Foolish Tales for Foolish Times is a celebration of human foibles in the spirit of acceptance and tolerance we find ourselves laughing along with the characters at the silly predicaments they get themselves into - and out of. We all recognize ourselves in the characters' exaggerated behaviour.

Activities:

Share stories of silly moments and memories with your students and discuss.

• How did it feel after the silly event?
• How did other people respond to the silliness? Did they help you to learn
  from the event? Did they make you feel bad about it? Anything else?
  

THE STORIES WE CHOSE to retell in Foolish Tales for Foolish Times are all old tales, full of folk wisdom. They are gentle moral tales about misguided methods of dealing with problems and obstacles that we can all learn from.

Activities:
- Visit the library and find versions of the stories in the play.

• "Too Much Noise" by Ann McGovern
• "It Could Always Be Worse" by Margot Zemach
• "The Three Sillies" in Jacobs' English Folk and fairy Tales
• "Nanny and Conn" in Seamus McCann's Hibernian Nights
• "Clever Grettel" by the Brothers Grimm
• "Lazy Jack"

What changes have Puppetmongers made to the original tales?

What was left out and what was added?

Why do you think these changes were made?

Read and enjoy these books too:

• "Amelia Bedelia"
• "Noodles, Nitwits and Numbskulls" by maria Leach
• "Anansi Finds A Fool" by Verna Aardema
• "Stories for Children" by Isaac Bashevis Singer
• "A World of Nonsense" by Carl Withers

THERE ARE A LOT of different kinds of puppets, and everyday objects used as puppets, in Foolish Tales for Foolish Times. The two performers animate everything in full view of the audience. They make all the puppet voices, they narrate the stories and, from time to time, become characters in the play themselves.

Activities:

• In what ways is this show different from other puppet shows the students may have seen?
• Why do you think people expect to see "Muppet" type puppets and hidden puppeteers?
• Why would you choose to use puppets instead of actors in a play?
• What can puppets do that humans can not? What can humans do that puppets can not?
• What else could be manipulated and given character, to become a puppet?
• Invite an artist to your classroom for a puppet theatre project.
  

WHEN PUPPETMONGERS are working on a new show we listen to each others' ideas. When we are performing we listen to each other so as not to miss cues, and to ourselves to know we are saying the right lines with the right voice and timing. We also listen to the audience, as each performance is different depending on the audience's response.

Activities:

• Create an oral group story, each person in turn adding one word to the growing story.
• Play Broken Telephone. In pairs, one student tells the other all about an event when finished, the other recaps what they heard.
• Create puppet shows in small student groups so everyone gets to be a performer and a member of the audience.

There are some places it is important to be quiet and listen, others where we are
encouraged to be noisy. How are we expected to behave at the following:

• a birthday party
• a theatre play
• a sports event
• a dinner party
• a rock concert
  a religious ceremony
• in class
• in the playground.

Brainstorm other examples and discuss.

 

For more information please call us at 416-691-0806 or email