Community Players, Inc. Friendly Faces

Jamie Ulmer Artistic Director

Tyler Rinne Associate Director

Elena Rinne Patron Services Manager

Missy Marlatt Costume Librarian

Acting Up is an after school program targeted for students in grades 5

through 8. Students meet each Wednesday, in conjunction with Beatrice

Public Schools early outs. Students learn all aspects of production and

culminate each semester with a family-friendly production. Participants are

accepted to this program through an audition process with an enrollment

limit of approximately 30 students, to provide a more customized learning

experience.

The Last Ticket Out of Thistleberry Thicket was written and directed by

Community Players’ own Associate Director, Tyler Rinne. It was originally

performed in May 2019 with the Acting Up students.

About the Playwright

TYLER RINNE

Associate Artistic Director

Tyler Rinne has been CP’s Associate Artistic Director since 2011.

He oversees Stage Door operations, paints sets, designs posters

and show logos, and directs numerous productions a year. His

directorial credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fools,

The Lion in Winter, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr., The Hobbit,

and The Jungle Book. He has debuted numerous original works on

our stage, including The Rest of the West, which is published by

Pioneer Drama Service, Pandora’s Boxer Briefs, and Ginger and Chase Across Time and

Space. Onstage appearances include roles in Moonlight and Magnolias, Noises Off, The 39

Steps, and Completely Hollywood (Abridged). He serves on the Nebraska Association of

Community Theatres board of directors, is a member of the Omaha Performing Arts High

School Theatre Academy adjudication panel, and is the co-creator and co-host of the Film Foil

Podcast.

⇛HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE⇚ When a stage manager is asking for lights, curtains, and sounds to

change, they say a command then, GO! Then the helpers know it is time to

move! Since we are all learning the theater at home, this guide is going to

be your boss or in theater words, your STAGE MANAGER. Follow the

directions for crafts, STEM activities, information, discussions and more!

Learning....Go!

WHO MAKES A SHOW?...GO!

Every CP performance you see is the result of many people working together to create a play.

You see the cast perform on stage, but there are people behind the scenes that you do not see

who help before, during, and after every production.

The DIRECTOR Determines the overall look of the performance. Guides the actors in stage

movement and character interpretation. Works with designers to plan the lights and sounds,

scenery, costumes and make-up, and stage actions.

The DESIGNERS Plan the lights, sounds, scenery, costumes, make-up, and actions to help

bring the director’s vision to life. There are also designers who work to create the posters,

advertisements, programs, and other media for the performance.

The STAGE MANAGER Before the performance, they create a cue sheet to guide the crew in

getting set pieces on and off the stage during the performances. During the performance, the

stage manager uses this cue sheet to direct people and things as they move on and off the

stage.

The CREW Build and operate the scenery, costumes, props, and light and sound during the

performance.

The CAST Includes all of the performers who present the story on stage.

The AUDIENCE That’s right! There can be no performance without you—the audience. The role

of the audience is unique because you experience the entertainment with the performers and

backstage crew. You are a collaborator in the performance and it is important to learn your role

so you can join all the people who work to create this Community Players Theater production.

THEATER VOCABULARY...GO!

ACTOR any theatrical performer whose job it is to portray a character

CAST group of actors in a play

CENTER STAGE the middle of the stage

CHARACTER any person portrayed by an actor onstage. Characters may often be people,

animals, and sometimes things.

CHOREOGRAPHER the designer and teacher of the dances in a production

COSTUME DESIGNER the person who creates what the actors wear in the performance

DIRECTOR the person in charge of the actors’ movements on stage

DOWNSTAGE the area at the front of the stage; closest to the audience

HOUSE where the audience sits in the theater

LIGHTING DESIGNER the person who creates the lighting for a play to simulate the time of day

and the location

ONSTAGE the part of the stage the audience can see

OFFSTAGE the part of the stage the audience cannot see

PLAYWRIGHT the person who writes the script to be performed. Playwrights may write an

original story or adapt a story by another author for performance.

PLOT the story line

PROSCENIUM the opening framing the stage

PROJECT to speak loudly

PROP an object used by an actor in a scene

SET the background or scenery for a play

SETTING the time and place of the story

SOUND DESIGNER the person who provides special effects like thunder, a ringing phone, or

crickets chirping

STAGE CREW the people who change the scenery during a performance

STAGE MANAGER the person who helps the director during the rehearsal and coordinates all

crew during the performance

UPSTAGE the area at the back of the stage; farthest from the audience

DISCUSSION...GO!

1. Draw a picture of what the audience might look like from the stage. Consider your work from

the viewpoint of the actors on stage. How might things look from where they stand?

2. Write a letter to an actor telling what you liked about his or her character.

3. Write how you think it might feel to be one of the actors. Are the actors aware of the

audience? How might they feel about the reactions of the audience today? How would you feel

before the play began? What about after the show ends?

4. Which job would you like to try? Acting, Directing, Lighting and Sounds, Stage Manager, Set

designer, Costume designer, or another role? What skills might you need to complete your job?

5. If you were told you would have to live in the Old Oak Tree for thirteen harvests. What would

you need? What would you miss?

6. One of the major themes in this play is luck. Lots of things are considered bad luck, do you

believe in bad luck? Did the characters in the play make good choices when they felt like they

had bad luck? Can you make your own luck like Emeline says?

7. Emeline liked to be independent. What did Emeline feel about getting married and staying in

Thistleberry Thicket? What are some things you can do without a parent’s help? What would

you like to learn to do on your own?

8. Ms. Cinnamons says, good things can come from bad. Talk about an example of something

good in your life that came from something bad.

9. Emeline becomes the new mayor of Thistleberry Thicket. What would you do if you were

mayor for a day? What new rules would you make? Would they be fair to everybody?

NE STANDARDS MET:

SS 2.1.2.a Identify and apply civic responsibilities that are important to individuals and their communities.

For example: voting, obeying laws, justice, equality, decision-making process in different cultures

FA 2.5.2.d Identify how a character conveyed feelings and emotions.

FA 2.5.3.c Distinguish between a character and a performer.

FA 12.5.3.b Analyze and critique in part, or in its entirety, a live performance or recording of a live

performance.

FA 2.5.4.e Recognize at least two jobs in the performing arts.

Crafts....Go!

Make a Whirly Bird Owl out of Pinecones: Borrowed from: mamalew.com

MATERIALS

● Small pine cones

● Brown pipe cleaners

● Assorted pieces of colored felt - including black & white for eyes

● Scissors

● Glue

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut out shapes for wings, eyes, beak and body. Glue onto your pine cone to represent

an adorable owl.

Cut a pipe cleaner in thirds. Twist one of the pieces around the middle to create the

owl's foot. Repeat for the second foot and glue on the bottom of the owl.

Become a Magpie Artist:

Curtis J. Magpie likes to collect things he finds interesting. Magpies are well known for

collecting objects, especially things that shine! Take objects around your home to create

an upcycled material bird feeder.

Become a scene designer!

Pick a scene from the play and design what you think the stage should look like. What

colors would you use? Draw on paper or create a 3-D model!

NE STANDARDS MET:

FA 5.5.2.f Design and craft a scenic element for an informal presentation (e.g., risers, prop, set

piece, backdrop).

FA 2.5.3.b Recall aspects of a performance.

S.T.E.M. PROJECTS....GO!

Can the One Man Cricket Band help you tell the temperature? Activity from: sciencebuddies.org

Materials Needed:

● Outdoor temperature between 55 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (during an evening is ideal) ● Access to an outdoor area with crickets, or purchase crickets from a pet store. If you purchase

crickets, make sure they are adults. ● Outdoor thermometer ● Stopwatch ● Piece of scratch paper and pencil or pen

Procedure

1. When it is between 55 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside (and keeping in mind that evenings are usually best for hearing crickets chirping), go to the area with crickets. Make sure you hear some chirping. Alternatively, if you purchase crickets, set them outside in a cage in the shade that allows the outside air to easily reach them. Wait until you hear chirping.

2. Have a thermometer set up so that it is measuring the outdoor temperature in the area. 3. Pick out the chirping sound of a single cricket. 4. Count how many chirps the cricket makes in 14 seconds.

How many chirps did the cricket make?

5. Write this number down. 6. Do this two more times, counting how many chirps the cricket makes in two more 14-second

intervals. Write these numbers down. How close were the numbers to each other? 7. Average the number of chirps the cricket made in the 14-second intervals. 8. Add 40 to the average number of chirps the cricket made in 14 seconds. This equation (which is

one of the oldest and easiest-to-use cricket thermometer equations, and is published in the Farmers' Almanac) should give you the approximate temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the cricket, what is the temperature?

9. Check the temperature on the outdoor thermometer.

How close is the temperature based on the cricket chirping to the temperature based on the thermometer? If they are different, by how much are they different? Why do you think they might be different?

What Happened?

As far back as the late 1800s, there have been articles published noting that a cricket's chirping rate (or number of chirps per second that it makes) changes based on the outdoor temperature. There have been many equations published describing the relationship between the number of chirps per second and the temperature. These equations all vary slightly, depending upon the species of cricket. Using this activity, you may have found that the cricket was within about five degrees Fahrenheit of the temperature measured using the outdoor thermometer, and probably even closer than that. If you did this activity multiple times and found that based on the cricket's chirps it is colder than it is based on the thermometer, this could be because the cricket is further away from a warm building than the thermometer is, and/or because the cricket is closer to the cold soil. The snowy tree cricket is frequently cited as the most accurate at predicting temperature.

Nebraska State Standards Met:

SC.4.6.3.C Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information.

Peach Crock Pot Dump Cake:

What better way to study math and science than to cook? Board Chair Morgan Tunink provides her favorite dump cake recipe that will not only taste delicious but will make your house smell like a bakery!

“Hearing the Mayor talk about peach preserves made me hungry for peaches. I tried to think of something fun and easy to make, so I hope you enjoy this recipe!”

INGREDIENTS: 1 14.5 oz. can of peaches or peach pie filling.

1 yellow cake mix (can also try spice or white cake)

2 sticks butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS: *Pour the peaches on the bottom of the crock pot

*Sprinkle cake mix over top

*Melt butter and pour over top of the cake mix evenly. It is ok to have some dry spots

*Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. It will be done when the peaches bubble slightly around the edges.

*Cool and top with ice cream or whipped cream. (I can’t usually wait for it to cool all of the way, it smells too yummy!)

WRITING....GO!

The postcard in the play causes a lot of discussion and chaos in Thistleberry Thicket. Take some time and design and write your own postcard to mail to a friend! Write about the play you watched and what you learned!

Here is the PDF from picklebums.com to print your own cards!

https://picklebums.com/images/printables/picklebums_drawyourownpostcard.pdf

NEBRASKA STATE STANDARDS MET:

LA 1.1.6.d Retell major events and key details from a literary text and/or media. LA 1.1.6.e Retell main ideas and supporting details from informational text and/or media.

LA 1.2.1.d Compose simple paragraphs with grammatically correct sentences of varying length, complexity, and type.

LA 1.2.1.i Use own words to relate information.

LA 1.2.2.d Use precise word choice and domain-specific vocabulary to write in a variety of modes.

LA 2.1.6.b Identify elements of literary text (e.g., characters, setting, plot)

LA 2.1.6.e Retell main ideas and supporting details from informational text and/or media