The Gift of Nothing: A World Premiere Kennedy Center Commission

Wh a t do

you get your best frien d who has e v e r y t h in g ?

A World Premiere Kennedy Center Commission Based on the book The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell Adapted by Patrick McDonnell, Aaron Posner, and Erin Weaver Music and lyrics by Andy Mitton Associate direction (movement) by Erika Chong Shuch Directed by Aaron Posner

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by

Two Unlikely Best Friends Earl, the playful dog

Mooch, the curious cat

Something New—Nothing!

Welcome to The Gift of Nothing—a brand new musical being performed for the first time anywhere. The musical story comes from the book of the same name but tells it in a whole new way. Say “hello” to singing, acting, dancing, music, lights, and some stuff like squeaky toys, little pink socks, and boxes! No matter how well you know the story, get ready for the magic of live theater to surprise you—and be ready to help create a little magic yourself.

The Story of Nothing It’s winter and holiday time in a small town. People are smiling and friends are giving gifts. So Mooch decides to get a gift for his best friend, Earl. But Earl already has a squeaky toy…and a bowl…and a comfy bed. Will Mooch’s frantic search for the purr-fect gift end in success—or disappointment?

Getting Along

Yesh, It’s Unusual

Earl loves people. Mooch doesn’t, really. Earl loves, loves, LOVES walks and toys. Mooch loves naps and little pink socks. Earl barks; Mooch purrs. But on what really matters, this dog and cat understand each other completely—no matter who says they aren’t supposed to get along. Think about how Earl and Mooch can be best friends even though they are very different, and discuss your ideas with family and friends.

There’s one other thing to know about Mooch. He sometimes adds a “sh” sound to words. So “yes” becomes “yesh,” “special” becomes “shpecial,” and “maybe” becomes “shmaybe.” Listen for these and many others during the show.

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s h pe cia

l

ye s h y be shma

and the Purr - fect Gift And What About Those Humans?

Earl and Mooch live in the world with humans, and here are the ones you’ll meet in the story: Ozzie—A kindhearted man and Earl’s person

Millie—Mooch’s person, who sometimes calls him playful names like Moochie and Moo Moo Cakes

Frank—Millie’s husband, who sneezes (achoo!) around Mooch

Doozy—A young girl who loves texting (LOL) and talking on her phone

Through Mooch and Earl’s Eyes Ever imagine what a pet dog or cat might be thinking of you? In The Gift of Nothing, you might get some ideas because some of the story is told the way Mooch and Earl see the world. To them, humans can seem silly (but still lovable) and big department stores can be scary. And these best friends don’t know human holidays, but they do know from watching their humans that a special—ahem, “shpecial”—day is here.

The Big, Paws-tive Ideas “I think it might be the best gift ever,” says Mooch about his present for Earl. And that’s one of the big ideas in the performance—what makes the “best” gift and what makes a day truly special? Some other big ideas include friendship, kindness, and overcoming differences. Watch and listen for these ideas, and after the performance, discuss what you learned about them with your family or friends.

Everything, Something, Nothing Think about what everything, something, and nothing mean. After the performance, discuss the meaning of nothing. Did Mooch really give Earl “nothing”? Why or why not?

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Unwrapping a

P a t r ic k

Earl

Born in the Comics Once there was a real-life dog named Earl. Earl became a drawing when his real-life, human illustrator Patrick McDonnell decided to create a comic strip about Earl. Patrick called it MUTTS, and like all comic strips, it’s a series of drawings that include the characters’ dialogue (words). Patrick added other characters, including Mooch the cat, who soon became Earl’s best friend. For the last 20 years, MUTTS comic strips have appeared every day in newspapers around the world. That means Earl and Mooch are already pretty famous!

Mutts

On to a Book Earl and Mooch moved to the printed pages of a book with Patrick’s first picture book, The Gift of Nothing. With more pages than a comic strip, he was able to draw and tell a story about Earl and Mooch’s friendship—and what it means to give the perfect gift.

Ta-Da! Now to the Stage

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The Gift of Nothing inspired a lot of people with its simple, heartwarming story— including director Aaron Posner and his wife, actress and playwright Erin Weaver.

They thought the story could be told on stage as a musical. Patrick agreed, and soon the story of the book was on its way to being the musical you’ll see on stage.

But how, you ask? Well, it takes a whole team of people using their imaginations.

Let’s meet them on the next page and learn about their jobs.

Musical Story Meet the Creative Team The playwrights adapted (changed) a short picture book so that it could be performed on stage with actors speaking and singing, and with lights, sets, objects, and music. They also tried to make the new musical just as sweet as the book.

The associate director (movement) planned all the dance movements for the songs as well as how the characters move throughout the performance. One fun part: creating movements for the actors playing Mooch and Earl so you can easily imagine them as animals.

The composer wrote all the music and words that the performers sing in a way that helps tell the story.

The costume designer chose what all the performers wear. Like the set designer, she had to create the world of the book on stage, but her tools were clothes.

The set designer decided how to create the world of the book and the story using objects on stage.

Playing a Dog and a Cat It might be fun to have a real dog and cat on stage. But you know what? It’s way more fun to have people—actors—pretend to be Earl and Mooch. Unlike animals, actors can talk, dance, and sing. To become their animal characters, the actors will change their voices and movements and wear costumes. All you have to do is remember to bring your imagination!

Dress Up If you were the show’s costume designer and had to use ordinary clothes for Mooch and Earl, what items would you choose? Make a list or draw your ideas and share them with your friends and family. During the performance, watch to see how the costume designer dressed Mooch and Earl.

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Creating a GoodSaying It in Song The songs in The Gift of Nothing tell you a lot about the characters and what’s happening in the story. They can also help you understand what characters are feeling, such as joy, love, fear, worry, disappointment, and loneliness. One of composer Andy Mitton’s favorite songs is “Waiting at the Window.” Earl sings it while waiting for Mooch. When you hear that song, what do you think Earl is feeling, and why?

A Tune-ful Time During the performance, the performers will sing to music played on a piano on stage (and maybe a few other instruments, too). Look and listen for how the singers communicate through their actions and lyrics when they sing these songs: “Dawn” (Ozzie, Millie, Frank, and Doozy) “A Special Day” (everyone) “Little Pink Sock” (Mooch) “Walk! Walk! Walk!” (Ozzie and Earl) “That’s My Family” (Ozzie, Millie, Earl, and Mooch) “O.M.G.” (Doozy) “A New History” (Earl and Mooch)

“Trudge! Trudge! Trudge!” (Doozy) “The Perfect Gift” (Mooch, Millie, and Frank) “Blah! Blah! Blah!” (Ozzie, Millie, Doozy) “Getting Reception” (Doozy) “Any Something Everywhere” (Grabbers) “Waiting at the Window” (Earl, Millie, and Frank) “Finale” (everyone)

After the performance, discuss (and sing!) the music with family and friends. Which song was your favorite?

Rhyme Time During the songs, listen for rhyming words, like “fur” and “purr,” or “book” and “look,” or soft rhymes of words that don’t exactly match, like “shelf” and “myself.” To help you get warmed up, see whether you can fill in the missing word (it rhymes with “day”) for this part of the song “A Special Day”: “Don’t miss a moment Here comes a special day Leave all your worries Now’s the time for _____”

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During the performance, there is a scene that takes place in a big, busy department store where there are many holiday shoppers. Notice how the sets, costumes, movements, and style of music change.

for -N othing World Setting the Stage Before anything appears on stage, the set designers draw their ideas on paper or on a computer, or they create miniature models. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the first models for The Gift of Nothing. This set shows the neighborhood and homes of Mooch and

Earl. Make sure to look for the trees on stage. Notice the color and shapes—if you think the set looks like something cut out from the pages of a book, that’s exactly the idea! During the performance, compare the actual set to these models to see whether it changed.

Set design by Luciana Stecconi

Design a Set Piece Draw and cut out of white paper something to go with this set design for The Gift of Nothing. It could be a toy for Mooch or Earl, a car, snowflakes, or something else that matches the story and the scene.

Using Your Imagination Patrick McDonnell got inspired to create Earl and the MUTTS comic strip from his own dog. Why don’t you try it? Draw your pet or another animal you’ve met. Now try to see the world as your animal might see it— watching how humans treat animals and each other. Let your animal tell his or her story. You can use drawings or act as your animal, trying to move and talk like your animal would.

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Your Gift to Mooch and Earl You can give Mooch and Earl the best gifts performers could ask for by doing these things:

David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President

Watch for… what Mooch and Earl do when Mother Nature surprises them. ow lighting tells you when characters are h thinking to themselves or talking to you, the audience.

Listen for the… sound Earl makes when he is sad (can you guess?). different ways people in the story describe “nothing.” many ways Mooch sings the three words “Little Pink Sock.”

Think about…

Mooch sings, “I just can’t box what’s in my heart.” What do you think he means? And what do you think makes the best gift? Discuss your ideas with family and friends.

Remember this “shpecial” message

Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

Additional support for The Gift of Nothing is provided by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Kaplan, Inc.; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by Mike and Julie Connors and the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center 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.

Mooch invites you to have a shpectacular time at the show. To do that, Earl the dog says: Sit and stay No barking (Or in human terms, please be quiet.)

Speak—but only when the performers ask you to.

Leave it! Don’t eat or use electronics.

Be curious like Mooch, and listen and watch closely.

Clap your paws at the end…and be sure to catch some fun on this shpecial day!

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 have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

All illustrations by Patrick McDonnell, The Gift of Nothing, Little, Brown & Company

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© 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts