Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers Teacher Guide - TABLE OF CONTENTS

Objectives …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Meet the Producers & Characters …………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Meet the Authors ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….... 4 What is an Opera? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 A Short History of Opera ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6 Opera Production ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 7 Opera Vocabulary and Pronunciation Guide …………………………………………………………………. 8-9

Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers - The Story ……………….. …… ………….…..…....... 10

Suggested Lesson Plans including NYS Educational Standards ……………………………..11-12

WORKSHEETS

Language Arts All Grades PreK-1 3-63-63-63-6K-62-6

This Book Belongs to Cover …………………………………………………………………….. 13 Matching Pictures ………………………………………………………………………….…………. 14 A Fairy Tale Recipe ……………………………………………………………………………………. 15 Write a Class Fairy Tale …………………………………………………………………………….. 16 Investigate the Opera/Fill In the Blanks …………………………………………….. 17-18 The Opera Pie ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 Reporter at Large ………………………………………………………………………………………. 20 Critic’s Corner ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 21

Music 3-6 Opera Word Search …………………………………………………………………………………… 22

All Subjects 3-6 Draw Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers………………………………………………. 23

ANSWER SHEETS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 26

TEACHER/ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATION FORM …………………………………………………… 27

APPENDIX PAGESLibretto InfluencesMusical InfluencesCreate Your Own Comic Strip

1

3-6 The Real Happily Ever After Game..................................................... 24-25

OBJECTIVES

Purpose of the Teacher Guide

To acquaint the audience with musical storytelling

To familiarize students with the “world of opera” – its vocabulary, history, etc.

To provide an innovative, new, multi-disciplinary approach to teaching requiredskills and curriculum

To promote the understanding of how opera, as an art form, reflects and

comments on our society and the world in which we live

To promote realization of the importance of literature as a mirror of humanexperience, reflecting human motives, conflicts, and values

To help students identify with fictional characters in human situations as ameans of relating to others

BEFORE ATTENDING THE PERFORMANCE ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

Recognize the character names

Recognize voice classifications

Understand how music and drama combine to tell a story

2

Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers

The Producers

Composer Kamala Sankaram

Librettist David Johnston

Set Designer Richard Kagey

Costume Designer Aaron Chvatal

Stage Director Richard Kagey

Music Director/Pianist Neill Campbell

The Characters

Monkey Anthony Rohr

Francine Alicia Russell

Monkey Queen/Lord Tiger Katarina Galagaza

Monkey King/Crocodile/Lady Tiger Thomas Lynch

3

Meet the Authors

Composer – Kamala Sankaram: Praised as “strikingly original” (NY Times), and a “new voice from whom we

will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram has received commissions from Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, the PROTOTYPE Festival, Opera on Tap, Opera Memphis,

and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, among others. She is the recipient of a Jonathan Larson Award from the American

Theater Wing, and has received grants from Opera America, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kevin Spacey Foundation, and the MAP Fund. Residencies and fellowships include the MacDowell Colony, the Watermill Center,

the Civilians, HERE Arts Center, CAP21, Con Edison/Exploring the Metropolis, the Hermitage, and American Lyric Theater. As a resident artist at HERE Arts Center, Kamala created MIRANDA, which was the winner of the New York

Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical. THUMBPRINT, her second opera (written in collaboration with librettist Susan Yankowitz), premiered in the 2014 PROTOTYPE Festival, and was featured on

NPR’s Weekend Edition, Agence French Presse, and over 25 media outlets around the world. THUMBPRINT has

since received productions at LA Opera and Opera Ithaca. She is currently working with Opera on Tap and librettist Jerre Dye on THE PARKSVILLE MURDERS, the first opera written for virtual reality. Episode 1 is now available on

SamsungVR.

As a performer, Kamala Sankaram has been hailed as “an impassioned soprano with blazing high notes” (Wall

Street Journal). She has performed and premiered pieces with Beth Morrison Projects, Anthony Braxton, and the Wooster Group, among others, and is the leader of Bombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble whose

debut was named Best Eclectic Album by the Independent Music Awards Vox Pop. Bombay Rickey’s opera-cabaret on the life of Yma Sumac premiered in the 2016 PROTOTYPE Festival and was most recently presented in London

at Tête-à-Tête Opera’s Cubitt Sessions. Bombay Rickey has been selected for the 2017/18 season’s Mid-Atlantic Arts touring roster, and will release their sophomore album in the spring of 2018.

Dr. Sankaram holds a PhD from the New School and is currently a member of the composition faculty at SUNY Purchase.For more information, visit - http://kamalasankaram.com/

Librettist - David Johnston: David Johnston is an award-winning playwright, librettist and screenwriter. His plays

have been performed and read at the New Group, Moving Arts, the Neighborhood Playhouse, HB Playwrights

Foundation and Ensemble Studio Theatre. New York productions with Blue Coyote Theater Group include Coney, Conversations on Russian Literature, a new adaptation of The Oresteia (Time Out Best of 2007); Busted Jesus Comix (GLAAD nominee 2005, London, Los Angeles, DC Cap Fringe, Prague); A Bush Carol, or George Dubya and the Xmas of Evil, and Effie Jean in Tahiti (both with music and lyrics by Stephen Speights); Regional credits include

The George Place (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater). Mr. Johnston works frequently with director Kevin Newbury.

Their collaborations include Candy and Dorothy (GLAAD winner 2006, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Unexpected Stage, In the Now Productions), The Eumenides, and the award-winning short film Monsura is Waiting (Best Fantasy

Film – Mexico International Film Festival, Best Cult Short – Queen City Film Festival). Publications include Saturday with Martin (Short Plays to Long Remember, TnT), The Eumenides (Playing With Canons, New York Theatre

Experience, Inc.), Leaving Tangier (Samuel French), A Number on the Roman Calendar (Applause Theater Books), A Funeral Home in Brooklyn, and A Lesson (Smith & Kraus).

Playwriting awards include Theater Oxford, Playwright Residency at the University of Cincinnati, a Berrilla Kerr Foundation Grant, the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation, and the Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation. He wrote the libretto

for the chamber opera, Why Is Eartha Kitt Trying to Kill Me?: A Love Story (American Lyric Theatre, composed by Jeffrey Dennis Smith, premiered July 2018, Urban Arias) and Daughters of the Bloody Duke, commissioned by

Washington National Opera for the American Opera Initiative at the Kennedy Center, composed by Jake Runestad.

Mr. Johnston was graduated from the College of William and Mary and completed the Professional Workshop at

Circle in the Square. He is a member of Actors Equity, Dramatists Guild, BMI Librettists Workshop, ASCAP, the Actors Studio’s Playwright/Director’s Workshop, and Charles Maryan’s Playwrights/Directors Workshop. He is an

alumni artist of American Lyric Theatre. Recent projects include a new opera for Houston Grand Opera, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers with composer Kamala Sankaram and Mercy Street, an opera adaptation of the

Anne Sexton play, with composer Drew Hemenger. Since 2012, David has been the Executive Director of Exploring

the Metropolis, Inc., the only NYC-based nonprofit focused exclusively on workspace issues for performing artists, organizations and facilities. Find more at http://davidjohnstonplaywright.com.

4

What is an Opera?

Ask students for their ideas of what an opera is. Write opera on the board. Under it, list the students’ answers. Ask again after the performance and see if their opinions have changed.

What is an opera?

An opera is simply a play in which people sing. In most operas, all the words are sung. There are other types of operas, however, in which there is as much speaking as singing.

If an opera is just a play, then why do people sing?

The theater has been around for hundreds of years, and our society is fascinated with drama, whether it be on television, in the movies, or at the theater. Music isadded to all these types of entertainment to enhance the feelings being portrayed. Singing is a very special form of music because the instrument we use to sing (like our feelings) comes from inside us. Our voice is a part of us which expresses how we feel, whether we sing, talk, shout, laugh, cry, moan, growl, whisper, gasp, hiss, etc. Naturally, actors have used singing to express their feelings from the beginnings of theater; however, opera as we know it is only about 400 yearsold. Operas powerfully combine the drama of the theater with music, vocal and instrumental, to create the lasting art form that is enjoyed today throughout the world.

Why perform a children’s opera instead of just a play?

We like to say that opera “has it all.” Students recognize this instantly. There are so many aspects to an opera that are fascinating to young people: music, acting, singing, storytelling, costumes, sets, makeup, etc. Children’s opera brings all these things together and presents them in a fun way… there’s no question why students like it. It’s fun!

5

A Short History of Opera

The word “opera” is the plural form of the Latin word “opus” which translates quite literally

as “work.” The use of the plural form alludes to the abundance of art forms that combine

to create an operatic performance. Today we accept the word “opera” as a reference to a

theatrically based musical art form in which the drama is propelled by the sung

declamation of text accompanied by instrumental music.

Opera as an art form can claim its origin with the inclusion of incidental music that was

performed during the tragedies and comedies popular during ancient Greek times. The

tradition of including music as an integral part of the theatrical activities expanded in

Roman times and continued through the Middle Ages. Surviving examples of liturgical

dramas and vernacular plays from Medieval times show the use of music as a part of the

action, as do the vast mystery and morality plays of the 15th and 16th centuries. Most

music historians hold that the first completely sung musical drama (or opera) developed as

a result of discussions held in Florence, Italy in the 1570’s by an informal academy known

as the Camerata which led to the musical setting of Rinuccini’s drama, Dafne, by composer

Jacopo Peri in 1597.

The work of such early Italian masters as Giulio Caccini and Claudio Monteverdi led to the

development of a through-composed musical entertainment comprised of recitative

sections which revealed the plot of the drama, followed by arias which provided the singer

an opportunity for personal reflection. The function of the chorus in these early works

mirrored that of the character of the same name found in Greek drama. The new form of

opera was greeted favorably by the public and quickly became popular entertainment.

Opera has flourished through the world as a vehicle for the expression of the full range of

human emotions. Italians claim the art form as their own – retaining dominance in the

field through the death of Giacomo Puccini in 1924. Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and

Puccini developed the art form through clearly defined periods of development which

produced opera buffa, opera seria, bel canto, and verismo. The Austrian Mozart

championed the Singspiel (sing play), which combined the spoken word with music, a

form also used by Beethoven, Bizet, and Offenbach. Gounod and Meyerbeer were the

leaders in French opera, which combined lavish sets and costumes, and incorporated ballet.

The Germans von Weber, Richard Strauss, and Wagner developed the unique style of opera

popular in their home country. The English, Spanish, and Viennese also helped to establish

opera as a form of entertainment which continues to enjoy great popularity throughout the

world.

With the beginning of the 20th century, composers in America diverged from European

traditions in order to focus on their own roots while exploring and developing the vast body

of the country’s folk music and legends. Composers such as Aaron Copland, Douglas

Moore, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and Carlisle Floyd have all crafted operas which

have been presented throughout the world to great success. Today, composers John

Adams, Philip Glass, John Corgliano, and Mark Adamo enjoy success both at home and

abroad and are credited with the infusion of new life into an art form which continues to

evolve even as it approaches its fifth century.

6

Opera Production A pie with lots of pieces!

Opera is created by the combination of a myriad of art forms. First and foremost are the

actors/singers who portray characters by revealing their thoughts and emotions through

the singing voice. The next very important component is a full symphony orchestra which

accompanies the singing actors and actresses, helping to portray the full range of emotions

possible in an opera. These performances are further enhanced by wigs, costumes, sets,

and specialized lighting, all of which are designed, created, and then made by a team of

highly trained artisans.

The creation of an opera begins with a dramatic concept created by a playwright, who

alone or with help fashions the script or libretto – the words the artists will sing. Working

together, the composer and librettist team up to create a musical drama in which the

music and words work together to express the emotions revealed in the story. When their

work is done, the composer and librettist entrust their work to another duo, the conductor

and stage director. These two are responsible for bringing the story to life. The conductor

prepares the music, while the stage director is in charge of what we see on the stage.

The design team, with help from the stage director, take charge of the physical production

of the story world on stage. Set designers, lighting designers, costume designers, wig and

makeup designers and even choreographers are brought on board to help create a new

production. A set designer combines the skills of an artist and an architect using blueprint

plans to design the physical settings required by the storyline. These blueprints are turned

over to a team of carpenters who are specially trained in the art of stage carpentry. After

the set is constructed, painters paint the set following the original plans from the set

designer. When the set is assembled on the stage, the lighting designer works with a

team of electricians to throw light on the stage and the set, meeting the practical needs of

the actors on stage and also creating a mood for the audience. Using specialized lighting

instruments, color gels, and computers, the lighting designer plots out which lights come

on, at what time, and how quickly or slowly throughout the story of the opera.

The costume designer consults the stage director to design appropriate clothing for the

singers. These designs are then made into patterns and created by a team of highly

skilled artisans called cutters, stitchers, and sewers. Each costume is specially made for

each singer using his or her individual measurements. The wig and makeup designer,

working with the costume designer, designs and creates wigs which will complement both

the costume and the singer as well as represent historically accurate fashions.

As a performance nears, rehearsals are held on the newly constructed set, using the

costumes, lights, and orchestra to ensure a cohesive performance that will be both

dramatically and musically satisfying to the audience.

7

Opera Vocabulary and

Pronunciation Guide

Aria

Baritone

Bass

Bel Canto

Choreography

Coloratura

Contralto

Conductor

Composer

Designer

Duet

Ensemble

French operetta

Libretto

Mezzo Soprano

Opera

Opera Buffa

(AH-ree-ah). A musical piece for solo voice.

(BARE-ih-tone). The middle range male voice.

(BASE). Lowest male voice.

(behl-CAHN-toh). Literally “beautiful singing”. Also a style of Italian opera made popular by composers Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti in the 19th century, which showcased the singing voice.

Coordinated movements by performers in a play, musical, ballet, or opera

(coh-loh-rah-TOO-rah). A singing style when singers sing very fast florid scales and arpeggios, usually all on one sound or syllable of a word.

The lowest female voice.

The person who leads the orchestra.

The person who writes the music.

Person who creates the scenery, costumes, and lights.

A piece of music performed by two individual singers or instruments

Two or more singers singing and expressing their emotions at the same time.

a style of light opera with spoken dialogue from 19th

century France.

(lih-BREHT-toh). Literally “little book”, this is the text or

words of an opera.

(MEH-tso soh-PRAH-noh). The middle female voice.

(AH-peh-rah). A play that uses singing instead of

speaking and is accompanied by instrumental music.

(BOOF-ah). Funny or lightheartedly themed opera.

8

Opera seria (SEH-ree-ah). Dramatic or seriously themed opera.

Overture The prelude to an opera, played by the orchestra alone.

Recitative (reh-chih-tah-TEEV). A type of musical speaking where the words of the singer are sung in the rhythm of natural

speech with melody added. Recitative is usually used between arias and ensembles to propel the story line.

Props Objects placed on the stage and used by the actors.

Score The book that contains the music and words of an opera.

Set The scenery used on the stage to show location.

Singspiel A type of opera created in Germany that uses spoken

dialogue between arias and ensembles.

Soprano The highest female voice.

Stage Director The person who decides how the singers will move on

stage and how they will act while they are singing their parts.

Tenor (TEH-nor). The highest male voice.

Trio A piece of music performed by three individual singers or instrumentalists

Verismo (veh-RIHZ-moh). A style of Italian opera with very realistic characters popular in the late 19th and early 20th

century.

Vibrato (vih-BRAH-toh). The natural way for a voice or instrument to enlarge its sound through a rapid and small waver in pitch. Vibrato makes sound carry further

and sound more powerful.

Vocal range The scope of the human voice from its highest to its lowest sounds. Voices fall into these categories:

Female Soprano High Mezzo-Soprano Middle

Contralto Low

Male Tenor High Baritone Middle Bass Low

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Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers – The Story

In the Royal Monkey Palace in the Royal Monkey Kingdom in the middle of the world, Monkey and

his sister Francine are the smart, mischievous children of King and Queen Monkey. Their parents are proud of young Monkey, who will one day become King, while their feisty daughter will always be their sweet

Francine. But Francine is no ordinary princess - she loves to read and she is very smart - she wants to run

the army and sail the seven seas one day! When our story begins, King Monkey and Queen Monkey are worried because the Tigers have been stealing from them - gold, food, even bananas. They warn their

children not to talk to Crocodiles or go into the forest alone, but the kids are too busy playing their favorite game, “Crocodile Crunch.”

Later that evening, Monkey and Francine are getting ready for bed. Monkey spies the moon out the window and fantasizes that it is a huge, fluffy dumpling for him to eat. Francine tries to explain that

it’s only the moon, but Monkey climbs out the window into the tree to fetch it anyway when the branch suddenly breaks and he lands on the riverbank right next to a hungry Crocodile. The scheming Crocodile

tells the famished Monkey about a special place right across the river where he can find all the food he desires, and Monkey jumps on the Croc’s head for a ride across the water. Once they are out in the river,

the Crocodile admits there is no special place: he lured Monkey out into the river to eat his monkey heart!

The quick-witted Monkey explains that this cannot be, as he left his monkey heart behind in a tree on the riverbank. Crocodile agrees to take him back, and Monkey climbs the tree and back to safety while Crocodile

snoozes by the water. Monkey frantically explains to Francine how he narrowly escaped, and Francine hatches a new plan - they will skin the sleeping Crocodile and use the Crocodile suit to play Crocodile

Crunch. She fetches the good kitchen knife and gives it to Monkey, who shimmies down the tree and steals

the Crocodile’s skin. However, when he returns, something is amiss. The room is empty, the books are torn, and Francine is gone! One clue is left behind - Francine has underlined “Tiger” on a page torn from

one of her books to tell him the Tigers have kidnapped her. Monkey packs a bag and his new Crocodile suit and sets out to rescue his sister.

Meanwhile, Francine is tied to post outside the City of Tigers. Never one to give up so easily, she

remembers books she has read on knots, magic, and martial arts and attempts to free herself. When these

tricks don’t work, she sings about how much she will love and miss her family if she has to be stuck in the City of Tigers forever. As he searches the forest alone, Monkey also sings about how he loves his sister and

knows he will get to see her again someday. When he finally finds her, Monkey tells Francine how he got the Crocodile suit and Francine tells him how the evil Lady Tiger kidnapped her. Monkey frees Francine,

but when it is time to decide which way to go they argue so loudly that they don’t hear Lady Tiger coming

back to take them BOTH prisoner. She brings them to the Lord of Tigers for judgement. Lord Tiger gets caught up in singing about how smart and great and beloved he is by all the tigers, and he thanks Francine

and Monkey for coming to be his snack. But clever Francine has another plan and tells Monkey to give her the Crocodile suit and follow her lead. She tells Lord Tiger that if he only sets them free, he will be saved

from an evil monster who has come to destroy him. (She read in a book once that tigers are afraid of Crocodiles!) Monkey catches on and plays along, warning Lord and Lady Tiger that they have invited a

monster into their house. They insist that the Tigers must return the gold they stole from the monkeys and

let Monkey and Francine go or they will surely be eaten. Of course, Lord and Lady Tiger find this “joke” very funny and don’t believe the young monkeys… until Monkey secretly slips on the Crocodile suit and

eats Francine! The terrified tigers see this and pandemonium ensues. The tigers are so scared they give back all the gold they have stolen, and Monkey and Francine (now together in the Crocodile suit) escape

back to the Royal Monkey Palace. When King Monkey and Queen Monkey ask them where they’ve been,

Monkey and Francine proudly show them how they brought back all the stolen gold and saved the Monkey Kingdom from the City of Tigers. King Monkey proudly states how his brave son will be King one day, but

Monkey stops him and explains that he and Francine will rule together. The king is shocked - this has never been done before. Monkey tells his dad that Francine is just as strong, smart, and fast as him and when

they work together, they can do anything! He asks Francine to co-rule with him, she accepts, and the whole

Royal Monkey Family sings of their lasting bond and lives happily ever after.

10

Suggested Lesson Plans

We hope that teachers of all elementary grade levels, preK-6 will find something in our handbook to use in their classroom. Below are some suggestions for lesson plans in various curriculum areas. Indicated in Italicized Bold are the corresponding NYS Educational standards for each suggested activity or worksheet.

LANGUAGE ARTS - NYS English Arts Learning Standards*

Pre Opera Activities

Reading: Every student should know the story line from the opera. Encourage students to read the enclosed synopsis of Monkey & Francine from this book. Encourage older students to read to younger students, partnering students in a “big brother, little sister” program. Have students combine all their worksheets and pictures and cover them with the “This Book Belongs to” cover provided in the teacher guide. *1, 2, 4

Worksheet Activities: PreK-1 Matching Pictures 3-6 A Fairy Tale Recipe/Write a Class Fairy Tale *2

Post Opera Activities

Reading: Read a few fairy/folk tales to your class and/or tell a story. *2

Writing: Drama, conflict, resolutions, and the way in which these ingredients transform and illuminate characters are what make any story interesting. Have your students explore the story of Monkey & Francine in writing. Use the “Reporter at Large” worksheet as a prompt. *2, 4

Writing: Assist students in writing a critical review of the performance of Monkey & Francine. Studentsin grades K-2 can be guided in using simple words to express their musical experience. Students in grades 2-6 should use reviews from newspapers or websites as a model. Use the “Critic’s Corner” worksheet as atemplate. This project will facilitate students’ listening, writing, communication, and aesthetic judgmentskills. Have a contest for the best review, and send it back to us… we love feedback. *3

Writing: Assist students in writing an original story. The story can then be utilized in music class as the libretto for an original opera. *2, 4

Worksheet Activities: K-6 Reporter at Large *3 2-6 Critic’s Corner, #3 3-6 Investigate Opera & Fill in the Blanks

The Opera Pie & 5 W’s of Opera *1, 2

SOCIAL STUDIES - NYS Social Studies Standards*

Post Opera Activities

Many operas as well as stories are multi-cultural. Discuss the methods writers/composers use to effectively communicate ideas that appeal and are relevant to various ethnic and cultural groups. Compare and contrast fairy tales from different regions and time periods.

Worksheet Activities: 3-6 Investigate the Opera *2

11

MUSIC - NYS Learning Standards for the Arts*

Post Opera Activities

Music communicates information about the characters, their feelings and their environment. Watch a “scary” scene from a movie with the sound turned off. Explain to students the power music has to create a feeling or a mood. What’s missing? Watch again with the sound on and discuss how the music adds to the scene. Talk about scene from Monkey & Francine thatmade them laugh or feel scared. How does tempo and pitch convey certain ideas? How do rhythm, dynamics and tone affect the story the music is telling? This exercise can be used to learn both mood and rhythm words. *3

Worksheet Activities: Opera Vocabulary and Pronunciation Guide *2, 4 Opera Wordsearch *2 Investigate the Opera & Fill in the Blanks *4

ALL ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Post Opera Activities

Pre K to 2: Included in the teacher guide are supplemental cut-and-paste activities to promote motor

and language arts skills. All that is needed for these activities are scissors, crayons, and paste.

Worksheet Activities: Draw Monkey & Francine in the City of TigersMatching Pictures

12

13

Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers

Matching Pictures Name: ___________________________

Cut and past the pictures from the bottom next to the pictures that they match.

14

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15

WRITE A CLASS FAIRY TALE

In this exercise, each student contributes to a class fairy tale. Use questions based on the “Fairy Tale Recipe” chart to help in writing a story. Record students’ sentences on the chalkboard. Each student then illustrates his or her contribution to the story, and the pages are displayed around the room or collected into book format.

If the class is large, you may want to compose two or more tales, using variations from the “recipe.” The teacher begins the story with “Once upon a time…” and then calls on individual students for contributions. If students have difficulty, remind them of the fairy tale recipe story elements and the five W’s – who, what, when, where, why.

Students can also write their own fairy tales to add to the class book or make individual books for themselves or for everyone to enjoy. The book cover sheet included in this guide could be copied with the title “This book belongs to….” masked, so that students could insert their own book titles or story titles.

16

INVESTIGATE OPERA

WHAT DOES THE WORD OPERA MEAN?

The word opera comes from the Latin word opus, which means "work". What is a work? It is something a person makes or thinks up. It is a poem or a song or a drawing or a composition or any other creative thing a person makes. The plural of opus is opera in the

Latin language. Today we use the word opera to describe one large work of performing art

that contains many creative parts. An opera is many works that are combined together. In

opera there is instrumental music, a dramatic play or comedy, singing and acting, scenery,

costumes, special lighting, and sometimes dancing.

WHERE DID OPERA BEGIN?

Opera was created over 400 years ago in Florence, Italy. In 1597, a composer named

Jacopo Peri (JAH-coh-poh PEH-ree) wrote a play that was sung throughout instead of being spoken. He did this because he was trying to write a play the way the ancient Greeks did.

During this period, educated people were trying to learn all they could about the world of

ancient Greece so they could imitate it. The first opera was about a character in Greek

mythology named Daphne. The idea of presenting plays that were sung became very

popular and more and more composers began to combine music and drama. Love of opera

spread all over Europe and eventually the world. Operas have been written in every

language and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down.

As in a play, designers must be called on to create the costumes, lights, sets, and makeup for an opera production. When the actual performance approaches, the singers have dress

rehearsals where they get to wear their new costumes and perform on the newly built scenery. Rehearsals give the singers/actors an opportunity to practice their music and their

acting with one another.

The person who actually writes the words for an opera is called a librettist. Often the words

are adapted from an existing story or play. Kamala Sankaram is the composer, and David Johnston is the librettist of the opera Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers which Seagle

Music Colony is performing at your school.

HOW IS THE OPERATIC VOICE DIFFERENT?

Operatic singing is different from popular singing. There is more vibration in an opera singer’s voice. This vibration is called vibrato, an Italian word. It helps the singer hold notes for a long time without taking a breath. Proper breathing is very important because the air in the lungs must be let out very slowly in a controlled way. Opera singers must be able to sing very high and very low, in a wide range, and sing fast runs, which are many notes in a row sung very rapidly. They do not use microphones to project their voices. All the power in their voices must come from inside their bodies. It takes years of study and practice to learn to do this. The highest singing female voice is called soprano and the lowest male voice is called bass. Opera singers must be able to sing in different languages because most operas are performed in the language in which they were originally written.

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FILL IN THE BLANKS

Now that you know all about opera, see if you can fill in the blanks below with the correct

answer. Refer back to “Investigate the Opera” for the answers.

1. The person who writes the music is the _______________________________ .

2. The composer of Monkey & Francine in the City of Tigers is_____________________ .

3. The person who writes the words to an opera is called a________________________ .

4. The city where the first opera was performed was ____________________________ .

5. The person who creates the costumes and sets is a ___________________________ .

6. In Monkey & Francine the character of Francine is sung by the highest female voice,

which is called _____________________________________ .

7. The singers have __________________________________ so they can practice.

8. A play that is sung throughout is an ___________________________ .

9. _______________________ is the Italian word that makes the difference between an

opera singer’s voice and a popular singer’s voice.

10. Many notes in a row which are sung very rapidly are called __________________ .

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THE OPERA PIE

Make your own “Opera Pie” by listing the different kinds of performing arts that make up one whole opera.

Make each piece of the pie a different color. Color in the boxes next to the different components of each opera.

PIE LEGEND

THE 5 W’S OF OPERA HISTORY

WHO wrote the first opera? _____________________________

WHAT was the name of the first opera? _____________________________

WHERE was the first opera performed? _____________________________

WHEN was the first opera written? _____________________________

WHY was the play sung instead of spoken? _____________________________

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Reporter at Large: Fill in the name of your newspaper, and write a news article about the adventures of Monkey & Francine. Add an illustration for your article.

MONKEY PRINCE & PRINCESS OUTSMART CROC AND TIGER ROYALTY

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Article By ____________________________________________

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Critic’s Corner Pretend that you are an opera critic for a newspaper. Write a review of the opera. Did you like the opera? Why or why not? Was it funny, sad, scary? Did Seagle Music Colony give a good performance? Remember that it is the critic’s job to report both the positive and negative accurately. Have your teacher send Seagle Music Colony the review. Make sure your name, grade, and school are on the review. Your opinion really counts.

The Daily Newspaper

NEWS RELEASE:

By ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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School ______________________________ City ____________________________ Grade _________

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THE REAL HAPPILY EVER AFTER GAME INSTRUCTIONS

Assembly Directions:

1. Color the game board and paste it inside a manila folder.2. Cut out the pointer. Back it with heavy paper and attach it to the circle on the game

board with a heavy fastener.3. Color the beans and cut them out. Store them in an envelope inside the folder.4. Cut out the directions at the bottom of this page. Paste them inside the folder across

from the game board.

Variations:

1. Replace the terms “character,” “setting,” and “prop” with “person,” “place,” and “thing.”2. Make this an individual activity. Write “prop,” “character,” and “setting” on spring type

clothespins (one for each board picture.) Direct the student to clip clothespins onto thecorrect picture. Make the activity self-checking by writing correct answers on the outsideof the folder.

THE REAL HAPPILY EVER AFTER GAME

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Choose a magic bean from the envelope for yourmarker.

2. Place all the markers on “Start.”

3. The first player spins and moves his or her marker tothe first space on the board having a correct answer.For example, if the spinner stops at “Character,” theplayer places the bean on the picture of Jack.

4. If a player moves to an incorrect space, he or shemust return the bean to where it was at thebeginning of the move.

5. Players take turns spinning and moving beans tocontinue the game.

6. The first player to land on the beanstalk by theexact spin wins the game.

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INVESTIGATE THE OPERA/FILL IN THE BLANKS

6. soprano

7. rehearsals8. opera

9. vibrato

1. Composer

2. Kamala Sankaram3. Librettist

4. Florence, Italy

5. Designer 10. run

THE OPERA PIE

symphony orchestra costumes theater singing

acting scenery

special lighting dancing

THE FIVE W’S OF OPERA HISTORY

Who Jacopo Peri

What Daphne Where Florence, Italy

When 1597 Why To write a play the same way as the

ancient Greeks

OPERA WORD SEARCH

STUDENT WORKSHEET ANSWER GUIDE

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Teacher/Administrator Evaluation Form

Date of Performance School Grade levels

Address City/Town State County

Total students in attendance: BOCES:

Demographics: (this information is important for our grant documentation)

Percentages of student population: White _____ Black _____ Hispanic _____ Other _____

Percentage of student population living in homes below poverty level: _____

Percentage of students receiving government assisted lunch program: ______

Please circle below to rate our program, 1-unaccepatble, 2-below average, 3-average,

4-good, 5-excellent

Were the preparatory materials helpful? 1 2 3 4 5

Were the performers courteous and professional during their visit? 1 2 3 4 5

Was the production suitable for an educational environment? 1 2 3 4 5

Was the production suitable for the age group attending? 1 2 3 4 5

Did the performance hold the students’ attention? 1 2 3 4 5

Please describe the students’ reaction to the performance:

Comments: Please include here any other comments or suggestions about the teacher guide or perfor-

mance that you may have that would help us improve our program. Your comments may be included in fu-

ture marketing materials. If you do NOT want to be quoted, please check here: ______

Would you be willing to book a visit from Seagle Music Colony next year? ___________

Signature THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS FORM!

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l i b r e t t o I n f l u e n c e s

According to David Johnston, the characters in this brand new story were inspired by age-old folktales, epic poems, modern comic books, and even Kung Fu movies.

This includes the Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem which narrates the struggle of the divine prince Rama to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Hanuman (pictured on right) is the monkey-companion of Rama. He is viewed as the ideal combination of “strength, heroic initiative and assertive excel-lence” and “loving, emotional devotion.” He symbolizes the human qualities of inner self-control, faith and service to a cause, hidden behind the first impressions of a being who looks like a monkey.

Hanuman is stated by scholars to be the inspiration for the allegory-filled adventures of the monkey hero, Sun Wukong, in the Xiyouji (Journey to the West) – the great Chinese poetic novel (pictured on left). He is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices.

Another source of inspiration were the Amar Chitra Katha comic books, which aim to spread knowledge and create a bet-ter awareness about Indian mythology. Here is a sample comic that features an encounter with a tiger:

M u s i c a l I n f l u e n c e s

Composer Kamala Sankaram combined several musical styles to create this unique, world premiere. She drew from her diverse artistic background which inspired a fresh take on opera.

She sent us some fun YouTube links that highlight her source material:

Bollywood legend RD Burman (pictured on left), “Mera Pyaar Shalimar” is a good example of his ability to combine Latin influences with Indian music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAAFE1u6fuY

Kamala loves this song,“Lekar Hum Deewana Dil”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1rAsrjAeU0

Mulatu Astatke (pictured on right), “Mulatu of Ethiopia” - father of Ethiopian jazz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrjxHiUx1ps

Frances Bebey, “Sanza Nocturne” - mixed traditional sanza (mbira) with psyche-delia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7033W-8meI

The music of Monkey & Francine also uses Hindustani ragas: Sudh Sarang and Chandranandan. Ragas are found in Hindustani music, a form of classical music from Northern India. Ragas are most similar to Greek modes, like the Dorian and Phrygian scale. Ragas gain their character from the number of notes within a scale, the actual pitches, the order of pitches in ascending versus descending passages, and the relative importance of notes within the scale.

Scales are notated using swara, which is similar to solfege in Western music (made famous in The Sound of Music by Rodgers & Hammerstein):Sa (Do), Ri (Re), Ga (Mi) Ma (Fa), Pa (So), Da (La), Ni (Ti)

Notes may be raised or lowered by a half step. This is usually indicated by case, so in a scale starting on C, an E flat would be written as lowercase “ga.”

Descending (avaroha) passages may use different notes than ascending (aroha) passages, so you’ll usually be given the swara for each.

Ragas used in Monkey & Francine include:

Sudh SarangAroha - S m R M P N SAvaroha - S N D P M P D P m R S

Chandranandan (Raga for the moon)Aroha - S G m d n SAvaroha - R S n d P m G m g S

Kamala is in a band called Bombay Rickey!

Create your own comic strip!Monkey & Francine in the ...

Librettist David Johnston said comic books were a big inspiration in the creation of this opera. Simply add more blocks if you need them. Will you write a sequel to this opera or a brand new story? Send us copies of your artwork and we may feature them on Facebook!