Show Companion About TADA! and Theater Etiquette Tips ........................Page 1 About The Gumball Gang: Crime Solving Kids...............................Page 2 Interview with writer of The Gumball Gang: Crime-Solving Kids...............................Page 3 Did You Know?........................................Page 4 Say What? (Glossary of Terms)................................Page 5 Guide Activities......................................Page 6-9 Theater Terms.........................................Page 10
Mission Statement
ABOUT TADA!
TADA!’s mission is two-fold: to present high-quality musical theater productions performed by talented kids for family audiences; and to provide a safe, creative and nurturing place where kids can harness their inherent energy, build their self-esteem and realize their true potential through the unique collaborative art form that is musical theater. Young people gain confidence and learn commitment, responsibility, communication, and teamwork—skills that are critical to their success in both school and life. TADA! is a place where they can develop their individual talents while being a vital part of a larger family group.
TADA! focuses on four key program areas: • Original musicals professionally produced for family audiences at affordable prices and performed by members of the Resident Youth Ensemble • The Resident Youth Ensemble; a completely free, year-round, pre-professional performing, training and youth development program for 70-80 local kids ages 8-18 • Renowned In- and After-school arts education residencies to enhance curriculum and community ideals at schools and community centers • On-site theater classes and camps for children ages 3 to 14, taught by seasoned theater Teaching Artists, for which need-based scholarships are provided
Make The Most Of Your Visit (Tips on Theater Etiquette)
1. Laugh, cry, and sigh – but don’t talk. You hear the actors; they hear you. Any reaction that comes from your experience of the play supports the performance, but shouldn’t distract from it. 2. Please enjoy food and beverages in the lobby – not the theater – and please put any garbage in the garbage cans before the show. Note: Actors will hear if you’re unwrapping food or hard candy. Please do that before or after the show – not during the performance. No food or drink is allowed in the theater. 3. Please silence all phones, tablets and anything else that might make noise or light up during the show. Then, after the show, be sure to like it, tweet it, post it and talk to your friends to tell them how much you enjoyed it! 4. Please stay in your assigned seat. 5. Photographs (with or without flash – and even on your phones) as well as the recording of the show in any way are not allowed. Recording the show is distracting and potentially dangerous to the actors as well as your fellow audience members. Additionally, recording is prohibited to protect the artistic work that went into making the show.
Tips for Group Leaders: • Please arrive approximately 15-30 minutes early. • Assign one chaperone for every fifteen students and ask your chaperones to seat themselves amongst the student group to help support best behavior.
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ABOUT THE MUSICAL Janine Nina Trevens, Artistic & Executive Director and The Resident Youth Ensemble presents
The Gumball Gang Crime Solving Kids Join The Gumball Gang as they try to solve the case of the missing masterpiece!
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jim Colleran Director/Choreographer Joanna Greer Music Director: Matthew Gregory Set Designer: Carl Tallent Costume Designer: Cheryl McCanon Lighting Designer: Steve O’Shea Assistant Director: Christina Franklin Assistant Choreographer: Romello Rodriguez Production Stage Manager: Julia Nichols Technical Supervisor: Jacob Platt Assistant to the Choreographer: Clara Kim
The Band
Music Director/Piano: Matthew Gregory Drums & Percussion: Ray Grappone
CAST OF CHARACTERS The Gumball Gang:
1. Candy Krunch – Leader: organized, smart, fair-minded 2. Danny – Athlete: agile, fit, a bit sarcastic, funny 3. Jake – Brain: Math, History, etc., “book-smart” 4. Zak – Altruist: great people skills, ray of sunshine, all heart 5. Parker – Techie: into computers, gadgets; inventive
MUSICAL NUMBERS
“Gumball Gang” “Big Case” “Big Scoop/Big Case” “Big Scoop (reprise)” “Cosmopolitan Fine Art Show” “Follow Every Clue” “Follow Every Clue” (reprise) “Klutz!” “Work It Out” “All For Me” “It’s A Masterpiece” “Life Is Sweet” “Case Closed”
Klutzes: 1. Becca Krunch – klutzy, self-deprecating but unflappable 2. Olive Krunch – devoted to Becca, supportive and relentlessly upbeat Reporters: 1. Lydia Lee – news hound: professional, perseverant, and determined 2. Morgan McCorgan – reporter/photographer: ambitious and skeptical Villains: 1. Victoria LaSalle – Beauty Queen: vain and self-absorbed but intelligent 2. Winston Winston III – Rich kid: snobbish & elitist, love/hate rel. w/Victoria 3. TJ Doyle – Bully: dumb, cruel, resentful, hates the Gumball Gang 4. Squeak – TJ’s sidekick; a tiny lackey, the smaller the better Artists: 1. Francois – French Impressionist: delicate, light, pastels; traditional 2. Isabel – Mexican Folk Artist: bold color, narrative, history; earthy 3. Gunther – German Modernist: angle, edge, chrome; “euro-artsy” Judges: (function as girl group, a la The Supremes) 1. Yvette – ringleader, tough, smart and fair 2. Rhonda – tough, smart and soulful 3. Keisha – tough, smart and soulful Protester: 1. Abby Armstrong – earnest and determined environmentalist Skater: 1. Emmett Hanley – skater dude: thrill-seeking, honest
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Q & A WITH WRITER JIM COLLERAN Q: What inspired you to write the TADA! musical, The Gumball Gang Crime-Solving Kids? A: The idea first came from TADA!’s Executive and Artistic Director, Nina Trevens. Nina wanted to produce a show featuring amateur sleuths, and she asked me to write it. I read dozens of young reader mysteries to research the idea, and discovered that every group of young crime-solvers had a cool hangout. We all discussed possible meeting places for our gang, and we finally chose a candy store. After considering many group names, I chose The Gumball Gang. Also, I wanted to include visual arts along with the performing arts, so I set this particular crime at an art competition. Q: You are the book, music and lyric writer for this work. What was it like to be the writer of all three, versus writing with a team wherein one is responsible for the book and/or lyrics and another for the score? A: There are advantages to working with a team, and there are advantages to working alone. I really like doing both. When I work alone, I can create music, lyrics, and character all at the same time – there’s no need to ask anyone’s permission to make changes! I start by outlining the plot and characters, and then I can work on whatever I want, in any order. When you work with a team, you have deadlines for each song or scene, and every change requires a back-and-forth of compromise. It can be challenging. On the other hand, when you work with a team, you can really build on each other’s ideas. A collaborator can inspire you to say “Yes… and,” which often leads to a more exciting finished product. Q: In terms of book and music, how would you describe the style or genre of this musical? A: It’s all over the place! Actually, the book reflects the genre of young reader mystery fiction. It’s set in a modern suburb, with just a slightly cartoon-ish feel to it. Everybody is a bit better spoken, a bit more dramatic, and maybe a bit kinder than we are in real life. The music draws on lots of sources, including vaudeville, 1940’s film noir (crime dramas), 1970’s pop songs by James Taylor or Carole King, and Latin salsa, but generally I’d call it pop-influenced contemporary musical theater. Q: The rhyme schemes in your song lyrics are entertaining and clever. Did you find writing the lyrics to this musical easy? A: I always spend much more time on the lyrics than I do on the music. For most of the songs in The Gumball Gang, I quickly came up with the melody, the title phrase, and maybe the chorus, but then I spent weeks mulling over the lyrics. I often used a rhyming dictionary or website, and I tried hard to create appropriate lyrics that were clever but easy to sing. Q: Are there any challenges specific to writing a musical mystery? A: Historically, mystery musicals have bombed, so my work was cut out for me. Mysteries and musicals are very different. In a mystery, the characters tell lies and hide their secrets, and there are lots of misleading details and plenty of props. Musicals paint with a broader brush— characters sing their innermost feelings and we don’t get too hung up on the details. Musicals are about emotions; mysteries are about information. I had to find a balance between the two, and I hope I got it right. (Plus, I tried to make it funny!) Q: Who would you suggest as the ideal audience for The Gumball Gang Crime-Solving Kids? A: I think the show is ideal for families, especially those with primary and middle school kids. But my college-aged nieces loved it too, so I hope there’s something in it for everyone!
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DID YOU KNOW? In the musical, The Gumball Gang: Crime Solving Kids, each character has a different reaction to the unveiling of the plot’s famous painting, The international artists claim that it is a masterpiece, while other characters don’t understand the point of the piece: it’s so abstract! What is Abstract or Minimal Art? Minimal Art is a school of abstract painting and sculpture where any kind of personal expression is kept to a minimum, in order to give the work a completely literal presence. The resulting work is characterized by extreme simplicity of form and a deliberate lack of expressive content. Minimal Art emerged as a trend in the late 1950s and flourished particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. Minimalists rejected the idea that art should reflect the personal expression of its creator. Instead, they adopted the point of view that a work of art should not refer to anything other than itself. Their goal was to make their works totally objective, unexpressive, and non-referential allowing the viewer to experience the pure qualities of color, form, space and materials. For more on Minimal Art, click & go to: http://understandingminimalism.com/introduction-to-minimal-art/
Some notable minimalist painters from the 1960-70s are listed below; however, this is merely a short list of many. To find out more about each artist and his/her work, click on each name. 1. Jo Baer, American painter
4. Kenneth Noland, American painter
2. Ellsworth Kelly, American painter
5. Robert Ryman, American painter
3. . Agnes Martin, American painter
6. Frank Stella, American painter and print maker
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SAY WHAT?
(A Glossary of Selected Terms from The Gumball Gang: Crime Solving Kids) Acclaim: To welcome with applause or great praise. Amateur: A person who engages in something without experience or skill. Sleuth: A detective. Apprehended: Arrest (someone) for a crime. Authentic: Being really what it seems to be. Case: A situation requiring investigation, action, or consideration. Clue: Something that helps a person find something or solve a mystery. Concede: To admit the truth or existence of something. Cosmopolitan: Composed of persons or elements from many parts of the world. Decoy: Something intended to lure into a trap. Detective: A person whose business is solving crimes and catching criminals or gathering information that is not easy to get. 12. Discretion: The quality of having or showing good judgment. 13. Disgrace: A cause of shame. 14. Endangered: To bring into danger. 15. Enthralled: To be put into a certain kind of spell. 16. Evidence: Material presented to help find the truth in a matter. 17. Forbid: To order not to do or to be done or used. 18. Graceful: Charming trait or quality often used to describe movement. 19. Headline: To publicize highly. 20. Innovation: A new idea, method, or device. 21. Intuition: Something known or understood at once. 22. Investigation: To study by close examination. 23. Lead: To direct on a course or in a direction. 24. Leonardo Da Vinci: Famous Italian renaissance artist. 25. Logic: Sound reasoning. 26. Masterpiece: A work done with great skill. 27. Motive: Reason behind an action. 28. Nimble: Quick in understanding and learning. 29. Objective: A goal or end of action. 30. Precarious: Depending on unknown conditions or chance events. 31. Private eye: A private investigator. 32. Probe: An attempt to explore or learn about the unknown. 33. Proposition: Something offered to be thought about or accepted. 34. Protest: A complaint, objection, or display of unwillingness or disapproval. 35. Refinement: To come or bring to a pure state. 36. Renown: A state of being widely known and highly honored. 37. Snare: A trap. 38. Suspect: A person who is believed to of committed a crime. 39. Compass: Tool used to draw circles 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
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THE GUMBALL GANG CLUE SCRAMBLE
Part 1: Use your detective skills to unscramble the letters so that you create a sensible clue then use the clue to identify the word (or definition). Find each definition in the glossary on page 5. 1. A P T R A Clue: _ _ _ _ _ Word: _ _ _ _ _
2. A E D E V E I T C T Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _
3. A W N E D A I E Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. A I A T E R V P SRTITOVNEAIG Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____________ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
6. E A C R S N E I A N S RTSAIT Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ Word:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
7. A E U C A S F O ASEMH Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _____
8. E N B G I W L L E NKNWO Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _
9. A A L O G Clue: _ _ _ _ _ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
10. S E A R A O R O F NA TAONCI Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _
11. G M T S H I N E O NWOKO TA ENCO Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ __ ____ Word: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. N D O S U O G N I A E R Clue: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Word: _ _ _ _ _
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Part 2: Write all of the unscrambled words horizontally in the crossword. You will notice a bonus word is revealed in the crossword. Use your detective devices to define the bonus word!
Note: Answer Key can be found on page 11 of this guide.
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EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUE TALENTS Additional Activities For Young Audiences
Guide Activities focus on: Creative Writing / English Language Arts, Theater, Creative Movement, Visual Art, Creative Expression and Character Education
TALENT MACHINE Acting & Discussion Activity In a large group
In The Gumball Gang Crime-Solving Kids all of the characters have their own particular talents and passions. Some know them from the start and some discover them through the events in the play. In this activity, participants will brainstorm different and individual types of talents a person can possess; play with physicalizing these talents; and explore how our talents can work together to create something bigger than the sum of its parts. Instructions Brainstorm: • As a full group, brainstorm different kinds of talents we saw in the musical. • Chart out the answers on a piece of paper or a poster, black or white board. • Brainstorm other kinds of talents a person can have (include these answers on the chart). • Now we’re going to put all of these talents together! Activate: • Establish a stage space. • Ask for a volunteer or two to come up in front of the group and create a repeatable movement for the first talent on the list. • For example: If a person is a painter, they can draw a circle in the air over and over. A singer can rock up and down with their microphone. • Add in a sound or a phrase that a person with that talent might say. • Continue with volunteers until everyone in the group is on stage creating one large picture as an ensemble with a gesture and sound/phrase for a different talent from the list. • Once all participants are in the picture, show the group a signal for start and stop. • A facilitator can practice starting and stopping the gestures and sounds as a full group. • Add in cues/signals for louder and softer, faster and slower. • Using all signals, orchestrate the participants as an ensemble (i.e., full machine). Discussion Describe: • What did it feel like being a part of the talent machine? • How was it different from doing your talent gesture and sound on your own? Analyze: • How was putting all of our talents together in our talent machine similar to the way the gumball gang worked together to solve the crime?
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For another interactive event see The Gumball Gang: Crime-Solving Kids on Feb. 6th at 4pm, then attend TADA!’s Audience InterACTive. Learn a song and dance from the show with members from the cast and staff!
WRITING RHYMING LYRICS Jim Colleran wrote the book, music and lyrics for The Gumball Gang: Crime-Solving Kids. He has a unique talent for writing lyrics and he came up with the following steps and tips for writing them. Steps to Writing Lyrics: 1. Decide upon a title and a main theme. a. What is this song about? i. Is it an invitation, a celebration, a complaint, a question, or something else? b. What is happening in the song/scene? c. What word or phrase sums up the theme as the title? 2. Brainstorm words and phrases to use in your song. a. Write ideas/phrases/words that fit the theme! b. Be specific and try to use unique and interesting words. c. Write rhyming couplets, using some of the words you’ve chosen.
Writing & Discussion Activity In groups of 3-5 Write your own lyrics? Choose a theme from the following examples: 1. being yourself; 2. schools boring; 3. catching a cold; 4. wanting a cell phone; 5. feeling lonely; 6. making friends. Write a 4-line lyric (verse).
CHALLENGE 1: Can you write an 8-line verse? Discussion in groups of 3-5 • Look at the song lyrics below. • As a group circle the rhyming words. • Discuss how these lyrics follow the steps and tips in the left column. CHALLENGE 2: Use some of the vocabulary words from the glossary on page 5 and try to rhyme them?
3. Write as much as you can! Every idea is worthwhile. Writing Tips: 1. CONTENT: Keep it interesting! a. Use unique vocabulary words. b. Use specific examples and images, not general or vague ideas. c. When in doubt, think of the five senses: Sight, sound, taste, smell, touch 2. STRUCTURE: Show variety! a. Use both one-syllable and two-syllable rhyming words. b. Try to vary the length of the lines. 3. RHYMING: a. Always match final sounds (“tooth” doesn’t rhyme with “roof!”) b. Don’t just write rhyming words; write rhyming words that fit the theme. Remember, songs don’t have to rhyme, but rhyming is effective for three reasons: 1. Rhyming makes a song easier to remember. 2. Rhyming makes a song more fun for the audience. 3. Rhyming helps the lyric fit the music perfectly… it just “feels right.”
SONG: “GUMBALL GANG” EVERYBODY IN TOWN BEGAN TO SEE THE GUMBALL GANG’S SUCCESS AND THEY WOULD SEND AN S.O.S. ANY TIME THEY WERE IN NEED CANDY AND HER AMAZING CLAN WERE ALWAYS THERE TO HEED THEIR CALL BY SOLVING ANY CRIME AT ALL SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. SONG: “COSMOPOLITAN FINE ART SHOW” COME OUT AND SEE THE WORK OF LATE AND CURRENT MASTERS. YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO THINK THEY’RE GREAT OR JUST DISASTERS. IT’S ALL GONNA BE BIG NEWS, SO CHECK THE LATE EDITION FOR THE COSMOPOLITAN FINE ART SHOW AND AMATEUR COMPETITION! YOU CAN PARTICIPATE TOO, BY CREATING YOUR OWN WORK OF ART MAKE SOMETHING THAT REALLY SHOWS YOU, WITH BEAUTY THAT COMES FROM THE HEART.
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PICTURING YOUR POINT OF VIEW
Writing/Drawing & Discussion Activity With a partner
At the unveiling of the famous painting, each character in The Gumball Gang Crime Solving Kids has a different reaction to the painting. The international artists claim that it is a masterpiece, while other characters don’t understand the point of the piece. The varied reactions to the painting are proof that each person responds to art differently and even sees it differently! Look at each picture below. Write down what you see in each picture below. Once you have your answers, turn to a partner and compare answers. Did you see the same thing? • If yes, can you look at the picture a different way? • If no, help your partner find the image you see.
CHALLENGE! Draw what you see when you look at each picture.
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THE GUMBALL GANG CLUE SCRAMBLE (Answer Sheet) 1. A P T R A Clue: A TRAP Word: Snare
2. A E D E V E I T C T Clue: A DETECTIVE Word: Sleuth
4. N D O S U O G N I A E R SN Clue: SOUND REASONING Word: Logic
5. A I A T E R V P S R T I T OVNEAIG Clue: A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR Word: Private Eye
7. A E U C A S F O A S E M H Clue: A CAUSE OF SHAME Word: Disgrace
8. E N B G I W L L E N K N WO Clue: BEING WELLKNOWN Word: Renown
10. S E A R A O R O F N A TAONCI Clue: REASON FOR AN ACTION Word: Motive
3. A W N E D A I E Clue: A NEW IDEA Word: Innovation 6. E A C R S N E I A N S R T SAIT Clue: RENAISSANCE ARTIST Word: Leonardo Da Vinci 9. A A L O G Clue: A GOAL Word: Objective
11. G M T S H I N E O N W O KO TA ENCO Clue: SOMETHING KNOWN AT ONCE Word: Intuition
Bonus Word & Definition Masterpiece: A work done with great skill 10 7 1 11 8 6 5 3 2 4 9
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A GLOSSARY OF SELECT TERMS & CAREERS IN THE THEATER BLOCKING: The actor’s movement on stage is known as “blocking.” The Stage Manager writes the blocking notation into the Prompt Script. BLACK BOX THEATER: The interiors of most black box theaters are painted black. The absence of color gives the audience a sense of “anyplace” and allows flexibility from play to play or from scene to scene. Since almost any open space in any building can be transformed into a black box, the popularity and appeal for theater companies to use this type of performance space is high. COSTUME: Anything that an actor wears on stage is referred to as a costume. The Wardrobe department (the department responsible for creating costumes) provides clothes, shoes, hats, and any personal accessories such as umbrellas, purses and eyeglasses. CYCLORAMA (a.k.a. CYC): A curved wall or drop at the back of a stage, used for creating an illusion of unlimited space or distance in the background of exterior scenes or for obtaining lighting effects. DROP: A drop is a large piece of painted canvas that is “flown in” by the flyman (see FLYMAN). DIRECTOR: The person who guides the actors during the rehearsal period as they stage the play. The director is responsible for presenting a unified vision of the play to the audience. DESIGNER: The people who work with the director to decide what the production will look like. Designers must choose the color, shape and texture of everything you see on the stage. There are several areas that need to have designers: costumes, set, lighting and sometimes sound. The designers work very closely with the director to create the environment in which the play will take place. FLYMAN: The person responsible for the manipulation of the scenery which is in the fly gallery (the space above the stage). The scenery is manipulated by ropes attached to a counterweight system. GREEN ROOM: The green room, usually near the entrance to the stage, is where the actors & crew sit while waiting for their turn to go on stage. HEAD OF WARDROBE: Responsible for the day-to-day running of the wardrobe department and for unifying all aspects of production. For example, the head of wardrobe oversees the budget, tailoring (including the cutters, first-hands, seamstresses, dyers, etc.), accessories, and millinery. ORCHESTRA PIT: The orchestra pit is the place where the musicians perform during a musical. Usually the orchestra pit is between the front row of the audience & the stage. TADA!’s orchestra pit is located on stage left.
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PROPS: Anything that the audience sees that is not worn by an actor & is not a structural part of the set such as: food eaten during a play, dishes, briefcases, books, phones, curtains, etc. PROPS MASTER: The person who buys items that will be used or adapted to become props. Props masters also purchase the raw material used to build props. PROSCENIUM: A term describing the physical characteristics of a theater. A proscenium theater is one in which the audience & the actors are separated by a picture-frame opening that the audience looks through to see the actors. Surrounding this opening is the PROSCENIUM ARCH. If there is an acting area on the audience side of the proscenium arch, it is referred to as the APRON. SCENIC ARTIST: The people who are responsible for painting & decorating the surfaces of the set. Some of the techniques they use include: wood graining, stenciling, marbling & brickwork. They also paint the drops & scrims that are flown in. SCRIM: A scrim is a piece of gauze that is painted and used as part of the scenery. When a scrim is lit from in front it is opaque, you cannot see through it. When a scrim is lit from behind it is transparent, you can see through it. This allows for many different visual effects to be created by the lighting & set designers. STAGE CREW: The people who ensure that everything runs smoothly on stage during a performance. The stage crew are responsible for changing the sets between scenes & acts. STAGE MANAGER: The person who makes sure that all rehearsals & performances run smoothly. During a performance the stage manager also makes sure that all of the technical elements (e.g., lights, sound, curtains flying in and out) happen at exactly the right time. TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: The person who is responsible for coordinating all of the technical elements of a production. Technical directors work with the people who build the sets, props, costumes, wigs & special effects to make sure that everything runs smoothly. THRUST STAGE: A thrust stage is a stage that is surrounded on three sides by the audience.