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Dear Teacher/Parent:We have included the following study guide from Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia to help make your students’ theater experience with as meaningful as possible. Goodnight Moon & The Runaway BunnyFor many, it will be their first time viewing a live theatrical production. We have learned that when teachers discuss the play with their students before and after the production, the experience is more significant and long-lasting. Please use this study guide as inspiration for creating your own activities and areas for discussion. We hope you and your class enjoy the show!

About Lebanon Opera House Youth Education SeriesEach year, LOH presents a series of events for school children in the Upper Valley community. Made possible by support from the series’ sponsors, the YES! events provide many of the community’s school children with their first exposure to live performances. The series features school-day matinees by national touring companies that specialize in shows for young and family audiences.

About Mermaid Theare of Nova ScotiaMermaid Theatre ranks among North America’s most respected theatres for the young, and plays an important ambassadorial role for Nova Scotia and for Canada. The company regularly crosses Canada and the United States, travels abroad frequently, has performed for more than four and a half million spectators on four continents, and offers productions in seven languages. The company’s choice of material is based on the belief that young people can benefit substantially both in their emotional and aesthetic development, from early exposure to literature, the arts, and the power of imagination. The company’s objective is to produce work which is good theatre – entertaining, informative and stimulating to all the senses. As important is the goal of encouraging literacy and generating enthusiasm for the art of reading.In recognition of its accomplishments, Mermaid has been awarded export Excellence Awards by both Nova Scotia (2001) and the Government of Canada (2001, 2005); was awarded the Crystal Tourism Ambassador Award by Nova Scotia’s tourism industry in 2008, and in the Fall of 2009 received the Atlantic Presenters Association’s first annual award for excellence in artist management. The company’s touring circuit is unparalleled in North America.

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Please review this common theater etiquette with your class before attending the performance.Do:

Arrive at Lebanon Opera House early.Use the restroom before the performance.Turn off cell phones, alarms, and other electronic devices.Wait for your school or group to be dismissed.Keep your feet on the floor.Show your appreciation of the performers by applauding.Stay with your group or school at all times.Watch and listen closely to the performers.Don’t:

Stand in the aisles.Put your feet on the seats or balcony railing.Talk, sing, hum or fidget.Take pictures or record the actors during the performance.Leave the theater during the performance.Kick the seat in front of you.Eat, drink or chew gum in the theater.Leave your seat before the performers have taken their curtain call.

Enjoy the show!

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The Stories 1

In Goodnight Moon, a young rabbit goesthrough a bedtime ritual of sayinggoodnight to every object in sight and inhis imagination, from the pictures on thewalls to the brush and comb, to the moonand stars, to “the old lady whispering‘hush.’” The text is written in the form of arhyming poem.Ask your students:• Can you name any of the things the

bunny says goodnight to in the story?How many can you think of?

• Do you like going to bed? • What are some of the things you do to

get ready for bed? • Who do you say goodnight to before

bedtime?

In The Runaway Bunny, a young bunny tells hismother he wants to run away. “‘If you run away,’says his mother, ‘I will run after you.’” And sobegins an imaginary game of chase. Whateverthe little bunny declares he will change himselfinto—a fish, a rock, a bird, a boat, etc.—hismother replies that she, too, will change herselfso that she can always keep her little bunny safeand protected.Ask your students:• Can you name any of the things the bunny

says he will become? How many can youname?

• If you could change into anything youwanted, what would you become? Why?

• Why do you think the little bunny wantedto run away?

• Have you ever wanted to run away? Why?

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2

Have You Read...?In addition to Goodnight Moon and TheRunaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brownand Clement Hurd also teamed up tocreate My World and Bumble Bugs andElephants.Other books by Margaret Wise Browninclude:• My World of Color• The Moon Shines Down• Two Little Trains• Sneakers, the Seaside Cat• The Little Fir Tree• The Important BookAsk your students:• Have you heard of any of these books?• How many have you read?• Do you remember the stories?• Do you remember any of the pictures?

When Margaret Wise Brown(1910-1952) began to write foryoung children, most picturebooks were written byillustrators, whose training andtalents lay mainly in the visualarts. Brown was the first picture-book author to achieverecognition as a writer.

After graduating from HollinsCollege in 1932, Brown workedas a teacher and also studiedart. It was while working at theBank Street Experimental School

in New York City that she started writing books for children. Her firstbook was , published in 1937 by Harper & Brothers.When the Wind BlewBrown went on to develop her Here and Now stories and Noisy Bookseries while employed as an editor at William R. Scott. In the early 1950s,she wrote several books for the Little Golden Books series, including TheColor Kittens, Mister Dog, and Sailor Dog.

Clement Hurd (1908-1988) was an Americanillustrator of children’s books. He is best knownfor his collaborations with author Margaret WiseBrown. He also illustrated a number of bookswritten by his wife Edith (a friend of Brown’s), aswell as The World Is Round, a children’s bookwritten by Gertrude Stein.

The son of a New York mortgagebanker, Hurd was educated at St. Paul’s

School in Concord, New Hampshire, studied architecture at YaleUniversity and painting with Fernand Léger in Paris. On seeing twoof his paintings, Brown asked him if he would consider illustratingchildren’s books.

Look carefully at the bookshelves pictured inGoodnight Moon. You’ll see that one of the little rabbit’s

books is . One of three framed pictures onThe Runaway Bunnythe walls shows a scene from the same book.

Take a Closer Look!

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The performance of GoodnightMoon and The Runaway Bunnyemploys a variety of styles ofPUPPETS—including rod and table-top puppets—to tell the two stories. Amazingly, all of the puppetsand scenic elements are manipulatedby just three puppeteers!

In Goodnight Moon, part of thevisual magic comes from the use ofBLACK LIGHT. Black light makesfluorescent colors glow in the dark,and makes anything black invisible tothe eye. In Goodnight Moon, thepuppets and scenery are painted withfluorescent paint, which makes them really stand out under theultraviolet light. The puppeteers are onstage as they work with thepuppets. They wear black clothing and black masks and perform infront of a black wall. This makes them almost invisible to theaudience and allows them to execute all kinds of visual illusionswith the puppets.

The show also employs pre-recorded NARRATION ofMargaret Wise Brown’s text of the two stories, and originalMUSIC composed by Steven Naylor especially for thisproduction.

This production is by MERMAID THEATRE OF NOVASCOTIA. Founded in 1972, the company ranks among Canada’smost respected creators of theater for children. Mermaid hasperformed for more than three million people on four continents.

About the Production 3

Make Your Own Puppets!Sock Puppet

www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/puppets.htmlRod Puppet

www.puppets2000.com/index6b.htmlBunny Hand Puppet:

www.bluebonnetvillage.com/puppet.htm

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Rabbits are ground dwellers that live inenvironments ranging from desert towetland. They have long ears that allowthem to hear very well. In addition to theirprominent ears, which can measure morethan 4 inches long, rabbits have long,powerful hind legs and a short tail.Did You Know?• Rabbits are not rodents but

belong to their own ordercalled LAGOMORPHS.

• Rabbits areHERBIVORES, whichmeans they eat plants, but donot eat meat.

• Rabbits’ teeth never stop growing. They keepthem from growing too long by constantlychewing to wear them down. Rabbits will chew onalmost anything but house rabbits especially likeremote controls!

• House rabbits generally live 8-12 years. • According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the

oldest rabbit in the world lived to the age of 18. • Larger rabbits generally have shorter lifespans than

smaller rabbits. • Outdoor rabbits have (on

average) a much shorter lifespanbecause of the many risks andhazards associated with livingoutside.

• Rabbits should notbe kept as aclassroom pet.

Ask your students:• Can you think of any other famous

rabbits besides the ones in GoodnightMoonand The Runaway Bunny?

• What do real rabbits eat? Do therabbits in Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny eator drink anything?

• A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants, such asfruits, vegetables, grass, and leaves. Carnivores eat meat.Omnivores eat EVERYTHING. Are rabbits herbivores,carnivores, or omnivores? What about people?

Students can play this online animal diet game to learnabout the difference between the three types of eaters.

www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/animaldietgame.htm

Bunny Basics 4

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Rhyme Time 5Cut out the pictures below. On the next page, have your students match the pictures tothe correct spaces in order to create their own picture book for this nursery rhyme.

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Rhyme Time 6

Hey diddle diddle, the and the

, the jumped

over the . The little

laughed to see such sport, and the

ran away with the . Study Guide, Page 6

Color the Bunny 7

©2006 by Margaret Wise Brown Art © Clement HurdHarperCollinsPublishers Study Guide, Page 7

What’s My Job at the Show? 8Going to see a play at a theater is not the same as watching TV. When you aresitting in audience at Lebanon Opera House, the actors will be in the same room as you. They will be able to hear and see everything that goes on in theaudience. Use the key to find out what your job is at the performance.

look listen performance audience clap

When I go to a , I am part of the . This is a

very important job. I have to and carefully.

If I talk or move around, the actors and the will have a

hard time paying attention to the .

When the is over, it’s okay for me to . Study Guide, Page 8

RabbitsLearn about keeping rabbits as pets at the House Rabbit Network website.

www.rabbitnetwork.orgFirst-School offers rabbit crafts and activities for young students.

www.first-school.ws/THEME/animals/wild/rabbit.htmOther books about bunnies:

Funny Bunnies, by Laurie Frankel. Chronicle Books, 2004.The Rabbit Handbook, by K. Gendron. Barron’s Educational Series, 2000.The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter. Grosset & Dunlap, 2004.The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. HarperCollins, 1999.Guess How Much I Love You? By Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram.Candlewick, 2008.

/Over the Moon: A Collection of First Books:Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny and MyWorld, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated byClement Hurd. HarperCollins, 2006.Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales. DVD,Not rated. HBO Home Video, 2000.Learn more about Margaret Wise Brown at herwebsite. See photos of her and view originalmanuscripts.

www.margaretwisebrown.comThe Runaway Bunny was turned into a concertpiece for violin, orchestra and narrator bycomposer Glen Roven. Visit the website to learnmore and hear the music.

www.runawaybunnymusic.com

PuppetsVisit Mermaid Theatre’s website for more informationon the show.

www.mermaidtheatre.ns.caFor more information about black light, check out

www.howstuffworks.com/question59.htmIf you’re interested in learning how to use puppetswith your students, here are some useful resources:

Making Puppets Come Alive, by Larry Engler andCarol Fijan. Dover, 1997.A Show of Hands: Using Puppets with Young Children,by Ingrid M. Crepeau and M. Ann Richards. ReadleafPress, 2003.

Resources 9

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N Same _______________________ chool ____________________________________ (Optional) (Optional)What grade levels attended the performance? ___________________________Was the performance appropriate for this grade(s)? Yes NoWas the post-show discussion valuable to your students? Yes NoDid this performance fit in with your curriculum? Yes NoWas the study guide helpful? Yes NoHow would you rate the entertainment quality of the performance? Outstanding Above Average Average Below AverageHow would you rate the educational quality of the performance? Outstanding Above Average Average Below AverageTo what extent were your students challenged by the content of this performance? Very Challenged Challenged Not ChallengedHow did this program compare to similar programs you’ve attended in the past? Above Average Average Below AverageWill you bring your students back to another YES! performance? Yes NoWhat types of shows would you like to see us present in the future?   Music   Dance   Musical Theater   Non-musical Theater   Puppetry   Historical   Literature based   Multicultural   Other _________________How did you hear about the Youth Education Series?   LOH Website   Mailing   E-mail   LOH Brochure   Poster   Radio   Newspaper   Teacher   Parent   Enrichment/Arts Coordinator   Other _________________Additional Comments:

Please return your evaluation to: Lebanon Opera House | PO Box 384 | Lebanon, NH 03766Evaluations can also be completed online at www.lebanonoperahouse.org/yesloh/

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A Note to FamiliesDear Family,Today, Lebanon Opera House presented Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny to your child’s class. This performance was made possible by generous support from our underwriters and sponsors:

Hypertherm HOPE Foundation, The Valley News, Element by Westin, Courtyard Marriott, and Gnomon Copy.Below are a few questions that might help initiate a conversation about your child’s experience at the performance. For more information about this production, including suggested reading and other performance related activities please download a copy of our study guide at www.lebanonoperahouse.org/yesloh/What type of performance did you see? (Music, theatre, etc.)What was the performance about?What was your favorite part of the performance?What did you learn from the performance?How did the performance make you feel?If you could be one of the performers/characters, which would you choose and why?

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2015/2016 ProgramsMermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia inGOODNIGHT MOON AND THE RUNAWAY BUNNYFriday, October 16, 2015 // 10amRecommended for Pre K – grade 2

ArtsPower inTHE MONSTER WHO ATE MY PEASWednesday, February 10, 2016 // 10amRecommended for Pre K – grade 3

ArtsPower inFROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILERFriday, November 20, 2015 // 10amRecommended for K – grade 6

Enchantment Theatre Company inPETER RABBIT TALESThursday, April 21, 2016 // 10amRecommended for Pre K – grade 4

City Center Ballet inCLARA IN CONTEXTFriday, December 4, 2015 // 10amRecommended for grades 4 - 8

Theatergroep Kwatta inLOVE THAT DOGWednesday, May 11, 2016 // 10amRecommended for grades 2 - 6

Theatreworks USA inFREEDOM TRAINTuesday January 19, 2016 // 10amRecommended for grades 3 - 9

Theaterworks USA inCURIOUS GEORGE: THE GOLDEN MEATBALLTuesday, May 31, 2016 // 10amRecommended for Pre K – grade 3