Theatre Bristol proudly presents

Beauty and the Beast

Directed by Amy Neal Bussey

At the Paramount Center for the Arts

School Performances: May 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 16, 2003, At 9:30 and 11:30 daily

Public Performance: Sunday, May 11 at 2:30 p.m.

Please note this is a non-musical staged version of the original fairy tale. While this is not the Disney version of the story, it is every bit as good!

Sponsored by: King Pharmaceuticals

Supplemental study guide materials

History of the Story
Like Cinderella, the tale of Beauty and the Beast is one of the best known stories in the world, Variants of the tale appear in numerous cultures. The first version of Beauty and the Beast appeared in 1740 by Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve. This extremely long version was not intended for children. Containing man little known elements and ending not with the transformation of the Prince, this version does contain intriguing dream sequences in which Beauty is told by the human Prince to look beyond appearances. She, of course, does not understand his message and must fall in love with the beast before the meaning is clear.

The next version of the tale appeared in 1756 by Madame Le Prince de Beaumont. Beaumont’s version was a short story which ends after the Prince is transformed. This version is the one most often used as the basis for later interpretations of the tale. It was also the first version of the tale intended for a young audience. After Villeneuve and Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast grew in popularity. In the centuries since, aside from a strong oral history tradition, the story has also appeared in poetry, plays, novellas, short stories, novels, television and film. Beauty and the beast comes in only behind Cinderella for popularity and widespread influence.

Sound Familiar?
The following fairy tales are similar to the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. The tales come from many cultures and are similar to the Beauty and the Beast story in many ways. To find links to each of these stories, complete with more information on them go to:
www.surlalunefairytales.com/beautybeast/other.html.

The Bear Prince
Beauty and the Beast (French)
Belle-Rose
Belinda and the Monster
Bull-of-all-the-Land
A Bunch of Laurel Blooms for a Present
The Clinking Clanking Lowesleaf
Cupid and Psyche
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
Egle, Queen of Serpents
Te Enchanted Frog
The Enchanted Prince
The Enchanted Tzarevitch
The Fairy Serpent
The Gift to the Youngest Daughter
Little Broomstick
The Little Nut Twig
The Lizard Husband
Monkey Son-In-Law
Prince White Hog
The Princess and the Pig
The Serpent and the Grape Grower’s Daughter
The Singing Rose
The Singing, Springing Lark
The Small-Tooth Dog
Sorrow and Love
The Story of Five Heads
The Summer and Winter Garden
The Three Daughters of King O’Hara
The Three Feathers
Whitebear Whittington (An Appalachian version of the story)
Zelinda and the Monster

Classroom Activities
Pick several of the versions at the left and read them individually or as a class depending on skill level. Compare and contrast the different versions.

Talk about two or three versions of the story from different cultures. Explore the lands and time-periods they come from.

Have each student write their own modern day version of the story. What would you change? What would stay the same? Post the stories on a website or bulletin board for the rest of the school to read.

Read a non-Disney version of the story, then watch the Disney movie. Talk about how the two are different. For example, most versions use invisible people as servants while in the Disney movie the servants are household objects.

Have students draw a picture of their favorite character and write a description of why this character is their favorite.

Break the class up into groups. Have each group think about the story from the point of view of a different character (Beauty, the Beast, her father, the witch/wizard, Beauty’s sisters) and decide how that person might look at what happens differently. (For a good example of this idea, look at The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka) Have each group prepare a rough script for their version and act it out for the rest of the class. As an alternative, record the performances on video or on tape as “radio plays” complete with sound effects. This is sure to bring some laughs.

There are objects of great significance to some of the characters in this story. Have students think of an object that has real importance to them and write about it. In their stories have them imagine what they would do if it was take away from them and how it would feel to get it back.

Internet Resources
www.surlalunefairytales.com
Web resources for many fairy tales. Has link to full text annotated version of Beauty and the Beast with links to relevant scholarly sites as well as links directly to different modern versions of the story available from on-line retailers.

www.esc20.k12.tx.us/etprojects/formats/webquests/fall99/pfeiffer/ltgwq/Default.htm
Long site address, but this is a really neat project which relates the story to the metamorphoses of caterpillar into a butterfly. Good way to relate a science lesson and a reading assignment.

Http://Disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/beautyandthebeast/
Official Disney site for the movie with downloadable images of all the kids favorite characters. Follow the links to get printable coloring sheets as well.

It’s never to early to start thinking about field trips for next year! While we won’t make our final season announcement until May 7th, our 2003-2004 Discovery Series season is sure to delight audiences of al ages. Shows under consideration include: Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Scrooge, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Jack and the Beanstalk and The Hobbit. Call today to find out more and start your planning for next year!

Theatre of the Stars!
Our fabulous summer camp program for kids from ages 6 to 17. Youngsters explore an array of arts activities including drawing, music, acting, dance, costuming, directing and stage craft. Each camp culminates in a final performance of student work for family and friends. Our teen camp is a two-week production intensive where students will have a chance to act in, design and produce their own full scale production of the musical Fame! in Theatre Bristol’s own ARTspace. Don’t miss out—Come see why we believe these are the best summer arts camp around!

Act I: Ages 6-8 June 16-20 $100
Act II: Ages 9-12 June 23-27 $100
Act III: Ages 13-17 July 7-18 $250
Campers need to register early for Act III as auditions for roles in Fame! will be held the week before camp starts.

For more information or to register, please call Amy at 423-968-4977.

Theatre Bristol is a not-for-profit cultural and educational organization whose activities are made possible in part by generous financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts; Tennessee Arts Commission; Virginia Commission for the Arts; and corporations, foundations and individuals from throughout the region. Theatre Bristol is 501 © 3 tax-exempt organization and contributions are tax-deductible.

Theatre Bristol
423-968-4977
www.theatrebristol.org