Doctor Dolittle - Theatreworks USA!

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New York, NY 10001
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Doctor Dolittle
Study Gu i d e
Dear Teacher:
We have created the following study guide to help make your students’ theater experience with
Theatreworks USA’s production of Doctor Dolittle as meaningful as possible. For many, it will be
their first time viewing a live theatrical production. We have learned that when teachers discuss
the play with their students before and after the production, the experience is more significant
and long-lasting. Our study guide provides pre and post production discussion topics, as well as
suggested activities. These are just suggestions; please feel free to create your own activities and
areas for discussion. We hope you and your class enjoy the show!
Background
The writers of Theatreworks USA’s production of Doctor Dolittle have chosen to combine Hugh
Lofting’s famous fictional story with the true story of the circumstances under which it was
written. In our adaptation, Lofting’s experiences as a lieutenant during World War I inform a tale
that he writes to his son from the trenches. In the context of our musical, many of the real-world
characters transform into characters in the book – for example, Hugh Lofting becomes Doctor
Dolittle.
The Story
Young Colin Lofting plays with his toy soldiers
as his father Hugh fights in a real war.
Dismayed at her son’s glamorization of war,
Flora asks her husband to write to Colin.
Inspired by his fellow soldiers, Lofting creates
the story of Doctor Dolittle, a kind-hearted
doctor who is more comfortable with animals
than people – in fact, he shares his home with
creatures of every shape and kind. His parrot,
Polynesia, teaches him how to speak with
animals. Dolittle’s fame as a veterinarian
spreads around the world – even to Africa.
When he learns of a mysterious disease
afflicting the monkeys there, he sets sail with a
few of his animal friends to help the monkeys.
Colin becomes so enthralled with his father’s
tale that he begs to be written into the story as
well, and so he travels with Dolittle’s crew and
has many adventures with them. When
Lofting is unable to conclude the story, Colin
completes it on his own, as Dolittle learns that
people are important, too.
Illustration by James Bernardin
Additional Background:
World War I:
Also known as the Great War and “The War to End All Wars,” this was a global military
conflict which took place primarily in Europe Between 1914 and 1918. More than nine
million soldiers and civilians died. The conflict had a decisive impact on the history of the
20th century.
The Allied Powers, led by France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and, from
1917, the United States, defeated the Central Powers, led by Austria-Hungary, Germany and
the Ottoman Empire.
The fighting that took place along the Western Front occurred along a system of trenches
and fortifications separated by an area known as ‘no man’s land. These series of
fortifications ran from the North Sea to Switzerland. This system of static trench warfare
defined the war for many. On the Eastern Front, the vast eastern plains and limited rail
network prevented a trench warfare stalemate. But the scale of the conflict was just as large.
The Middle East and the Italian Front saw heavy fighting as well. Hostilities also occured at
sea and, for the first time, in the air.
The war caused the disintegration of four empires: the Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman
and Russian. Germany lost its overseas empire and states such as Czechoslovakia, Estonia,
Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Yugoslavia gained independence. The cost of waging
the war set the stage for the breakup of the British Empire as well.
World War I marked the end of the old world order, which had emerged after the Napoleonic
Wars. The result of the conflict was an important factor in the outbreak of World War II.
Africa:
Africa is the world’s second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about
30,221,532 km (11,668,545mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the earth’s total
surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area. With more than 900,000,000 people (as of
2005) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14% of the world’s human population. The
continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red
Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
There are 46 countries including Madagascar, and 53 including all the island groups.
Africa, especially central eastern Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to
be the origins of humans and the Hominidae tree, as evidenced by the discovery of the
earliest Hominids, (members of the primate family, including humans and their fossil
ancesters) as well as later ones that have been dated to around 7 million years ago including
Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Africanus, Homo Erectus, with the earliest humans being dated
to ca. 200,000 years ago, according to this view.
Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only
continent to stretch from the northern temperate to the southern temperate zones. Because
of the lack of natural regular precipitation and irrigation as well as glaciers or mountain
aquifer systems, there is no natural moderating effect on the climate except near the coasts.
Please see dual maps of Africa on the last page of this study guide. One map is circa 1914
– the era during which Lofting wrote The Story of Doctor Dolittle, and the other is current.
Pre-Performance Discussion
1.
Read Hugh Lofting’s The Story of Doctor Dolittle with your students. (Please note:
older editions of the story include a potentially offensive portrayal of the King in the
text and illustrations, so you may want to try to locate a newer copy of the book.)
Explain that your class will see a musical based on this book. In musicals, characters
often sing to punctuate action or to illuminate character. On the basis of what you
have read together, what moments do your students think will be “musicalized?”
What other expectations do they have of a live show? For example, will there be a
real monkey onstage? How will the animals be portrayed?
2.
In our musical, there are fewer actors than characters. In fact, “Colin” is the only
actor who plays only one role. Tell your students to keep their eyes peeled to see if
they can identify which roles each actor plays. Quite often, the actors transform from
one character to another right in front of the audience’s eyes, through the use of
simple props, costumes, as well as body language and accents.
3.
Review proper theatre etiquette with your class. They may be seeing our show as part
of a class trip, with many other schools attending. They should carefully follow their
teacher’s or group leader’s directions. During the show, they should be quiet, so that
they do not disturb other audience members (and the actors) during the performance.
However, actors love cheers and applause, especially at the end of songs and when
the show is over. This is a great way to thank actors for all their hard work in
performing this show for you!
4.
Some of the vocabulary in the show may be challenging for your students, so you may
wish to review the following words:
• ac q uainta n ce: slight knowledge of a person or a thing
• blu n d er b uss: short. large-bored gun
• botc h e d : bungled, did badly, repaired clumsily
• b um p tious: offensively self asserted or conceited (pushy)
• clutter: crowded and untidy collection of things
• co nseq u ences: results or effects of actions
• ecstatic: exhilarated, euphoric, overjoyed,
• ferocious: fierce, savage, wildly cruel
• horrific: frightening
• lice: parasitic insects
• marshes: swamp, bog, wetland
• massacre: murder of a large number of persons (or animals)
• mena gerie: small zoo
• obliged : compelled, required, demanded
• opinio nate d : dogmatic in one’s opinions (stubborn)
• plan : method or procedure for how things should be done
• sea-sick: nauseated from the motion of the sea
• spineless: indecisive, ineffectual, cowardly, lacking resolve, weak
• trenc h : long narrow deep ditch, dug by troops as shelter from enemy fire
5.
You may wish to review the additional background information above (about World War
I and Africa) in order to give your class a better context for the show’s setting.
Post-Performance Discussion
1.
As soon as possible after the performance, engage your class in discussion about the show.
Who were their favorite characters and why? Which were their favorite moments and
songs in the musical? Compare and contrast the book and live performance, as well as
other adaptations of the Doctor Dolittle stories they may have seen. Did the show meet
their expectations? Why or why not?
2.
At the beginning of the musical, Colin fantasizes about the glories of war. What did he
learn about war and conflict by the end of his journeys with Dolittle? Compare and
contrast his attitudes before and after his experiences.
3.
Doctor Dolittle’s sister is frustrated that all the animals live in the house with them. What
do your students think it would be like to live in a house with monkeys, parrots, pigs, etc.
Would they like it? Why or why not?
4.
One song in the show says “we are all fingers on the same hand, we all are rivers to the
same sea.” What is meant by this? Can your students think of ways they are connected
with people on the other side of the world? Can events and actions in one part of the
world affect life on the other side? Why or why not?
5.
Polynesia teaches Doctor Dolittle the “Animal ABCs,” and he is able to learn how to speak
to the animals. Even though we can’t understand animals’ various grunts, squeaks and
squawks, how do animals let us know what they’re thinking through verbal and physical
means? On the other hand, what do humans do to communicate with animals?
6.
The final song urges the audience to “say the most important word that seems so difficult
to say a hundred times a hundred times a day.” What word does the song refer to? Why
is it sometimes difficult for people to say “love,” or to apologize, or to admit that they are
wrong?
Cross-curriculum Activities
Language Arts:
1.
In our adaptation, Lofting’s son joins Doctor Dolittle in his travels – this aspect of the show
is not in the original stories. Have your students write themselves into the plot of their
favorite stories. For example, they could be one of Harry Potter’s classmates, or a cohort of
Artemis Fowl, or the recipient of a visit from Flat Stanley, or a spectator at one of the Black
Stallion’s races.
2.
In our musical, the African King accuses Doctor Dolittle and his crew of killing a whole
family of elephants for their ivory tusks. (Prior to the invention and popularization of
plastic, ivory had been utilized often for various ornamental and practical uses, including
buttons, piano keys, jewelry, etc.) Have your students write an editorial or discuss the
killing of elephants for this use. Other animals are used for food, and for warm clothes.
Is this use justified? Why or why not?
Science/Zoology:
1.
There are many different animals featured in Doctor Dolittle – pigs, dogs, monkeys,
parrots, hedgehogs and more. Have your students do research on the various animals –
what do they eat, what part of the world are they most commonly found in, how long do
they live, etc. Do these animals often live with humans? Have them present their
animal reports to the class. They might want to find pictures of these animals in
magazines to illustrate their reports.
2.
Discuss the relationship between animals and humans. In what ways do humans and
animals work together? Are humans and animals ever enemies? How should people
respond if they see a potentially threatening animal?
Social Studies/Geography
1.
Doctor Dolittle and his animals travel from their home in England to Africa. Locate both
areas on a map. Compare and contrast the climate and daily life of people in both areas.
2.
There are 54 countries on the continent of Africa. Which country do your students think
the story takes place in? Assign each student (or groups of students) a different country
to do a report on. They should learn what language is spoken there, customs of people in
the country, animals indigenous to the area, climate, etc, and present their findings to the
class.
3.
Have your students plan Dolittle’s voyage – visit travel websites to learn how much it would
cost for Dolittle to visit these countries today. What would Dolittle need to pack. How
would he be able to travel with his animal friends?
4.
On the last page of this study guide, you’ll find maps of Africa, then and now.
students compare and contrast the maps.
Have
Art/Creative Dramatics:
1.
The Pushmi-Pullyu is an antelope-like animal with a head on both ends, and no tail. Have
your students create drawings of other animals with heads on both ends. A variation on
this activity is to combine aspects of different animals and draw a picture of the resulting
creature. For example, you might put the names of various animals on slips of paper and
have each student draw two – if they draw a kangaroo and a monkey, they would have to
create a picture of a kanga-monkey – what parts would be kangaroo-like, and which parts
would be monkey-like? Students could also create a report on their invented animal.
2.
Your students may have noticed how the actors in our musical use their bodies and voices
to impersonate different animals. Have your class imitate different animals – see if their
classmates can identify what animal they are.
3.
Have your students identify their favorite scene involving the animals in Doctor Dolittle.
Encourage them to re-enact it in the classroom.
Resources
Hugh Lofting wrote twelve books about the Doctor’s adventures, including:
•
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920 – the inspiration for Theatreworks’ musical)
•
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922 – Newbery Medal-winner in 1923)
•
Doctor Dolittle’s Post Office (1923)
•
Doctor Dolittle’s Circus (1924)
•
Doctor Dolittle’s Zoo (1925)
Websites:
•
http://members.tripod.com/~Puddleby/ (dedicated to Lofting and his books)
•
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Dolittle (another Dolittle resource)
•
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/501 (the full text of Lofting’s story, available for free
download)
There are also a number of films based on or inspired by Lofting’s stories, including an Academy
Award-winning musical in 1967 (itself the inspiration for a recent live stage adaptation), and a very
loose adaptation starring Eddie Murphy in 1998 (sequels to this version were released in 2001 and
2006).