the others watch from the side so they know what to do as soon as it’s their turn.

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DAY 15 – ACCENT TRAINING Today the vocal coach came in to work on the casts West Country accents! The cast are originally from all over the country and one is even from Ireland, so it’s really important that they all sound like they’re from the same place when they are in London or Tom’s village, Little Weirwold.

DAY 17 – THE FIRST FULL RUN-THROUGH We did our first run. This means we ran through the whole play without stopping! We timed this so we can let all the theatres know how long it is going to be. All the creative team came and watched this so that they have a much better idea of the shape of the play. For example, Tim the lighting designer needs to see exactly how the play runs so he knows what type of lighting effects to put where. The lighting needs to be very different, from being sunny and bright outside in the countryside to when they are inside Mrs Beech’s dark and dingy house!

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WEEK 5 – FIRST WEEK: TECHNICAL REHEARSALS These took place in Chichester from Monday – Wednesday (we open on the Wednesday night!) In the ‘technical rehearsal period’ - we go very slowly through the whole play practising all the technical cues. This means going over and over every time there is a sound effect, change of lighting, movement of scenery or set. In the rehearsal room you rehearse without technical equipment so there is a lot to do when you get into the theatre!

WEEK 5 – FIRST PERFORMANCE DAY: AFTERNOON DRESS REHEARSAL The dress rehearsal is when you run through the whole play without stopping. The whole cast is in costume and everything is exactly as if it was a proper performance. The reason we do this is so that when it comes to the first performance – everyone feels confident that they know exactly what they’re doing. The cast have only had 3 days in the actual theatre with all the technical effects so they need to get comfortable with the way everything works.

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7. MEET THE BOYS All of our boys attend stage schools and have been in other big shows before!

- Max, Jack, Emilio and Oliver have both just been in Oliver! at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane. - Ethan was in Into the Woods in Regents Par Open Air Theatre last summer. - Toby has been in Les Miserables and Chitty Chity Bang Bang. - Jack and Toby have both been in BBC television shows too!

They all had to go through several rounds of auditions before they got cast. We had to make sure they work well together – but also with Oliver (who plays Mister Tom).

EXERCISE – Imagine you were casting actors... If you were a casting director what characteristics what would you be looking for in the boys cast as William and Zach? What is different about the two characters?

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An Interview with the Goodnight Mister Tom boys Here are some of their thoughts on being in Goodnight Mister Tom...

Q. Have you found that there are any similarities between you and your character? EMILIO – We’re both cheeky, confident, and outgoing! TOBY – William’s physical description is that of mine. MAX – Yes, me and my character both like singing and dancing, and also cycling.

Q. What’s it like playing a boy such a similar age to you – but from so many years ago? OLIVER – It’s interesting to see the comparison from life now and life then. TOBY – World War 2 is one of my favourite eras but I am not such a fan of the hair style!

Q. What’s your favourite bit of the play? TOBY – The sword fight! EMILIO – The opening sequence because in such a short time you learn so much of my character, and of course my solo song and dance! ETHAN – The swordfight scene! JACK – The Peter Pan swordfight scene!

Q. What do you normally do when you’re waiting backstage? ETHAN – Sit down and chill! OLIVER – Do homework, and if I have none to do, I play cards.

Q. How does it feel performing in front of so many people? OLIVER – I really enjoy it, I love entertaining people EMILIO – It can be so nerve-wracking, but once you’re on the stage it’s so fun TOBY – I would rather perform in front of 1,000,000,000 people than my friends and family! It feels very comfortable.

Did You Know? Do you know why do we have 3 pairs of actors for William and Zach? There are very very strict rules about children in performance. Under 16 year olds are only allowed to rehearse for a certain amount of hours a day, and also only allowed to perform in a certain number of performances per month. This is because they have to go to school (or have lessons on tour) and have proper rest periods.

This means that we have 3 sets of William and Zach’s. They do one week in the show – then two weeks back at school.