File - Open Arts Alliance

EDUCATIONAL GUIDE
© Open Arts Alliance, 2014. To be used for educational purposes only.
Narnia is a magical place!
Here are some of the characters
you will meet in our play!
Aslan: The creator / ruler of Narnia, who appears as a Lion.
Mr. Beaver: Talking creatures of the forest who shelter the Pevensie children
and take them to Aslan.
Jadis: The White Witch. She makes her first appearance in The Magician’s
Nephew. Jadis is immortal because she ate a magic apple. Jadis tempts Edmund
and corrupts him.
Edmund Pevensie: Younger of the two Pevensie boys. He is the second to
travel to Narnia and later betrays his siblings to the White Witch. He is claimed
by the Witch, but is redeemed by Aslan’s sacrifice.
Lucy Pevensie: Youngest of the Pevensie children. She is the first to discover
Narnia and the most consistently faithful to Aslan.
Peter Pevensie: Oldest of the Pevensie children. He is named High King by
Aslan.
Susan Pevensie: Oldest of the two Pevensie girls. Susan is witness to Aslan’s
death and resurrection.
Maugrim: The wolf who serves as the Captain of the White Witch’s secret
police.
Mr. Tumnus: A faun who befriends Lucy. He is punished for doing so by The
White Witch.
The White Witch: See Jadis
© Open Arts Alliance, 2014. To be used for educational purposes only.
The Man Behind Narnia
Born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast Ireland, C.S. Lewis went on to teach at
Oxford University and became a renowned writer. He is known throughout the
world as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series, which have been
adapted into various films for the big and small screens.
Lewis's mother died when he was 10, and he went on to receive his pre-college
education at boarding schools and from a tutor. During WWI, he served with
the English army and was sent home after being wounded by shrapnel. He then
chose to live as a surrogate son with Janie Moore, the mother of a friend of
Lewis's who was killed in the war.
During the 1950s, Lewis started to publish the seven books that would
comprise The Chronicles of Narnia children's series, with The Lion, The Witch
and the Wardrobe (1950) being the first release. The story focused on four
siblings who, during wartime, walk through an armoire to enter the magical
world of Narnia, a land resplendent with mythical creatures and talking animals.
In 1954, Lewis joined the faculty of Cambridge University as a literature
professor, and in 1956 he married an American English teacher, Joy Gresham,
with whom he had been in correspondence. Lewis was full of joy during the
years of their marriage, though Gresham died of cancer in 1960. Lewis grieved
deeply for his wife and shared his thoughts in the book A Grief Observed, using
a pen name.
In 1963, Lewis resigned from his Cambridge position after experiencing heart
trouble. He died on November 22, 1963, in Headington, Oxford.
© Open Arts Alliance, 2014. To be used for educational purposes only.
Class Discussion: Critical Thinking
Discuss these questions before seeing the performance of the play.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Based on the title, what do you think this play might be about?
Has anyone heard of, seen or read The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe before?
Make a hypothesis or guess about what might happen to the characters in the story.
Who has seen a play before?
How is a play different than a book?
How might the actors in the play
Discuss these questions after seeing the performance of the play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Who was your favorite character in the play? Why?
What was the conflict in the play? How did the characters try to solve this conflict?
What was the theme or “big idea” of the play?
Was it brave of Lucy to journey into Narnia alone?
What do you think of Edmund?
What lesson does Edmund learn throughout the play?
Words, Words, Words…
Here are some of the unique words you will hear in today’s performance. Teachers
may wish to discuss these as a class in advance of seeing the performance.
Eldest: (adj) The oldest or first born child.
Brave: (adj) Appearing to be courageous. Not afraid.
Wardrobe: (noun) A piece of furniture meant to hold clothing like clothes and
dresses.
Centaur: (noun) A mythological creature with the head and torso of a man, and
the legs of a horse.
Turkish Delight: (noun) A candy made of fruit juice and jelly.
Prophecy: (noun) A prediction.
Harness: (noun) Straps, bolts and gears that allow an animal to pull a sleigh or
plow.
Steep: (adj.) A very high incline, pitch or slope.
Ogres: (noun) A hideous giant monster usually found in fairy tales.
© Open Arts Alliance, 2014. To be used for educational purposes only.
Theatre Etiquette
It’s important to be a good audience member, and a great performance begins with
YOU. Follow these simple guidelines to have a great time at the theatre!
• Arrive promptly to the theatre or auditorium.
• Take care of bathroom business and drinks of water before taking your
seat.
• Enter the seating area quietly and in an orderly manner
• Do not distract your neighbor’s attention from the stage by talking or
making noise during the performance.
• Avoid leaving your seat during a performance unless it is an emergency
situation.
• Show respect for the actors by giving them your full attention during the
performance.
• Taking photographs is distracting to the other members of the audience,
and taking flash pictures may cause serious accidents to the performers
who may be momentarily blinded.
• Show your appreciation for the work of the actors and technicians by
applauding at the end of the performance and when the actors take their
bows. Whistling and shouting are not polite.
• When the performance is over, wait patiently for your turn to exit.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Green, Roger Lancelyn., and Walter Hooper. C.S. Lewis: A Biography. London: HarperCollins, 2002. Print.
Lewis, C. S., and Pauline Baynes. Chronicles of Narnia. the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New York:
HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Shepherd, Michael, and Keith Vasconcelles. A Guide for Using The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in
the Classroom, Based on the Novel Written by C.S. Lewis. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Materials,
2001. Print.
http://www.biography.com/people/cs-lewis-9380969#synopsis
http://www.stageone.org/wp-content/uploads/Theater-Etiquette.pdf
http://www.cslewis.org/resources/studyguides/LWW%20answer%20key.pdf
http://www.shmoop.com/lion-witch-wardrobe/
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/lion-witch-and-wardrobe-discussion-guide
http://dictionary.reference.com
© Open Arts Alliance, 2014. To be used for educational purposes only.