Baobab by Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning

PERFORMANCE GUIDE

Cuesheet

b o a a b B Written and directed by Hélène Ducharme A coproduction of Théâtre Motus of Canada and the Sô Company of Mali

Hello, teachers and parents! Please see pag e5 for informatio n and activities .

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A Tree and a Story

he baobab (pronounced BAH-oh-bab) is a special tree in Africa that is important in many stories. And in this play, the storyteller—called a griot (GREE-ot)—tells just such a story. In many villages, griots are also important because they tell and sing stories of history and lessons—some are true stories (that’s called the oral tradition) and some are mythical tales about people and creatures with unusual powers. In the performance, your griot tells a mythical tale with help from puppets, music, dancing, actors, and, of course, the baobab tree.

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Africa South America West Africa

What Happens in the Play? In a small village in West Africa, it has not rained in a very long time. This drought, or dry spell, makes life difficult for everyone. Then one day, an egg comes from the ancient baobab tree. To everyone’s surprise, a boy hatches from the egg. The village adopts and names him Amondo (ah-MAHN-doh). But he is no ordinary child (you already knew this because he came from a tree!), and the villagers soon realize he might be able to end the drought and save them. But first he must find the courage to outsmart a witch and a monkey. Can Amondo do it?

The Tree of Life You can’t miss the baobab tree—it looks like it is upside down! Although it seems a little funny, the tree is no laughing matter in Africa. Baobab trees produce a nutritious fruit sometimes called “monkey bread.” The wide shelf of branches gives people shade from the hot sun. And the thick trunk stores lots of water that helps the tree survive droughts and keep providing food and shelter. You can probably see why many Africans call it the “tree of life.”

Puppets Come in Many Shapes and Sizes The main types of puppets include: Finger—the puppet body fits on one finger Hand/glove/sock—one hand moves the puppet from inside Rod—named for the rods and sticks used to move the puppet String or marionette—held up and moved by strings Bunraku (boon-RAH-koo) style—body-shaped puppets moved by hand by puppeteers you can see

Telling Stories with Puppets How could you bring a magical story like Baobab to life on stage? Some handy tools are lights, scenery, music, storytellers, actors, and, of course, puppets. People have used puppets to tell stories, entertain, or teach lessons for thousands of years. In this performance, puppets play most of the roles. The puppeteers—the people who move the puppets—are also actors and musicians, and you will often see them operating the puppets.

Shadow—the shadow of a cut-out shape moved between a light and a screen Over-Life-Size—operated from inside, or if they are really big like parade balloons, from outside Object—created using everyday objects In this performance, you will see body, string, Bunraku-style, object (hint: watch those musical instruments!), and shadow puppets. You will also see brightly painted masks and costumes.

Meet the Village Animals a spider a crane (watch the stringed instrument become this bird) a caiman, a type of alligator not normally living in Africa but sometimes appearing in legends (watch the xylophone-like instrument) a snake an African tortoise a marabou (a tall wading bird), who helps Amondo understand the baobab’s message a mandrill (a monkey related to baboons), who guards the baobab tree

ou’ll hear lots of African music in the performance. Notice the many percussive sounds made by hitting, rubbing, or shaking instruments. They are made in patterns of strong and weak beats—that’s called rhythm. You’ll see and hear these African instruments:

Shekere (SHEH-kuh-ray) is a small gourd “rattle” wrapped in a net of beads. During the performance, watch how two of these instruments help create the eyes of an alligator!

The djembe (JEM-bay) is a single-headed The kora (KOHR-ah) is a stringed instrument that is a cross between two ancient stringed instruments, the harp and the lute. It features a long neck and 21 to 25 strings. The deep body is typically made from half a gourd (a hard-shelled fruit) that is covered in animal skin.

drum shaped like a big goblet. The body is made of wood and the drum is covered with animal skin and played with bare hands. It is a popular African drum because of its wide variety of sounds.

The balophone (BAL-uh-fohn) is a keyboard instrument (similar to the xylophone) that is part of the percussion family of instruments. It usually has 18 to 21 wooden bars held on a bamboo frame. See the round things underneath? Those are gourds that help make the sound stronger. The balophone is played by striking the bars with small mallets or hammers.

African Words to Your Ears You’ll notice that some words spoken and sung during the performance are in a different language. That’s Bambara, a language spoken in Mali, a country in West Africa.

Dear Grownups: Please help your young theatergoers read and understand the information throughout this Cuesheet. This page features more background information for you and some activity ideas designed to add to the children’s experience.

Stories and Theater in Motion

Activities for Children

Taking its name from the Latin word “motus,” which means “to move,” Théâtre Motus from Quebec, Canada, has developed a distinct performance style incorporating shadow plays, acting, and puppetry. Baobab, inspired by playwright Hélène Ducharme’s travels to West Africa, features the input of creative artists from Mali and Senegal.

Puppet Show

Place and Space Baobab reflects the climate and culture of West Africa and its strong connection to the natural world. Further children’s exploration by helping them: locate West Africa on a map and learn more about its climate. learn more about solar eclipses.

Little Lessons After the performance, discuss with children what they learned from the story. Touch on the main themes: perseverance overcoming hardship takes a community being resourceful and clever solves problems

In the show, the performers turn musical instruments into animals by adding sounds and small costume pieces and by moving differently. Try finding any object around your home or school and adding something to it (eyes, antlers, a mane, or a tail) to turn it into an animal. Move it as that animal and see whether your friends and family can guess your animal.

Tell Your Baobab Story Stories sometimes help us explain unusual things around us. In Baobab, you’ll hear one idea for why this African tree looks like it is upside down. Now you try it: Imagine your own baobab story and share it with friends.

You Name It During the performance, you’ll hear Amondo called “the one who unites”—a quality important to him and his village. If you were creating a nickname describing something important about you, what would it be? Why?

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

During the Performance

Michael M. Kaiser President

Watch for… the traditional African clothing with its detailed patterns how the kora turns into a bird and the balophone and shekere turn into an alligator items you might find in an African marketplace, like baskets and containers the dried grass—a regular African costume material—used for the marabou’s body how typical African materials like sand, beans, rice, or couscous (tiny bits of crushed wheat) are used to create screens or sound effects like rain Listen for… how the performers insert different people’s names (maybe yours!) in their opening song—that’s a traditional way to improvise (make up on the spot) a song in West Africa why Amondo is called the “one who unites” and what four things he brings together

After the Performance Think About… the differences among the puppets and how they moved which puppet you liked best, and why how Amondo found his courage

Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by Adobe Foundation; The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; U.S. Department of Education; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Major support for the Kennedy Center’s educational programs is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program. Education and related artistic programs are made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

Remember…

A GOOD AUDIENCE– Lends its ears when the storyteller asks for them stays quiet (unless the performers need help or there’s something funny to laugh at) doesn’t eat, doesn’t sleep,

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. Learn more about Education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.