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.

With Fables, the company completes our series

covering all 6 of the oral storytelling genres.

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

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About StoryTime Theatre

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 Louisville

Pride Foundation, which celebrates diversity and contributes to art and community organi-

zations 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 musi-

cals. 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 tech-

nician she met through Blue Apple more than 14 years ago.

Meet the Cast

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

Mera Kathryn Corlett—Playwright/Director

Mera Kathryn began her work at Blue Players as a member of the touring company in

2011. As an Artistic Associate for Commonwealth Theatre Center she serves an educator,

director and playwright. This is the fourth script she has created for the company; previous

plays include SkyHigh Tales, Rumpelstiltskin, and On the Trail of Daniel Boone. Mera

Kathryn’s focus in the Outreach Department has primarily been programming that serves

Early Childhood and Elementary age learners. In the Conservatory she has directed the

past two Young Company productions: The Fighting Frogs Vs. Victoria Vanderbuilt and

Pinocchio. Prior to CTC, she worked for Kentucky Shakespeare as a touring actor, work-

shop facilitator, and lead teacher for Camp Shakespeare. Upon graduating Cum Laude

from Hanover College with degrees in theatre and theology, she received the Henry C.

Long Citation for Scholarship and General Excellence, the most distinguished award a

female graduate can receive.

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 Ameri-

can Family Theater in Philadelphia. He has also worked as a Director and Choreographer 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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I’m Going On A Trip… Designed for Pre-K and Kindergarten Classes

For a fun phonemic awareness activity in your classroom,

bring in a suitcase. Explain that the class is going on a trip

and each of them must pack an item in the bag that begins

with the same letter in their name. Have students draw their

item on a piece of paper and go around the circle letting each

student put their drawing in the suitcase.

To add a more advanced component bring in 4 bags. Each

is going somewhere different: Brazil, China, Ghana and India.

Print off words with corresponding pictures. Each word must

begin with the same letter of one of the countries. Have

students sort where each word should be packed.

One common feature of the fable genre is

the lack of information regarding characters.

Typically, the stories center around animals.

Often fables “use various animals in different

ways to portray human strengths and weak-

nesses in order to pass down wisdom from

one generation to the next” (Rosen). If the

fables include further description, it is one

identifying trait (i.e. nosy, foolish, proud). A

trait is simply a part of a character’s personal-

ity. Discuss with your class the character traits

that were used in the play Fables: Anything

But Aesop. Naturally the students may come

up with multiple words for the same character

trait. Explain that these words are synonyms.

Next, use the Synonym Match-Up handout on

page 6.

Character Traits in Fables Designed for 2nd grade classrooms

Questions to Accompany

the Play Recall: Gather Facts

What was the play

about ?

Interpret: Find Meaning

Why are fables told?

Analyze: Take Things

Apart

What did we learn?

Synthesize: Bring Things

Together

How are the fables

alike?

Directly following the play, lead

a discussion using the questions

above. For older classes you

can use the questions as writing

prompts.

W here in the World? Designed for First Grade Classes

The stories presented in Fables: Anything But Aesop

have origins from all around the world. In fact, many of the

fables from one country have similarities to fables in other

cultures. Read Aesop’s story of the Lion and the Mouse

(page 10). Follow with the Elephants and the King of Mice

found in the Panchatantra (page 11). Lead the students in a

discussion about the similarities of these two stories. Ex-

plain that the fables are from two vastly different countries

separated by geography. Introduce the four directions:

North, South, East, West. Next, use the handout on page 5

to explore geography and show distance.

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Dissecting a Fable Designed for Third Grade Classes

Fables are short, fictitious stories; they are used to teach a lesson. Often animals behave like human

beings. Have students listen to or read other fables. There are selections of suggested fables on pages 8-

11. Next, use the headers below and list characteristics students find in the fables.

The story has a

clear beginning,

middle and end.

The characters

have general

names; i.e. Bear,

Boy, 1st Pig.

The story’s main

characters include

animals that act

like humans.

The story has a

simple and some-

times stated “moral

of the story.”

The setting is not

connected to a

certain place, time

or culture.

Exploring Adaptation

Designed for Fifth Grade Classes

For Fables: Anything But Aesop, the playwright

took three stories and adapted them into a play.

Fables are short, simple narrative stories orally told

or written in the third person. However, plays must

be written in only dialogue—which is only the words

the actors say. Therefore, to make the story into a

play, the narrative had to be adapted into a dia-

logue. Have your students examine the original text

of Rabbit and Coyote (pg. 12) that the playwright

adapted and the script selections provided on pages

13-14. Then, lead a discussion citing ways the play-

wright incorporated her 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 fables on pages 8-

11 (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.

Building a Fable Backwards

Designed for Forth Grade Classes

In India, there is a popular book of fables

called the Panchatantra. The Musical Donkey

and a couple of stories in this guide are just a

few of several stories from the book. What

differentiates The Panchatantra from Aesop’s

collection of fables is that the entire book are

stories within a story. The book centers around

a King who wishes to teach his sons how to

govern. He gives the task to a servant who

ultimately decided he would create stories;

each story would end with a moral that would

teach a concept.

Use the above “Dissecting a Fables” activity

to identify important characteristics of fables

with your class. Explain to your class that they

will now create their own fables using the

elements they just discussed. But first, like

the King’s servant, they must choose a moral

with which to center their story around. Give

them a few examples such a “cheaters never

win”, “actions speak louder than words”, or

“when the going gets tough, the tough get

going”. They can use one of these example

morals or invent their own.

Next pick 2-4 animals for characters. Remind

them that there should be little description of

characters or setting. Use the organizer on

page 7 to develop the story’s events.

Lastly, students should write a narrative that

leads to their chosen fable moral. If time

permits, you may want to invite students to

read the stories aloud, clapping after each

one like a mini-performance.

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W here in the World?

Brazil

China

India

Ghana

United States

Use the map above and circle the correct answer.

1. Brazil is North / South of the United States of America.

2. China is North / South of India.

3. Brazil is East / West of Ghana.

4. Greece is East / West of the United State of America.

5. Ghana is North / South of China.

6. India is North / South of Brazil.

7. Greece is East / West of India.

Greece

West East

North

South

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The Joyful Monkey

Sneaky

The Foolish Dragon

Pretty

The Smart Elephant

Intelligent

The Chatty Parrot

Fast

The Cunning Snake

Happy

The Fierce Lion

Silly

The Beautiful Butterfly

Talkative

The Responsible Turtle

Brave

The Hasty Rabbit

Reliable

Synonym Match-Up

Match the underlined word to its synonym.

Beginning

Middle

End

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Building A Fable

Use the boxes below to organize the events of your fable

Moral: ______________________________________________________________

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The Tortoise and the Geese A Story from The Panchatantra

Found on visiteveryday.blogspot.com

O nce upon a time a tortoise lived near a pond. Two geese used to come

and drink water in the pond. The tortoise was a talkative fellow who

told many lively tales. Sadly, after few years a drought happened in

that place and it lasted for several months. The water in the pond started to dry.

One of the geese suggested moving to the mountains where there was plenty of

water. “But you can’t leave me behind!” said the Tortoise. “I need water, too!

Take me with you!”

The Tortoise begged so hard not to be left behind that the Geese finally said,

"Dear Friend, if you will promise not to speak a word on the journey, we will

take you with us. But know beforehand, that if you open your mouth to say one

single word, you will be in instant danger."

"Have no fear," replied the Tortoise, “I will be silent. I would rather never open

my mouth again than be left to die alone here in the dried-up pond."

So the Geese brought a stick and told the Tortoise to grasp it firmly in the

middle by his mouth. Then they took hold of either end and flew off with him.

They had gone several miles in safety, when their course lay over a village. As

the country people saw this curious sight of a Tortoise being carried by two

Geese, they began to laugh and cry out, "Oh, did you ever see such a funny sight

in all your life!" And they laughed loud and long.

“How dare you laugh at me!” said the Tortoise. But of course when he opened

his mouth to say this, he lost his grip on the stick. Down he fell to Earth, as the

geese went on to the mountains.

MORAL: Think before you act.

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O ne day a miller and his son were taking their donkey to the market to

sell him. On the road they met some girls who were laughing and

chattering.“Why are they walking along this dusty road when they

could ride?” “They are right,” said the miller, “so up you get, my son, and I’ll

walk by your side.”

Presently they met some old friends, so they stopped to talk.“You should be

riding on that donkey,” they told him, “not tiring yourself out. Your son is a real

lazybones. Make him walk. It will do him good.” So the miller changed places

with his son whose legs soon became tired.

They had not gone far when they met a large band of women and children. The

miller was startled when they began to scold him. “What a selfish fellow you

are,” they cried. “Fancy riding along so comfortably and making your poor little

boy trudge behind you! Can’t you see that he is tired out?” The miller at once

lifted the boy up and they rode on together.

After a time they came across a band of travelers. “Is that your donkey?” they

asked the miller, “Or have you borrowed it from a friend. “It belongs to me,”

the miller replied. “I’m taking him to the market to sell.” “Goodness gracious,”

they said, “the poor thing will be worn out by carrying the two of you and

nobody will want to buy it. You’d better carry it the rest of the way.” “We’ll try

that,” said the miller. “Thank you for your good advice!” They got off the

donkey and tied his legs together with a rope. Then they slung him on a pole and

carried him into the town.

When the townsfolk saw the miller and his son struggling to carry the donkey

they burst out laughing. “How ridiculous! Whoever heard of carrying a

donkey!” they called. There was so much noise that the poor donkey twisted and

broke the ropes round his legs. He rushed through the streets and out of the town

and was never seen again.

“I did what everybody told me,” the miller said sadly as he went home, “and in

the end I lost my poor donkey. I wish I’d stayed at home!”

MORAL: If you try to please everyone, you will please no one.

The Miller, His Son, and Their Donkey A Story from Aesop’s Fables

Found in Fifty Stories for 5 Year Olds

Edited by Marie Greenwood

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A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion. The mouse admired the

lion's ears, his long whiskers and his great mane.

"Since he's sleeping," thought the mouse, "he'll never suspect I'm here!"

With that, the little mouse climbed up onto the lion's tail, ran across its back, slid

down its leg and jumped off of its paw. The lion awoke and quickly caught the

mouse between its claws.

"Please," said the mouse, "let me go and I'll come back and help you someday."

The lion laughed, "You are so small! How could ever help me?"

The lion laughed so hard he had to hold his belly! The mouse jumped to

freedom and ran until she was far, far away.

The next day, two hunters came to the jungle. They went to the lion's lair. They

set a huge rope snare. When the lion came home that night, he stepped into the

trap.

He roared! He wept! But he couldn't pull himself free.

The mouse heard the lion's pitiful roar and came back to help him.

The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. She

began nibbling and nibbling until the rope broke. The lion was able to shake off

the other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!

The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear friend, I was foolish to ridicule you

for being small. You helped me by saving my life after all!"

MORAL: A kindness, no matter how small, is never wasted.

The Lion And The Mouse A Story from Aesop

Found on storyarts.org

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O nce upon a time, a village was ruined by a strong earthquake. The

houses and roads got totally damaged. The village was shattered on

the whole. Due to this, the villagers were forced to leave their houses and settle

somewhere else. Finding the place vacant, the mice began to live in the ruined

houses. Soon their number grew into hundreds and thousands.

There was a big lake located near the ruined village. A herd of elephants used to

visit the lake for drinking water. On their way to the lake, the elephants crushed

hundreds of mice daily under their heavy feet. The problem was getting bigger

and bigger day by day.

The King of Mice met the King Elephant and asked, “Sir, we live in the ruins of

the village, but every time when your herd crosses the village, thousands of my

subjects get crushed under the colossal feet of your herd. Kindly change your

route. We promise to help you in the hour of your need, if you do this for us.”

The King Elephant laughed on hearing this and replied, “You mice are very small

to be of any help to giants like us. But it doesn’t matter, we would favor you by

changing our route to reach the lake and making you safer”. The King of Mice

thanked the King Elephant and returned home.

One day a group of elephant-hunters came and trapped the group of elephants in

huge strong nets. The elephants struggled hard to free themselves, but all in vain.

Suddenly, the King Elephant remembered the promise of the King of Mice. He

summoned one of the elephants of his herd which had not been trapped, to go and

contact the King of Mice.

On listening to the elephant, the King of Mice immediately took his entire group

of mice to rescue the herd. He found the elephants trapped in a thick net. The

mice set themselves on the task. They nibbled the thick net at thousands of spots

making it loose. The elephants broke the loose net and got free. They were

grateful to the mice for their great help and became friends for ever.

MORAL: Sometimes a weak looking person may prove stronger than others.

The Little Mice And The Big Elephants A Story from The Panchatantra

Found on culturalindia.net

The Rabbit And The Coyote A Fable from Brazil

Found on worldoftales.com

T his is a story of Uncle Rabbit and the coyote. The rabbit came to a big

rock, and there he deceived the coyote. He was leaning on the rock

when the coyote came by.

"What are you doing, brother?" the coyote asked the rabbit.

"Come here quickly, brother, the sky is falling down on top of us. Lean against

the rock and hold it up while I go for a stick. We'll prop it up with that," said the

rabbit to the coyote.

"All right," said the coyote and began holding it up with all his might. Since the

coyote was so stupid, he did exactly what the rabbit told him to. The rabbit had

said that he was going to get a stick, but he went and left the coyote holding up

the rock. When the rabbit didn't return the coyote shouted:

"Come back, brother! The weight of the rock has made me tired."

The rabbit still didn't come back.

"No matter, I'm going to leave even though the sky may fall down on top of us,"

said the coyote. But when he ran away he fell into a ravine. The rabbit never came

back to the rock and the coyote was lost.

MORAL: Don’t believe everything you hear.

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The Rabbit And The Coyote Except from Fables: Anything But Aesop

*Used with special permission from playwright Mera Kathryn Corlett*

ARCHIE (Cont.) In the middle of the Cerrado (Say-ra-du) there lived

a coelho (“quay-yo”), a rabbit. She was very clever. (RABBIT enters.)

Also living in the Cerrado was a coyote. He was very

foolish. (COYOTE enters.)

The coyote was so gullible that he would believe any-

thing that Rabbit told him.

RABBIT

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!!

COYOTE

Where?

RABBIT

All around us. Rapidamente, quickly, hide under this

very heavy bolder.

COYOTE

Under it?

RABBIT

Just lift it up over your head for protection. I will

go find us a stick to prop it up.

COYOTE

Okay. (He lifts the boulder over

his head. It is very

heavy and he wavers back

and forth.) Have you found the stick yet?

RABBIT

Not yet. Just hold on to that boulder, por favor.

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The Rabbit And The Coyote Except from Fables: Anything But Aesop

*Used with special permission from playwright Mera Kathryn Corlett*

COYOTE

How about now?

RABBIT

Still looking.

(RABBIT walks off stage.)

COYOTE

How about now, Rabbit? Rabbit? Rabbit?

(COYOTE peeks his head out

and looks up to check sky.

He double checks and throws

the boulder away.) RABBIT!!!!

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Sources Fable Genre:

"Definition of fable." Merriam-Webster's Student Dictionary. Web.

Rosen, Suri. How to tell a fable. St. Catharines, Ont.: Crabtree Pub., 2012. Print.

Fables that appear in play:

Greenwood, Marie, and Annabel Spenceley. "The Dragon and The Monkey.” Fifty Stories for 7 Year Olds. New York: Gallery, 1990.

"The Monkey and the Crocodile." Long Long Time Ago. 01 Nov. 2014. Web.

"The Musical Donkey." Tales of Panchatantra. Web.

"The Rabbit and The Coyote." South American folktales - The Rabbit and The Coyote. Ed. Elsie

Spicer Eells. N.p., n.d. Web.

"The Wisdom of the Eagle and the Treachery of the Hyena." Fairy Tales Of The World. Ed. Frans

Timmermans. Web.

Fables that appear in guide:

Dutton, Maude Barrows, comp. The tortoise and the geese: and other fables of Bidpai. Chapel Hill,

NC: Yesterday's Classics, 2008. Print.

Greenwood, Marie, and Annabel Spenceley. "The Miller, His Son and Their Donkey."Fifty Stories for 5 Year Olds. New York: Gallery, 1988.

"The Lion and the Mouse." Story Arts Aesop's ABC. Web.

"The Little Mice and the Big Elephants." Cultural India. Web.

Panchatantra:

"Animal Tales Travel Around the World." Asia Society. Web.

"Background of Panchatantra: Summary, Origin & Influence." Tales of Panchatantra. Web.

We hope you have enjoyed this year’s performance of StoryTime Theatre—

Fables: Anything But Aesop We request that you take a few moments to fill

out a short survey to help us understand how we can continue to meet your

classroom needs. Visit the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X8YNYWK

Special thanks to:

The Shubert Foundation, Mera Cossey Corlett & Kevin Corlett, Paul

Lenzi & Geraldine Anne Snyder, Clay Marshall, Communities in

Schools of Clark County, Laura Patterson and the Stagecraft Class at

Walden Theatre Conservatory!

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