BY GREG BANKS BASED ON THE STORY BY CARLO COLLODI

DIRECTED BY MATTHEW DECKER

Study GuidePrepared by

Jenna Stelmok and Katie SinkArden Education Department

2Study Guide Contents

Carlo Collodi: Author of Pinocchio...................................................3

Greg Banks: Playwright.....................................................................4

From the Page to the Stage: Adapting Pinocchio.........................5

Pinocchio Synopsis.........................................................................6-8

Our Production: Pinocchio................................................................9

First Drafts of Costumes....................................................................10

Research for the Set Design...........................................................11

Adaptation Activity......................................................................12-13

Italy: A Brief History....................................................................14-15

Gepetto’s Kitchen..............................................................................16

Pinocchio the Puppet.......................................................................17

Design Your Own Marionette..........................................................18

Pinocchio Goes to School...............................................................19

Pinocchio’s Workbook Vocabulary/Word Games..................20-21

Pinocchio’s Maze..............................................................................22

The Cricket Fact Sheet/Whats the Difference........................23-24

Bibliography.......................................................................................25

Carlo Collodi: Author of PinocchioCarlo Lorenzini, known as Carlo Collodi, was born in Florence, Italy on November 24,

1826. His pen name “Collodi” was taken from the name of his mother’s native town, Collodi, Italy. Today, Pinocchio Park in Collodi honors Carlo (pictured below).

Carlo’s mother worked as a maid for a rich family in Tuscany, and his father as a cook for the same family. Carlo was the eldest of 10 children and grew up going to school in Collodi, Italy. Later, he studied divinity at a seminary and religious college.

Fortunately for Carlo, his brother received a well-paid job, and with the family’s finances covered, Carlo was able to become a journalist. During his lifetime, he also fought in the first and second Italian Wars of Indepen-dence and founded a satirical newspaper “Il Lampi-one.” Carlo wrote for many newspapers, along with novels and dramas. In 1876, he began writing what he is known for today: children’s books. Carlo translated French fairy tales into Italian, wrote school textbooks, and wrote his own children’s stories. Allegedly, Carlo preferred writing for children instead of adults because “adults are too hard to please.”

It was not until Carlo’s stories of “The Adventures of Pinocchio” were published in 1881 that he became famous. “The Adventures of Pinocchio” were first published in a chil-dren’s weekly newspaper as a story that continued every week. In 1883, “The Adventures of Pinocchio” were published in their entirety as one book.

Carlo died suddenly in Florence on October 26, 1890, never fully knowing the extent of his fame or appreciation of his work.

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4Greg Banks: Playwright

An actor, writer, and director, Greg Banks adapted Carlo Collodi’s original story about the puppet Pinocchio into a play. This is the script being produced at the Arden Theatre Company this season. Banks has traveled across the world

working with various theater companies in all three capacities. Banks’ script of Robin Hood was also produced last season at the Arden Theatre Company, in a

similarly physical and imaginative style as Pinocchio. Banks originally wrote Pinocchio for a tiny theater company in England. He was later commissioned by the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company in 2012 to continue his work on

the script, which has been revised through February 2013.

Banks’ goal with his work is to foster a collaborative and interactive process, where actors and audience members alike use their imagination to bring a story to life.

Robin Hood, Arden Theatre Company 2012 - photos by Mark Garvin

Charlotte Ford and Sean Lally

Steve Pacek and Ian Merrill Peakes

5From the Page to the Stage:

Adapting Pinocchio

As we know, Pinocchio began as a series of short stories in an Italian chil-dren’s newspaper in the 1880s. Playwright Greg Banks has brought the tale of Pinocchio to life through a process known as adaptation.

Adaptation is a process that changes one material (like a book or newspaper story) into another (like a script for a play). In this case, Banks took the original words of Carlo Collodi and adapted them to make a script. Changing a book to a play can be challenging, because the writing styles of these two materials are very different.

For example, in his stories, Carlo Collodi needed to create the world in the reader’s imagination: he used many descriptive words and adjectives to tell the reader what the characters experienced and did, since the reader can’t actually see it in real life. Carlo needed to describe the inside of the whale’s stomach and how the other puppets at the puppet show were excited to find Pinocchio. On the other hand, Greg Banks knew that he would have designers and carpenters to build the whale’s stomach, and actors to show you how excited Punch and Judy were to find Pinoc-

chio! So, he didn’t need to use as many descriptive words, but did need to add more dialogue and action verbs so that the actors would know what to say and do on stage!

Discussion Question: What is one of your favorite books to read? Think of how the author of this book uses descriptive words and adjectives to tell the story. If you were going to adapt the book into a play, how would your story look and sound different?

6Play Synopsis

The play begins when a construction worker comes on stage and sees the audeince. He asks the audience why they are there on a workday. Realizing they expect to see Pinocchio, he calls the rest of the workers to see if they can tell the

story together. The first worker is the boss and he tells the rest that first they will tell the story of Pinocchio and then they will work. He assigns each worker a character and the story beigns.

Gepetto, a lonely poor, old man has one last piece of wood for his fire. He goes to cut the wood but the wood talks to him, begging him not to cut it. Gepetto gets the idea that perhaps this piece of wood could be a little wooden boy. He carves a

puppet from the wood and the puppet comes to life! Gepetto names him Pinocchio. Ge-petto has a clever cricket friend who loves to tell riddles. The Cricket upsets Pinocchio so he tries to squash him. The Cricket runs away, but not before telling Pinocchio he has to go to school if he wants to be a real boy. Pinnochio is so upset that he is not a real boy that he tries to squash the Cricket. Gepetto sees that this is what Pinnochio wants most, so he sells his only coat to buy a textbook for Pinocchio.

Photos by Mark Garvin

Photos by Mark G

arvin

7Play Synopsis Continued

As Pinocchio is on his way to his first day of school he encounters a puppet show. He forgets about school and decides to go watch the show. The ticketseller tells Pinocchio that he needs two pennies to see the show, so Pinnochio gives the man

his brand new textbook. Inside, the Showman sees Pinnochio, a puppet without strings, and begs him to be a part of the show. Pinocchio is excited to meet two other puppets, Punch and Judy, and to be in the show. But when he realizes he cannot leave, Pinocchio cries out that he wants to be a real boy and go to school, so the Showman locks him in a cage. Pinocchio calls out for his papa, and Judy teaches him how to cry. The showman cannot stand how sad he is, so he gives him five gold coins, and sends him away.

On his way home, Pinocchio meets the Fox and the Cat, who learn that he has five gold coins. They try to trick Pinocchio by taking him to an Inn and stealing his coins while he is sleeping, but they eat too much and fall asleep themselves.

By the time they wake up, it is too late to steal the coins and so they run away. When Pinocchio wakes up, he leaves the inn and begins walking home again. On his way, the Fox and the Cat dress as robbers and ambush Pinocchio. Pinocchio hides the coins in his mouth, and so the Fox and the Cat tie him to a tree in the snow, hoping that he will spit out the coins. Just as things are starting to look very bad for Pinocchio, a Blue Fairy shows up and gives him medicine and helps untie him. When the Blue Fairy asks Pinocchio why he hasn’t been to school yet, he lies to her and his nose begins to grow! The more he lies to the Blue Fairy, the more his nose grows, until he decides to tell the truth. Once he does, his nose goes back to normal size and he continues on his way.

Photos by Mark Garvin

8Play Synopsis Continued

Pinocchio then meets the Fox and the Cat again. This time, they trick him into be-lieving that if he buries his coins, they will grow into a money tree. Pinocchio buries the coins, but is disappointed when he returns to find no tree and his coins

gone! While Pinocchio is feeling sorry for himself, the other performers tell him that Ge-petto was so worried about Pinocchio when he never came home from school that Gep-petto set out on the ocean to find him. While at sea, a large wave swallowed Geppetto and he was gone.

Since Pinocchio knew that all his papa wanted was for him to go to school, Pinoc-chio finally decides to go. When he gets to school he meets Lampwick who tells him of a place called Playland where all you do is play all day. Once again Pinoc-

chio forgets about his father and decides to go Playland instead of school. But Playland turns out to be a trick: he and Lampwick start to turn into donkeys and Pinocchio must run away into the the ocean where he is swallowed by a whale. Inside the whale, he runs into his father, Gepetto! The two escape through the whale’s mouth. Though Ge-petto cannot swim, Pinocchio brings them safely to shore. Pinocchio learns from this experience and becomes a good boy. He apologizes to the cricket for trying to squash him, starts going to school, and always tells the truth. A few months later, he awakens to find he has turned into a real boy!

Photos by Mark Garvin

Our Production: PinocchioAfter directing another of Banks’ plays in our 2011/2012 season (Robin Hood), director Matthew Decker decided to jump back into Banks’ imaginative worlds by bringing to life his version of Pinocchio. Pinocchio is a wicked wooden boy who trades his schoolbooks for candy and plays hooky at the amusement park. When his father Geppetto is swallowed by a giant whale, Pinocchio has the chance to truly be brave for the first time. Five storytellers bring this tale to life with help from your imagination.

THE CASTCricket, Punch, Innkeeper, Fairy, Old Man….Doug Hara

Judy, Cat, Lampwick….Maggie LakisGepetto, Ticketseller, Donkey….Anthony Lawton

Pinocchio….David RaphaelyPoliceman, Showman, Fox, Coachman….Brian Anthony Wilson

THE PRODUCTION TEAMScenic Designer….Tom Gleeson

Costume Designer….Lauren PerigardLighting Designer….James Leitner

Sound Designer….Daniel PerelsteinStage Manager….John Grassey

Doug Hara

Maggie LakisAnthony Lawton

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Brian Anthony Wilson

David Raphaely

First Drafts of Costumes

Gepetto Lampwick Pinocchio

Our Costume Designer, Lauren Perigard, made sketches for each costume before creating them.

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Discussion Question: What colors do you think the costumes will be?

What colors would you use? Color these sketches.

11Research for the Set Design Our Scenic Desinger, Tom Gleeson, researched

pictures to get ideas for the set design.

Look of scaffolding, aged and multicolored, rusted and dirty

Construction Site Research

Playland Research

Discussion Question:Which of these elements did you see in the show?

Now that you know a bit about Pinocchio and Greg Banks, try your hand at adapting a novel into a script for a play! Below is a section of an English translation of Carlo Collodi’s original Pinocchio. Using the space on the next page, try to take Carlo’s words and change them to a script that actors could use!

If you need ideas as you start to adapt the passage below, think about what the wood might be saying when it starts to “laugh and poke fun” at Gepetto – make this conversation part of your script!

After the eyes, Geppetto made the nose, which began to stretch as soon as finished. It stretched and stretched and stretched till it became so long, it seemed endless. Poor Geppetto kept cutting it and cutting it, but the more he cut, the longer grew that impertinent nose. In despair he let it alone. Next he made the mouth. No sooner was it finished than it began to laugh and poke fun at him. “Stop laughing!” said Geppetto angrily; but he might as well have spoken to the wall. “Stop laughing, I say!” he roared in a voice of thunder. The mouth stopped laughing, but it stuck out a long tongue.

Source: University of Chicago Library: http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/72810000/72810000_pinocchio.pdf

Adaptation Activity

Your turn!Use the space below to write a piece of your

script based on Collodi’s story!

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Italy: A Brief HistoryLearn more about Pinocchio’s home country!

By the year 500 B.C.E., there were a number of groups and cultures living in what today is Italy: the Greek, ancestors of the French, the Etruscans from Turkey,

and more. Legend tells us that Rome, Italy was founded on April 21, 753 B.C.E. by Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus were twin broth-ers who said that they were sons of the god of war, Mars, and had been raised since birth by a she-wolf. Legend goes that ultimately, the two brothers could not agree on the future of Rome, so Romulus killed Remus and declared himself as the first king of Rome.

Whether or not this is based in fact, we do know that there were seven different kings who ruled Rome until 509 B.C.E. After that year, the Romans stopped ruling through kings and instead created a Roman Republic, which was ruled by two officials, a senate, and a lower assembly that represented the common citizens. For a while, this worked, until a rebellion led to military dictatorships, ending with Julius Caesar and his assassination. Next came the Roman Empire, where Rome was ruled by Emperors, which led Rome to great success for the next two hundred years. Unfortunately, economic problems, invasions by barbarians, and more, ultimately led Rome into a gradual decline and more governmental issues.

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In 410 C.E., Rome was hit hard by barbarian invasions and could not protect itself. It then became trapped in a troubled time period known as the Dark Ages for about one thousand years.

Finally, by the Fourteenth Century, Italy was able to recover. City-states like Florence and Venice became centers of trade, which bolstered the economy and foreign interactions, and led Italy to become a center of culture. Famous figures such as Michelangelo, Dante, Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo revolutionized science, art, literature, and more. Famous Italian explorers that you have heard of, like Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, brought the name of Italy to many other corners of the world.

From there until the Sixteenth Century, Italy remained a strong center of power. Unfortu-nately, by the Sixteenth Century, trade routes began to change and the Protestant Refor-mation caused the Roman Catholic Church to lose much of its power.

Italian city-states lost control to surrounding European countries, such as Spain, France, and Austria. Finally, by the Nineteenth Century and with the help of France, there was an Italian nationalist movement that took over most of the country. This movement ended in 1870 with the fall of Rome and a unification of Italy.

Still, Italy’s economy had been ruined by war and invasion over the last centuries, and pol-itics were still very divided by different sides. In 1919, a politician named Benito Mussolini led a movement in an attempt to bring Italy back to power. Mussolini and his supporters fought and seized power so that Mussolini became supreme ruler of Italy. For the next twenty years, Mussolini consolidated Italy’s power and rebuilt the economy. Ultimately, his ideas and military attempts to join Hitler during World War II failed – Italy was not pre-pared to fight in World War II, and the ruler lost control of his country and was executed.

Italy’s next step was to abolish the monarchy and declare itself a republic. Slowly, with the help of the U.S., Italy rebuilt its economy. Today, after a long journey to get there, Italy is one of the most prosperous and democratic nations in Europe.

Pinocchio is hungry after a long day of adventuring – and remember, now that he’s a real boy he has a big appetite! With an adult, see if you can help Gepetto whip up an easy Italian meal for Pinocchio to

eat!

Three Cheese Baked Ziti with SpinachSource: kitchendaily.com

You will need…1 package (16 ounces) uncooked medium ziti (tube-shaped pasta)1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach, washed (about 4 cups)1 jar (1 pound, 9 ounces) Marinara Italian Sauce1 cup ricotta cheese4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)¾ cup graded Parmesan cheese½ teaspoon garlic powder¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions…Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Add the spinach during the last minute of the cooking time. Drain the pasta and spinach well in a colander. Return them to the saucepot.

Stir the sauce, ricotta, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper into the pasta mixture. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 13x9x2-inch shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until it’s hot and bubbling. Be careful! This will be super hot -- make sure an adult takes this out of the oven and lets you know when it’s okay to touch!

ENJOY!

Gepetto’s Kitchen 16

Pinocchio the PuppetPerhaps the most famous puppet in the world, Pinocchio, is a marionette puppet. A

marionette is a type of puppet that is controlled from above, using strings or wires that are attached to vertical and/or horizontal control bar(s).

The word “marionette” is French and means “little Mary,” because one of the first figures to be made into a marionette was the Virgin Mary. The word “puppet” is Greek and means “drawn by strings, string-pulling.”

Although the exact date of the first puppet is unknown, puppetry is an ancient form of performance. Hundreds of years ago, the Christian church used marionettes in morality plays. Later, marionettes became very popular in Italy (just like Pinocchio!).

There is always at least one person controlling the bars and strings that move a marionette: this person is called a manipulator. The manipulator can be hidden from or revealed to the audience.

Although none of the actors in the Arden’s production of Pinocchio have stings attached to their bodies, you

may remember from the Grand Puppet Show how one actor mimed operating Punch and Judy’s “strings” while standing above them. Knowing this history about marionette puppets, as well their historical prominence in performances, will help you to better imagine and understand the writing and design of our production of Pinocchio!

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Design Your Own Marionette!Draw your own marionette puppet!

Remember that to control a marionette, a string must be attached to each part of its body: its head, arms, and legs. This way, each part can be individually

controlled by a manipulator.

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Pinocchio Goes to SchoolNow that you’ve created your own marionette, it’s time to send him to school with

Pinocchio! But oh, no - they have a math test at school today!

Can you help Pinocchio and his friend solve the following exercises?Do your work in the space provided.

1. Cut a ball of string into different lengths: 3 inches, 4.5 inches, and 6 inches. Explore your classroom or home, finding different objects that have the same length as each piece of string. Maybe even hold those objects up and create noses out of them!

2. Pinocchio’s nose is currently 3 inches long. For every lie Pinocchio tells, his nose grows 1.5 inches. For every truth he tells, his nose shrinks 2 inches. Starting at his current nose length, if Pinocchio tells 5 lies and 3 truths, how long will his nose be?

3. Oh no! The whale is getting closer and closer to Pinocchio where he floats in the water! Right now, the whale is 925 feet away from Pinocchio and racing towards him at a speed of 30 feet per second. With Pinocchio frozen in fear, how long will it be before the whale reaches him? Round to the nearest second.

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Pinocchio’s Workbook Vocabulary

Check your understanding of the following words…

Attraction: a person or thing that draws a crowd to see him, her, or itChatter: to make a quick clicking sound by hitting together (like teeth chatter togeth-er when one is cold)Dervish: a member of a Muslim ascetic (spiritual, religious, and/or moral) order; some of whom are known for energetic dancing, and/or whirling, chanting, or shout-ing.Foolish: unwise; resulting from lack of thought or careInnkeeper: a person who owns or runs an innNaughty: disobedient; mischievous; badPerched: seated on a high or raised position, such as Gepetto’s boat on top of a waveRascal: a dishonest or mischievous person; someone who causes trouble or harmShirtsleeves: wearing just a shirt, not wearing a jacketSquash: to press into a flat mass; squeeze, squish, or crushStagecoach: typically, a horse-drawn cart/carriage (or in this case, donkey-drawn) that carries people or packagesTarantella: a quick, spinning southern Italian dance; usually performed by a coupleTimber: wood that is of good enough quality to be used in building thingsTremendous: excellent; great; wonderfulWobbly: shaky; not steady

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Pinocchio’s Word GamesUnscramble these words from Pinocchio:

1) OICHNCIPO : __________________2) RKECCIT : __________________3) RAYFI : __________________4) TEEGPTO : __________________5) OLGD NOSCI : __________________6) EPUTPP : __________________7) SONKEYD : __________________8) DAGRN PPTEUP WOSH : __________________9) KBLOOHOSCO : __________________10) CLARMEIS : __________________

How Many Words Can You Make From:

PINOCCHIO FIELD OF MIRACLES GRAND PUPPET SHOW

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

___________________ _________________________ _____________________________

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22Pinocchio’s MazeOh, no! Pinocchio is lost and needs YOUR help! Help Pinocchio

find his way to the Blue Fairy’s house!

START

FINISH

The Cricket Fact SheetLearn some basic facts about crickets before completing the activity on

the next page!

1. Do you know the chirping sound that you often hear crickets make at night in the summer? Only male crickets make that chirping sound! Also, the hotter it is outside, the higher a male cricket will chirp.2. There are about 900 different species of crickets.3. Crickets’ antennae are called feelers.4. These insects can be black, red, brown, or green.5. Crickets have wings, but most do not fly.6. They also have good senses of both hearing and sight.7. Crickets are omnivorous, which means they will eat almost anything. They eat both plants and sometimes -- other insects!8. In many cultures and countries, crickets are a part of mythology and folk lore. In Brazil, the singing of crickets is believed to mean rain is coming; in Barba-dos, a loud cricket means money is on its way. In some places, crickets signify death approaching, while in others, they signify good luck. In fact, in a number of Asian countries, crickets are believed to be lucky and are therefore kept in cages as pets.9. In the wild, crickets don’t live more than one year.10. Crickets’ ears are located on the knees of their front legs!

23In the play, Pinocchio meets a clever cricket who annoys him at first,

and then becomes his friend.

What’s the Difference?Since real crickets are only about ½ to 1 inch long, we had to make our

cricket on stage big enough that you could see him!Other than size, what are the differences and similarities between a

natural cricket and our fictional cricket?

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Natural Cricket Fictional CricketSimilarities

25Bibliography

http://www.italica.rai.it/eng/principal/topics/bio/collodi.htm

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/collodi.htm

http://www.yourwaytoflorence.com/db/pinocchio/pinocchio.htm

http://www.playsforyoungaudiences.org/playwrights/greg-banks

http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2013/01/greg_banks_brings_collabora-tion_to_pinocchio.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marionette