Theatre Bristol proudly presents
Hansel and Gretel
Dear Educator,
We are excited that you have chosen to include Hansel & Gretel
in your spring curriculum. This uplifting story is one that we
can all relate to and learn from.
As you prepare for your visit, please use the enclosed materials
to enhance your students experience with the play. We hope you
find this information helpful. Please feel free to adapt the suggested
materials for activities or discussion with your students. You
are invited to make copies of this study guide for fellow teachers
as well as your students.
We look forward to seeing you at the theatre and hope you enjoy
your time with Hansel & Gretel.
Sincerely,
Theatre Bristol
Hansel & Gretel By Michele L. Vacca
(Based on the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale)
Produced by special arrangement with Classics On Stage! of Chicago, Illinois
School Performances: May 4, 5, 11 & 12, 2006 at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
Public Performance: Sunday, May 7, 2006 at 2:30 p.m.
All performances of Hansel & Gretel will be at The Paramount Center for the Arts.
Performances run approximately 60 minutes.
Hansel & Gretel
Perhaps one of the most loved and most frequently told stories
in all of children’s literature, the tale of Hansel &
Gretel can be found in many different cultures and languages.
The most familiar version is one collected by the Brothers Grimm
of Germany. This new adaptation puts a light-hearted spin and
a comic twist on the well-known story, making it suitable for
even our youngest audiences.
About the Play
The children of a poor woodcutter, Hansel and Gretel have heard
all the stories about the mysterious witch who lives in the forest,
and only partially believe them to be true – until they’re
lost in the woods and actually meet her. The zany witch and her
even zanier apprentices lead the children to her delectable gingerbread,
candy, and ice cream house, where she threatens to turn them into
gingerbread. Feeling sorry for Hansel and Gretel, the two apprentices
help them devise a clever and hilarious plan to escape from the
witch.
Background
The Brothers Grimm were Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859),
natives of the province of Hesse-Cassel in Germany. As orphaned
sons of a lawyer, they were educated largely through the generosity
of an aunt. Their Kinder-und-Haus Marche, which was published
in Berlin in 1812, consisted of popular tales that were still
familiar to the common people of Hesse. Indeed, versions of some
of their most magical tales, including Snow White and Hansel &
Gretel were taken down from the recitation of friends and next
door neighbors. The Brothers Grimm were the first collectors
to enjoy folk tales for their own sake; the first to write the
tales down in the way ordinary people actually told them and not
attempt to “improve” them; and the first to realize
that everything about the tales was of interest, including the
identity of the persons who told the tale. In some instances
they were willing to string two or more tales together to create
what they felt was the full story. The work of the Brothers Grimm
inspired the serious collection of folk tales in England and the
rest of the world.
For Teachers
Some thoughts on Hansel & Gretel by Bruno Bettelheim, American
Developmental Psychologist and author of The Uses of Enchantment:
The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.
The story of Hansel & Gretel includes good examples of the tasks in life that young people must learn to undertake, and obstacles they must learn to overcome. Making good decisions is certainly encouraged here. Despite their father’s warnings, the children go into the woods alone. Because of their hunger, the children are even ready to devour the house that might instead be their shelter and safety. The gingerbread house is an example of the temptations of life. Despite the warning voice which asks “Who is nibbling at my house?” the children lie to themselves and blame it on the wind so that they can go on eating. How terrible the risk one runs if one gives in to temptation!
The voice is the children’s externalized conscience.
The witch’s evil designs force the children to recognize the dangers of these temptations. Behavior based on intelligent assessment of the situation in which they find themselves must take the place of wish-fulfilling fantasies: the substitution of the twig for the finger, tricking the witch into climbing into the oven, etc. Turning the tables on the witch is justified to children who have little experience and are still learning self-control. The children’s experience at the witch’s house has helped them to mature, and they are ready to rely on their own intelligence and initiative.
Gretel’s importance to the children’s deliverance reassures the child that a female can be a rescuer as well. The fact that their father rescues them once and then Gretel saves them again, suggests to children that as they grow up, they must come to rely on themselves and their peers for mutual help and understanding. Hansel & Gretel is one of many fairy tales where siblings cooperate in rescuing each other and succeed because of their combined efforts. These stories direct the child toward transcending his or her immature dependence on parents and reaching the next higher stage of development: cherishing also the support of age-mates.
Hansel & Gretel encourages the child to explore on his or her own even the figments of children’s figments of anxious imagination, because such fairy tales instill confidence that the child can master not only the real dangers which parents have warned about, but even the child’s own vastly exaggerated fears. As long as children continue to believe in witches – they always have and they always will – they need to be told stories in which children, by being ingenious, rid themselves of these persecuting figures of their imagination. By doing so, they gain immensely from the experience.
Activities for Across the Curriculum
Writing – Telling our stories: Help your students become
more aware of the experience and feelings of others with this
writing activity. Ask them about times they explored on their
own. Were they frightened, or excited, or both? Did they meet
interesting people? Did they discover things about themselves
they didn’t know?
Science – Fact or fantasy: Help students understand the difference between characters and events that are based on scientific facts and those that are fantasy, or creations of their own imagination.
Social Studies – Alike and different: How could children from differing background and nationalities become friends? Have students describe their friends.
Bulletin Board Ideas
Encourage your students to talk about Hansel and Gretel’s
adventures in this fairy tale. Then let your students create
a fantasy land bulletin board, complete with a large, colorful
gingerbread house, forest creatures, lollipop fence, gingerbread
children, and even Hansel and Gretel. Make it as colorful and
imaginative as possible.
For Students
Discussion Topics
1. What admirable characteristics do Hansel and Gretel exhibit?
Are they courageous, honest, ingenious, loving or clever? Give
examples of each. What characteristics do they have that might
be considered faults? Can they be foolhardy, greedy, impulsive
or superstitious? Give examples of each
2. What are two good lessons children of today might learn from this story?
3. Why do you think Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother was so short-tempered? Do you think hunger and poverty had something to do with her attitude?
Pre-Production Activities
1. Go online or to the library to find out about the Brothers
Grimm. When did they live? How many stories did they collect?
Can you name some of the other stories they collected? Tell
one of your favorite ones to the class.
2. Make a gingerbread house. You could make one out of real gingerbread, or you could make it out of cardboard. Either way, decorate it with lots of candy and cookies. Use your imagination to make the most delicious house.
3. Think about witches. What other stories about witches can you think of? Draw a picture of a witch. Make a witch’s hat out of construction paper.
Post-Production Activities
1. Think about the word “temptation.” How were Hansel
and Gretel tempted? Have you ever been tempted to do something?
What did you learn from the experience?
Have you ever been in a forest? What creatures live there? What do they eat? Is there food in the forest that people as well as animals might eat? Is there water to drink there? Write a story about being lost in the forest and what you might do to survive. How might you find your way to safety?
Storytelling
A. Read a version of Hansel and Gretel to your class. Discuss
the importance of storytelling and ask the children what they
expect from a theatrical performance of the story.
B. Sit in a circle with the class. Start an improvisational
telling of Hansel and Gretel and continue around the circle (each
person telling a small bit of the story) until the story has been
told.
Fun Websites
www.angelfire.com/va/hanselgretel - Hansel and Gretel in an interactive
format.
www.surlalunefairytales.com/hanselandgretel - a portal to the realm of fairy tales and folk lore.
Creative Writing and Discussion
A. Have your class keep a diary; include thoughts on visiting the theatre.
B. Write a diary entry (or two or three) from the point of view of one of the characters in the play. What would be the most important things that he or she would include?
C. Read or listen to several other fairy tales. Choose the stories that would be good stage plays, and which stories are best to read or listen to. Why are some better to dramatize than others?
D. Many fairy tales were created by people who thought of real-life events, and then added a little imagination to the stories to make them special. Think of something that you’ve been told. Write it as your own story using a little imagination to create your own fairy tale.
E. After watching the play, write about it. Tell what you liked or disliked about the story, characters, costumes, music, etc. Remember to support your thoughts with examples and reasons.
H. After seeing the play, discuss these questions:
1. What makes the stepmother in this story unlikeable?
2. Why doesn’t the father notice the stepmother’s mean behavior?
3. Is Hagatha scary? Would you be afraid to talk to Hagatha?
4. Compare and contrast the characters of the witch and the stepmother. How are they alike and different?
5. Discuss the relationship between Hansel and Gretel. Do you have a sibling? Do you have a similar relationship?
6. What would you do if you were very hungry and saw a candy house? Would you eat it? Why or why not?
7. Read the Grimm Brothers’ version of Hansel and Gretel. How is it different? How is it the same?
I. Re-write the ending of the story.
J. Who is foolish in the story and who is not? Why?
Art and Projects
A. Before viewing the play, draw pictures of how a particular character should look.
B. Make a story collage on butcher paper that follows the sequence of the play.
C. Create your own mini candy house using cardboard, glue, candy, frosting, and lots of imagination!
D. After watching the play, draw pictures of your favorite scenes or characters. Draw Hansel and Gretel’s cottage or the witch’s candy house.
Theatre Bristol exciting 41st Anniversary
Season
Mark your calendars now!
(all show dates and times subject to change)
The Ugly Duckling
September 2006
grades PreK-3rd, at Theatre Bristol’s ARTspace
Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
November 2006
grades PreK-5th, at the Paramount Center for the Arts
Seussical, the musical
March 2007
grades PreK-Adult, at the Paramount Center for the Arts
Charlotte’s Web
May 2007
grades PreK-5th at the Paramount Center for the Arts